Any thoughts out there as to the influence the mind has over the body ? Anyone getting in touch with their Chi ? Is Chi just the ability to focus ? Ever ruined a race by dwelling on it for too long or with too much intensity ? Is this what they mean by " Paralysis by Analysis " ? What are the mental keys to good performance ? Is it only about conditioning and Adrenalin ? Ever been psyched out or, conversely, psyched someone out ? What's that all about ? Ever get into a "zone" or really good space while racing ? Feeling invincible, not getting fatigued......... Remember what Obi Won told Luke Skywalker on the death star : "Luke, feel the force. Let go.....the force will be with you ."
I, for one, have been there-have experienced some of the above stuff. Am I just a head-case, or do I have company ?????:confused: Bert
Psychological preparation makes swimming easier for me.
In Age Group, we used forms of relaxation and visualization to prepare for racing. In actuality, it was nap time and a contest as to who would not burst out lauhing. Some of us used Pyschout techniques on our competitors (all I could think was the person was so worried about me, they came up with all these elaborate schemes, which only helped me psychologically) and psyche-up ourselves (for me only serves to hurt focus and inject uneccesary aderlaline into the system).
Today, I realize swimming is holistic in nature: Body - training is most important, Mind - helps a person "preprogram" the race, telling the body what it is in for (my own opinion of course).
If you ever felt tired before a race, then forget about it once you hit the water and swam well, you have experienced what I am trying to describe:
To use the psychological terminology: Most people have heard of the Pavlovian response: Ring a bell then give a dog food, eventually it will salivate when it hears the bell - a classically conditioned response.
Competitive swimming is similar in some ways: Your body realizing it's bell is about to be rung (anticipation of swimming fast), will react to that stimulus by conserving energy (the sensation of tiredness before a race): How it reacts next is how you train your body. The untrained body reacts by getting nervous, not-sure-what-to-do, etc.
The Trained body also gets tired (anticipation of the swim), but the mind has practiced its response to this.
To practice I visualize a race and also practice by telling myself how I will feel while swimming the event really slow (e.g. I am on the 3rd 50 of the 200 and I am starting to feel tired).
This way I know in advance how to pace the race, and how I will feel during each component of the race (from previous race experience). Once the swim occurs these are all known factors and all I have to focus on is breathing (which helps immesurably in longer races). Some people attribute a catch phrase to this, "being in the zone."
Of course each personality type has a different response to a stimulus. Understanding your own response will dictate what steps you need to take to pyschologically prepare.
I really feel the sensation of nervousness is the bodies preparation to release its endorphins. trying to shake this off will damage your peak performance ability. Just learn how to use it.
HTH,
Chris
Psychological preparation makes swimming easier for me.
In Age Group, we used forms of relaxation and visualization to prepare for racing. In actuality, it was nap time and a contest as to who would not burst out lauhing. Some of us used Pyschout techniques on our competitors (all I could think was the person was so worried about me, they came up with all these elaborate schemes, which only helped me psychologically) and psyche-up ourselves (for me only serves to hurt focus and inject uneccesary aderlaline into the system).
Today, I realize swimming is holistic in nature: Body - training is most important, Mind - helps a person "preprogram" the race, telling the body what it is in for (my own opinion of course).
If you ever felt tired before a race, then forget about it once you hit the water and swam well, you have experienced what I am trying to describe:
To use the psychological terminology: Most people have heard of the Pavlovian response: Ring a bell then give a dog food, eventually it will salivate when it hears the bell - a classically conditioned response.
Competitive swimming is similar in some ways: Your body realizing it's bell is about to be rung (anticipation of swimming fast), will react to that stimulus by conserving energy (the sensation of tiredness before a race): How it reacts next is how you train your body. The untrained body reacts by getting nervous, not-sure-what-to-do, etc.
The Trained body also gets tired (anticipation of the swim), but the mind has practiced its response to this.
To practice I visualize a race and also practice by telling myself how I will feel while swimming the event really slow (e.g. I am on the 3rd 50 of the 200 and I am starting to feel tired).
This way I know in advance how to pace the race, and how I will feel during each component of the race (from previous race experience). Once the swim occurs these are all known factors and all I have to focus on is breathing (which helps immesurably in longer races). Some people attribute a catch phrase to this, "being in the zone."
Of course each personality type has a different response to a stimulus. Understanding your own response will dictate what steps you need to take to pyschologically prepare.
I really feel the sensation of nervousness is the bodies preparation to release its endorphins. trying to shake this off will damage your peak performance ability. Just learn how to use it.
HTH,
Chris
