Mindset

Ideas gleaned from an article published in the ASCA Newsletter entitled: “Learning is winning and success is doing everything just right.”

Thanks to my membership in the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) I was introduced to a new concept in teaching, learning and motivation.  Several years ago I received a newsletter from ASCA that introduced me to a new way of looking at teaching/coaching, learning, success and winning.  The article in the ASCA Newsletter was based on a book written by Dr Carol Dweck of Stanford University.  In her book called Mindset, she writes that to be successful and sustain motivation everyone needs to develop, or cultivate what is called a “growth mindset”.

In her book Dr Dweck proposes that there are two types of mindsets, a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.  A fixed mindset person is defined as those who “…believe their basic qualities, such as intelligence and abilities are fixed, and can't be developed. They also believe that talent alone creates success, and see effort as a sign of weakness rather than as a positive element of life needed to reach one's full potential.”  A growth mindset person is defined as, “…people [who] believe they can develop their brain, abilities, and talent”.  In Dr Dweck’s research she has found that the person who cultivates a growth mindset has “…a love for learning, a drive for growth and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishments”.  The chart on the next page illustrates the differences between those who have a fixed mindset and those who have a growth mindset.  

According to Dr Dweck, those who believe that their success is based on their innate ability are thought to have a “fixed” theory of intelligence, or in other words a fixed mind set. Those who believe that their success is based on their individual hard work, training, and commitment are said to have a “growth” an “incremental” theory of intelligence (a growth mindset). The two types of mindsets are defined as:

1.     Fixed mindset:  The belief that we’re born with a fixed amount of intelligence and ability. People operating in the fixed mindset are prone to avoiding challenges and failures, thereby robbing themselves of a life rich experience and learning

2.     Growth Mindset: The belief that with practice, perseverance, and effort, people have limitless potential to learn and grow. People operating in the growth mindset tackle challenges with aplomb, unconcerned with making mistakes or being embarrassed, focusing instead on the process of growth.

“In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Without one-hundred percent dedication, you won't be able to do this.”  Willie Mays 

A large part of our “mindset”, whether it is a fixed or growth Mindset, will be influenced by constructive criticism. As coaches we must be willing to teach in such a manner that helps the student-athlete to learn how to handle the stress of training, the demands of learning and the characteristics of a successful swimmer. When we teach/coach, we need to communicate things in a positive manner so that the student-athlete will think in a positive manner. For example, instead of correcting student-athlete’s technique by saying “don’t do that.” We might try saying something like this, “your freestyle was very good but to make it belter I think you should work on the catching the water a little sooner after you enter the water while keeping the elbow a little higher in the water with your armpit open a little more to the bottom of the pool”.

We can help our student-athletes develop a growth mind set by teaching in a positive matter and by setting up training situations to motivate and help the student-athlete embrace challenges and learn from them. We can give them cues on which to focus in any given set and then, after the set was performed ask them for feedback, about what they learned during the set. Have them give you three things they learned while performing the set. We can help them further to develop a growth mind set by expecting them tell us what they learned and how they can make it better the next time they have the opportunity to the given swim or set.

Here is a sample Mindset Questionnaire:

Mindset Questionnaire

_____  1.  There are just some things I’ll never be good at.

_____  2.  When I make a mistake, I try to learn from it.

_____  3.  When others do better than me, I feel threatened.

_____  4.  I enjoy getting out of my comfort zone.

_____  5.  When I show others I’m smart or talented, I feel successful.

_____  6.  I feel inspired by the success of others.

_____  7.  I feel good when I can do something others cannot.

_____  8.  It’s possible to change how intelligent you are.

_____  9.  You shouldn’t have to try to be smart-you just are or you aren’t.

_____ 10.  I enjoy taking on a new challenge or task with which I am unfamiliar.

Odd-numbered statements indicate a fixed mindset, Even-numbered statements illustrate a growth min

If you want to test yourself click on the following link and take the Minset quiz.

