MySwimPro

10 Steps To Prepare for Your Championship Swim Meet

Championship season is almost here! Start these 10 steps at least one month in advance of your big swim meet so you can swim your best time ever!

1. PICK YOUR MEET & EVENTS


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Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or elite swimmer, we always recommend setting a goal to swim in an official meet or open water race. It’s the perfect opportunity to set a deadline for reaching your goals, meet other swimmers, and have fun!

Check out these resources if you need help finding events in your area.

Once you’ve committed to a championship swim meet, you’ll need to pick a couple events that you want to swim. We suggest a few individual events, plus relays.

Pick one event that is your favorite stroke, one event that is a “reach” for you and is more mentally or physically challenging, and then one new event that you’ve never tried! You’ll never know what events you love until you try them.

It’s important to select your events around the meet schedule. If the meet is a three-day event, is at multiple pools? Make sure that your schedule accommodates at least one hour for each event. This will give you enough time to travel, warm up, change into your tech suit, mentally prepare, race, then cool down for your next event.

If you’re new to swim meets, read this helpful guide before you register, or watch this video!

2. SET SMART GOALS

When setting goals, it’s crucial that they be very defined and methodical in your approach. To help you succeed, use the S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) goal process. SMART stands for:

For each of your events, set a goal that follows these guidelines. Some examples are below:

Read more about how to set SMART goals here.

3. CHOOSE A TRAINING PLAN

Even if you’re intrinsically motivated, doing the same workouts over and over will make you plateau and you might even start to swim slower. So why follow a structured training plan? Can’t you just pick out a workout at random, push yourself to the max, and call it good?

You could do the same thing over and over or do random workouts, but you wouldn’t be making the most of your time. Structured training plans have many advantages over random, undirected workouts. Check out some of the top Training Plans in the MySwimPro app:

Just remember to reserve at least one week before your meet to taper and rest! Get more tips for a perfect taper >

4. STRENGTH TRAIN

Related: Why Swimmers Should Lift Weights

There are a number of great reasons swimmers should hit the weight room – even if your goal may not be to build arms like the Incredible Hulk. Strength training can improve swimming performance, body awareness, and keep things fresh.

Gaining strength also helps prevent injury. “You’ll increase bone density and strengthen the tendons and ligaments, so not only are you simply able to lift more weight, but you’re also building resistance to injury,” explains Michael Boyle, a strength and conditioning coach and functional training expert in Boston.

Here are some great exercises to try:

5. FINE-TUNE STARTS AND TURNS

Related: How to Improve Your Swimming Start

In the month leading up to your meet, you’ll want to focus on your starts (dives) and turns. These fundamentals are so important and can make a huge difference in your race.

We recommend reserving 10 minutes every workout to dedicate to these skills. Here are some drills you can work on:

Try these drills to improve your freestyle flip turn:

6. HAVE A TAPER PLAN

If you’re following a MySwimPro Training Plan, we recommend training fully for eight weeks, then reserving one week to taper before your competition.

It’s important to hit your highest volume of swimming during the 3-6 weeks before your competition.
On your last week before the meet, you should dramatically decrease your swimming distance, time and energy so that you can allow your body the proper time to rest.

Get more tips here. If you have questions, email our CEO Fares Ksebati at fares@myswimpro.com! We’re happy to help.

7. PICK A TECH SUIT

If you are serious about competing and reaching your personal best times, we do recommend purchasing a technical racing suit. These suits are only for pool meets, and will reduce your drag in the water. Just be aware that they are very expensive, so do your research before purchasing!

If you are participating in an open water swim, check with the event organizer to see if wetsuits are allowed.

8. VISUALIZE YOUR RACE

In the weeks, days, hours and even seconds leading up to your race, you should always be thinking of the perfect swim. Do not focus on the “don’ts” or “shouldn’ts”. Practice visualizing each and every step of your race and remind yourself of all the good components of your race.

When it comes time to race, all that practice of focusing on the positives will turn into muscle memory and you’ll avoid simple mistakes!

Visualize all the good things you’ll be doing through each phase of your swim:

  1. Walking into the pool with the right attitude
  2. Warming up
  3. Changing into your tech suit
  4. Finding your lane before your heat
  5. Pumping yourself up behind the blocks
  6. Diving off the blocks
  7. Perfect streamline
  8. Breathing pattern
  9. Perfect stroke
  10. Legal turns
  11. Perfect kicks
  12. Legal finishes
  13. Getting out of the pool, keeping composure if you’re upset and reminding yourself how well you did!
  14. Cooling down

9. PRACTICE YOUR ROUTINE

Similar to visualizing your swim, you should prepare for what your race-day routine will be like weeks in advance. If you focus on how your daily mental and physical behaviors impact your performance in the pool, you’ll understand what it takes for you to do your best on race day.

Every person is different, and we all have different habits or routines that we follow in order to swim our fastest. What’s most important is to NOT try anything new on race day. Ask yourself these questions to prepare: 

For our comprehensive guide on how to prepare to race, read our 10-Step Guide to Your First Swim Meet  and our Swim Meet Terminology + FAQs.

10. SHAVE, SLEEP WELL AND HAVE FUN!

Related: How to Share for a Swim Meet

Alright, it’s race time! The night before your first big swim, do your big shave-down! It’s time to put all that hard work and focus into action and swim fast!

Focus on the goals you want to achieve, sleep well, stay hydrated, have fun with the other swimmers around you and swim fast!

Share your swim meet rituals and training tips in the comments! Start a personalized Training Plan in the MySwimPro app for daily Guided Workouts designed for your goals.

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