Analysis paralysis is an epidemic in triathlon. We read the planned strategies posted by guys on triathlon forums. The advice offered by anonymous experts on the same forums. They go to so much detail, so many grams of this, so many litres per hour, the precise number of gels for the bike. It all reads like the secret to success. Unfortunately after the race is run and the dust has settled, those detailed plans often didn’t work out as planned.

Most of the athletes I meet have taken up swimming as adults. They’ve missed the technique building period before the age of fifteen which is believed to be the best time to lay the foundations for elite swimming.

Our adult starters are so keen to get it right, they’ll do anything, buy anything that can to help them become competitive swimmers. I’ve found communication to be the secret to getting adult swimmers to loosen up and develop their stroke. The main obstacle I find is too much information is available. The athlete becomes confused. Some of the heavily marketed swim technique programs often confuse the athlete by getting them to try to be too technical. Most adult swimmers don’t have the flexibility to body roll as an elite swimmer does.

One of the simplist ways to get faster is to work on the part of the swim stroke which is going to give the most forward propulsion. The part I refer to is the portion of the stroke after the catch has been executed and the fingers point to the bottom of the pool. From here the large muscles in the back take over and the force is applied with the portion of the arm from the elbow down to the fingertips.

Exactly the part of the arm which pushes you ahead as you paddle a surfboard. Did you ever notice that when you paddle a surfboard, you don’t analyse your stroke? You just grab hold of the water and push against it. You have a fast arm turnover because you want to get out there before the next wave pushes you back. Another thing you’ll notice, you’re having fun, it’s easy.

Now if we could just carry the mental state we have on our surfboard into the pool? Bring the simplicity of the movement into the pool, no analysis, just doing. Bring the fun aspect of paddling our surfboard into our pool swimming. When you’re having fun, there’s no muscular tension, your arms and hands are loose. When your focussing on every detail of  Ian Thorpe’s swim stroke and trying to emulate it, you create muscular tension.

Now look at the kids in the swim squad at the local pool. They’re cruising up and down the pool with ease, no tension. Almost no thoughts going on in their minds. They’re training hard and having fun. And they’re going faster than most adult swimmers.

If we can swim in the pool with the same simplicity we have when we paddle a surfboard, and do it with the same “doing it for fun” attitude, The times are going to come down. The same thing when we race. The simplist thoughts are most productive. By time we get to race day we should have practiced technique so much that we no longer have to think about it. Visualise a surfbaord between your hands when they enter the water, this ensure they enter in the right place. Then just grab the water and push.

Less thinking – more doing – like the race horse

Bumble Bee’s and Race Horse’s

A few years ago a group of scientists developed an interest in bumblebees. These scientists reckoned that these little insects held some secrets of flight that may provide some answers to questions about operating in space. After all, they asked, how could such small wings produce efficient lift for a relatively large and hairy torso? And how could a round body and flight position that violated many principles of aerodynamics move so efficiently through the air?

After weeks of study, hypothesizing, scrutinizing and examining the scientists came to one conclusion: Bumblebees are not capable of flight.
Fortunately no one told the bumblebee. The silly insects go right on believing that flight is normal for them despite what the best minds in the scientific world no as fact. We can learn a lot from the bumblebee. The single most critical piece of this sporting puzzle is believing in yourself and your capacity to succeed. “if you think you can or you think you can’t,” automobile manufacturer Henry Ford said, “you’re probably right.” The bumblebee thinks it can fly. Actually, the thought of anything else never even crosses its tiny mind. It just keeps flying.

Then there’s the race horse. The philosophy of equine athletes is similar to that of human athletes, and they are trained in much the same manner as a runner. They use heart rate monitors, train with intervals and endurance, follow a periodization plan and eat a diet designed to enhance performance.
Psychologically, racehorses differ a great deal from the human athlete. They never question their training preparation. When it comes time for a workout designed by their trainer, they do it without wondering if its enough. They don’t go out in the morning and put in a few extra junk miles for “insurance”. They don’t worry and fret after a poor performance. Stable life goes on as usual.
On race day, racehorses are nervous just as human athletes are; they know what is about to happen, but they don’t magnify the tension by comparing themselves with the other horse (“look at the legs on that stud!”). Instead they are very purposeful in their approach to training and racing. There is but one reason for every day existence – to get faster. If the horse is physically strong and the trainer is smart, this happens.

If you are to succeed in the sport you have chosen, the first thing you must do is believe in yourself just as the bumblebee does. Without this, all of the science in the world won’t do any good. You must also have a purposeful, racehorse trust in your training. Continuously second guessing and changing training direction after every race are a sure way to fail. Think like a bumblebee, train like a horse.