Key Competitive Swimming Attributes

Last Updated on October 24, 2023 by admin

In this article, we will provide advice, hacks and tips on the importance of acquiring key competitive swimming attributes.

Many of the world’s top swimmer’s acquire certain key competitive swimming attributes.
Which underpin their pursuit of excellence, some of which we have detailed below.

Be consistent and persistent

Competitive swimming can be a grueling sport,

Requiring swimmers to undertake many hours of repetitive training and competition each week.
When I first started swimming coaching, one of the first books that I read was the excellent ‘Coaching Swimming Successfully’ by Dick Hannula.
In this book, he underlines the importance of a swimmer being determined and dedicated.
That they should always perform at their best and do it regularly,
Summing up this key competitive swimming attribute by his mantra,” Be consistent and persistent”.
It’s a mantra that I still coach my swimmers today

Develop a positive mindset

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal. Nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong attitude.”
Ian Thorpe (Australia) Freestyle Multi Olympic & World Champion & Former World Record Holder

The journey to competitive swimming success can often be long and difficult.

Developing a positive mindset is a key competitive swimming attribute that can help swimmers to improve their performance
- Helping them to increase their control over their attitude, enabling them to be more positive, focused and optimistic.
- Enabling them to cope more effectively with the highs and lows of our sport.
- Encouraging them to be more open and receptive to trying new drills, methods and techniques.
- Helping them to be able to take constructive criticism.
Many swimmers help develop and maintain a positive mindset by adopting mindset techniques such as visualisation, self-talk and yoga.

Be goal-driven

“I set goals, but they’re mostly very personal goals. I never try and set a goal where ‘I want to win this,’ or ‘I want to do this,’ where other people can affect what I do. If I want to swim a new best time, I sit down and work out the best way of doing that. Whether I can shave a few tenths of a second off a turn or the start, my goal is putting them all together in a race. That’s the way I set my goals.”
Liam Tancock (GBR) Backstroke Three-Time World Champion & Former World Record Holder

Setting goals is a key competitive swimming attribute in many programmes.

They are an extremely useful method to enable both the swimmer and the coach to gauge the swimmer’s progress and development toward achieving their ambitions.
Goal setting is not just confined to swimming, it’s a life skill,
Which helps establish and focus on clear targets, priorities and expectations.
They need to be regularly monitored and reviewed by both the swimmer and their coach, and if needed, adjusted.

A great stroke technique

“In swimming technique is the limiting factor”
Bill Furniss – Team GB Head Coach – Coach of Becky Adlington

A great stroke technique is a fundamental key competitive swimming attribute that enables swimmers to propel themselves through the water efficiently,

While at the same time reducing drag.
Some swimmers tend to lose their focus regarding their stroke technique,
For example, preferring to concentrate on land training to develop their strength,
Although strength is an important attribute and should be developed,
It should not be to the detriment of their stroke technique,
Top competitive swimmers regularly (often daily) work on (consistently and persistently) developing and maintaining their stroke technique, to help them swim faster.

Land/dryland training

Land/dryland training has over recent years, become an increasingly important component of a competitive swimmer’s training program.

It’s a key competitive swimming attribute that can help them to gain additional benefits beyond those that can be achieved by training in the water alone.
These include increased power, strength, endurance, speed, and coordination.
Dryland/land training can also help increase a swimmer’s range of movement and make them more flexible.
It can help correct muscle imbalance caused by poor stroke technique or overuse.
The combination of increased flexibility and balanced muscle groups can lower the risk of injury.
A land/dryland training program can incorporate a variety of training disciplines, dependent on the swimmer’s training goals.
These include bodyweight, cross-training, dumbbells, free weights, gym balls, medicine balls, plyometrics, resistance bands, skipping ropes, stretch cords and yoga

Invisible training

With the physical and mental demands associated with competitive swimming, invisible training is a key competitive swimming attribute that the swimmer gives their body and mind a chance to repair and recover.

Invisible swimming training is a series of disciplines to help ensure that swimmers receive the correct levels of nutrition and hydration, in combination with rest, recovery, relaxation and sleep.
To help a swimmer continue to train and compete at their optimum.

A great coach

A swimming coach is an important part of a swimmer’s support team.

Behind nearly every great swimmer is a great coach.
The primary role of a swimming coach is to impart their knowledge and experience, to help develop the swimmers in their charge to reach their full potential.
Like top swimmers, top coaches also have common key attributes.
These include being a great, communicator, motivator, organiser and planner.
Over time, a swimmer and their coach should develop a partnership, as they strive to achieve the swimmer’s goals, built on trust, respect and honesty.

Takeaways

In this article, we will provide advice, hacks and tips on the key competitive swimming attributes.

Competitive swimming can be a grueling sport, requiring swimmers to undertake many hours of repetitive training and competition each week.
However, many of the world’s top swimmers possess certain key competitive swimming attributes that underpin their pursuit of excellence, some of which we have detailed here.

Swimming Publications

We produce a growing range of publications on a wide range of swimming subjects.

These include competitive swimming drill publications for backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.
Which are now available in both Amazon Kindle and paperback formats.
For information regarding our portfolio please follow our link: Swimming publications.

Swimming Resource Library

We have produced a swimming resource library.

This contains links to all of our blog posts.
These are subdivided by swimming category.

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.
It’s for all those who are interested in competitive swimming, either in the pool or in open water.

For more information about joining this group please use the following link: The Competitive Swimming Exchange

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