Claire-Marie RobertsSport PsychologistUniversity of Glamorgan, UK

Building mental toughness and confidence in competitive swimming

Common thoughts?

“I haven’t swum a PB for

ages”

“Other people are overtaking me – I’m not as fast as I used to be”

“Other people aren’t having

the same problems as

me”

“I’m not good enough to swim in this race. There are so many people here that are faster than me”

“I’m not sure I can do this”

The reality

• Not even champions swim to the best of their ability all the time

• We all experience self-doubts, performance slumps and plateaus

• If it was easy to be a competitive swimmer, everybody would be doing it!

• Successful swimmers learn to DEAL WITH these problems• Every great swimmer has to overcome problems on their way

to the top!

WHAT THOUGHTS GO THROUGH YOUR HEADS WHEN YOU ARE PREPARING FOR A RACE?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SPORT PSYCHOLOGY?

What makes a successful swimmer?

Goal setting

Physical & mental training programmes

They look after

themselves (lifestyle)

MentalToughness

Correct nutrition Motivation to

succeed

Technical ability

Strength, stamina

What makes up your performance?

My performance

Me, my values,

attitude, desire to be

successful

Stroke technique, competitive

abilities, tactics, knowledge

Mental Skills

Physical prep, power, speed,

strength, stamina

Results: CopingMental Skill What it does

Relaxation Keeps you calm, composed and confidence. Stops you from wasting energy and effort on worry

Imagery / visualisation Improves your racing / technique skills by allowing you to see it and then do it.

Arousal / nerve control Helps with relaxation, self control and nerves. Can also be used to pump you up!

Self belief / self confidence Helps you to be able to be your best and accept your best

Environmental awareness / focus Allows you to focus on the correct cues and screen out the irrelevant (like what other swimmers are doing)

Motivation / attitude Allows you to get the most out of every session, every lap, every drill – not just “going through the motions!”

Pressure and pain control Allows you to stay calm and in control when things get tough (linked to breathing control)

WHAT IS MENTAL TOUGHNESS?

What does it mean to be mentally tough?

Psychological Edge

Coping with the demands of training, competition, lifestyle & any set backs

Remaining focused

Being (and staying) confident in your own ability

Being in control under pressure

Belief

Focus

Using long-term goals as the source of motivation

Pushing yourself to the limit

Controlling the environment

Regulating performance

Staying focused

Awareness and control of thoughts and feelings

Handling pressure

Handling failure

Handling success

How mentally tough are you?

WHERE DO I START????

Get yourself into pairs….

Think about a race that you were unsuccessful in1. What did you do in the lead up to the race? 2. How did you feel?3. What were you thinking?4. What was your behaviour like?5. How did you prepare in the lead up to the call room / warm up?6. What did you sit and think about / do in the call room for 20 mins?

and now the opposite……

When things went well….what happened?1. What did you do in the lead up to the race? 2. How did you feel?3. What were you thinking?4. What was your behaviour like?5. How did you prepare in the lead up to the call room / warm up?6. What did you sit and think about / do in the call room for 20 mins?

More than an hour to event Relax, sit with friends and distract myself with chatting and messing around

1 hour to my swim My time, time to move away and start thinking about my race, what is my strategy, is this a priority race etc? Speak to my coach and get changed. The minute I go to put my suit on I switch into athlete mode.

15 mins out from warm up Gentle stretches and drink, snack if I feel like I need it, away from distractions, so away from mates and parents.

10 mins out from warm up Spend some quiet time on my own but make sure coach knows where I am. Move away from friends / other swimmers and start getting ready to go warm up, don’t let any upset my routine or mess me around.

Warm up In the water - know what warm up I do, should be the same every time.

After warm up Stay focused. Put on clothes and just stay in the moment, don’t go chatting to people and getting out of the zone, stay in my bubble, stay loose and warm.

5 mins prior to call room, grab all my stuff, drinks, snack, goggles etc

Make sure its altogether in one place and I have back ups, extra hat / goggles / suit.

20 minutes in call room Plug into my music, focus on thinking through my race, and controlling my nerves with deep breaths and positive statements “This is my time, to show everyone what I can do” “Focused and controlled”

Don’t look at anyone else, I not interested in anyone else, just me.

Walk out to pool deck Eyes forward, in my bubble, thinking about how I am going to race, my race, not being forced to race someone else’s race. Stick to my race plan.

Pre-race Strategies• Do what is right for you (not your best mate or your biggest

rival)• Manage your timeline• Think about all the options, what you are going to do in the

time, how long do you need to swim down, then warm up again etc..

• Priority races?• INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY• Don’t leave mental prep to chance…what is your race strategy?

Fast start / first 50? Or second half of race and final meters? • If you don’t know then who does?

What’s the point?

• Consistency

• Helps calm nerves

• Blocks out other distractions

• Helps you focus / use the time in the call room to good effect

Tips

• Design and use a “big picture” game plan.• Make back-up and emergency contingency plans or

“what ifs.”• Formulate a routine for you specifically.• Visualize your success in each event.• Plan quiet time for yourself• Use positive self-talk and positive imagery.• Be around people who don’t rain on your parade.• Be around people who are role models of mental

toughness.

But....what happens if it doesn’t go so well?

• What strategies do you use if you have a bad race?• Negativity breeds negativity

– If you deal with it but others let it drag on…remove yourself from that situation!

• Be selfish but polite• 5 minute rule

– At a meet you can rant and moan for no more than 5 mins about a bad race, then bin it…ban talking about it until after the whole event, then you can make more sense of it, talk it through with your coach and make appropriate changes. YOU HAVE A CHOICE TO LET IT ANNOY YOU OR MOVE ON….SO MOVE ON ALREADY!

Things you might include in your pre-race routine

• Forget the last race, its done, you can celebrate or analyse the faults later, the focus is on the next race.

• Manage your timeline to the race:– A set time out from the race complete warm up– Time to get drink / snack and make way to the call up room– Sit and focus just on my race, no one else

• Listen to music, think through the race and visualize my race, repeat key words or triggers that help you focus on what you have to do

– When its time to go, walk confident, tall and focused– Own routine behind the blocks / onto blocks

Final Thoughts

• Read, review and celebrate your past successes.

• Maintain a consistent, organized schedule so there is no last-minute rushing.

• Seek supporting individuals to reduce pressure on yourself.

• Remain flexible and confident in your training and ability