Which are you? Thank you to Dr Carol Dweck for her work on Mindset. In the following weeks I will blog more about this great theory and tool. More on Mindset later.

https://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php

Re-starting the blog

Well I have made a goal to begin blogging about swimming once again. For now my blog posts will be once a week. I am heavily involved in recruiting for the 2020 and 2021 school years and this takes up a lot of time. However, for my own personal improvement I have set a goal to create one blog posts each week. I hope you enjoy the posts.

Coach Dee

The following article is a compilation of thought and ideas gleaned from experiences and associations with many fine coaches over the course of my career.  I would like to thank Coach Dick Hannula for his influence in my career and life.  Most of the ideas contained in this article I have borrowed and learn from him.

 

Peak Performance to Transition Period Newsletter

Hidden Training

As we are 8 days out from the first individual events at Conference here are a few things I want to remind each of you about.  Hopefully, these things are not new ideas for you and so this will be a little reminder.  I call these things “hidden training”.  “Hidden Training” is those things that you must take care of and do.  No coach can do them for you, you must do them. The first aspects of hidden training I want to remind you about are the three R’s of Peak Performance.  The three R’s are Rest, Relaxation and Rehearsal. 

Rest.  As you have been gradually reducing the amount of your total yardage it is important that you get the appropriate amount rest so that your body can recover quickly and replenish its energy reserves. You should try to go to bed at an hour that will allow you to get a comfortable and restful nights sleep-preferably eight hours.  If you have time during the day find a quiet place and take a brief nap-“power nap”. I must caution you about excessive napping.  Taking a long nap can be detrimental to your normal nights rest so be careful.  Too much of a good thing can be bad.

Relaxation.  During the peak performance period you should begin to feel more energy.  This is both a good and bad thing.  For some it means more energy and thus more time to play. However, you should conserve your new found energy and do those things that are less strenuous, like read a book, play a board game, watch a DVD or go to a movie, attend the temple, instead of playing night games, basketball, tennis and so on.  Make time during the day to just sit back and relax.  Let your mind focus on your goals and what you want to achieve at Conference.  Just kick back and take life a little easier.

Rehearsal, the final “R”.  This means that you should take the time, perhaps during your relaxation to try and visualize how you want to swim your races.  I love the story of how Michael Phelps’s coach, Bob Bowman wrote down the splits Michael needed to do in the 400 IM in order to break the world record in Beijing.  Michael had the splits and he took the time to go over in his head BEFORE the race as to how he was going to do those splits.  We all know how it turned out.  He won the gold medal, breaking the world record and being right on every split and a little under one of them.  You too can do this.  Take some time to write down your goal splits and then close your eyes and go through your race seeing yourself do everything you must do in order to achieve your goals.  Rehearse and visualize your start, your first (and every) stroke, every turn, your kick and your finish.  See in yourself in your mind’s eye looking up at the scoreboard to see your time, and then your celebration at having hit your goal time.

Nutrition and hydration.  In this phase of the season it is very important that you maintain proper nutrition and fluid intake.  You need to make sure that the nutrients you take in are balanced and of a high quality.  If you have questions you can consult with the people in the Nutrition Center.  I would also recommend that you begin to carry some healthy snacks with you that can replace nutrients that you have lost during our practice sessions.  The sooner you can replace lost nutrients the better.  I would recommend chocolate milk after practice to go with some type of energy bar.  Your energy bar should have protein in it, as well as the carbohydrates.  Then when you get home eat a good meal that is balanced and will help you replenish and build energy stores.  Water is extremely important as it is at all times.  Make sure you are carrying a water bottle with you.  At the meet make sure you do these same things.  You want your body to always be ready to compete at the highest levels, and having the energy necessary is imperative to this preparation. 

