“For some time I've been thinking about writing an article for those who practice swimming or who want to compete and improve; in this way I would like to share with them what I believe to be, based on my experience as a high performance swimmer and based on sports coaching, the most important factors to take into consideration in order to reach their best version and make that leap in quality in their swimming.
I often notice, from a broad vision, but at the same time with coinciding visible results, that when they want to increase their level, whatever level they are at, they are disoriented, that they improve little in a prolonged period of time, that when they they challenge themselves to do more and fail to increase their performance, and that ultimately this can generate some frustration or they feel that the effort is not enough. Precisely for this reason, understanding this situation and having experienced it in my life, clarifying that it can be different and at the same time manifest itself in multiple ways in each person, below I share with you a roadmap.
This roadmap will be indicative, so that you can identify, reflect, analyze and test the following questions:
- What goal do I want to achieve that is within my reach, measurable, concrete and surmountable.
- What am I doing today that is consistent with my goal?
- What am I not doing today that is inconsistent with my goal?
- What do I know I need to work on, but don't have the courage to?
- What don't I know how to do and, if so, who can I ask for help?
- What should I continue to maintain to this day that has given me the desired result?
- What should I stop doing that has given me a result so far, but is not what I want?
By asking ourselves these questions, as well as the information that follows, we will be able to work on a solid foundation and take in relevant information to get closer to my best version.
Without forgetting a detail, no less important: new information without action is equivalent to continuing to obtain the same results as before, therefore, if I am reading this text and the information that I can absorb from here is useful to me, the only way to obtain results different is to act and have new experiences, which sooner or later will take me where I want.
Aspects to take into consideration:
Technical Aspects
This aspect, which is directly linked to the technique of the style, is what I have to pay close attention to. From the moment I enter the water until the moment I finish the session, my technique must always be the best I know. It doesn't matter if the session is speed, recovery, aerobic or if it's just the final workout to go home. I have to send the information to my brain that I must always swim to the best of my technical ability, so that the most efficient and correct movements are imprinted in my motor behavior. It's the details that make the difference.
Mental/Emotional Aspects
Here I could spend hours talking about the mental and emotional aspects (on which, among other things, I will do an exclusive article), because for me what creates everything is our mind. But I will limit myself to mentioning the values that, from my point of view, are the most precious and important for achieving an objective.
- Have TRUST in ourselves.
- Be motivated every day.
- Being congruent between what I say, what I do and what I feel.
- Perseverance
- I commit
- Self-esteem
- Overcoming my fears and turning them into strengths
These values depend on oneself and how one relates to them in one's inner world. This aspect is applicable to any area of our life, when we need to achieve new results and live experiences that we have never had before. Even as coaches, what we do from our space is work on them, to strengthen, transform and make these values part of us, like many others that exist, and without the help of a professional it is more difficult.
Physical Aspects
This is where everything related to nutrition, flexibility, mobility, strength, rest/recovery comes into play. These are the factors that are invisible to our eyes when we want to improve in the water and only look at the time on the stopwatch; but we don't think about how my preparation went or what I did/thought before arriving at the session. I don't want to say it's an excuse: "I didn't do well because I worked 8 hours or because I didn't sleep at night." Of course, looking at things this way, this post wouldn't make any sense. My intention is to make you understand that these are points of improvement, indicators that position us from/to another place as I walk through my daily life. What I eat, what I work on, my rest, if I do physical preparation, mobility and flexibility exercises, if I drink enough water, etc. It's what makes my body work one way that day and not another.
Organizational aspect
When I talk about it, I'm referring to the daily routine. How I organize my day, within all my priorities and how I organize it in such a way that I can do what I choose on the days I have planned and therefore take care of my body, my energy, my mind and give the space that I consider each of these spaces. Behind the great results there is a strategically ordered agenda. Some might call it methodical, some might call it orderly, some might call it following an action plan and some might call it just following a routine… but this is where the process, week by week, living one day at a time, has its own tune that it makes goals become reality and that at the end of the journey everything makes sense.
So, to conclude the article, this was the message I wanted to bring you today, I hope I was clear. Today I very briefly shared something that has great value for me today. This is my lifestyle, more than just a path towards a goal, it is the roadmap that guides my path and the roadmap that guides my path, it is the roadmap that guides my path and I hope that works for you as it does for me…I want you to know that I am at your service and I am ready to serve you and answer all your questions.
I send you a big hug and THANK YOU for reading me today.
With love, Belén Díaz.”
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