Q&A and trainings with Bob Bowman and Carol Capitani

I recently had the chance to attend a Q&A with Bob Bowman and Carol at the University of Texas, and I wrote down some of the biggest mindset lessons that stuck with me.

The biggest takeaway was that great swimmers don't rely on motivation, they rely on the discipline of their swimmers.

One thing Bob and Carol said really changed my mindset, even Olympians don't wake up excited for every practice. The difference is that they show up anyway. They don't wait until they feel motivated, they train because they know consistency is what leads to improvement, and eventually these big wins at the highest level

Another lesson was to have a short memory. Bad races and bad practices happen to everyone. Instead of dwelling on them, warm down, learn from what happened, ask your coach what you can improve, and move on. A bad race is often your biggest opportunity to learn.

They also talked about what makes their favorite swimmers. Surprisingly, it wasn't always Olympic champions. It was the athletes who were coachable, listened, made changes, worked hard, and got the most out of their own potential.

One quote I'll definitely remember was that elite swimmers aren't a 10/10 every day. They're usually a 7 or 8 every single day. They have a high average because they consistently show up and give what they have, rather than waiting for the "perfect" day.

Another thing I loved was:

"It's not the set that makes you fast, it's you who makes the set work."

There isn't a magical workout. Improvement comes from bringing focus, effort, and purpose to every practice.

Finally, they emphasized that character matters just as much as performance. Be a good teammate, support others, work hard in school, and remember that the way you do one thing is often the way you do everything.

Overall, this Q&A reminded me that success in swimming isn't built by one amazing race or one perfect practice. It's built by showing up every day, staying coachable, learning from setbacks, and trusting the process.

Our trainings were almost the same, they wanted you to be at that 7-8 level every time you got into the pool, Bob would be giving you that motivation every single time you touched the wall and stayed for more that 5 secs, they gave me a hint of motivation EVERY SINGLE TIME.

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Q&A and trainings with Bob Bowman and Carol Capitani