14 years of swimming has taught me more than I ever thought I could know about the sport of swimming. I definitely do not have it all figured out but I have learned a lot of valuable knowledge throughout my career. The athletic department at my university often sets up motivational speakers to come in and talk to the athletes. A speaker talked to us earlier this semester about our expertise in our sports. He told us studies have shown that to be considered a true expert on anything, you have to experience it for 10,000 hours. As most of the swimmers on my team have been swimming for at least ten years, he told us we could comfortably call ourselves experts on the sport. Thinking on this for awhile, trying to comprehend that I have spent over 10,000 hours in a pool staring at a black line, I realized that I really do know a lot about this particular subject. Swimming is unlike any sport. If you are not a part of the swimming world, it is most often nearly impossible to comprehend what is happening at a swim meet. So for those of you who know the lingo, I will divulge some of the secret knowledge of my experience in the swimming world.

1. Do chaos drills.

This is one of the best drills my college coach ever had us do. It’s purpose is to prepare you for unexpected and catastrophic events that may happen during an event so you know what do and how to keep calm. We practice diving off the blocks with our goggles around our necks, swimming with water in our goggles, swimming without caps and flipping our goggles back up to our eyes during an open turn if they happen to fall down. This drill has been very helpful and is a great suggestion for coaches or if you are practicing on your own.

2. Dry-land exercise is so much more important than you think it is.

When I swam for my club team in high school we never did any dry-land exercise as a team so I never knew how much it could help. However, when I got to college, I began lifting, doing circuit workouts and running. I dropped so much time! It was incredible how much stronger and powerful I felt in the water just by doing dry-land four times a week. If your club team does do dry-land, take it seriously. If your club team does not, try doing some simple exercises at home and begin running (it is great cross-training for swimming).

3. Set individual goals at the beginning of every season.

My college coach has individual goal meetings with every swimmer at the beginning of our season. We talked about our strengths and weaknesses both in and out of the water and then discussed goal times for the season. We also discuss goals for school, dry-land workouts, and social goals as well. By doing this, both coach and myself know what is expected and know how to train to achieve all of my individual goals.

4. Over-pack for swim meets.

I always over-pack for overnight swim meets. Bring an extra suit, cap and goggles because it will save your life at least four times throughout your career. Pack extra clothes because, being a swimmer, you know everything in your bag will inevitably end up soaking wet.

5. Make friends outside of the swim team.

I cannot stress how important this is. Being a member of a swim team is like being part of a wonderful big family. Just as with all families, there are ups and downs. When you are around a certain group of people for so many hours everyday, sometimes you just really need a rest. Many times swim teams tend to be a clique. Breaking away and having friends outside of the swim team really helps on days when you just need to talk about something other than how awful practice was.

These tips have helped me so much to succeed in my swimming career. I have learned a lot and I still have a lot to learn. Just like with everything else, it’s a process; learning from yourself and others and often times, making it up as you go.