Goal Setting for Age-Group Swimmers within the New Year

Goal Setting for Age-Group Swimmers within the New Year 

The first observe of the New Year at all times feels a little bit totally different. 

The pool deck maintains the identical chlorinated scent. The water is simply as freezing. The beep from the clock on the wall nonetheless appears louder than it ought to. But one thing about January brings a quiet sense of risk with new objectives and a brand new sense of motivation. 

For many age group swimmers, the brand new 12 months is a pure second to consider objectives each small and enormous. You may hear teammates speaking about making a primary minimize for a championship meet, dropping time in a number of occasions, or possibly even qualifying for a championship crew. Goals are thrilling and motivating, however they’ll additionally really feel overwhelming in case you don’t know the place to start out. 

So how do you set objectives that truly provide help to swim higher, not simply dream larger? Start With Your Story, Not Someone Else’s.

It’s straightforward to scroll by means of social media and see spotlight reels: Medals, podiums, report boards. But objective setting works greatest when it’s private. Comparison can steal your pleasure. Before writing something down, take a second and mirror on who you might be and the place you wish to be. What did final 12 months train you? What was arduous? What are you pleased with even when nobody else seen? 

Maybe you confirmed up persistently even when faculty was tense. Maybe you discovered tips on how to race smarter, even when the time didn’t drop but. Maybe you caught with swimming throughout a troublesome season when all appeared towards you. 

Those moments matter. They are a part of your story and your objectives ought to construct on that, to make this 12 months higher than the final. 

Dream Big and Small 

Big and scary objectives are necessary as they offer you route and objective that may final years. Big objectives alone, nevertheless, can really feel distant, particularly in a sport the place progress usually is available in thousandths of a second. 

Instead of stopping at “I want to qualify for Junior Nationals” or “I want to make my varsity high school team,” ask your self: What does somebody who reaches that objective do daily?How do they practice? How do they get better out of the water? 

This is the place smaller, process-based objectives are available. 

For instance:

• Attend 90% of practices this season
• Add yet another dolphin kick off every wall
• Get eight hours of sleep
• Drink extra water

These objectives could not sound as necessary, however they’re those you’ll be able to management and over time, they’re those that create actual change. 

Goals Aren’t Just About Times 

Swimming is about greater than the scoreboard. Some of an important objectives don’t have anything to do with seconds or medals. 

Consider setting objectives round: Building confidence, staying optimistic after a troublesome swim, encouraging teammates throughout arduous units, bouncing again after a disappointing meet. These qualities don’t present up on outcomes pages, however coaches discover them and so they usually translate effectively past your years within the pool. 

Progress Is Not Linear 

Here’s one thing skilled swimmers know: Progress is never linear. 

You can have meets the place the time doesn’t drop. Practices the place nothing clicks. Weeks the place you’re feeling caught. That doesn’t imply your objectives had been improper; it means you’re coaching. 

During these occasions it can be crucial to not abandon your objectives, however to recollect your why. Remember why you set the objectives within the first place, and why you fell in love with the game. Sometimes the most important progress occurs within the quiet stretches between breakthroughs. 

Write It Down! 

Goals really feel highly effective once they stay in your head. They develop into actual whenever you write them down. And much more actual whenever you inform a buddy, coach, father or mother, or teammate about them. Put your objectives someplace you’ll see them; maybe inside your swim bag, in your mirror, or in your notes app in your cellphone. Be positive to revisit your objectives usually and regulate them if wanted. Celebrate all progress, even when it feels small. 

Goal setting isn’t about being good. It’s about being intentional. 

The Bigger Picture 

Swimming teaches classes that final far past age group meets and time requirements. Learning tips on how to set objectives, work towards them each day, and keep dedicated when motivation fades is a ability you’ll carry for all times.

As the brand new 12 months begins, keep in mind this: You don’t must develop into a special swimmer in a single day. You simply must take the subsequent step ahead – one observe, one repeat, one objective at a time.