Swimming mental preparation strategies

In 2008, Michael Phelps won Olympic GOLD - completely blind. The moment he dove in, his goggles filled with water. But he kept swimming. Most swimmers would’ve fallen apart. Phelps didn’t - because he had trained for chaos, hundreds of times. His coach, Bob Bowman, would break his goggles, remove clocks, exhaust him deliberately. Why? Because when you train under stress, performance becomes instinct. Psychologists call this stress inoculation. When you expose yourself to small, manageable stress: - Your amygdala (fear centre) becomes less reactive. - Your prefrontal cortex (logic centre) stays calmer under pressure. Phelps had rehearsed swimming blind so often that it felt normal. He knew the stroke count. He hit the wall without seeing it. And won GOLD by 0.01 seconds. The same science is why: - Navy SEALs tie their hands and practice underwater survival. - Astronauts simulate system failures in zero gravity. - Emergency responders train inside burning buildings. And you can build it too. Here’s how: ✅ Expose yourself to small discomforts. Take cold showers. Wake up 30 minutes earlier. Speak up in meetings. The goal is to build confidence that you can handle hard things. ✅ Use quick stress resets. Try cyclic sighing: Inhale deeply through your nose. Take a second small inhale. Exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat 3-5 times to calm your system fast. ✅ Strengthen emotional endurance. Instead of avoiding difficult conversations, hard tasks, or feedback - lean into them. Facing small emotional challenges trains you for bigger ones later. ✅ Celebrate small victories. Every time you stay calm, adapt, or keep going under pressure - recognise it. These tiny wins are building your mental "muscle memory" for resilience. As a new parent, I know my son Krish will face his own "goggles-filled-with-water" moments someday. So the best I can do is model resilience myself. Because resilience isn’t gifted - it’s trained. And when you train your brain for chaos, you can survive anything. So I hope you do the same. If this made you pause, feel free to repost and share the thought. #healthandwellness #mentalhealth #stress

‘Don’t forget to draw the curtains!' These were the words of a world class swimmer who visited our club when I was a kid. The female swimmer was responding to a question from a little swimmer on the front row, who asked ‘How do you not get distracted by swimming against other swimmers?’ Great question, but an equally great answer. The swimmer said ‘I always imagine there are curtains either side of the lane, stopping you from seeing the other lanes. So, the next time you race, don’t forget to draw the curtains.' Genius! This became a talking point in the changing rooms for weeks. Before anyone got up to race the coach would say ‘Don’t forget to draw the curtains!' This focus on ‘Your lane, your chance’ became a mantra and a shared tool we all used with instant results. Imagine we drew the curtains in other areas of our lives? Imagine we stopped comparing? Stopped looking over the fence believing that ‘They have it all together’? Stopped comparing how we feel on the inside to what looks perfect on the outside. It’s an old one to live by but more relevant in this era than ever - ‘Don’t forget to draw the curtains'

As Michael Phelps said: “If you visualize it enough, it becomes real.” He won 23 Olympic gold medals. He practiced in his mind as much as in the pool. If you’re not training your mind as much as your body, you’re falling behind. Here’s the mental skill Olympians swear by—and how you can use it to level up your game. The Skill: Visualization Athletes like Michael Phelps and Simone Biles use visualization to mentally rehearse their performances long before stepping onto the world stage. This isn’t daydreaming or manifesting. It’s the equivalent of mental practice, and it helps you get ready to perform and execute better when the bright lights are on. Why it works: A study in The Journal of Sports Science & Medicine found that athletes who combined mental imagery with physical training improved performance by up to 30% compared to those who only trained physically. Your brain can’t always tell the difference between imagining an action and really doing it—which means you can get reps in under conditions you need to prep for but can’t experience, or with obstacles that you can’t replicate in training but may need to overcome in the performance. How to Use It: Here’s a simple 3-step process to start visualizing like a pro: 1. Create a Clear Picture: Close your eyes and imagine yourself performing your sport or skill perfectly. See the details—what are you doing exactly? What’s the environment like? How do you feel? Picture the exact movements you’d execute. 2. Engage All Your Senses: Don’t just see it—hear the sounds, feel the textures, even notice the smell in the air. When I lead imagery for teams, I have them feel the rhythm of the crowd noise or notice the smell of the ball. Little details make it life-like. 3. Practice Daily: Set aside 5-10 minutes a day to visualize. Use it before practice, competitions, or even while recovering from injuries to keep your mind sharp. Some data shows it can even help you recover faster. Your Turn: What’s your experience with visualization or mental training? Drop a comment below and share how you’ve used your mind to improve your performance. If this is new for you, give it a shot and let me know how it goes! The mind is your ultimate weapon—train it, and the results will follow.