|
Randy’s World:
Hey CVST, this is Coach Randy's new monthly swim column
to keep you up to date on all of the Age Group info you need to
help you on your way to becoming the best you can be! It will
be publishing it on the 7th of each month on the web site’s
news section. If you have any ideas for this article, be sure
to let him know!
If you think you can you’re right. How do we know if we can
get somewhere where we’ve never been before? Let’s say
someone new to the neighborhood invites you over to visit.
You’ve never been to their house before, but you are 100%
sure that you can drive right to it. In your mind, you can see the
house and how to get there. You go down the street to the stop
sign, take a right, go to the next stop sign and take a left, and
it is the second house on the left. You’ve seen it before and
know it is the white two story house with a swing in front. In your
mind you can even hear the dog barking at the corner house. Now
you’ve never been to that house before, but everything in
your mind is so clear that getting lost never crosses your mind.
Now say that you have drive to someone’s house that is far
away. If you don’t have clear directions you may be thinking,
“I hope I don’t get lost” But if the directions
are vivid, with street signs, mile markers, and land marks, you can
see yourself breaking the trip down into small stages, knowing that
you can accomplish each step with ease. For example, my parents
live in Bonita Springs, about 150 miles south. The first time I
went to visit them; they gave me directions that I knew I could get
within eyesight of their condo before entertaining any doubt. All I
had to do was: take a right out of my driveway until I reached I-75
and take another right, get off at exit 117, take a left and go
under the interstate and take the first right, go to the guard
house, a left at the roundabout at the clubhouse, go to the next
roundabout and take a left and then the next left and drive to the
end of the street. I was able to do all that with ease but when I
pulled in their driveway and got out of my car, there were two
doors, one for the neighbors and one for my parents. I had to
choose. I chose the one with a goose dressed as a Chicago Bear. I
knew that was my mother’s doing. If they would have told me
to look for the goose, I would have known the address
Without already have swum it in practice, how do you believe that
you can swim a specific time? You have to see it in your mind. If
your time is in the neighborhood of your goal, it is easy to
visualize. All you have to do is fine tune your route. Maybe take
the street that doesn’t have all of the speed bumps. Speed
bumps and obstacles are details that we can improve upon, like
diving into and kicking and streamlining out of each turn. See and
feel yourself swimming the perfect race. If the goal is more
difficult to see, break it down into realistic steps. If you are
swimming a 100 free, visualize yourself going out your best 50 time
but add three quarters of a second for your feet to touch, and then
add another 5 seconds to the second 50. That is a realistic goal.
If you are swimming a 1500, break your goal time down into
100’s and then figure out what you have to do for each 100.
If you have held those times in practice, you can believe you will
in your race. If not, your coach can give you clear directions as
to what you have to do, you just have to believe and you to can
reach for that golden goose as your next
address.
.
|
