Importance of Self Confidence

.Yes You Can!.

The Importance of "Self Confidence" in Achieving Your Swimming Goals

Belief is the knowledge that we can do something. It’s the inner feeling that what we undertake,

we can accomplish. For the most part, all of us have the ability to look at something and know

whether or not we can do it. So, in belief there is power: our eyes are opened; our opportunities

become plain; our visions become realities. (unknown)

By Wayne Goldsmith

Have you said (or thought) any of the following in the past few months??? "I can’t do it," "They

are much faster than me. I’ll come last," "I’m hopeless," "I’ve never been able to do that, so I

know I can’t do it now," "It’s just too hard. It’s impossible."

You are not alone. Many swimmers have these thoughts and say these words from time to time.

Most swimmers (and people generally) have times when they get a little negative and lack faith in their abilities.

When swimmers say "I can’t" or "it’s too hard," what are they really saying?

Swimmer says: "I can’t do it." Swimmer means: "I am not prepared to try because if people might think less of me."

Swimmer says: "They are faster than me. I’ll come last." Swimmer means: "If I can’t win there’s

no point trying."

Swimmer says: "I’m hopeless." Swimmer means: "I have no faith in myself or my ability to

succeed. I have no confidence."

Swimmer says: "I’ve never been able to do that, so I know I can’t do it now ." Swimmer means:

"I’ve never really prepared for this or learnt how to do it correctly so the chances of me doing it

now are not very good" or "I tried once and failed, so I am not going to try again."

Swimmer says: "It’s just too hard. It’s impossible." Swimmer means: "I’m not prepared to try ."

Confidence is believing in yourself to do what has to be done. To do what needs to be done, with

faith in your ability to achieve it. To meet new challenges with an expectation that anything is

possible. To accept failure as an opportunity to learn from the experience and try again. And try

again. And try again if necessary .

Confidence is trying to achieve and if you fail knowing that it was the nature of the task or the

circumstances or just plain bad luck, not your lack of character that is to blame. Confidence is

learning from that failure and trying again with more energy, more commitment and greater

determination than before.

What do some of Australia’s most successful people say about CONFIDENCE??

"Confidence comes from accepting a challenge and achieving it using the best of your ability.

Confidence builds through training to meet your challenge". Phil Rogers (Commonwealth Games

and Olympic Medallist).

"Confidence is about believing in yourself and your ability to do something -- not necessarily

believing in your ability to do it perfectly or better than other people, but believing that you have

as good a chance as anyone to achieve something. Confidence is having the courage to get up

and try and face whatever the outcome is -- good, bad or something in between." Chloe Flutter

(Australian Representative Swimmer -- now Rhodes scholar).

"In my experience, confidence is best achieved through controlled independence. If a young

athlete is constantly challenged to be independent (within reasonable bounds), they will learn to

rely on themselves and know how to thrive without the assistance of others in moments of

greatest need. The ability to follow good decision making processes is a crucial part of this. For

young athletes, teach them to take personal responsibility ( control the controllable and develop a chameleon-like ability to deal with the rest). Confidence is the ability to believe you can do

something and the courage to do it - if others have made the hard decisions for you and you have

never had to live with the results of your own actions, you can never be expected to know full

confidence and the power of the self". Marty Roberts. (Dual Olympian, Commonwealth Games

Gold medallist, University Graduate, father of two).

" Attitudes such as belief, optimism, high aspirations, and anticipation of the best possible

result—all these positive states of mind add up to confidence, the keystone for success. But of

course it pays for all of these to be built on the firm rock of a sound preparation". Forbes Carlile

(Legendary Coach, successful business man, author, leading anti-drugs in sport campaigner).

Confidence it seems, is a skill -- a skill that can be learnt. You learnt to swim. You learnt to tumble turn. You learnt how to do butterfly. You can learn to be confident.

Leading Melbourne based Sports Psychologist, Dr Mark Andersen agrees: "Many people believe

that confidence is something that comes from the inside, but we probably develop confidence

from the models we have around us, that confidence really comes from the outside. If we have

coaches, parents, teachers and instructors that model confidence in our abilities and let us know

that they think we can do good things, slowly their confidence in us becomes internalised".

A few tips to develop confidence:

Accept who you are and learn to like and respect yourself.

