Hi there race-ready fish,
Welcome to the world of the grind. You've probably found out by now that, well, swimming is hard. Not to say that it wasn't difficult in the first place, but rather that swimming becomes more difficult to improve upon the more polished our skills become. Unlike a sport such as basketball, where we could shoot a few hundred shots from the same spot daily and become a markedly better shooter at a fairly prompt rate, swimming requires months and months of work, sometimes to the tune of only fractions of seconds in improvement. And, it's perfectly okay, too.
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It's easy to ask why when staring at what seems like an endless black line at the bottom of the pool. And, too, it's important for you as a swimmer, whatever your goals may be, to have at least a general answer to why. But, once you finish asking why, it's important to traverse in the realm of HOW. At this point, you've reminded yourself of all the reasons why you do what you do. Every repeat set of repeat 100s dolphin kick that you dread, or perhaps your weakness is breaststroke, OR maybe every time your coach says "butterfly", you shudder a little. We do all these things to achieve the fractions of success that quantify and qualify what we're doing. It's the slice of cake that keeps us going, the wind in our sails, the first page of a new chapter of a book that we just can't seem to put down.
It may take 9 months to achieve 9 tenths, but it only takes a matter of moments to make conscious decisions about what you want out of your set OR stroke OR practice OR day. The other edge of the sword should also dutifully remind you that there is always room and/or time to get better, just use it wisely!
Fact of the week: In the midst of the grind, we recommend finding little purposes, starting with just one workout at a time. Be the best in the pool at any one thing, or be better than your own self was yesterday. Don't hesitate to embrace wholly the work that success takes, nor be afraid of failure. It's okay if it takes 9 months for 9 tenths - maybe more, but also maybe less. What more can you ask of yourself today? Be proud of what you've accomplished in the present, and set a goal for your next 9 tenths. Check out our YouTube and Blog page for more!
How does my child move up? Come to every swim class, bring your progress report, earn those stickers, and ask your child's instructor or location's deck manager if you have questions.
Race your race one second at a time! Glad your swimmer is learning to swim with us!
The Sigma Team