Focus-“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”  Alexander Graham Bell

As we get ready to compete your focus should be on doing everything just right.  As Bell stated in his quote above, “concentrate on the work at hand”.  This means that you need to put your energy into doing everything right.  No coach can focus for you; you have to be the one to place your focus on performing the right things all the time.  Many times competitors worry about winning and they fail to focus on the process.  The “process” is all those little things that become big things over the course of a race.  Things like head and body position, hip and shoulder rotation, early vertical forearm (in freestyle), building into each wall, knowing when to kick in the legs a little more, the turns with streamline and dolphin kick off walls, finishes-no breathing flags to walls.  These are all things that we have worked daily on over the course of the season and if you will focus on working the process you will be successful if that focus is maintained.  The process, when properly fulfilled will lead to achievement.  Stay focused on processes of the task which you undertake to perform and you be successful.

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”  Coach Vince Lombardi 

Warming up and Cooling down-for top performances

As we get ready to compete next week these two topics need to be addressed.  The “pre-competition” warm-up is necessary for the following six reasons:

            1. To increase blood flow and temperature in tissues and muscles.

            2.  To help nerve impulses traveling more rapidly through tissues and muscles

            3.  To improve the rate of muscle contraction and reaction time

            4.  To prepare the muscles and joints to function through their full range of motion

            5.  To decrease stiffness and assist with injury prevention

            6.  Finally a well performed and completed warm-up may serve to give the athlete

                 an increased sense of confidence prior to the first event.                    

It is very important to understand that the warm-up must be event specific and prepare you for competition.  If there is a long period of time from your primary warm-up to your first event you should get in and do a short warm-up prior to competing.  The best case scenario is that you have as little time as possible prior to your event.  You want to compete when your tissues and muscles are at their optimum in warmth and readiness.  If you are not able to go fairly soon to the blocks it is wise to stretch between the secondary warm-up and the event.  Stretching before, after and during your warm-up routines may also be helpful if you are not able to get an appropriate warm-up.

A huge question that is often asked is how much warm-up does a person need to be ready for competition?  Most research indicates that the amount of warm-up, and even loosen down which an individual needs may be based on several factors.  One of these factors is the events that they compete, yet another is the body size and age.  While at the 2008 Olympic Trials I observed Dara Torres and other “elite” level athletes and what they did for warm-up and loosen down.  Dara Torres and Michael Phelps were highly disciplined in their pre-event and post-event swims.  Both did a lot of easy swimming and drilling before and after their events.  Dara Torres also added a massage and some yoga stretching in the middle of her warm-up and loosen down routines.  Both of these great swimmers also would go back in the pool if they didn’t feel right, or they wanted to focus on some part of their recovery process.  I also observed that swimmers like Cullen Jones and other sprinters took a long time to get warm-up and loosen down. 

After each race you should also loosen down.  Loosening down after and between events should be active recovery.  The purpose of active recovery is to get the body to begin the “filtering process”.  The filtering process helps the body to “filter” out waste byproducts from the body.  You can also help your body recover quickly by stretching, like Dara Torres and Michael Phelps do.  The amount of time you spend in warming up and loosening down will be reflected by your performances.  A general rule is that if you are an older athlete you need more than a younger athlete.  If you are a distance swimmer you typically need a little less than an athlete who is a sprinter.  Distance athletes need to do some builds and pace work, whereas those who swim shorter events need to do some push-bursts and dive bursts.  All swimmers need to do stroke work during their warm-up and even the loosen down. 

Finally it is important to re-hydrate and re-fuel after the warm-up and your event and then during the loosen down.  You do not need to eat a three course meal, but some type of high quality energy bar, or carbohydrate with water is always the best way to help maintain your energy levels and to be ready for your next event.  If you want to compete at a high level in multiple events over the course of a two, three, four or five day meet you must hydrate, fuel, and warm-up and loosen down properly to give your body the best possible chance to swim at high levels when needed.  Good luck as we finish our preparation for Conference and get ready to swim fast.

“How you run the race - your planning, preparation, practice, and performance - counts for everything. Winning or losing is a by-product, and after effect, of that effort.”  John Wooden

 “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”
― Zig Ziglar

 

The “Process”

The word process is listed in the dictionary as a noun, verb and sometimes an adjective.  The word itself is defined as:

            Proc-ess  1.  A systematic series of actions directed to some end: to devise a process                                              for homogenizing milk.

