Visualization For Enhanced Swimming Performance

Do you want to improve your swimming technique? The mind can’t tell the difference between what’s real or imagined. By picturing in your mind the perfect execution of your kick, glide and stroke you can enhance your swimming performance.

Transcript

This relaxation tape is called visualization for enhanced swimming performance.

Practice this relaxation before going to sleep at night,

Before meets,

And three heats prior to your heat during competition.

First get into a comfortable position.

Now close your eyes.

Take in several slow deep breaths and allow yourself to relax.

Inhale through your nose and exhale gently through your mouth.

Alternately tensing and then relaxing the various muscle groups can also help you to relax.

Begin with the right hand and arm.

Clench your fist and hold your upper right arm tight against your side.

Hold the tension.

Notice what it feels like.

Now relax your right hand and arm as quickly and completely as you can.

Move now to your left hand and arm.

Make a tight fist and hold your upper left arm tight against your side.

Feel the tightness in your fingers,

Your hand,

And arm.

Hold the tension and now relax.

Notice the difference between the tension and now the relaxation you feel in your left hand and arm.

Moving now to your forehead and face.

Lift your eyebrows as high as possible and clench your teeth together.

Feel the tightness in your forehead and face.

Now release the tension and relax.

Allow your forehead to smooth out and your jaw to relax.

Continue to breathe in a sense of calm and as you exhale allow yourself to relax even more.

Now raise your shoulders up like you're going to touch your ears.

Hold the tension.

Notice what it feels like and now relax completely releasing any tension through the neck and shoulders.

Now take a deep breath in and hold it.

As you do so push your shoulder blades back together.

Feel the tightness.

Now as you exhale relax the muscles as quickly and completely as you can.

To create tension along the spine arch your back and pull your stomach in.

Hold the tension.

Notice what it feels like.

Now relax.

Allow all the muscles along your spine to relax more and more deeply.

Now move to your right leg and foot.

Lift up your leg and point your toes towards your head.

Hold the tension and now relax.

As you release the tension notice the feeling of relaxation in the right leg foot and toes.

Now lift up your left leg and point your toes towards your head.

Feel the tension.

Now release the tension and allow all the muscles in your left leg to completely relax.

Notice a greater sense of calm and relaxation throughout your entire body.

Allow that relaxation to surround you,

To fill you and to renew you.

As you continue to relax I'll be leading you through a visualization of a competitive swimming event.

The freestyle,

Butterfly and backstroke all adapt to this visualization.

You may need to make slight changes in the breaststroke.

It's the day of competition.

Picture yourself at the location of the meet.

You're feeling confident.

You feel capable.

You feel prepared and you're ready to excel at this meet.

Notice the people there.

The other swimmers,

Your coaches,

The officials.

As you look around you see the pool.

What color is the water?

You see the lanes.

You hear sounds.

The announcer,

People talking,

Swimmers moving through the water.

What smells do you notice?

Does the temperature feel warm or cool?

As you listen you hear the announcer call your event.

Three heats prior to your heat.

You sit behind the block and visualize your race.

You remain calm and confident.

Now it is your heat.

When you hear the announcer say,

Swimmers up,

See yourself stepping up onto the block.

Notice the feel of the block beneath your feet.

As you look out over the water you see your lane stretched out before you.

You breathe deeply and allow yourself to be loose as you stand there.

Your arms and shoulders relaxed.

You feel confident.

You are prepared.

The announcer says,

Take your mark.

You put your feet in place and as you grab the block you keep your weight and hips forward yet balanced.

Your mind is quiet as you listen for the starting beep.

Your body is still yet alert ready to explode quickly off the block.

You hear the beep and immediately give a quick pull on the blocks with your hands and a push off with your feet.

Feel yourself exploding off the block.

Hips up,

High above the water with arms and legs extended.

You near the surface and are knife-like as you enter the water.

The cool water invigorates you.

You feel a forward surge and your body stays tight and streamlined.

As you start your kick it is fast and little yet powerful.

Executed perfectly and you maintain a tight streamlined position.

You raise your head and start your stroke.

You feel powerful and strong with each stroke.

Each stroke is efficient,

Executed perfectly and moves you smoothly through the water.

Throughout each stroke you maintain proper head position.

The path of the arm and hand moving through the water is consistent and each stroke is finished accurately.

During the recovery you stay relaxed and loose.

There is exact entry with each stroke.

Each stroke is repeated and executed perfectly.

Your breathing,

Kick and stroke stay in a continuous rhythm and you glide streamlined through the water.

Take just a moment now and continue to visualize the perfect execution of your breathing,

Stroke and kick.

As you near the turn you prepare a head and look at the wall.

You go into the turn hard.

Feel your body moving and turning in the water.

You are fast on the wall.

The wall is like a hot potato.

With your ankles you give a strong push off against the wall.

You move in a hard streamline as you kick out and move swiftly away from the wall.

Your breathing,

Kick and stroke are resumed,

Executed perfectly and this continuous rhythm moves you streamlined through the water.

As the race goes on you feel good.

You feel stronger.

You feel confident.

You stay focused.

Again visualize the perfect execution of your breathing,

Stroke and kick.

As you near the finish you see the flags and then begin to control your breathing.

You stretch into the finish with a powerful surge.

You reach for the wall and touch it.

The race is finished.

You look up at your time,

A fast time and you raise your arm in victory.

As you get out of the pool you feel good.

You know you gave your best to achieve your goal for this race.

When you go to talk to your coach you hear congratulations,

That was a great race.

Continue to relax for just a few more moments.

As you do so I'll be leading you through several positive statements that affirm your ability as a swimmer.

Repeat each phrase quietly in your own mind.

Swimming is fun.

I am a strong swimmer.

I have energy.

I am confident in my ability as a swimmer.

I am capable.

I am an athlete.

I am motivated to improve my swimming.

I am committed.

I excel.

I visualize perfect performance.

I execute each stroke perfectly.

I am coordinated.

I am athletic.

I choose winning.

I believe in myself.

I believe in my coaches.

My team is a winner.

During a race I stay focused.

I am calm and relaxed.

Improving swimming comes easy for me.

I soar.

I am a winner.

Continue to allow the feeling of relaxation and confidence to surround you for just another moment or two.

Now when you're ready you may choose to stay where you are or to get up and resume your activities.

Take in a slow deep breath.

Breathe in a renewing awakening energy.

Begin to move your arms,

Move your legs,

And open your eyes.

Come back with a greater sense of calm and confidence.

Know that as you believe and visualize in your own ability as a swimmer soon you'll be able to do more than you believed.

Now you can carry with you a greater sense of the calm and confidence that you just experienced.