Psychology of Masters Swimming - Your Input Please
Former Member
I trained and worked as a sport psychologist before I took up masters swimming (and about the same time stopped private practice due to my boring corporate job), and for the first time really I'm looking to put both together with some articles for the web.
There's no lack of material on swimming performance but there's not much out there, for physical or mental aspects of swimming, that really acknowledges the specific challenges that masters swimmers face.
I'd really like to hear your own views on what you have to manage as a masters swimmer. This doesn't have to relate to racing specifically.
For example, I have to plan around my family, never manage to do as much training as I'd like, so I have to manage my own expectations, yet bring what I have in my locker on race day and make the most of it. I also have my 'former' life as a swimmer and the negative experiences that led to me quitting at 18 that shape my motivations now.
Thanks,
Rob
P.S. I've yet to start my own site, but I do have a swimming psychology page on facebook and I'm on twitter. I'd really appreciate a boost with likes/shares as I build a readership.
I was swimming 4 years starting from 8. When I was 12 I was fed up by 7 to 10 kilometers workouts every day (though 10km were splited in 2 workouts a day). Seems that time it was common coaching methodology but I couldn't understand why do I need all these long sets if the event I swam that time was 100 brest. Though we had such a long workouts didn't have good endurance to swim 200 and 50 was not in the list during that time. So finally after my result was standing still for 1 year and I couldn't drop even 0.1 of a second I decided to quit.
I didn't even approach swimming pools for 25 years and didn't have any desire to return. But now after 5 years working in the office at computer I started to pickup some weight. 2 years ago my weight was already 220lbs but the worst thing I found was high blood pressure so when I visited a doc she said that the only way for me is to start doing some sports and swimming is the best option she told. It actually took me about 1 year to make myself to get to the pool after that.
Now I'm swimming already 2 years and the best thing is that I enjoy it again. At the beginning I was swimming for fitness only - I never thought about becomming competitive again but after a year and something I realized that I became fit enough and fitness only doesn't satisfy me anymore and I wanted to compete - that's how I found masters club in my city.
My weight now is 182lbs and the main thing is that since the time I started swimming my blood pressure is absolutely normal. Hope it will remain the same in future.
I was swimming 4 years starting from 8. When I was 12 I was fed up by 7 to 10 kilometers workouts every day (though 10km were splited in 2 workouts a day). Seems that time it was common coaching methodology but I couldn't understand why do I need all these long sets if the event I swam that time was 100 brest. Though we had such a long workouts didn't have good endurance to swim 200 and 50 was not in the list during that time. So finally after my result was standing still for 1 year and I couldn't drop even 0.1 of a second I decided to quit.
I didn't even approach swimming pools for 25 years and didn't have any desire to return. But now after 5 years working in the office at computer I started to pickup some weight. 2 years ago my weight was already 220lbs but the worst thing I found was high blood pressure so when I visited a doc she said that the only way for me is to start doing some sports and swimming is the best option she told. It actually took me about 1 year to make myself to get to the pool after that.
Now I'm swimming already 2 years and the best thing is that I enjoy it again. At the beginning I was swimming for fitness only - I never thought about becomming competitive again but after a year and something I realized that I became fit enough and fitness only doesn't satisfy me anymore and I wanted to compete - that's how I found masters club in my city.
My weight now is 182lbs and the main thing is that since the time I started swimming my blood pressure is absolutely normal. Hope it will remain the same in future.
