Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Are You Really Putting in the Time, Effort and Work Required?

The legendary Muhammad Ali once said: "The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses -- behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."

If we change the words around to make this quote more relevant to diving, perhaps it would read as: "The meet is won or lost far away from spectators -- behind the lines, in the pool, and in the dryland room, long before I soar through the air and knife through the water."

The question is are you as a diver doing all that it takes to be a champion? Are you putting in full workouts with maximum effort -- both in the pool and in the dryland room? Are you eating right, getting enough sleep and taking good care of your body? Are you doing extra stretching, watching films, practicing hurdles, working on entries, handstands, kick outs, slow-motion simulation, visualization, etc.? If not, chances are good that you will not be as successful as you could be (or should be). If you are, then perhaps this other Ali quote will ring true:

"I hated every minute of training, but I said (to myself) 'Don't quit. Suffer now and the live the rest of your life as a champion'."

2 comments:

swimming lessons said...

Well said my friend. Ali was right and his statement rings true still today and whatever circumstance you apply it to.

Good mentality to have though, that you can't expect to pull though at the meet if you don't put in the time and heart before hand.

I plan to use this as motivation for myself and my students this week. Thank you for the great inspiration.

Michelle said...

Hi my name is Michelle i dive for my highschool swim team. I discovered this blog and reading it i realized my diving practices are not very challenging workouts. Do you have any drills or workouts that can help?