Selftalk In Sport

What is Self-Talk?

Self-talk includes all the purposeful and random thoughts that run through an athlete’s mind, it includes all the things said both silently and out loud. Self-talk can be positive, it can tell an athlete what to do, where to focus, and get one motivated (“You can do it”) Unfortunately, self talk can also be negative (“You stink so just give it up”), pessimistic, and critical. Such internal talk definitely does not help performance and, in most cases, probably hurts performance. Recognize that negative self talk is going to occur; the key is to not focus on the negatives and instead focus on the positives.

When Self-Talk goes Awry

There seem to be common self-talk errors swimmers make that tend to have a negative influence on performance. Read through each of these and assess if any of these errors plague you.

Focusing on the past or future:

“I raced so bad last time I swam here.” “I can’t believe I missed that turn.” Not ‘letting go’ of mistakes or poor performances takes thoughts and focus away from where they should be--on the present. A similar situation occurs when athletes worry about what may happen. All athletes have control over is right now, that is where thoughts need to be.

 

Focusing only on outcome: “I must win” or, “I have to make Junior cuts” such  houghts direct athletes to the outcome of the competition, something they have little control over. What athletes do have control over is performance. Therefore, direct self-talk towards what needs to be done to be successful . . . and trust that the outcome will take care of itself.

 

Focusing on uncontrollable factors:“I hate swimming in cold weather.” “This delay in the start is going to mess up my preparation.” “I never swim well in lane 8.” Statements such as these are a waste of mental energy. Not only are they out of one’s control but they also distract thoughts from where they should be. Keep thoughts on controllable factors.

Demanding perfection: “I better swim a PR.” “My turns have to be perfect.” Athletes train their physical skills for years, trying to achieve the perfect  performance. It is appropriate to work towards perfection but unrealistic to expect a perfect performance every competition.

Coaches Guide

Grab em’

Although everyone talks to themselves at one time or another some swimmers may not be aware of what they say to themselves. The following exercise is a great way to help swimmers become more aware of what they say to themselves.

Would you say it to your neighbor?

At the beginning of your self-talk session hand out Exercise 4 and a pen or pencil. Ask them to think of a time during a swim meet where they have made a big mistake such as completely missing a turn, false starting, missing an event all together, or having their goggles come off. Then ask them to remember what they said to themselves in that situation. Have them write it down in the top box of Exercise 4. Next instruct your swimmers to pair off. Have them turn to their partner and read the self-talk they wrote on their sheets out loud to their partner with feeling, similar to the way they would say it to themselves. At this point explain to your swimmers that they would probably never say the things that they say to themselves when they make mistakes to another person. Why do they treat themselves this way? Stress the fact that negative self-talk is detrimental to their performances and unproductive. Now, to turn the focus of this exercise from a negative light to a positive one have your swimmers rephrase their original self-talk into a more positive manner in the bottom box of Exercise 4. Again have them share this statement with their neighbor for some feedback.

Tips for Teaching Self-Talk

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Begin with the previously described exercise. Grab your swimmer’s attention and get them thinking about the meaning of the phrase “self-talk.”

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Ask your swimmers to define Self-Talk. Spend some time covering the common self-talk errors and give examples in each situation. Have your swimmers consider their behaviors in each of these situations.

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Introduce the steps to changing negative self-talk and spend some time on the exercises included at the end of the chapter.

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For a long term plan, have your swimmers create a self-talk section in their competitive training logs, help them to monitor their own self-talk and assist them in changing their self-talk behaviors.