SWIMMERS: Bob Bowman on setting smarter goals
Goals are essential to help swimmers as they provide motivation, direction, and focus.
They are the proverbial rocket fuel during long training cycles, tiring weeks of practice, and the yo-yo of confidence when viewing the results of competing swimmers.
Which is why it is so important to set goals intelligently.
Goals where you have maximum control of your performance.
Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps’ longtime coach and current coach of 400m IM world record holder Leon Marchand, advises this approach with his swimmers.
Encouraging them to focus on outcome goals that they can control.
In his book, The Golden Rules, the Olympic and NCAA winning coach has this to say on helping swimmers craft goals that promote better effort and preparation:
“I tell them, ‘Gold medals are out of your control. Another swimmer may simply be better than you on race day,’” says Bowman. “But if they set their sights on breaking a record—at nailing the best time possible—then they can visualize something that’s tangible, achievable, and within their control.”
Instead of creating goals that rely on how other swimmers perform, build specific and controllable goals (like a time).
Work backward from that shiny new PB and chunk the Big Goal into smaller, short-term goals.
And focus on executing each of them to the best of your ability.
From there, the times (and medals) will take care of themselves.
See you in the water,
Olivier
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