SwimPsych | Swimming Psychology
Sport Psychology for Swimmers, Swim Coaches and Swimming Parents
I was given a stark reminder recently that for any competitive swimmer, at any level, setbacks are a reality. Injury, illness and other uncontrollable factors mean that all of a sudden the event that you’ve been preparing for – the goals that you’ve set yourself, perhaps the opportunity to gain international honours or a National [...]
Although we swim the same strokes and distances as ‘normal’ swimmers, masters swimming is very different in many ways to the Olympic sport. The differences are not technical (apart from one or two slight differences in the rules), but relate to the challenges that masters swimmers face in terms of lifestyle, ability to train and, [...]
I recently asked the members of the US Masters Swimming forum, what’s different about being a masters swimmer, and what specific challenges they have to manage compared to younger swimmers. Although it was not really a scientific study, some really interesting themes emerged, from some pretty detailed and thoughtful responses. Broadly speaking, these fell into [...]
Daniel Fernando Padron Perez, or “Capullo” as he is known to friends, is an 18-year old from Mexico, who currently swims for INPODE – Marlines. A Regional champion, he is one of the best breastrokers in San Luis Potosi, S.L.P. He enjoys participating in events with friends and pro swimmers. You can follow him on twitter @capullopadron. Here’s more from [...]
Hi, and if you’re reading this, “Welcome to SwimPsych!”. I committed to doing something less than two weeks ago, and it’s amazing what a leg up you can get from some of the technology that’s available, and the advice that’s out there on the web. I’ve started off with a few articles, and hope to [...]
If I had to name the single most important psychological factor in swimming performance, it would have to be confidence. Confidence is a motivator, but it is also a protector. It acts like a shield and helps you to overcome setbacks, doubt and anxiety. The good news is that confidence isn’t magical or elusive. It [...]
As a psychologist I find Ryan Lochte fascinating. Not only is he a great swimmer and a great competitor, he embodies something that I believe in deeply about human nature. We are not fixed, we are not consistent. We do not behave according to traits. I don’t know Ryan, unfortunately, but as a swimming fan and observer [...]
Being the parent of a swimmer is a thankless combination of roles, from financier to taxi driver and many things in between. At the same time as making huge sacrifices yourself, there’s every chance that your teenage child will probably reward you by finding you intolerably embarrassing and tell you on a frequent basis that [...]
OK, so the title of this post suggests that training is actually boring. That doesn’t mean that it is for me or it should be for you, but training can get to be repetitive and we’ve all probably found it hard to get excited about 8x400s at some point in our lives. There are two basic [...]
Reviewing your performance is one of the key skills that a young swimmer can learn. After all, how else do you know what to work on to improve? That’s what matters – continual improvement – whether you’re an agre grouper or an Olympian. I used to envy the guys that could throw away a bad [...]
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