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You are a competitive swimmer. You have moved beyond somersaults in the deep end and hand stands in the shallow end. You are showing up for serious pool time somewhere between four and ten times every week. Maybe you even do those mind-squashing five A.M. workouts. It's painful, but you do it because you want to be really good. And you're here because you want a few tools to give you that extra edge a competitive swimmer can use to squeeze every bit of benefit from those hours of training.
You're in the right place.
The first thing to do is check your goals. What are your best competitive events? What qualifying times are you aiming for in these events? You should know this by heart. When you get to the pool, before you get in, you should take a quiet moment alone to think about your goals. Grab twenty seconds and visualize yourself finishing a race in one of your events, getting that coveted time. Go to a bathroom stall to do this if you have to, but do it; you will focus your energy. Later on when you need an extra boost of resolve to finish the hardest set, it will be there.
Next, consider your coach. You should be swimming for a coach you trust implicitly. Don't even waste your time with someone who doesn't know training inside out. Once you've got a great coach, there is no reason not to give him one hundred percent every day. The pool is rife with ego conflicts, but when it comes to your coach, you need to cooperate. He's got the bird's-eye view of your stroke, and a detached eye for your entire training program. When he asks you to slow down and take a day easy, he is doing so in accordance with his plan for your success. Listen to him, trust him, and above all, communicate everything that's going on with you so he can make the best judgements.
We've dealt with you and your coach, but there is one other essential part of your workout to consider. It's your team! Sure, it's no use denying that you are all constantly competing with one another in every workout, but that doesn't mean they can't assist you on your road to success. In fact, it will help you. Watch your teammates. Watch the person in the next lane when he pushes off the wall. If he has a really good streamline in his flip turn, make yours as good. If she gets that extra boost of speed by using a dolphin kick to the flags, try working that into your own turns. At meets, have a friend or parent video tape each of your heats as well as those of the top competitors in your event. Compare your stroke to theirs. When you note the difference between your 200 freestyle and that of your toughest competitor, you will finally see what your coach is talking about when he tells you to lift your elbows more. Soon, you will be the best in that event, and it will be time to move on to a bigger pond. It could be senior regionals, it could be nationals, it might even be the Olympics! The sky's the limit.
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