Before we head into 2014 there’s a few things I’ve learnt this year that might help you.
1. Training Hard Will Only Get You So Far
Don’t get me wrong, you need to bust your arse in training…but it’s not the only thing that’ll get you to where you want. The smartest athletes know that hard work is important but it isn’t everything. Motivational speakers will tell you that you need determination, courage, grit, yada yada yada…it means nothing if you swim like a drowning monkey.
Bashing up and down the pool without focusing on your technique is like trying to build a house on sand. All that effort gets washed away without any tangible results. Build your house on rock and it’s a much different story. Your swimming ‘rock’ is your knowledge of what makes a fast swimmer.
For example, if you know that the best position to pull with is with your hand on the inside your elbow (rather than being wider than your elbow) you can build your technique based on a solid understanding of what will make you faster.
2. Love The Fundamentals
To some athletes the ‘fundamentals’ might sound like the boring bits…the ‘Swimming 101’ class. I love the fundamentals. To me it means the things that must be in place if you want to take something to a high level. The good thing about fundamentals is that they can make a significant difference to your times.
For example one of the most important fundamentals is ‘swimming tall’. Being straight and streamlined with your body. It’s easy to do if you know the two things that position you like this in the water. But if this isn’t in place before you start working on your catch and pull then you’ll be stuck at 80% of what you’re capable of. This is why knowing the fundamentals makes such a difference.
3. Don’t Make A New Years Resolution
Who the hell said the January 1st is when you should set your goals? That’s stupid. You can set your goals whenever you want. They can be as big or small as you want and you don’t need to tell anyone about them. Tell them after you do it. That’s what I did yesterday. I set a goal in June and hit that goal yesterday without broadcasting it before I did it.
It’s your life. You make the rules. You’re in control.
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I hope you have a great new years and happy swimming!
Hi Brenton, love your site and swimming tips. I’m definitely no expert, but does the swimmer in the “Hand inside elbow” picture have a fake catch? As described in one of your other articles? https://effortlessswimming.com/swimming-tips/the-fake-catch/