Are You A Righty or A Lefty?

Passion, Preparation and Performance.



Those are the key elements to success in and out of the pool. Earlier this week, I posted an article about your relationship with swimming. It can be found here. This post is a way in which you can examine that relationship in a more structured manner. I hope it is helpful to our athletes as we continue to do the goal setting process. 

I highlighted the word process because setting goals is crucial for true ownership of training. It gives us our, “why”. Goal setting is more than just writing something down on a piece of paper. It should be well thought out and involve everyone with a stake in the season; swimmers, coaches and parents. More on that soon. For now, please read this article and share it with your swimmers.

Are You A Righty Or A Lefty?

There is a lot that goes into becoming a fully committed athlete. Our Levels System (which we will institute after the goal setting process) is an attempt to create a sound developmental path for athletes, parents and coaches to follow throughout their growth as a swimmer. It is a comprehensive approach, but it can be daunting. To make things easier, here is a quick and easy way to gauge your current commitment level as an athlete.

Our program is based under the principles of Passion, Preparation and Performance. I have broken up those three elements into additional sub areas of each; which are indicated with a (1), (2) or (3) respectively (1 is for Passion, etc). On the top of the chart are four columns entitled. “Exploring”, Beginning”, “Deepening” and “Centered” Under each, you can see where you fit into each category. The further you are to the right of each, the more committed you are as an athlete to that specific area.

Most athletes will be stronger in some areas than others. Elite level performers are usually on the right of them all.  I hope that this quick and easy method will help the swimmers understand their strengths and help them identify areas in which they can improve. The more championship behaviors and attitudes are at a swimmer’s center, the better they will perform in the pool.  They will also find they have more enjoyment in the sport and beyond the competitive arena as well. 

Here is another way to use this chart.  Once you have identified some weaknesses, why not find a teammate who falls to your right in some areas to help mentor you. If you are to the right of a teammate, why not volunteer to mentor them? If you and a friend on the team are at the same stage of your journey, why not commit to taking the path to the right together? Keep in mind, your coaches are always here to help as well. 

We are trying to implement programs, like the Levels Systems, to make your journey easier and targeted. If you can think of a way that I can help you get a little more centered, just ask. Your input may not only help you, but your teammates and others who will take the journey in the years to come.

So, what are you? A righty or a lefty? ( I know, last post was about going left....but go with it) Keep in mind, it is not where you start, but how you finish. Here is to all of us finishing “right”.

You can download a cleaner, easy to use copy of the chart without the article by clicking here  or visiting https://bit.ly/centeredathlete

Becoming A Centered Athlete 

A Life Committed to (1) Passion (2) Preparation (3) Performance