How to Race with Constraints

What is a Constraint?

A constraint is a tool or instruction that limits the athlete’s movement and gives them a

solid boundary in which to explore. This is the most profound way to influence stroke

technique. Stroke technique is unique to an individual and the best way for them to learn

what works best for them is to try new things.

Why do we need constraints?

Without constraints, the athlete is free to explore everything! Swimming is a very open

movement. Without constraints, the athlete will find ineffective ways to move forward and

to avoid weak points in their stroke.

What is the goal of constraints?

The goal of constraints is to expose the athlete to their weakness. Make them face it head

on! For example, if they are always lifting their head, a paddle on the head will limit the

options that they can take to breathe. They must breathe with their head in position

otherwise the paddle will fall off!

3 Aspects of Constraint-Led Learning for Racing

1. Environmental Constraints

If you change the environment in which a skill takes place technically you change the skill!

Do you ever have a practice swimmer that struggles to race? They probably need more

exposure to aspects of racing that change in the environment.

Sounds and Sensations. Having 1 swimmer in a lane at a time. Music that simulates a

meet. Adding these aspects may contribute to pressure and getting comfortable in a

pressure filled environment with high competition is important to optimize the challenge

level. If the athlete feels like challenge is too high performance will suffer and likewise if its

too low. Getting an athlete comfortable in a racing environment is imperative to optimizing

their perception of challenge.

Tech Suits – Change the feel of the water and change body position. If you change body

position of the swimmer than they may resort to very ineffective ways to move. It could

throw them off completely. Some swimmers will be able to find optimal solutions here. This

is where the swimmers that are good in competition and maybe average in practice come

in.

Competition- Having adequate competition and experiencing the “anxiety” of racing. The

adrenaline and the mindset is important to learn how to operate when the this comes up.

I look at these things like a time clock: The more time an athlete experiences, useful, high

quality competition the better they will be at racing. So if I Train a meet simulation 1 x per

week for 20 weeks. That’s close to 20 hours of ‘race ‘ environment exposure they wouldn’t

have prior.

As a coach you need to be able to increase competitiveness in your athletes through

different strokes, different events that may be longer than a competition or shorter.

Doubles or just 1 chance. You can do this an infinite number of ways but it is important that

competition is highly challenging.

2. Introducing Task- Constraints

If you see something in competition that needs to be worked on you must work on it in

competition.

For ultimate transfer of a skill you must do that skill in the environment.

For example:

1x100 From A DIVE on 20:00 with last wall to 15m to prepare for the last underwater.

Or use “7 kicks off every wall” or 10m as a marker.

Or use “no breathe into the wall”

Or use a pacer. Have 2 athletes of equal speed. 1 does a 75 for time and 1 does a 100. The

one doing a 100 must keep up with the athlete doing a 75 and then come back the last 25

as fast as they can.

Turn on the cognitive load by adding different things to work on. Do this in practice where

the stakes are lower but make it seem like the stakes are the same. That way they can try

and fail in an environment that’s safe but still practice these skills in a high pressure

environment.

3. Mental Practice

Mental practice is powerful performance tool that perfectly replicates an environment.

Warm up your athletes have them change into a suit then do a mental rehearsal of a race.

Then step up on the blocks and rehearse that same race with the skill component you want

to work on.

Studies show that mental practice + physical practice results in better learning than soley

just physical practice. Combining these together in the same session allows the brain to

connect neurologically what it needs to do and then physically practice it as well.