A Note from The Coach
While the basketball world experiences “March Madness”, here at MTSC, we are making a very aggressive effort to “March on Fitness”. From the coaching perspective, I really enjoy seeing swimmers do things they never thought they were capable of during workout. We’ve reached a point in our training cycle where it’s time to “put the hay in the barn”, and it is fun to watch the progress. While the work is physically demanding, it is more mentally demanding because we must stretch beyond the limits of what we thought we were capable of doing. The mental game is where it all begins and that is what I want to focus on this month…. MENTAL TOUGHNESS.
I have had the incredible opportunity to swim under some of the USA’s greatest coaches in our sport of swimming. Over the years, these coaches pushed me beyond what I thought capable, and taught me a great deal about mental toughness. As we approach the competitive season, I want to share some of these thoughts with our team.
If Stephen Covey can write a book about the 7 habits of highly successful people, then I can share at least seven characteristics of being mentally tough:
Competitiveness. Back in the tennis boom of the ’70′s, a great rivalry developed between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. One of my favorite Sports Illustrated quotes was derived from that rivalry when Chris Evert said, “Competitive toughness is an acquired skill and not an inherited gift.” A competitor will always find a way to win. They will take a bad performance and use it to learn how to drive them harder. Quitters are those who take the bad breaks and blame others or use them as a reason to give up. We have to teach ourselves to learn competitive behaviors while in our workout setting, instead of just swimming back and forth following the black line on the bottom of the pool.
Confidence. Confident athletes have a “can do” attitude. They are able to handle whatever comes their way. They do not thrive on negative self talk or self-defeating thoughts. One of my favorite athletes to coach was Leisl Kolbisen, who became a four time US National Champion in the 50 & 100 free events. I would often set her up in “race situations” during workout to intentionally make her fail. She seldom ever did. One day I asked her “Leisl, why do you always win”? Her response – “I win because I believe that I can.” That response is a result of a repeated learned behavior – winning!
Control. Athletes who are successful can control their emotions and behavior. They learn not to allow things that are out of their control to affect them. Have you ever gone to a competitive event and heard athletes around you complain about the following: “Wow, is it hot out here or what?” or “Somebody bumped me in the warm-up and I had to stop…” or “There wasn’t enough toilet paper in the bathroom – what will I do?” All of these little “issues” are beyond an athlete’s control, yet they can completely interrupt the focus. Mentally tough athletes concentrate on the things they can control in challenging situations.
Committed. As a coach, I have heard every excuse in the book for an athlete missing workout. One thing I know is that the great ones ALWAYS find a way to get the work done that allows them to accomplish their goals and dreams. For adult athletes, this can be tricky juggling marriage, family, and work, but with careful planning, it can be accomplished.
Composure. Mentally tough athletes know how to stay focused and deal with adversity. Prior to the 1996 Olympic swimming trials, I had a group of girls who were very gifted and fast. The problem they faced was that they didn’t always manage their emotions during times of stress. I would intentionally put them in stressful situations that would require them to be assertive, but also calm at the same time. One exercise I used was to take them grocery shopping. I would put 15 – 20 items in my cart and make them go through the express line for “10 items or less”. If they got hassled by the clerk, they would have to very politely explain that their time was valuable, and if the clerk couldn’t help, to call the store manager to check them out at the front of the store. They achieved huge success at these types of “exercises”, and it translated to a calm, confident composure on the deck of the pool.
Consistency. Mentally tough athletes develop inner strength. They learn to do their best even if they feel horrible. They take responsibility for their performances and don’t blame others for mistakes or failures, whether in workout or at a competition.
Courage. Mentally tough athletes take RISKS! That is what I love most about coaching MTSC Masters. Each of you has made a commitment to participate in an adult competitive swimming program. For some that commitment came easy because you were a swimmer earlier in your life. Your COURAGE was challenged the first time you stepped back up on the block to compete! For others, it is a commitment to fitness, even after years of inactivity and wrestling with the thought of putting on a bathing suit in front of others–this took COURAGE. For those who joined our team only after taking swimming lessons and didn’t think they could ever swim 500 yards, let alone a full workout. it took COURAGE. The courage you demonstrate each day to come out and give your best effort is what makes it so much fun for me to coach our team!
When I was getting ready to move to Tennessee to start my swim school, George Haines pulled me aside at the Santa Clara International meet and said, “You know something, Ron…the greatest victory we can have is the victory over ourselves. It is always too soon to quit.” That is great advice and those words can ring true for each of us as we get ready to approach the competitive season. We’ll have plenty of sets in the upcoming months that will “test our mettle” and give us an opportunity to develop mental toughness – especially as we continue to MARCH ON FITNESS!
While we are marching to new levels of fitness, let’s congratulate our MTSC Masters’ Athletes of the Month for March: Kristen Vance and Shaun Hollinsworth! More to follow on Kristen and Shaun and what motivates them in and out of the pool!