Building mental toughness
and confidence in
competitive swimming
Claire-Marie Roberts
Sport Psychologist
University of Glamorgan, UK
Common thoughts?
“I haven’t
swum a PB for
ages”
“Other people
aren’t having
the same
problems as
me”
“I’m not sure I
can do this”
“Other people
are overtaking
me – I’m not as
fast as I used
to be”
“I’m not good enough
to swim in this race.
There are so many
people here that are
faster than me”
The reality
• Not even champions swim to the best of their ability all the
time
• We all experience self-doubts, performance slumps and
plateaus
• If it was easy to be a competitive swimmer, everybody would
be doing it!
• Successful swimmers learn to DEAL WITH these problems
• Every great swimmer has to overcome problems on their way
to the top!
WHAT THOUGHTS GO
THROUGH YOUR HEADS WHEN
YOU ARE PREPARING FOR A
RACE?
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT
SPORT PSYCHOLOGY?
What makes a successful swimmer?
Goal
setting
They look
after
themselves
(lifestyle)
Strength,
stamina
Physical &
mental training
programmes
Correct
nutrition
Mental
Toughness
Motivation to
succeed
Technical
ability
What makes up your performance?
Stroke
technique,
competitive
abilities, tactics,
knowledge
Me, my
values,
attitude,
desire to be
successful
Mental Skills
My
performance
Physical prep,
power, speed,
strength,
stamina
Mental Skill
What it does
Relaxation
Keeps you calm, composed and confidence. Stops
you from wasting energy and effort on worry
Imagery / visualisation
Improves your racing / technique skills by allowing
you to see it and then do it.
Arousal / nerve control
Helps with relaxation, self control and nerves. Can
also be used to pump you up!
Self belief / self confidence
Helps you to be able to be your best and accept
your best
Environmental awareness / focus
Allows you to focus on the correct cues and screen
out the irrelevant (like what other swimmers are
doing)
Motivation / attitude
Allows you to get the most out of every session,
every lap, every drill – not just “going through the
motions!”
Pressure and pain control
Allows you to stay calm and in control when things
get tough (linked to breathing control)
Results: Coping
WHAT IS MENTAL
TOUGHNESS?
What does it mean to be mentally tough?
Psychological
Edge
Being in control under
pressure
Being (and staying)
confident in your
own ability
Remaining focused
Coping with the
demands of training,
competition,
lifestyle & any set
backs
Belief
Focus
Using long-term goals as the source of motivation
Pushing yourself to the limit
Controlling the environment
Regulating performance
Staying focused
Awareness and control of thoughts and feelings
Handling pressure
Handling failure
Handling success
How mentally tough are you?
WHERE DO I START????
Get yourself into pairs….
Think about a race that you were unsuccessful in
1. What did you do in the lead up to the race?
2. How did you feel?
3. What were you thinking?
4. What was your behaviour like?
5. How did you prepare in the lead up to the call
room / warm up?
6. What did you sit and think about / do in the call
room for 20 mins?
and now the opposite……
When things went well….what happened?
1. What did you do in the lead up to the race?
2. How did you feel?
3. What were you thinking?
4. What was your behaviour like?
5. How did you prepare in the lead up to the call
room / warm up?
6. What did you sit and think about / do in the call
room for 20 mins?
More than an hour to event
Relax, sit with friends and distract myself with chatting and
messing around
1 hour to my swim
My time, time to move away and start thinking about my race, what
is my strategy, is this a priority race etc? Speak to my coach and get
changed. The minute I go to put my suit on I switch into athlete
mode.
15 mins out from warm up
Gentle stretches and drink, snack if I feel like I need it, away from
distractions, so away from mates and parents.
10 mins out from warm up
Spend some quiet time on my own but make sure coach knows
where I am. Move away from friends / other swimmers and start
getting ready to go warm up, don’t let any upset my routine or mess
me around.
Warm up
In the water - know what warm up I do, should be the same every
time.
After warm up
Stay focused. Put on clothes and just stay in the moment, don’t go
chatting to people and getting out of the zone, stay in my bubble,
stay loose and warm.
5 mins prior to call room, grab all my stuff, drinks, snack, goggles
etc
Make sure its altogether in one place and I have back ups, extra hat
/ goggles / suit.
20 minutes in call room
Plug into my music, focus on thinking through my race, and
controlling my nerves with deep breaths and positive statements
“This is my time, to show everyone what I can do” “Focused and
controlled”
Don’t look at anyone else, I not interested in anyone else, just me.
Walk out to pool deck
Eyes forward, in my bubble, thinking about how I am going to race,
my race, not being forced to race someone else’s race. Stick to my
race plan.
Pre-race Strategies
• Do what is right for you (not your best mate or your biggest
rival)
• Manage your timeline
• Think about all the options, what you are going to do in the
time, how long do you need to swim down, then warm up
again etc..
• Priority races?
• INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY
• Don’t leave mental prep to chance…what is your race
strategy? Fast start / first 50? Or second half of race and final
meters?
• If you don’t know then who does?
What’s the point?
• Consistency
• Helps calm nerves
• Blocks out other distractions
• Helps you focus / use the time in the call room
to good effect
Tips
• Design and use a “big picture” game plan.
• Make back-up and emergency contingency plans or
“what ifs.”
• Formulate a routine for you specifically.
• Visualize your success in each event.
• Plan quiet time for yourself
• Use positive self-talk and positive imagery.
• Be around people who don’t rain on your parade.
• Be around people who are role models of mental
toughness.
But....what happens if it doesn’t go so
well?
• What strategies do you use if you have a bad race?
• Negativity breeds negativity
– If you deal with it but others let it drag on…remove yourself from that
situation!
• Be selfish but polite
• 5 minute rule
– At a meet you can rant and moan for no more than 5 mins about a
bad race, then bin it…ban talking about it until after the whole event,
then you can make more sense of it, talk it through with your coach
and make appropriate changes. YOU HAVE A CHOICE TO LET IT ANNOY
YOU OR MOVE ON….SO MOVE ON ALREADY!
Things you might include in your prerace routine
• Forget the last race, its done, you can celebrate or analyse the
faults later, the focus is on the next race.
• Manage your timeline to the race:
– A set time out from the race complete warm up
– Time to get drink / snack and make way to the call up
room
– Sit and focus just on my race, no one else
• Listen to music, think through the race and visualize my
race, repeat key words or triggers that help you focus
on what you have to do
– When its time to go, walk confident, tall and focused
– Own routine behind the blocks / onto blocks
Final Thoughts
• Read, review and celebrate your past
successes.
• Maintain a consistent, organized schedule so
there is no last-minute rushing.
• Seek supporting individuals to reduce
pressure on yourself.
• Remain flexible and confident in your training
and ability