Nothing helps build confidence like learning the 3 P’s. Practice to the best of your ability. Develop

a Positive Attitude to trying new tasks. Persevere, Persevere, Persevere.

Understand what motivates you to do well then you can harness your energy in the right

directions.

Failure is a race or a meet or a task -it is not a person. Failure is not the person: it’s not you- it’s

the performance. Learn to separate who you are from what you do.

Learn to talk to yourself positively. When the negative thoughts come, learn to replace them

with positive ones. I can’t = I can, I won’t = I will, I will try = I did. Remember the old saying, "If you think you can or think you can’t, you’re probably right".

"The greatest achievement is not in never failing but in getting up every time you fall". Keep trying and it will happen.

What you believe, you can, with effort and persistence, achieve. Dream a dream, believe in that dream, work towards achieving it and live the dream.

Anything worth having is worth working to achieve. Talent is important, but there are many

talented swimmers who don’t make it to the top. TOUGH, TENACIOUS TRAINING makes up for most talent limitations.

Successful people are not afraid to fail. They have the ability to accept their failures and continue on, knowing that failure is a natural consequence of trying. The law of failure is one of the most powerful of all the success laws because you only really fail when you quit trying.

Ladder of Achievement

100% I Did

90% I Will

80% I Can

70% I Think I Can

60% I Might

50% I Think I Might

40 % What is It?

30% I Wish I Could

20% I Don’t Know How

10% I Can’t

0% I Won’t

This is called the Ladder of Achievement. It shows how your attitude towards a goal or task can impact your ability to achieve it.

The ladder of achievment suggests that an attitude of "I can’t" has almost no chance of success whilst "I won’t" is no chance at all.

Change "I can’t" and "I won’t" to

I CAN - I WILL - I DID !

ASCA Online

http://www.swimmingcoach.org/articles/2000/1026_1.asp

Thoughts On Age Group Development (From ASCA)

Thoughts on Age Group Development

We do not need to give all the available meets, awards, training time, or even training techniques to all levels and all ages of swimmers. Life is progressive. We cannot drive until we are sixteen, we cannot vote until we are 18. Just because we have seniors swimming at prelim and final meets doesn't mean that age group swimmers need to. Age group swimmers do not need the same kind of awards which seniors receive. Our system gives too much too soon and sets up for a serious problem because every level looks the same. Let the swimmers grow through the sport rather than giving it to them. Let them experience racing, winning, and losing but they do not need twelve solid years of these things to become effective prelims-finals swimmers.

- Peter Malone

ASCA Level 5

K.C. Blazers

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Sometimes young swimmers perform exceptionally well quite simply because they are "big for their age" and, or, they are capable of working harder. They do not need to depend on technique and they may, or may not have better technique than slower swimmers. If we could go back and get a physical description of all the 10 and under swimmers who were nationally ranked, I think we would find that these young athletes were all more physically developed than the average 10 and under.

Most of these children will not continue dominating their age group into the senior years as other swimmers catch up in size and ability to work. Unfortunately they may not have developed the quality of skills other swimmers have. Too often the result is a young senior swimmer who becomes frustrated at losing when he had been so used to winning.

There are two important points for parents to keep in mind:

1. Skills need to be the basis of an age group program, not distance.

2. It is a mistake to seek a distance oriented age group program to place your child in so that he can keep up with other faster swimmers.

Age group swimmers should concentrate on fundamentals and not senior oriented yardage so that they can learn correctly. There is a proper time and place for athletes to take part in a serious training program but it is not for our younger swimmers. We must accept the fact that we are not dealing miniature adults.

- Jim Lutz

ASCA Level 5

Healthy Meals for Swimmers On the Go

Healthy Meals for Swimmers on the Go

Notes on BREAKFAST - Start your day off right!

· Try pancakes, waffles, french toast, bagels, cereal, English muffins, fruit or juice. These foods are all high in carbohydrates.

· Avoid high-fat choices such as bacon, sausage or biscuits and gravy.

· For breakfast on the run, pack containers of dry cereal, crackers, juice or dried fruit such as raisins and apricots; or pack fresh fruits such as apples or oranges.

· If you eat breakfast at a fast food restaurant choose foods like cereal, fruit juice and muffins or pancakes. Avoid breakfast sandwiches, sausage and bacon.

