It’s never too late – a metaphor for life

Loren Ward, Passion Fit Coaching

Consistency

Swimming regularly and consistently has a huge impact on your progression. It is likely that the more frequently you can swim, anything from 3-7 times per week, the faster you will expect to see progression. Equally, the less frequently you swim, the slower you progress. For most that are juggling full time work and family life, this will require discipline and forward planning to make happen. Everyone thinks that their logistics are more complex than everyone else’s. Maybe they are, maybe they are not, but do not underestimate your ability to make things happen if they are important enough. Make it happen when you can, maintain consistency when it comes to time in the water, even if the duration and/or intensity needs to be adjusted.

Swimming regularly and consistently has a huge impact on your progression.

Repetition

With some small adjustments and progression, a lot of our athletes complete almost exactly the same sets each week for months, even years. This way they find they can build an intuitive awareness of their programme’s effectiveness and whether their execution is creating value & leading to improvements. Remember, improvement is not just about faster, especially in swimming for triathlon. 

Simplicity

The C-factors of coaching – “sport is cocked up by complicated coaches & confused athletes”. Keep things simple. No session cards, simple session structures, no distracting watches. Separate tech and conditioning sessions. It is important to develop an understanding of the purpose of each swim session. If you have an understanding of each session, you are more likely to remember the structure and what you are trying to achieve.

Understanding

Consider ‘Why I am doing each session?’ ‘What actually makes me a more effective swimmer?’ Try not to blindly follow others or copy drills from a textbook or YouTube video without an understanding of why you are doing them and how to transfer the purpose of that drill into your full stroke. Carefully selected drills, personally chosen for your needs. Taking ownership of your own understanding is key.

Presence

Complete focus & concentration. Avoid distractions. Swim progression is largely about building new muscle memory for improved form and technique. You are often having to change your movement patterns very deliberately. This takes a lot of concentration. Any distraction and loss of focus can cause you to default to your prior bad habits, thus re-embedding the old, less effective movement patterns and muscle memory. The inability to focus sufficiently and be truly present is most people’s greatest barrier to swim progression.

Self-focus

Individualise your approach, even when someone else sets the session structure. If you swim in a lane with mixed ability swimmers, it’s important to understand how to adapt the session in a way that ensures you still get out of the session what you need to.  This is easier than it sounds when you pro-actively look for a way to do this (rather than focus on what you can’t do because of others).

The inability to focus sufficiently and be truly present is most people’s greatest barrier to swim progression.

Self-care

In order to stay consistent and to be able to stay focused and concentrate, you need a healthy body and mind. Do not underestimate therefore the importance of sleep, down time, daily mobility work, functional conditioning, nutrition, hydration and a supportive community and the impact these things will have on your progression.

Selective input

Be cautious who you take advice from. Everyone wants to help, but not everyone understands your start point, your goals, your personalised focus points, your physiology, your journey so far or even understands swimming as well as they need to to offer advice. So, smile, say thank you politely, but do not be distracted by a stranger’s advice. Especially if it has been offered without a detailed understanding of your journey first.

Infinite evolving mindset

There is a balance to be struck between having an optimistic belief that you can find a solution to most problems and becoming delusional. Maintaining a mindset that is infinitely evolving removes self-limiters while still remaining realistic about what progression to expect. This approach should allow you to feel excited about the opportunities your swim journey offers, rather than getting frustrated about what you cannot do. Remain optimistic that there will be a solution or breakthrough if you are strategic and patient enough, while still recognising that this will not be the case on every occasion.

Courage & Trust

Courage to trust that all of the above will help you to progress. This progression comes in many forms and at unpredictable frequencies. Have the courage to accept that progression measurements are unique to you, this will keep you motivated and loving what you do.

Finally

As you will have almost certainly realised, the benefits of these behavioural choices are not limited to swimming. How and what you can apply these same concepts to in other areas of your life are almost limitless.

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