It is a common belief that in order to have mental toughness to perform well in a sport, athletes need to be able to block out emotions and vulnerabilities. Yet, the opposite is actually true according to Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Dr. Tiff Jones.

Swimmers need to be honest with what they are thinking and feeling before and after a race to become the best version of themselves and consistently improve. And coaches can help their athletes achieve mental toughness by guiding them through their psychological struggles.

Jones recently hosted a zoom conference with several USA Swimming coaches in attendance to discuss how to help their athletes develop mental toughness. During the session, Jones offered several tips and strategies, and described how coaches can use these tactics to develop their swimmers’ thought processes during practice as well as before and after a race.

Jones emphasized the importance of athletes being open with their coaches about their feelings by stating, “Self awareness and vulnerability are the keys to mental toughness. If you’re not self aware, how are you going to understand what I’m about to teach you? If you’re not willing to be vulnerable and real, how am I supposed to help you?”

She mentioned that athletes frequently worry about their performance, even at the elite level. Some universal thoughts that cross their minds may include:

• I want to be perfect.
• I don’t want to make mistakes.
• I’ve lost my sport confidence.
• I’m not good enough nor will I be good enough.
• What will people think about me?
• I don’t want to disappoint my teammates, coaches or parents.
• What if I don’t get a college scholarship?
• What if I don’t get playing time, start, or matter in my sport?

Jones explained that these types of thoughts are “future thinking,” and includes anxieties or fears about what could or may happen if an athlete does not succeed. When an athlete focuses on frustrations, anger or disappointment from previous races or competitions, they are using “past thinking,” which could prevent them from achieving peak performance.

Swimmers need to be centered on “present thinking,” where they are confident, optimistic and courageous in their mindset. Coaches should remove expectations (future thinking) when training their swimmers and encourage their athletes to focus on the process instead of the results. Swimmers should strive for reaching their own excellence versus trying to obtain perfection.

Motivating athletes to change their way of thinking will take some practice, Jones said. She recommended swimmers start writing down their Raw Unfiltered Thoughts (RUTs) to get their emotions out in the moment. Writing RUTs encourage swimmers to express any fears, worries, doubts or frustrations that they may have before practice or a meet.  

“Once you pull out the emotions from your athlete, (and thoughts attached to them) you can see if they are focusing on the past, present or future,” Jones said.

After an event or competition, Jones suggests athletes write a reflection explaining what they were thinking or feeling during the activity, what they struggled with, whether they were successful, and how they could use what they learned to improve.

“When swimmers have to write things down, it’s purposeful, and they actually have to think about it. These reflections are super key into giving you insight. You will start to see little themes and patterns in their performances and be able to better help them rather than say, ‘Hey, what happened two weeks ago at that meet?’”she said.

Jones stated that it is also vital to understand what zone each swimmer is in. She described four zones, stating that each one is a different color and represents a different mental state.

If an athlete is in the Red Zone, they are upset, angry or stressed out about a race or performance and are thinking about the past. Swimmers in the Blue Zone are focused, have energy, are excited, ready to perform and are in a present state of mind. If an athlete is in the Green-In Zone, they are not focused on practice, playful, and are letting their mind wander. The Green-Out Zone is when swimmers are not in practice or a competition, are creative, relaxed, thinking about anything but the sport, and often daydreaming.

Jones said coaches should put some pressure on swimmers during practice so they can learn how to remain centered at a meet.

“As a coach, it is your job at meets to create a blue zone environment for your athletes, or get them in green in between events. Your job in training and practice is to jack your kids up a little bit. I flat out tell my kids, ‘This is why we are doing this, and this is what we’re looking for, and this is how I’m going to help you. Wouldn’t you rather struggle in training with this mental stuff than do it when you are under pressure and stress in a competition or a meet?’ Once you explain why you are creating a red zone drill or a red zone practice, kids get it. And you give them time to reflect on it – whether it’s after a set or after practice,” she said.

Jones continued, “As coaches, you are throwing darts everywhere hoping your swimmers are going to get better or improve. The problem is, you are in a dark room, and you don’t know where the dart board is.

“By having swimmers write a RUT and having them reflect, you are turning the lights on in a dark room. And you realize that the dart board is on the ceiling. And you have been throwing darts all over the room, but not where they needed to be thrown. By asking your athletes to write a RUT and a reflection, you are at least turning the light on so you have a shot to help them.”

Both coaches and swimmers can learn more about developing mental toughness by signing up for Dr. Tiff Jones’ Virtual Elite Mental Performance 5-Day Camp from July 13-17, 2020. Athletes will receive a workbook and mental toughness tips from pro athletes, nutritionists, and experts from a variety of fields. Coaches will receive valuable resources that could be beneficial to their swimmers as well as themselves. Sign up at: www.xfactorperformance.com/virtual-camp.