                             2. A continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a definite                                    manner: the process of decay.

For the sake of our needs I want you to think of “process” as a noun.  So in this case I hope you will think of “the process” as a state or quality of action; a series of changes that take place in a definitive manner to achieve a given end result.  Consider the Apollo 13 accident on April 14, 1970.  Briefly, here is what happened to Apollo 13 and the three Astronauts, James A. Lovell, Commander, John L. Swigert, Jr., Command Module Pilot, Fred W. Haise, Jr., Lunar Module Pilot.

Approximately” 56 hours into the mission, at about 03:06 UT on 14 April 1970 (10:06 PM, April 13 EST), the power fans were turned on within the tank for the third "cryo-stir" of the mission, a procedure to stir the oxygen slush inside the tank which would tend to stratify. The exposed fan wires shorted and the teflon insulation caught fire in the pure oygen environment. This fire rapidly heated and increased the pressure of the oxygen inside the tank, and may have spread along the wires to the electrical conduit in the side of the tank, which weakened and ruptured under the pressure, causing the no. 2 oxygen tank to explode. This damaged the no. 1 tank and parts of the interior of the service module and blew off the bay no. 4 cover.”

If you remember the events as portrayed in the movie,  after this explosion on Apollo 13, the Odyssey was sent in to a wild ride that the three astronauts struggled to control in an effort to accomplish their mission of landing on the Moon and exploring the Fra Mauro highlands, surveying and sampling the Imbrium Basin.  Unfortunately for the three Astronauts their mission had to be altered as the explosion created a new set of circumstances.  The most important circumstance was to get the three men home safely without any loss of life.  The explosion created an entirely new focus for NASA and the three Astronauts.  The focus now became one of survival.

In an effort to get the Astronauts back to earth safely NASA engineers and the Astronauts had to work together to implement and follow the “process” in completing their new task.  On the ground NASA engineers were feverishly working on “processes” to bring the Odyssey under control so the Astronauts didn’t bounce off into space.  The NASA engineers were also working to provide the process by which life sustaining oxygen would continue to flow in the craft and CO2 would be reduced.  Still another process was to help the Astronauts have the needed electrical power to re-start the on board guidance computers, heating systems and activate the parachutes on re-entry to allow a safe landing in the Pacific. 

During an intense period of time the ground crews developed the processes that would get the Astronauts back home, while on the Odyssey the Astronauts were meticulously following, and implementing the processes so that they could return to earth. The Astronauts, using their training and skills followed every process as outlined by the NASA engineers so that they could return.  The end results were that the three men on board Apollo 13 did as directed and they returned safely home touching down in the Pacific several days after their initial take off. 

For you as swimmers the “processes” that you need to follow are all those things that will help you achieve your goals.  In freestyle the “process” would be:  1.  Head and body position, 2. Hip/Shoulder Rotation, 3.  Early vertical forearm (EVF), 4.  Breathing with the rotation, and 3.  Distance per stroke.  As for your races a sample “process” would be: 1.  1-4 above, 5.  Great start with tight streamline off of dive., 6.  Fast, tight tucked turns and streamlined push-offs with three fly kicks of all walls., 7.  Use of legs at the right time-“the build”., 8.  Breathing through your races-you need to be able to adjust this as the longer the race the more you need to breathe., 9.  No breathing on finishes-flags to wall., 10.  Building the tempo through your races and being stronger at the end-1-5-4-3-2 (avoid the spikes).  

