What Does ‘Ready’ Feel Like?

By: Wayne Goldsmith

Warming up is something all swimmers do to

prepare to swim fast. Why warm up? An effective

warm up:

• increases confidence by giving swimmers

a feel for the pool, the water temperature,

wall, flags, blocks and general conditions,

(increases familiarity with the race

conditions).

• Increases race readiness through the

opportunity to rehearse specific pacing and

stroking strategies.

The overall aim of warm up is to get your mind and

body "READY" to race fast. How many times has

your coach or your swim team friends asked "So,

are you ready?" But what does "READY" feel like?

What's "ready" for you may not be "ready" for

someone else.

Some swimmers like to sit with friends and family,

laughing and joking to help them feel ready. Some

swimmers prefer to do just the opposite - they need

peace and quiet to perform at their best.

Others like to listen to music, some read, a few

walk, others talk, some jog . . . there are many

ways that swimmers prepare to get the best out of

themselves.

The key to an effective warm up is to know what

your own personal "READY" feels like before you

get to a meet.

It doesn't make sense to prepare for months,

commit yourself to training and working hard,

eating the right foods and so on then not knowing

what actually gets you "ready to race".

One simple way to learn what your "ready" is all

about is to write down everything you can about

your race day routine. Simple things like the quality

and quantity of sleep, your breakfast, your

stretches and your pool warm up can have a real

impact on your racing performance.

A few little tips to help you get ready on race day:

1. The Swim Meet Program tells you only two

things - what lane you are in and what race you

are in. All other information is relatively

unimportant. Many swimmers get "freaked out"

when they look in the meet program and see

the entry times listed by the other swimmers. It

doesn't matter who you are racing or what times

they may have claimed to have done, your job

is the same - swim to the best of your ability. If

Michael Klim is on one side of you and Alex

Popov on the other side, you still have to swim

the same race distance, in the same water, in a

lane that is the same length and width. The race

credentials of other swimmers have no bearing

on your own swimming performance.

2. If you are not ready to race, do something about

it before the race. Going to your coach at the

end of the day and saying "I really wasn't ready

to swim fast" is not an excuse for a poor

performance. If you are not ready - do

something to get ready.

3. Being ready is an individual thing. If you are not

feeling ready to swim fast and your swim team

friends are off to the showers, don't go with

them just to be sociable. If you are not ready to

do your best, do more warm up, or rest, or go

for a jog, or skip, or eat something, or sleep, or

talk to your coach - just do it! You can catch up

on the meet chat later.

4. Pack in your swim bag all the things you need

to get ready to race. If you are a reader, pack a

few books. If you like music, pack your favourite

tapes or CD's. If you like to sleep, pack your

own pillow. Take what you need to get the job

done.

5. Ignore 90% of what you hear said in the

change-rooms and marshalling area. Every

competitive swimmer has heard questions like

"What time do you do?" or "How many sessions

a week do you swim?" etc in the marshalling

area. Most of it is 100% pure rubbish. The

swimmers who try this cheap attempt at

"psyching out" are usually the ones who have

not prepared for the meet themselves and are

looking to make up for their poor preparation by

making you feel less confident. Do not listen to

them. Or have a clever answer for them. If you

get asked "What's your best time", answer "I'll

tell you after this race".

Learn how to get ready to race. It is a skill that will

make the difference.