EXAMPLES OF HIGH CARBOHYDRATE BREAKFAST MEALS:

At Home:

Organge juice, Fresh fruit, Low-fat yogurt ,Pancakes with syrup, 2% or skim milk,

or

Plain English muffin, Strawberry jam, Scrambled Egg, Orange juice, 2% or skim milk

At a Fast Food Restaurant:

Hot cakes with syrup (hold the margarine and sausage), Orange juice, Low-fat milk

or

Cold cereal with low-fat milk, Orange juice, Apple, bran or blueberry muffin

At a Convenience/ Grocery Store:

Fruit flavored yogurt, Large bran muffin or pre-packaged muffins, Banana, Orange juice, Low-fat milk

At a Family Style Restaurant:

Pancakes, waffles or french toast with syrup (hold the margarine, bacon and sausage), Orange juice, Low-fat milk

Notes on LUNCH and DINNER

· Select pastas, breads and salads.

· Select thick crust rather than thin crust pizza for more carbohydrates.

· Choose vegetables such as mushrooms and green peppers on the pizza. Avoid high fat toppings such as pepperoni and sausage.

· Select vegetable soups accompanied by crackers, bread, or muffins.

· Emphasize the bread in sandwiches, not the condiments, mayonnaise or potato chips.

· Avoid deep fat fried foods such as french fries, fried fish and fried chicken.

· Choose low-fat milk or fruit juices rather than soda pop.

EXAMPLES OF HIGH CARBOHYDRATE LUNCH OR DINNER MEALS:

Large turkey sandwich on 2 slices of Whole-wheat bread, Slice of low-fat cheese, Lettuce, Tomato

Fresh vegetables (carrots and celery strips), Low-fat yogurt, Fresh fruit or fruit juice

Minestrone Soup, Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce, Salad, Italian Bread, Fresh Fruit, 2% or skim Milk, Sherbet

Chili on a large baked potato, Whole grain bread or muffin, Low-fat chocolate milkshake, Fresh fruit

Thick crust cheese and vegetable pizza, Side salad, Fresh fruit, 2% or skim milk

Timing is Everything

Knowing how much carbohydrate, protein and fat to get in a day is good. But knowing when you should be getting those nutrients is even better. In general, follow these guidelines for incorporating carbohydrate, protein and fat into your day:

· Spread carbohydrate intake out over the course of the day (i.e. smaller meals and frequent snacks). This keeps blood sugar levels adequate and stable.

· Eat some carbohydrate before morning practice. Note: This can be in the form of juice.

· Eat carbohydrate in the form of a carb-electrolyte drink, such as Gatorade or Powerade, during workout IF workout is 90 minutes or longer. Gels are also acceptable.

· Eat carbohydrate and protein within the first 30 minutes after practice. This enables the body to replenish glycogen stores and repair muscle tissue. This is perhaps the most important time to eat!!!!

· Eat again (something substantial, like a real meal) before two hours post-practice has elapsed. This is critical to maximizing recovery!!!!

· Incorporate fat into the day at times that are not close to workout. Fat is necessary, but contributes little to the workout or immediate post-workout recovery period.

Part of the reason good nutrition is critical during recovery has to do with the fact that the body is extremely good at making the most of what it is given. Following exercise, the body is very sensitive to the hormone insulin. Insulin is that hormone that rises every time blood sugar rises. In other words, every time a swimmer eats carbohydrate, which causes blood sugar to rise, insulin goes up. Well, it’s insulin’s job to remove sugar from the bloodstream, and it does so by facilitating its storage as glycogen. Glycogen, the storage form for carbohydrate, is what the body taps into for fuel when exercise is very intense. This can happen quite a bit during a tough workout, which is why it’s important to see that glycogen is replenished before the next practice.

The American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada Joint Position Statement on Nutrition and Athletic Performance states that:

“After exercise, the dietary goal is to provide adequate energy and carbohydrates to replace muscle glycogen and to ensure rapid recovery. If an athlete is glycogendepleted after exercise, a carbohydrate intake of 1.5 g/kg body weight during the first 30 min and again every 2h for 4 to 6h will be adequate to replace glycogen stores. Protein consumed after exercise will provide amino acids for the building and repair of muscle tissue. Therefore, athletes should consume a mixed meal providing carbohydrates, protein, and fat soon after a strenuous competition or training session.”

