This is a sample of the weekly email I sent to the parents of my swimmers to keep them in the loop of what we (the coaches) were doing with their children. It was not only meant to keep them in the loop, it was principally meant to demonstrate how we were working with their children to develop their Champion’s attributes and to give them ideas on how they could do the same at home.
In this particular week, the swimmers had called forth (by their behavior during a set) a lesson in self-discipline. Which was followed at the next practice with an exercise to develop their awareness of their self-talk and of how it could interfere in their progress and enjoyment.
The swimmers in this group were 10 and under who were at the regional level (200IM under 4 minutes) and were on their way to graduate to the provincial level.
Last week ended up being a very important one in helping the swimmers understand through experience the meaning of self-discipline.
We all know and agree that Self-Discipline is important, but what really is self-discipline?
Often people confuse self-discipline with commitment to harsh routine like waking up at 4 am every morning and throwing cold water on yourself until you’re blue in the face but really self-discipline means to be a disciple of the self. In the dictionary it is defined as
“the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it.”
So last Tuesday, our swimmers were asked to swim 200m backstroke kick with flippers and after each push off from the wall they had to remain underwater on their back, kicking until their fins had passed the 5m mark (the flags).
None of the swimmers performed the challenge as demanded. All of them, some more and some less than other, took their first breathe long before their head had passed the flags.
Following this I asked the swimmers to perform only one 25m to see how far underwater they could kick fly underwater. Some did the whole 25m underwater without breathing and all went further than 10 meters.
After a little chat to point out the difference, I then asked them to redo the 200m challenge. All of them performed much better in this second attempt because they remained underwater further after each turn and were more consistent in their efforts and struggle than previously.
After their second attempt I asked them: “of the two 200, which one are you the proudest of? In which one did you have more fun?” And they all answered and agree that it was in the second one.
In the following practice, before going in the water we did a little exercise to help them become aware of what we have called “the Voice of their comfort zone”.
Swimmers were placed standing in line and asked to close their eyes. They were instructed to pay attention to the sentences they could hear in their minds, their internal dialogue, the two voices talking in their head. They were warned that this conversation in their head would start changing at one point during the exercise and that they needed to pay attention to when this shift would occur.
Then, still with their eyes closed, swimmers were asked to put their arms in a cross without moving them at all and to stay in this uncomfortable position as long as they could.
I waited until I could see their faces grimace and their arms wanting to falls down to their sides before ending the exercise. They needed to struggle a bit to really make this exercise valuable.
Then as a group we shared the sentences we could hear.
“This is stupid. I’m hungry. My arms will fall off. I don’t like this. I want to go home”,
and so on so forth. Upon hearing everyone sharing the sentences they had heard, many swimmers realized that the sentences they themselves had heard were exactly the same that their mates had heard. How strange is this? (more on this at a later time) And it was clear to everyone that the negative sentences really began the moment their struggle to keep their arms up began.
Afterward, I likened this voice to the devil on their shoulder from the cartoons they’ve watched all their life. And we also talked about the angel on their other shoulder and what type of things each of them say.
When they are underwater and they listen to the devil on their shoulder, they take their breathe before the flags but when they listen to the angel they breathe after the flags. Who decides which voice they’ll listen to?
I also pointed out to them that Champions like Michael Phelps also hear these voices all the time.
What makes them Champions is that they choose more often than average people to listen to the voice from their angel.
I gave them a personal example. Some of the swimmers have noticed my weight gain over the last 12 months. I explained that me too I hear the angel and devil when I see a donut! My weight gain is a result of me having listened to the voice of the devil on my shoulder more often than that of the angel!!! To lose weight is very simple in fact, I simply need to care enough about my weight or my health to choose more often to listen to the voice of my angel.
Helping the swimmers understanding this process and guiding them to choose more often to listen to the voice of their angel is a priority as it not only directly affects how far they’ll go in the sport but also how much enjoyment they’ll get out of it.
Last Saturday morning was a complete turnaround from the previous week! Coach Julie and Nicoletta were very pleased with the attitude swimmers brought to the pool!
Notable mentions were: Max, Raneema, Keith, Janice, Ryan and Adam. And the winner was Nick! Congratulations!*
Also, at the pre-regional meet Sunday, 5 of our swimmers swam themselves up to the next level by qualifying for the regional meets. Congratulations to: Eshan, Georgia, Noam, John, and Martine
Coach Philippe
* Every Saturday morning practice, coaches name at the end of practice the swimmers who stood out for them during practice, if any. To stand out, a swimmer simply has to do something that catches the coaches’ attention, in that it is something unexpected, out of the ordinary. Standing out for efforts, for camaraderie, for leadership, etc… The swimmer who captured the coaches’ attention the most won a little prize and the others who stood out too got notable mentions.
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