Question: Does appearance, demeanor, or reputation of fellow competitors effect your performance in your races?
Intimidation could be of any type really. Whether you're next to someone who looks like a real mean SOB, acts like a mean SOB, or has a reputation of being fast as hell and never losing, etc. Does it effect your performance in any way. Do you swim slower in the presence of such a person, or do they drive you to new bests? Or the converse, if someone looks weak, out of shape, or in some way inferior in skill to your perception of yourself, does it make you swim down to perceived level, or make you want to cause a crushing defeat?
Some of this may not be in the main spirit of masters swimming of course. We probably shouldn't go around with the goal and hopes of crushing everyone else in the pool, but I was always curious what other people thought about it.
If I'm eyeing up the competition and they look more in shape than I, its hard not to feel like i'm going to take a hard loss in my race. Of course I'd like to think I always push 101% on every race, but its hard to say whether or not I subconsciously hold back or push harder than I would've depending what the field looks like.
Part of it probably comes back to the type of swimmer you are too. Do you thrive on competition and winning the race, or is it just 8 people swimming alone against the clock at the same time for convenience?
No right or wrong answer, just thought i'd throw it out there.
or more recent "When should I take my last breath on the block?"
This is a new one. I don't think I've ever even thought about when to breathe until I'm actually in the water swimming! I think there's a good chance you might be overthinking, steve. :)
This is a new one. I don't think I've ever even thought about when to breathe until I'm actually in the water swimming! I think there's a good chance you might be overthinking, steve. :)
Slowly exhale when the starter says "Take your mark." Then inhale as you leave the block. Simple.
There is a classic golf story like this. Veterans on the pro tour use mind games to haze rookies, but one time a rookie got revenge on a veteran who had hazed him. (I don't remember the names from this story, sorry.) The day after he realized he'd been had, the rookie approached the veteran on the practice range and said something like, "hey I followed your advice yesterday and it worked out great. I have a follow-up question for you - during your swing, do you inhale or exhale?" The veteran got a confused expression on his face, and proceeded to have a terrible round that day. :joker:
In my brief masters career, I haven't really felt intimidated - maybe a little at the GA Tech this last weekend but mainly because the meet was so much larger and the blocks so much fancier than what I've used since my return to the pool.
Intimidation/psychological games played more a of a role in dual meets in high school. I'm not a very physically intimidating person but when played right that can work out. My high school division was co-ed - boys and girls swam in the same heat and points were scored across the board (i.e. no separate scores for boys and girls).
I remember one meet against a team with a few particularly obnoxious guys - I got behind the blocks for the 500 and one of the guys on my team came over and said, "Remember, it's twenty lengths. I know that's really long, but I think you can do it." The guys on both sides of me started snickering and then the race started. I beat them both by 25 yards or so. Not the best example of sportsmanship but it was awfully funny...
My biggest opponent is me. "What if I miss the turn?" or more recent "When should I take my last breath on the block?" I was last off the block due to this
In my last race I was thinking about so many other things that I forgot to lock my arms tight. They flew open and I came to an almost dead stop at the bottom of my dive.
I like to see the competition. It drives me crazy, but to pull and kick my hardest I have to see the person in the next lane.
When I've coached age groupers I've always warned them about looking at other swimmers who are lined up for the race. More often than not, every swimmer you look at appears to be better than you! Of course that aren't, but they look good anyway. Remember, the swimmers who glance at you probably think the same, and feel a little intimidated. Such is swimming.
During the short period before a race it helps to look super-confident. We all know that the mind should be firmly directed to think positively about the approaching race. The conscious mind will always try to challenge the swimmer before a race, it will throw doubts, fears, worries and anxieties at them to test their mettle, but it’s their response to these thoughts which decides just how well they’ll go in that particular race.
Negative thoughts hit everyone to a greater or lesser extent. Again, we all know they must be erased and replaced with something more positive. Age-groupers and masters alike have the same doubts from time to time.
Swimming is not the NFL where players are face to face in a "Combative" sport.
Most of the time, your face is staring at the bottom of the pool and you don't know what kind of faces and expressions your competitors are making. :bump:
I've just checked Confirmed Entrants from a meet I'm swimming Jan 11-13. I'm up against Jacqui Freney, who won 8 gold medals in 8 events at the London Paralympics. Immediate thought: :afraid: Will the thoroughly intimidating company affect my swimming, tho? I suspect not - but ask me again in 3 weeks! (I have to say, given current confirmed entrants and reclassification, my aims for the meet involve Masters PBs and not coming last).
Question: Does appearance, demeanor, or reputation of fellow competitors effect your performance in your races?
Not even a little bit.
I have been the recipient of some intimidation and psyche attempts. Most either fail miserably or result in reverse psychology. I laugh and joke behind the blocks if I talk at all.
I've just checked Confirmed Entrants from a meet I'm swimming Jan 11-13. I'm up against Jacqui Freney, who won 8 gold medals in 8 events at the London Paralympics. Immediate thought: :afraid:
Now I have to race against 2 Paralympians (3, in the 50FR) - Jacqui Freney, Tanya Huebner and Kayla Clarke. Not at cut-off for entries yet, so even more may appear. Tanya I expected - she lives here in Melbourne. The others entered so far are travelling from interstate. Last year, I'd have expected them. This year (not a Paralympics year), not. Aarrrggghhh... :afraid:
(I let them race amongst themselves - which is basically what they've entered the meet to do - and work on the Masters PB/not last thing, right?)
