Momentum is a Friend

I remember the first time my coach handed me a t-shirt at a swim meet. I looked at him with this strange ‘What’s this face?’ He laughed and said, “it’s yours.” It was a short exchange that ended with me realizing I got free stuff the faster I swam. Game On! 

Momentum is important for everything we do. I’ve talked about ‘little wins’ before. They give us the momentum we need to stay on our path. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about our physical goals or something else.

It doesn’t matter what sport we are talking about; it’s all a game of physics. The main challenge with swimming is that we are trying to move through the same material, water, that we are using for propulsion. We touched on it in earlier posts about how a strong body line helps a swimmer move through the water. If we reduce the drag we increase our efficiency.

Often when I’m speaking with an athlete my first goal is to increase their efficiency. Reducing the amount of energy needed to move through the water allows you more energy to go further, faster and stronger. (Fun Fact: The Olympic motto is; Citius, Altius, Fortius. Which means faster, higher, and stronger.)

While you are swimming be conscious of your momentum. I want you to not only think about your body but your arm strokes as well. During your workout challenge yourself to push further off the walls (Yes! Even if you are a triathlete, SwimRun Athlete etc it increases your fitness level). After you are comfortable with challenging yourself with pushing off the walls further start thinking about your arm strokes.

You want your hand to enter softly into the water; no splashes or bubbles. As you pull through the water smoothly accelerate your hand, throwing the water towards your feet. This will increase your momentum thus allowing you to maintain your speed through your workout. 

It’s funny to think a simple concept of free stuff was the right mind shift I needed to get find my momentum. Everyone wants the magic bullet or secret to success. Success is simple. Do the little things right, consistently over time and you will see a huge difference. Remember, Momentum is a friend. 

Ready Go!