The Three Mental States of Practice
Let’s keep it simple. In general, swimmers spend their practice time in one (or more) of three mental states. The first is positive, the second neutral (neither positive nor negative), and the third negative. No doubt, a positive mindset is the most productive when it comes to developing one’s swimming potential. However, a neutral one may offer some minor benefits depending upon the situation. Not surprisingly, a negative attitude provides zero.
Although I don’t have the scientific data to back me up, I believe successful swimmers spend ninety-plus percent of their training time in the positive zone, perhaps a wee bit in the neutral, and a minuscule amount in the negative. Good swimmers spend around seventy percent in the positive, twenty-plus percent in neutral, and the rest in the negative. And average swimmers spend about fifty percent thinking positive, with negative and neutral rounding out the other half.
“Caeleb Dressel may not enjoy every set in practice but he always looks for the silver lining.”
Your challenge this week is to track your mental states throughout the week.