Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Know your limits and test them frequently

This will be the last bit on generalizations...from now on its all SWIMMING SWIMMING SWIMMING, in-depth, up close and personal =)

OK, so you’ve made it to every available practice and do exactly as the coach asks you to do. You have practiced until you are blue in the face, and practically need a hoist to drag your tired, worn out body out of the pool after each workout. You’ve been in the water so long that your hair is turning a shade of green, and you can’t remember the last time your hair was completely dry. All the objectives necessary to becoming a better, more efficient swimmer have been met, but you still notice little to no improvement...SO WHAT'S WRONG?

Absolutely nothing! Before the terms "more efficient" and "better" can be applied as a gauge of progress, these terms must first be defined. Does "better" mean faster? More endurance? Technically efficient? Ask yourself a couple questions before coming to any conclusions regarding improvement:

*First, are you testing yourself regularly? Sometimes its difficult to realize how much progress is made if you aren't exactly sure how to see it, or what to compare it to. You need to establish a starting point, benchmark or zero point based on your own performance, and then work from there.

*Second, have you overlooked progress because you were looking for something else? It's very possible for someone wishing to swim faster, for example, to be training more as an endurance specialist. If you want to gauge your progress with this kind of specificity, know what you want and train appropriately.
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*Third, look for progress in other areas as well, not just swimming. Do a little assessment of yourself: Are you fitting into those clothes a little more comfortably now? Are you walking up that flight of stairs a little easier? Do you feel generally less stressed, and more focused? Are you sleeping better at night? These are but a few areas where you can potentially realize a benefit that can be attributed to swimming. Typically, we don't recognize these forms of progress when we're so engrossed in trying to be better swimmers, but it's important to also look at the big picture. And keep in mind that these other areas of progress may actually compliment your swimming, so keep up the good work, because you are definitely heading in the right direction!
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Lastly, don't base your progress solely on swimming reference books, tapes, or what's on TV. Just because you don't swim like the swimmers in the book, doesn't mean that your stroke is incorrect or any less effective. These books are great reference aids, and are good for getting you on the right track, but they do not necessarily show the best way for YOU to swim. That part is up to you and your coach…except for the part about the green hair and wet head.
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So to sum up...To realize progress, know your limits and test them frequently.