Controlling Pre-Race Anxiety

It is completely normal to feel nervous before stepping up to the blocks. Adrenaline is your body’s natural way of preparing for intense exertion. The key is learning to channel that nervous energy into racing fuel, rather than letting it turn into panic.

• Control the Controllables: You cannot control the speed of the swimmer in the lane next to you, the temperature of the pool, or the delay at marshaling. Focus 100% of your mental energy on your own race plan, your technique, and your breathing.
• Box Breathing: While waiting behind the blocks, inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold empty for 4 seconds. This physically slows your heart rate and clears your mind.

Process vs. Outcome Goals

Swimmers often put immense pressure on themselves by obsessing over the finish time (the Outcome). If you hyper-focus on achieving a specific time, your body tenses up, ruining your aquatic flow.

Instead, set Process Goals. Focus on executing three underwater dolphin kicks off every wall, keeping your head down into the finish, or maintaining a high elbow catch. If you successfully execute the process, the fast outcome time will naturally follow.

Handling Disappointment

Not every race will result in a PB. A vital psychological skill is learning to "flush" a bad race immediately so it does not affect your subsequent events that day. Allow yourself 10 minutes to be frustrated, analyze with your coach what went wrong technically, and then mentally reset for the next event.