It is hard to focus on these things all the time, BUT if you will use these things in practice sessions they will become easier in competition settings.  It takes effort and discipline on your part to do everything just right all the time.  Your body will always want to take the path of least resistance.  DO NOT LET IT! Instead of focusing on the pain of training or competing, focus on the process.  Remember the three Apollo 13 Astronauts in the movie?  In the movie Commander Jim Lovell asks his crew mates, “Gentlemen, what are your intentions?”  Then he pauses and responds, “I’d like to go home.”  The crew of Apollo 13 then went to work and focused not on their circumstances, but on the process of returning home.  They could have all rolled over and languished in self doubt and sorrow for their circumstances, but they didn’t.  They rolled up their sleeves and went to work doing what was necessary to achieve their goal.  You are in similar circumstances in training to swim fast.  It is hard and takes a great deal of focus on your part, but you CAN DO IT!  Let your actions reflect your desire to achieve your goals.  I believe that you CAN DO anything you want to do as long as the mind is willing to over ride pain to body by focusing on the “process”. 

Random Thoughts on Finals, Workouts, Nutrition

“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” John Wooden, Basketball Coach UCLA As you approach finals this next week I want to write some things down for you to consider as we approach the coming challenges and the last half of the college season. I hope that you’ll take the time to read and think about the things which I am going to share with you. Each item in the following paragraphs has reference to Coach Wooden’s quote at the top of the page. You must take care of the “little things” so that you will be able to make “big things happen”. “It isn’t what you do, but how you do it.” John Wooden When I was a ninth grade swimmer at my high school in California there was a young man by the name of John Knight. I looked up to John, not because he was taller than I was but because of what he did. John was probably the shortest swimmer we had on our team, barely 5 foot 5 inches. In addition to his lack of physical size, he was also born with a birth defect. John had to wear a medical alert bracelet because his heart was entirely on his left side-it was completely out of position because he had a severe concave chest. However what John had was a huge desire to be successful in every aspect of his life-including swimming. John never thought of himself as being at an disadvantage. He looked at himself as having an advantage because he believed he could do anything as long as he was focused and did everything the right way. At our high school our coaches organized and hosted an annual college type invitational. We swam 200s in all the strokes, the 400 IM (my event) and the 800 Freestyle. John was a 200/500 freestyler and so he was our top seed in the 800 Freestyle at the meet. At our Invitational in John’s Senior year, he was up against a swimmer by the name of Paul Gollenberg who was a product of the Santa Clara Swim Club, coached by our National Team coach at the time George Haines. John did not back down or cave in to the presence of the taller and more fit looking Gollenberg. Instead John rose to the challenge and pushed Gollenberg for all he was worth. John didn’t win the race, as he was just touched out at the final. From the time that John stepped up on the block he believed he was going to win the race. His attitude was if you are going to beat me then you must hurt more then I will. What I remember from this race was that John did everything he could do to beat the bigger Gollenberg. John built each 100 and reached down inside to find the heart to stay literally stroke for stroke. At the conclusion of the race, everyone in attendance at the meet gave John and Gollenberg a standing ovation for their performances. When they received their medals Paul Gollenberg had John stand with him on the top stair of the podium. It was a great example to a young swimmer of two rival competitors who had a tough race and yet had the sportsmanship to recognize each other. Additionally I learned that no matter your size or individually challenges you can be successful if you will do the little things right all the time. “In order to get meaningful results from training and competition it is imperative to focus on what matters. It is how you do what you do when you do it that counts.” Vern Gambetta Practice Sessions During finals, as at other times it is important that you are in the water getting ready to swim fast and compete at the highest levels possible. Everything we do in the water is designed to help prepare you to achieve your personal goals and those of the team. In every swim, set and practice session there are some critical things that you must do: 1. Always use proper head and body position, hip/shoulder rotation and distance per stroke (Early vertical forearm-EVA),and tempo in your training swims and races 2. Streamline