In sport (as in life) there is a physical side & a mental side…and the two really should connect.  In fact, the more we can connect our physical & mental sides…the more we can get them to interact with each other, the faster we can improve (see my blog on “Making Loud, Obnoxious ‘Juicy Mistakes’!“).  It seems obvious that our mental side would kick in when we’re doing something physical.  But in actuality I think we operate much more on brain autopilot than we care to admit.

Improvement comes faster when we’re mentally AND physically activated, engaged, in the moment.  This is why I’m highlighting Mohad Baboli.  She has done a wonderful job of connecting the mental components of swim technique (the why, the reasons) with the physical.  And her progression shows it!  Great job, Mohad!

In Mohad’s own words:

“Imagine running is your favorite activity & you want to be able to run long distances to experience new trails.  But you can’t because things don’t feel quite right.  You wonder why running isn’t effortless & why you get exhausted after a few yards.  Maybe this can this be fixed with a few tweaks?  Well, this is my swimming story!

I’ve had few swim lessons here & there.  I could move myself in the water.  But it always felt more combative than effortless!  And I am in search of the latter.

Over the past 4 years I took a few random lessons & watched some videos to try to ‘correct’ my swimming moves.  But nothing really worked…until now!

I am now making progress because Coach Michelle is explaining the ‘why’.  She’s explaining why we instinctually move certain ways in the water & why we might want to adjust or change those ways.

For example:  I’ve always been able to ‘lie on my back’ in the water.  But I couldn’t keep my feet at the surface.  Now I know why!  This is because our body has uneven weight distribution – lighter chest & heavier hips & legs (I was aware of this).  But if you apply an extra force on the upper body by pressing it into the water you can balance the pressure distribution on the surface of water (I did not know this)!

I am an engineer, and much to my surprise, I am learning to swim based on physics laws!  And that’s why, during my swim lessons, I keep repeating, ‘It makes sense, let’s try it.’  And…it works every time!”

For more info on coaching, click here.  For info on adult swim lessons, click here.