by Dr. Paul Hutinger
Question: How can I improve my flip turn in a meet? Top swimmers have helped me in practice, and my turn improves. However, when I compete, I worry so much about missing it, I always mess up.
Answer: A swimmer posed this question to me at the April St. Pete meet. He is an experienced 70-year old who swims the 50-yard free in 29.1.
This is a classic example of a swimmer who prepares physically and technically for a skill, but uses negative thoughts to prepare mentally. The reader may remember my answer from last year about using visualization techniques to prepare for the 100 IM, with the servo-mechanism in your brain and nervous system. Similarly, set your goal and use positive feedback to keep it on course. The swimmer uses negative thoughts, saying to himself that he will miss his turn. He always does and continues to worry about it.
Use the following suggestions to accomplish your goal, a perfect flip turn in a meet (or whatever you want to correct or perfect).
1. Skill learning is accomplished by trial and error and correcting, at practice, until you have perfected your flip turn. FORGET past errors and REMEMBER successful responses.
2. Your success mechanism must have a goal -- in this case, a perfect flip turn. It operates by steering you to this goal.
3. The automatic mechanism is established for your turn -- timing, tuck, push-off, streamline. Think positively of this result and the "means whereby" will take care of itself.
4. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Your servo-mechanism achieves this goal by correcting any mistakes and moving forward.
5. Learn to trust your creative mechanism and not "jam it" by being too anxious. You must "let it" work rather than "make it" work.
6. De-hypnotize yourself of negative thoughts. Use your imagination and program yourself for success with positive thoughts and actions, by seeing and thinking perfect flip turns. Put yourself on automatic, and when it's meet time, the servo-mechanism will guide you.
In summary, your success program should include the following: