What Sets the Best Swimmers Apart: Mental Habits That Lead to Growth
Swimmers spend up to 30 hours per week training, stretching, lifting weights, and rehabilitating injuries. In the pool, they build endurance, focus on technique, and push to be as fast and efficient as possible. In the weight room, they condition their bodies, develop fast-twitch muscles, and build strength. Just like the physical side of the sport, the mental aspect of swimming needs consistent training and focus.
Finding Areas for Growth
The best athletes understand that their physical preparation can only take them so far. Without a strong mental foundation, consistent high performance isn’t guaranteed. These athletes recognize their weaknesses and are willing to identify gaps in the physical and mental aspects of their training. This mindset creates room for growth and improvement.
Daily Habits Set Swimmers Apart
Swimmers build a positive mindset through the daily habits they bring to every practice. The things they tell themselves when they face a challenging set, have an off day, or even have a great day add up over time and shape the mindset that athletes carry into competition.
Mental habits can subtly influence how hard athletes believe they are working. For example, some athletes might leave a practice feeling exhausted, assuming they gave 100%. But in some cases, the fatigue comes more from mental stress, like overthinking, self-criticism, or frustration. They may have spent more energy worrying than actually working, feeling drained from mental exhaustion as opposed to physical exertion.
These patterns don’t just burn mental energy; they shift focus. Poor mental habits can distract swimmers from the task at hand when they should be sharpening their skills and attention to detail.
Over time, self-talk in practice becomes the voice that shows up behind the blocks. If swimmers end every practice thinking they failed, it’s unlikely their self-talk will suddenly become positive come race day.
Putting it into Practice
Many swimmers find that despite doing everything “right” when it comes to training hard, eating well, and sleeping enough, their mind is the very thing that gets in the way of executing their race plan and achieving their goals.
Luckily, mental training doesn’t require lots of extra hours outside the pool. It’s something that can be developed gradually through simple, intentional habits built into everyday training. Intention is a great place to start. If athletes are mindful of the language they use during practice, recognize when they slip into a negative mental space, and learn to pivot, they’re already making progress. Tools like visualization, breathing techniques, and brief moments of reset between sets can have a positive impact without the feeling of taking on additional tasks.
Creating habits isn’t just checking off another box. It’s evaluating self-talk, daily mental patterns, and identifying how these impact performance.
Finding the Extra 1%
Natural talent is often praised, but it’s rarely enough on its own. The highest performers understand that they have to train beyond what comes naturally to them, physically and mentally.
At the same time, a swimmer can work the hardest in the pool, lift the heaviest weights, and eat the cleanest diet. But at the end of the day, if their mental habits are unproductive, their performance will hit a ceiling.
Sport psychologists and performance coaches play an important role in helping athletes develop the mental habits that support success. Incorporating strong mental habits is often the factor that gives elite athletes the edge over their competition. The good news is that on the mental side of training, even small shifts can lead to significant improvement.
