Poseidon Swimming - AG Blast #8

SEVA 12&Y Christmas meet: we should have updated entries and warm-up times on-line by this Wednesday. I’m pretty sure that there’s still some t-shirts and rasta gear that can be purchased from the Brannin’s. It’s not against the rules for the parents to catch the irie spirit.

PSDN 13&O Holiday Classic: Entries will be on-line by Tuesday.

DECEMBER BB+ meets are prelim/final formatted. Be sure to inform your coach if you are planning on missing ANY session for any pre-planned reason. Failing to plan is planning to fail…don’t make any decisions regarding your swimmer’s success on the spur of the moment. Leave open the possibility that anything is possible (who knows, your swimmer may believe it as well).

Remember…if there is anything in Microsoft Word format that you can not access on the internet, please let us know. We will get you the info via the good ol’ cut and paste.

Topic of the Week: Perfect Preparation for Peak Perfomance

Peak Performance simply means, “when you are supposed to swim your fastest.” The coach has a lot of control in putting time into the physical preparations at the pool, but only you have control over the mental and emotional side of the equation. Your coaches, parents, and friends can help you ready yourself for your best meet, but only you can influence yourself in the highest demand.

We have some December meets coming up where you would like to swim faster than you ever have. How will you get ready when you get there? Let’s talk about “game-day” peak performance preparation:

ACTIONS (what you need to do):
Wake-up: get up about an hour before your warm-up time and take a shower…try to be as (naturally, no caffeine) alert as possible before you arrive on deck.
Warm-up: get in the water with your group, get your blood pumping, and (please, please, please) let your technique and skills mirror the exact way you would want to have it done in your race.
Stay warm: wear clothes (even if the pool deck is on fire), put on a t-shirt, jacket, pants, and shoes…they do it at nationals, so should you.
Stay loose: get up and move around every 15 minutes or so, behind the blocks do some active stretching…do not assume the traditional “age group pre-race body position.” Tight muscles are slow muscles, loose muscles are fast muscles.
Hydrate: drink lots of water, Gatorade, juice, whatever just drink it…it will make you pee a lot…sorry.
Breathe deeply: let your body fill with oxygen, sit and stand up strait, spread out your lungs…breathing helps keep your muscles loose…loose muscles are fast muscles.
Fuel and re-fuel: Eat breakfast, keep eating a little bit throughout the day, eat and drink after your races, eat a lunch, snack during finals, eat dinner…you need fuel for the machine, but don’t over-do it.
Recover from your last race: warm-down (ask your coach for a recommendation on how much and at what intensity), when there is no warm-down pool ask your coach where the hidden warm-down area is, re-set your focus on your next event.
Rest away from the meet: If you have more than 1 hour that is race free you need to get off the deck and relax out of the meet atmosphere, no squirt guns, no basketball, no running around, no desecrating the locker room, JUST REST! If it is between prelims and finals, lay down somewhere quiet and JUST REST!

THOUGHTS (what you say to yourself):
Control your eyes and ears: don’t allow yourself to look or listen to things that will not make you swim faster (psyche sheets, other competitors times, others speaking negatively about swimming, etc).
Positive Thoughts: ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS…stop the negative, and replace with positive.
Nervous? Think happy thoughts…unicorns, rainbows, butterflys, and marshmallow clouds…whatever…just HAPPY!
Not enough nervous? This happens more often than you think…start commanding yourself to “RACE!” “PUSH IT!” “SWIM FAST!” Whatever it takes to personally get you going.
Bounce back from unexpected occurrences: things are going to happen that you can’t foresee before the meet…what are you going to do about it? Fight back! It will only bother you as much as you allow. It’s only natural to get a little flustered, but get back on track to your mission.

EMOTIONS (how you feel):
Be alive: be aware, alert, and awake…feel like you are in the moment.
Be happy and have fun: NO MATTER WHAT! It’s sometimes hard to do, but necessary to succeed at any level of any worthwhile endeavor.
Be hungry: in the past few months, you wanted something, you went for it, you did it…bring that emotion to your peak performance
Set aside conflicting feelings: when you are swimming well and other teammates are not, there is a conflict…when you think you are racing well but parents or coaches do not, there is a conflict…there are hundreds of other scenarios, but that’s another topic altogether, you have to set aside those conflict of feelings to swim your best…control your emotions and do it.
NO DRAMA: what he said that she said to someone about what you said about that kid, the coaches put on the relay, DOESN’T MATTER IN THE WATER! Leave it outside the pool area (or don’t get involved in the first place).