Battling pre-race nerves on race day? Listed here are three issues to recollect when the nerves kick in.
Each swimmer feels pre-race nerves, butterflies, the swirly guts, the stomach troubles, and the sweaty pits. The quickened breath, racing coronary heart fee, and never-ending must hit the toilet yet another time within the minutes as your race approaches.
However what separates the swimmers who appear cooler than an Alaskan cucumber from those that are Jitter 9000, watching by way of their mirrored swim goggles as their confidence and hopes for a quick swim roll into the gutter together with the massive wave from the previous warmth?
In my expertise, it comes right down to a number of issues, together with confidence and doing the arduous work within the months main as much as the Large Meet.
However it’s additionally about having the correct relationship with pre-race nerves.
In case you are pissed off with not dwelling as much as your chlorinated potential on race day, listed here are three issues you’ll be able to be taught from elite swimmers who “get it” in terms of pre-race nerves.
Pre-race nerves are NORMAL.
Nerves, these swirling, churning guts and sweaty palms are a part of the aggressive course of.
They’re as a part of the swim meet expertise as rolled up warmth sheets, rear ends that go to sleep from sitting on steel bleachers, final second goggle checks, and a crowded warm-up pool.
Elite swimmers perceive that nerves are a part of the method.
Pre-race nerves and nervousness earlier than competing could make you are feeling like one thing is “improper.” In any case, in all of our months of coaching main as much as the meet, we haven’t skilled this set of physiological sensations.
However the bodily signs of efficiency nervousness—narrowed focus, elevated coronary heart fee, non-essential methods shutting down, elevated fight-or-flight emotions—are completely regular.
Pre-race nerves are getting you bodily within the zone to carry out at a excessive degree. These bodily sensations and emotions aren’t solely okay, they’re good.
Channel your pre-race nerves
Pre-race nerves are primarily a type of vitality. And that’s in all probability one of the simplest ways to view them.
As gasoline for high-performance swimming. As fins and paddles in your race-day efficiency.
The fact is that you simply received’t be capable to make the emotions and bodily signs go away. And there’s some analysis (Hofmann et al., 2009) that reveals that attempting to suppress nervousness may even make issues worse.
Alrighty then.
So for those who can’t kick them out of your mind, USE them for sooner swimming.
Framing nerves as pleasure is one such strategy to make pre-race nerves be just right for you. One thing so simple as: “I’m excited to see what I can do right here!” vs. “I’m so anxious!”
Benefit from the second
When standing behind the block, it’s widespread to start out going by way of all of the “what ifs”:
What if I don’t go a finest time?
What if all that onerous work was for nothing?
What if I disappoint my teammates?
Time-traveling to the long run and worrying a couple of poor end result is comprehensible; you’ve labored arduous to get right here. A number of time, sacrifice, and early mornings led you thus far.
However keep current.
Soak within the environment.
Drive a smile if it’s important to.
By staying within the second, and having fun with—sure, having fun with—the nerves and pleasure may help you not solely have extra enjoyable racing but additionally assist you to swim sooner.
You bought this. 🤜
ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY
Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national-level swimmer, creator, swim coach, and licensed private coach. He’s the creator of YourSwimBook, a ten-month logbook for aggressive swimmers.
He’s additionally the creator of the best-selling psychological coaching workbook for aggressive swimmers, Conquer the Pool: The Swimmer’s Final Information to a Excessive-Efficiency Mindset.
It combines sport psychology analysis, worksheets, anecdotes, and examples of Olympians previous and current to offer swimmers every thing they should conquer the psychological facet of the game.
Able to take your mindset to the following degree within the pool?
👉👉 Click on right here to be taught extra about Conquer the Pool.