(ACSM, ADA, Dietitians of Canada, 2000, p 2131)

In addition, research (van Loon et al, 2000) has implicated immediate post-exercise carbohydrate ingestion (1.2 g/kg/hr for 5 hrs) in the enhancement of glycogen resynthesis.

Body Weight in lbs (kg) Carbohydrate Required (g) to meet Intake of 1.2-1.5 g/kg

120 (54.5) 65-82

130 (59.1) 71-89

140 (63.6) 76-95

150 (68.2) 82-102

160 (72.7) 87-109

170 (77.3) 93-116

180 (81.8) 98-123

190 (86.4) 104-130

200 (90.9) 109-136

210 (95.5) 115-143

220 (100.0) 120-150

USASWIMMING.org May 13, 2004

http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=1302&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&mid=635&

ItemId=554

Swimming and The Art of Recovery - From USA Swimming

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Most of us associate increases in training load with increases in fitness level. What we often overlook is the fact that the real gains in exercise capacity occur when the body and muscles are at rest. While practice is where we see times improving, the underlying adaptations to this training actually occur while the body recovers from this workload. So, while workout is the all-important stimulus that initiates the adaptation process, the majority of the body’s “metabolic

rebuilding” occurs while the body is at rest (i.e. during recovery).

Cool Down – Eat – Stretch – Massage – Sleep

These are the five key components to an optimal recovery that all swimmers should understand, believe in, and most importantly, practice on a regular basis. Here’s why:

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Cool Down and Recovery

Swimming at high intensities, such as during racing and tough sets, can cause metabolites like inorganic phosphate, ADP, hydrogen ions, and of course, lactate, to accumulate in the muscles. A build-up of these metabolites is associated with conditions that can compromise the next swimming performance.

Cool down (active recovery) facilitates the removal/ utilization of lactate after a race or tough set. The intensity of the cool down influences how quickly this removal/utilization of lactate

occurs. Too high an intensity may produce additional lactate, while too low an intensity may not create enough circulation to remove/utilize the lactate any faster than standing around

would (passive recovery).

Because sprinters tend to have and engage more fast-twitch muscle fibers than distance swimmers, they tend to produce larger amounts of lactate than distance swimmers. This also

means that it tends to take longer for sprinters to remove/utilize accumulated lactate after races and other tough swims.

Therefore, the recommended intensity and duration of swimmer’s cool down depends on the individual’s distance orientation and event:

Distance Orientation Duration of Cool Down Intensity (Heart Rate)

Sprinter (50-100 m/y) 25 min Easy (120-130 bpm)

Middle Distance (200-500 m/y) 20 min Easy-Moderate (130-140 bpm)

Distance (+500 m/y) 10-15 min Moderate (140-150 bpm)

At meets where a warm down pool is not available, swimmers should complete their active recovery on land. This should include active stretching, light jogging, arm rotations and/or other land-based exercises that engage the same muscle groups used during the swim. Even on land,

this type of activity increases the blood circulation and removes/utilizes metabolites faster than passive recovery alone.

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Nutrition and Recovery

The primary fuel source for most swimmers during training is carbohydrate. During high intensity swimming, such as racing and completing tough sets, this carbohydrate comes from circulating blood sugar and glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrate. Over time, as glycogen is used, it must be replaced to avoid depletion. Should glycogen stores become low or depleted, circulating blood sugar shares the burden of supporting the demands of tough workouts and races with the body’s last resort high-intensity fuel source, protein.

Since this protein usually comes in the form of muscle protein, it is easy to see how long-term failure to replenish glycogen can lead to tissue breakdown. Combined with the tissue breakdown that is a normal result of hard exercise (and an important part of the adaptation stimulus during

training), it is also easy to see why poor nutritional recovery usually rears its ugly face in two forms:

1. Daily Training Indicators (chronic/long-term)

• complaints of “lead legs” and/or “can’t keep up”

• elevated resting heart rate

• elevated heart rate on typical sets, and/or

2. Meet indicators (acute/ immediate; usually on the back end of a meet)

• lower post-race peak lactate

• diminished lactate recovery

• feelings of fatigue

• elevated resting heart rate

• longer post-race heart rate recovery

Effective nutritional recovery maintains energy and limits tissue breakdown, especially during periods of high volume/high intensity training, and both carbohydrate and protein are essential to the plan. One of the key factors to keep in mind is that the “window of opportunity” for

maximizing glycogen repletion starts to close as soon as exercise stops and lasts for about two hours. Therefore, the most effective ways to make the most of your recovery time

and maximize the training adaptation are:

• Start the replenishment process during practice if workout is longer than an hour.

