SwimLabs Blog Advice from the Best: Improve Your Sprinting

By Dillon Virva (2016 Olympic Trials 50 Free Finalist, 22.06 lcm) When talking with sprinters, you will hear them describe swimming and racing as if they were art enthusiasts speaking about the Mona Lisa. They can describe every nuance of their race, down to the smallest movement or detail. The important thing to know about sprinting is that there is not just one way to sprint. However, the best sprinters in the world are able to hone in on that style, under extreme circumstances and pressure. With so many variations in styles and approaches to the splash and dash, I wanted to share three key factors that help me achieve success under pressure: Hyper-focus: Top-level sprinters have the ability to become absolutely focused on the task in front of them. External distractions and stress can be the death of a race, so they enter a "zone" where they absorb everything going on around them without breaking focus. In the zone, the only thing that matters to them is the race: getting up and executing. When you achieve this level of focus, you can rely on your muscle memory to execute the race. In ideal conditions, this is how I like to race. Patience: Being patient in an event that is only 50-yards or meters long almost sounds hypocritical. However, it [...]