Swimming Mantras: Improving Performance

In this article, we’ll provide advice, hacks and tips on why adopting swimming mantras can help improve a swimmer’s performance.

Competitive swimming is often as much about the psychological (mental) as it is about the physical.

Psychological techniques for swimmers

Many of the world’s top swimmer’s use a variety of psychological techniques to give them a competitive advantage.

Types of Psychological techniques

These include techniques such as self-talk and visualisation. A key element in both of these techniques is the use of swimming mantras.

What is a swimming mantra?

A swimming mantra is either a short saying, a word or a slogan.

Adopting swimming mantras

Many top swimmers adopt several mantras to help them during different situations to help provide them with a range of psychological benefits. These include,

Reducing or overcoming anxiety

Some swimmers use mantras as a part of their swimming self-talk to help them to reduce their stress and anxiety levels, particularly before a competition.

What is swimming self-talk?

Self-talk is a psychological technique that works by a swimmer adopting some self-motivating or inspirational slogans or mantras, in order to self-coach themselves during certain swimming situations. For example, to increase a swimmer’s confidence or to help them learn a new skill or drill. Self-talk can also be used to overcome anxiety during competition.

We have produced a related article on swimming self-talk. Which you can view by clicking this link: swimming self-talk

Helping a swimmer improve their technique

Sometimes swimmers adopt a mantra to help them improve their swimming technique. These mantras are usually short technical instructions from their coach, for example ‘stroke, glide and hold’.

Adding that extra motivation

Swimmers can find mantras really useful when they need that extra bit of motivation. For example, getting out of bed early for morning training.

Reinforce their focus

Many swimmers find mantras useful for helping them focus and to concentrate in pressurised situations. For example, before a competition, a swimmer might use a mantra like ‘fast in and fast out’ to focus on the speed of their turns,

Increasing confidence and self-belief

One of the most common uses of mantras is to improve a swimmer’s confidence and self-belief. Swimmers can sometimes need reassurance in a number of pressurised swimming situations. For example, at a swimming championship, a simple ‘come on, you’ve got this’ can do wonders for their confidence.

Helps a swimmer to relax

Many swimmers use swimming mantras to help them relax. For example, some swimmers use mantras to help them relax while performing yoga or swimming visualisation.

We have produced a related article on swimming: dryland relaxation techniques. Which you can view by clicking this link: dryland relaxation techniques

We have produced a related article on yoga for swimmers. Which you can view by clicking this link: yoga for swimmers

What is swimming visualisation?

Swimming visualisation is mental imagery, mental rehearsal and meditation techniques, used by most of the world’s top swimmers, to condition their brain to help them become faster.

We have produced a related article on swimming visualisation. Which you can view by clicking this link: swimming visualisation

Our favourite swimming mantras

Competitive swimmers have use mantras and slogans as a motivational tool for many years.

Our swimmers make their favourite swimming mantras visible throughout the day. They put copies in places like their swimming logbooks, on their pool drinks bottle, their fridge and on their bedroom wall.

Listed below are examples of some of our favourite swimming mantras and slogans, which we have used over the years with our swimmer’s whenever the goings got tough.

Takeaways

Many of the world’s top swimmer’s use a variety of psychological techniques to give them a competitive advantage.

• These include techniques such as self-talk and visualisation. A key element in both of these techniques is the use of swimming mantras.
• A swimming mantra is either a short saying, a word or a slogan.
• Many top swimmers adopt several mantras to help them during different situations to help provide them with a range of psychological benefits.

We have produced a related article on developing a positive swimming mindset. Which you can view by clicking this link: positive swimming mindset

We have produced a related article on How to best use: Motivational & Inspirational Swimming Quotes. Which you can view by clicking this link: Motivational & Inspirational Swimming Quotes

We have produced a related article on improving a swimmer’s focus. Which you can view by clicking this link: improving a swimmer’s focus

Swimming resource library

We have provided a swimming resource library, containing links to all of our publications and blog articles. Now with an easy to use index. To access any article simply click on the attached page link: Swimming resource library

The Competitive Swimming Exchange – Facebook Group

The Competitive Swimming Exchange. Is a Facebook group to help exchange ideas and information to collectively improve the sport we love.

• It’s an international group for all swimmers, coaches, teachers, masters, triathletes and swimming parents.
• In fact, it’s for all those who are interested in competitive swimming, either in the pool or in open water.