• Eat a substantial carbohydrate snack with some protein immediately after practice or within 20-30 min of finishing a workout.

• During hard training, add another post-workout snack 45 minutes to 1 hour later.

• Eat a main meal within 2 hours of finishing workout.

• During meets, eat a high-carb/moderate-protein snack immediately after your prelims race and immediately after your finals race, then again after cooling down.

• Substantial means 1.2-1.5 g of carbohydrate and .25-.4 g or protein per kg of body weight

(*kg=lbs/2.2)

• Include all sources of carbohydrate, such as colorful fruits and juices, milks, yogurts, breads, cereals, etc.

• Include various sources of protein, such as meat, peanut butter, milks, yogurt, cereals, legumes, etc.

• Include liquids to replenish lost fluids.

During its time off, the body will adapt, but only if provided with the right fuels at the right times. For many swimmers, ensuring good nutrition is like a full-time eating job! Not only

is the goal to replenish glycogen, but also to ensure a high level of circulating protein, vitamins and minerals to combat tissue breakdown during subsequent swims and recovery periods and maintain hydration to optimize metabolic efficiency (a fancy way of saying that water allows the body to access the nutrients it needs when it needs them).

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Stretching and Recovery

Stretching is a key component of the daily training plan for athletes. It plays an important role in the recovery process and in preparing for the next training session. Stretching increases blood flow to muscles, stimulates the passage of amino acids (building blocks of protein) into muscles,

accelerates protein synthesis in cells, and inhibits protein breakdown. These processes help the muscle repair itself and improve the body’s ability to recover in time for subsequent practices or competitions. Stretching as part of recovery can also reduce the chance of injury and enhance

stroke technique during subsequent swims. Its effects on increasing flexibility and range of motion allow the arms and legs to move freely and unencumbered.

A few important directions for stretching:

• Stretch when muscles are warmed-up.

• Stretch major muscle groups (lower leg, upper leg, back, shoulders, neck).

• Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds.

• Do not bounce.

• Do not stretch to the point of feeling pain. If you stretch and feel pain, you may be at risk of tearing a muscle.

• Do not hold your breath. Breathe freely and stay relaxed.

Keep in mind that not all athletes are built the same. A stretching routine that works for one person may not work equally as well on another person. A stretching program should be designed for the individual, taking into consideration individual needs and body type.

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Sleep and Recovery

As mentioned previously, the majority of the body’s muscle rebuilding occurs while the body is at rest. Therefore, in order to benefit the most from the work done during practice and to perform optimally, it is important for athletes to get sufficient sleep during their time away from the pool.

Getting too little sleep can hinder recovery from exercise by impairing glucose metabolism, increasing cortisol levels (causing decreased tissue repair and growth), and compromising immune function. Not only is protein breakdown reduced during sleep, growth hormone is

released during this time. Sleep also helps maintain optimal emotional and social function during the day.

Due to individual differences in recovery time, there is no set duration of sleep that every athlete should get. An important point to keep in mind when it comes to sleep is that every athlete has a different optimal amount of sleep (7 hours of sleep may be optimal for some, while 9 hours is optimal for others).

It is recommended that athletes keep a sleep log that tracks the number of hours of sleep per night. This should be correlated to how they feel during the day and their ability to recover after practice. Over time they will be able to determine their individual optimal amount of sleep based on parameters/correlations from their daily sleep log.

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Cool Down – Eat – Stretch – Massage – Sleep

Remember: Whether it’s daily training or the biggest meet of the season, what you do with your recovery time can and will affect your next swimming performance. Incorporate recovery into your training plan. Understand it. Believe in it.

DO IT! Train smart…Swim Fast!

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For more information on swimming physiology, nutrition, and

sports medicine, visit www.usaswimming.org