Swimming Gear by The Dysania Concept (2023)
You step out of the changing room. You’re wearing your speedos, goggles and cap. You’re listening to the music that gets you pumping. You’re feeling the pressure as you walk, the nerves and the excitement, too. They announce your name, and you step onto the stage. Eight lanes, eight swimmers and one winner. The crowd is roaring. You feel their shouting. The music stops - one final stretch. The whistle blows. You step onto the springboard. Complete silence. And then, “Take your marks… go.” And like that, the crowd explodes again, and the longest seconds of your lifetime begin as you race for your medal. Swimmers are extraordinary athletes. Beyond competing in such a millimetric and complete sport, their need to balance mind and body throughout the race is exceptional. So, in this edition of The Mindsets, we’ll explore the qualities, virtues and skills Swimmers have that permit them to be such fierce and fantastic sportspeople. As Alexandr Popov said, “The water is your friend. You don’t have to fight with water; just share the same spirit as the water, and it will help you move.”
1. Vision
Swimmers count on their vision to see their races through. Whether it is a short 100-metre or a long 1,000-metre race, all Swimmers must be able to visualise their task. Their vision permits them to anticipate how every lap will feel, how their muscles will change throughout the race and how they will need to control their breath. These are some of the core elements to maximising their performance, and understanding them before they feel them enables them to give their all. Ultimately, their vision allows them to see before they live. Therefore, when preparing for an important event, we must have the vision to comprehend what we are stepping into. Visualising our path before taking the first step will guide us through the best route.
2. Perfectionist
Swimmers lean on their perfectionism to better their time. Before visualising the race, Swimmers train. Throughout that training, besides increasing their strength, they improve their technique because, like most sports, spotless technique can be a better tool than raw strength. Swimmers must become one with the water and feel comfortable, not fight its resistance, and when they master this, their technique will outlast all raw strength. So, as they spend their lives perfecting their technique, swimming slowly, thinking of every stroke, and bettering their oxygen management, they become more formidable competitors. Similarly, we must focus on the techniques and skills we need and improve them to become the best version of ourselves. By perfecting the soft and hard skills your goal requires first, you will then be able to increase the length and pace of the steps because you are better prepared and know how to move better.
3. Intrapersonal Communication
Swimmers must have intrapersonal communication to excel in their sport. Despite competing against other people, Swimmers do not have a way of impacting their competitor’s results. They can’t tackle, interfere or distract other Swimmers. Hence, they ultimately compete against themselves, and to improve their records, they must self-communicate properly. Whether it’s to focus during training, reduce the nerves before a race, or understand what their body is asking during a race, Swimmers must find an equilibrium between mind and body to focus on their results. Is their body asking to rest the legs? Are their arms telling them they can handle more? Do they have enough oxygen to breathe less often and increase speed? These are some of the questions proper self-communication can help them answer, placing them in a position where the challenge is to beat themselves, leading them to become their best version. So, know the value of knowing yourself and, most importantly, how to communicate with your mind and body. Listening to what your body asks and valuing your mind’s thoughts and feelings are vital to success.
Swimmers are incredibly hard workers. Between their core strength, impeccable technique and mind discipline, they masterfully move in water, reaching outstanding speed and bettering their previous records constantly. So, to follow the same course, remember the importance of visualising your upcoming path, its challenges and hardships so you can overcome them as you experience them. Also, remember the value of perfecting your soft and hard skills before embracing a new journey. These improvements will help you work smarter, not harder, and reach better results because of your previous training. However, also be aware you can’t train forever without racing. Train, race, analyse the results and improve. And finally, communicate with your mind and body. Know what your muscles ask for, trust what your mind needs, and find equilibrium between it all. Use other people’s results as a reference, learn from their mistakes, how you can prevent them, and learn from their success and how you can achieve it. But ultimately, compete against yourself. Your life, your race. Now, we invite you to adopt The Swimmer’s Mindset as we train for the next race we want to compete in and prepare for all the beauty and hardship it will bring.
If you want to know more about The Dysania Concept, read more in the ‘Who We Are’ section of the website, follow us on social media, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
コメント