Understanding your ambivalence to move forward
Ambivalence and swimming: understanding your inner barriers to move forward If you know The Lord of the Rings, you may remember that moment when Frodo, at the top of Mount Doom, hesitates to throw the ring into the fire. He wants to do it… without really wanting to. That inner tension has a name: ambivalence. […]
Training out of the water: continuing to progress in swimming
Continuing to progress out of the water: 5 reasons to train even without swimming Have you ever experienced a lull, made up of weeks without training or competition? Injury, work constraints, fatigue, race cancellation: these periods of downtime are often seen as obstacles to progress. Yet, when used well, they can become real opportunities. Training […]
Barriers to exercise: how to identify and overcome them
Overcoming the barriers blocking your exercise routine “Working out during the week? Impossible, I don’t have time.” This phrase has become almost automatic. Yet, working, training, and taking care of yourself are not incompatible. The problem isn’t always available time, but how we use our energy and organize our priorities when facing barriers to exercise. […]
Maintaining Your Changes: Turning a Resolution into a Lasting Habit
“I can’t stick to my resolutions…” If this sounds familiar, this article is for you. In swimming as in daily life, we regularly need to make changes: adopt a new technical movement, modify your training rhythm, adjust a strategy. The hardest part is often not starting, but transforming that effort into a lasting habit. Why […]
Motivation, commitment, consistency
Making the most of the off-season to keep your motivation up The end of the season in open-water swimming often marks a transition period. Days get shorter, temperatures drop, and the desire to train can start to fade. Yet the off-season is far from a forced break: used well, it helps you lock in the […]
Respecting your limits for better progress
In sports as in life, progressing doesn’t mean accepting everything. Knowing how to set limits is an integral part of performance, just like physical training or recovery. Yet, many swimmers still hesitate to say no, for fear of disappointing or missing out on a goal. Learning to respect your limits isn’t about hindering your progress: […]
Your Support Network: A Key Factor in Sports Performance
Your Support Network: A Key Factor in Sports Performance Every performance is unique, both in its execution and over time. You never have exactly the same preparation, the same motivation, or the same support from one event to the next. The support around you also varies. And yet, this often-neglected factor plays a major role […]
Mental tapering before a competition: preparing your mind as much as your body
The season is progressing and, even if you’ve just completed your first event, you’re entering a key phase of your preparation: tapering. Sessions are getting shorter, the load is decreasing, and your body is gradually recovering. But tapering isn’t just about the physical: mental tapering plays an equally crucial role in your ability to perform […]
Preparing for an event through mental preparation
Often associated with high-level sports, mental preparation actually concerns all swimmers, whatever their goal. It helps them to better prepare, better manage their emotions, and approach sporting (but also professional or personal) challenges with more clarity and serenity. Physical preparation = body training. Mental preparation = brain training. What is mental preparation for? Mental preparation […]
The power of thoughts and coping strategies in the face of stress
Have you ever noticed certain “automatic” behaviors that appear during periods of stress? Repeatedly adjusting your goggles before diving in, breathing deeply before a start, talking non-stop just before an important deadline. These reactions are neither insignificant nor absurd. They are part of what we call coping strategies, meaning the ways we deal with stress. […]