off every wall beyond flags-using three fly kicks 3. No breathing flags to wall on finishes 4. Using and building legs in pace and longer swims 5. Building into walls on turns-fast in=fast out. 6. Developing a “mind set” that you can and will get better as you fully embrace the sets in each practice session Time Management Prior to, and during finals you need to study and prepare for your final exams. This means you need to manage your time so you can be rested and ready for your tests, but also so you can get in your practice sessions. You need to remember that what matters most, MUST matter most. Make sure you are getting the right amounts of rest, nutrition and fluids. Please take care of your time and manage it well so you can be ready to perform in the classroom and the pool at the highest possible levels. Winter weather and Nutrition I am sure that everyone has heard the trite saying, “garbage in = garbage out”. This saying applies to everyone’s diet. If all anyone takes in is “garbage” or “junk” foods then you will only get “junk” out in your performances. With the colder weather of winter finally arriving it is important that you take care of your bodies. This means that you must get proper nutrition, sleep and hydration. Add to this proper stretching and core work. You will also need to make sure that you wear a good quality sunscreen. These items take on added importance if you are teaching swim lessons and life guarding right after morning practice. I have attached for you three very important articles from US Swimming. Please take the time to read these and hold on to them for reference in the future. Nutrition, hydration and sleep are three very important elements in the “hidden training” categories that we as coaches are not able to manage as this is something that only you, the swimmer and your parents can take care. Please make sure that you are eating, sleeping and drinking the right amounts of fluid to sustain activity, growth and health. This is the only way that you will be able to get the most out of your summer participation and competitions. Below is an article found at www.usaswimming.org in Nutrition Tracker. It is very good and contains some important information. Nutritional Cheat Sheet PART ii BY MIKE MEJIA, M.S., C.S.C.S//Special Correspondent Provided that you've adhered to the guidelines we published in last week's article, there are a couple of steps you can take the day of the meet to help make sure that you perform at your best. Eat Breakfast Start out with a proper breakfast. This does not entail grabbing a bagel with cream cheese and eating it in the car with a large orange juice on the way there. The bagel, especially if it's made with white flour can really jack up your blood sugar levels. Granted, the fat in the cream cheese will blunt this affect somewhat, but add in the OJ and you'll be all fired up for warm-ups and likely crash shortly thereafter. The best-case scenario is to sit down and eat some slow cooked oatmeal (prepared the night before) with fruit, or some eggs and whole grain toast, or whole grain cereal with skim, or low fat milk. If it's an early meet and you must eat on the run, at least make it a whole grain bagel with peanut butter, as the these two foods together make up what is known as a complete protein by providing your body with all the essential amino acids it needs. Trade in the OJ for a lower sugar sports drink and you're good to go. Some more foods to stay away from include bacon, sausage, croissants, doughnuts and sugary breakfast cereals. As far as what you should have in your bag for snacking, I think the best way to address this is with a list of what you should bring, vs. what you should not bring. What to Bring: 1. At least 32 oz. of water to drink during and after the meet. 2. No more than 16-20 oz. of sports drinks that meet the above criteria. 3. Energy bars: Try to stick with bars that have less than 10 grams of fat, and less than 35% of their calories from sugar (the lower the better). To calculate this: multiply the number of grams of sugar by 4 and then divide that number into the total calories. Some recommended brands include: Kashi TLC Bars, and Odwalla Bars. 4. Whole grain pretzels, crackers and cereals. 5. Nuts, seeds and dried fruit (in limited quantity due to the relatively high sugar content). 6. Lower Sugar Fruits: Strawberries, Apples, Cantaloupe, Blueberries, Raspberries and peaches. What not to bring, or bring less of: 1. Chips of any type. Most are loaded with fat and calories. 2. Goldfish, Cheese Nips, or any other types of crackers made with white, enriched flower. 3. White Bagels and Breads. 4. High Sugar Fruits: Bananas, Raisins, Pineapple and Grapes. 5. High Sugar Energy Bars: Many types of Power Bars fall into this category. 6. Fruit Juices of any type: Too high in sugar and don't clear the gut as rapidly as sports drinks, possibly leading to stomach cramping. 7. Soda. This one's an absolute no-no! (Remember Coach Brooks has asked us to avoid soda) 8. Cookies, candy, gummy bears, or anything else along those lines.