by Dr. Paul Hutinger
Question: What mental strategies do you suggest I use to improve my swimming performances?
Answer: Psychocybernetics -- mental preparation -- for Masters swimmers will give you some basic principles to improve performance beyond training and stroke mechanics. Since the person needs to be considered totally, confidence must be built into a positive self image for a well-rounded program.
Establish the groundwork for a good self image and confidence during the year with regular training sessions. Program yourself for success with mental practice training, stroke mechanic skills, and race strategies. The success program should include the following:
These basic principles should give you a new mental picture of yourself after a period of time. Use mental practice and imagery to improve your training techniques and stroke skills. Spend time thinking of correct stroke mechanics and how it feels to do the stroke correctly.
Use the same technique to prepare for your events before a meet. Many Master swimmers never plan or think of the event ahead of time; they just dive in and swim as fast as they can. Top swimmers mentally go through each event stroke by stroke from the dive in to the finish. To use imagery for your events, see yourself performing or feel yourself go through each detail when you swim the event. You can avoid many mistakes in races with this technique. Starts and turns can be enhanced with mental practice used as a supplement to the actual skill practice.
The following describes what I do to mentally practice for my event. You will also need to know the physical characteristics of the pool where you will compete.
IMAGINATION AND MENTAL IMAGERY
I see and imagine I am at the pool preceding my event and after I have warmed up. I slow down time, I think through all the details and stretch every joint of my body.
The starter calls the 100-yard IM and I visualize the starting block, the pool, and the lane markers. The referee blows his whistle and I stand on the block. I see my lane 4, the lane lines and backstroke flags. I concentrate only on the lane lines and starter's command.
I grab the block with my hands inside my feet, pull down and listen for the starting signal. I explode off the block and feel the water as I enter and streamline.
I start my fly kick with two beats, my arms start pulling, with no breath until the third stroke. I breathe every two strokes, visually going through the seven strokes for fly. I time the last two strokes so I don't have to chop or glide to make my turn from fly to back. I touch the wall on my last fly stroke and see the wall underwater with the turning target. I turn and push hard, while streamlining under water on my back, air exhaling out my nose.
I start my kick and the first arm pull brings me to the surface, while passing under the flags. I line up with the ceiling lights, with the lane lines vaguely visible in my peripheral vision. I feel each arm pull and push through the correct stroke. At 12 strokes, my head passes under the flags and I count -- one, two, three, and drive my fourth stroke for an open turn and kick hard to keep moving. I feel the wall, then see it while turning on my side to bring my feet into the wall, keeping them low to get a deep push off for the breaststroke.
I push and glide, looking at the bottom of the pool, then a long hard pullout for my underwater stroke, my kick bringing me to the surface for my first breath. I pull hard, lift my head for a breath, kick, and turn over fast as I approach the 75-yard mark. I time my stroke to make an efficient but speedy turn with a two-hand touch, and push off in the crawl stroke, with no breath off the wall.
I single-breathe down the pool, putting every last bit of power into each stroke as the wall gets closer. I hold my breath for the last six strokes, then a fast finger tip touch on the pad, especially important for automatic timing pads.
I look up at an imaginary score board that shows my goal time -- a fantastic time of 1:08.08 for a new National Record in the 100-yard IM for the 70-74 age group. I imagine my friends and officials congratulating me for my record. I check to find out my 25-yard splits-- 14.1 fly, 17.4 back, 20.09 breast, and 17.3 crawl.