Focus!

Many swimmers tell me that “that’s a lot of thinking” when I give them some instructions to go with the set.

That’s very deliberate.

It could be:

👉 A pacing set where the swimmers need to go easy, moderate, strong.

👉 A skill focus such as accelerating the pull or feeling the hand pressure on the water.

👉 A change in pace during a set e.g. every fourth one hard.

👉 A ‘best average’ set where swimmers are trying to pace and hit the same time on every interval.

👉 Distance per stroke and I’m asking swimmers to count their strokes.

As well as working on the skill, what we are trying to develop is mindful swimming. Knowing what you are doing, why you are doing it, feeling the sensations, analysing the swim in real time, feeling the difference.

What we are not doing is:
👉 Switching off.
👉 Thinking of something else.
👉 Going through the motions.
👉 Waiting for the set to end or the session to be over.
👉 Plodding.

Focus on some aspect of your swim – pace, technique, intent – on every single length. You’ll definitely notice the difference in your swim progress!