Get SMART achieve. <strong>The</strong>y can come in the form of a picture of a pool or a homemade sign that shows the time you would like to swim at your next meet. Either way, visual cues work when they have motivational meaning for you and when they get your mind off of your day and, instead, on swimming— which you know will relax and re-energize you. • Contracts. Here’s a positive way for you to commit yourself toward remaining active. Having a contract that says you will get to the pool three times a week forces you to take ownership of something to which you are committed. Getting other people involved to help you is a proven way to increase adherence levels—especially for someone just getting started, or starting over. When you involve others, they can support you and hold you accountable when you are lacking the motivation you need to fulfill your contract. You should also probably make your contracts short-term so they can be changed if they become dull or lose their effectiveness. Contracting can also be beneficial when you use them to commit to strenuous workouts or early/late swimming hours that are difficult for you to attend. • Variety in Training. Swimming lap after lap can be a tedious process and can result in swimming “garbage yards” to meet your workout quota. To offset this, variety in training is essential in keeping motivation high. Focus on your kick in one workout, high elbows the next, core rotation the third. Continue each week so that you never focus solely on one aspect of swimming until it becomes boring. Focus on speed, endurance, different strokes and technique. <strong>The</strong> key is to have something to look forward to when you go to the pool. Avoid “garbage yards” at all costs! • Goals. For competitive and noncompetitive swimmers alike, one of the most successful skills in creating motivation and increasing adherence levels is goal-setting. If you are a fitness swimmer, it is important to create positive goals that are more focused on mastery 28 SWIM — JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 Variety in training is essential in keeping motivation high. Focus on your kick in one workout, high elbows (above) the next, core rotation the third. Focus on speed, endurance, different strokes and technique. <strong>The</strong> key is to have something to look forward to when you go to the pool. within your swimming. Focus more on technique and on personal improvement—based upon your current ability—and not as much on competitive achievements. However, for some of you, competitive goals are necessary. Just be careful that they are not your main focus for motivation. Competitive goals have merit, but you should use them sparingly and keep your focus on the mastery goals that will put you in a position to achieve your competitive goals. Remember: you can win with a slower time, and you can come in second or third with a personal best time. <strong>The</strong> disquieting aspect is failing to recognize what you did well because your only focus was on time or place. In order to make sure that your goals will be successful, check out the S M ART SMART goal-setting principle in the box at the bottom of this page. Swim for a Lifetime Motivation can be maintained when properly created. You need to find out what motivates you, then create your own personal plan. Cues, contracts, variety in training and goals can assist the process, but it is ultimately within your power to meet your training needs. By recognizing the many benefits of swimming, you will be able to create the ability to adhere over time and maintain your ability to swim for a lifetime. Scott Boyle, M.A., is a sport psychology consultant located in northern California. You can contact Scott by e-mail at scottboyle@earthlink.net or by phone at 415- 225-0353. <strong>The</strong> SMART Way of Setting Goals pecific goals are obvious and directed—in a positive way—toward what you want to achieve. easurable goals can be put into a number or percentage so that you can track your progress easily. djustable goals can be made easier or more difficult so that your motivation can stay constant. ealistic goals are challenging, but not impossible. ime-based goals state a timeline for accomplishing your goals (days, weeks or months). Photo by Peter H. Bick GET YOUR FEET WET AT WWW.SWIMINFO.COM
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