The Value of Being a Confident Swimmer

As has been discussed, high self-confidence is a characteristic that we

tend to see in elite level athletes. To convince you that working to develop

and manage your self-confidence is important, we are going to describe

positive characteristics that are associated with high confidence. To

increase your self confidence try thinking and behaving this way.

Hopefully you’ll begin to feel like you’re “sitting on top of the world”:

Confident swimmers consistently work hard in practice.

Confident swimmers know that much of their confidence is developed

through experiencing success. They have learned to work on the

controllable factors in practice that can be developed to help them

enhance their abilities (and give them a feeling of success). They know that to be

confident when they step up to race, they have to have put in the work.

Confident swimmers focus on controllables. Instead of spending time worrying

about what they cannot do or might not be able to do, or otherwise doubting

themselves, confident swimmers are more able to focus on the task at hand. While

the doubt and concern they experience is real, they know that what is most

beneficial is to focus on what they CAN do.

Confident swimmers try even harder when they don’t reach their goals. One

difference between more and less confident swimmers is how each group interprets

“failure”. Confident swimmers are more likely to view failure as a result of a lack of

effort, preparation, concentration, skill execution, or other factors they can change.

On the other hand, swimmers who are less confident view failure as a lack of ability,

something less changeable. After a game, Michael Jordan was asked why he kept

shooting the ball when he was 0-8 and obviously not “in the groove”. His comment

was that he KNOWS he is not a 0-9 shooter so the next shot was bound to sink.

What confidence in the face of seeming failure!

Confident swimmers “swim to win”. You’ve probably heard the comments

“swimming to win” and “swimming not to lose.” While these might sound the same,

they’re very different. Swimming to win means one is not afraid to take chances and

take control of the race. When one swims “not to lose” the focus is on the negative

and is a reactive as opposed to proactive way of behaving. Confident swimmers

swim to win.

Confident swimmers manage their emotions. Confident swimmers are better

able to rebound from adversity (like swimming poorly in prelims) than those athletes

who are less confident. Instead of getting angry, upset, down, or pessimistic,

confident swimmers manage these potentially negative emotions. Swimmers who

are confident in themselves and their abilities have a “never give up” attitude--

viewing situations where things go against them as challenges as opposed to

immovable barriers.