Quick Dip: How Can I Feel More Confident in the Pool?

A short read for the car journey

Category: Mindset | Read time: Under 2 minutes

Before a race or a demanding set, you might wonder whether you can manage it. Remembering what you have already done can help you judge the challenge more fairly.

Give yourself real reasons to feel confident. Perhaps you held your target times throughout a set of 50m repeats or finished a 200m strongly after controlling your opening pace. Those experiences tell you something useful about your swimming.

Imagine you are worried about tiring in the second half of a race. Remembering a recent set where you maintained your pace through the final repeats gives you something specific to draw on. It cannot guarantee a race result, but it is evidence of your preparation.

Notice successful swimming while it is happening. After training, pick one example worth remembering. “I held my target time on the last four repeats” is more useful than “training was good.” A short note can help you recall it before a meet.

Be fair about difficult sessions too. Missing a target time once does not mean you have lost the ability to achieve it. Look at several sessions before judging how things are going.

You can feel nervous and still have confidence in your preparation. You do not need to feel certain about the result before you race.

Try this: Before your next race, remember one specific thing from training that helps you feel prepared for that event.

Created by Basingstoke Bluefins Coaching Team