Qualities a talent should have (part 1)

Success in swimming derives from certain skills, qualities, behaviors, habits, abilities, and attitudes which from now on will be named as talents. No one talent will make a swimmer a champion; conversely, there is no one talent whose relative lack will prevent a swimmer from becoming a champion. Just as no swimmer has every talent, no swimmer has none of them. Coaches can teach these talents, or at least most of them, and swimmers can develop them. These talents fall into three groups: psychological qualities or skills, physical qualities or capacities, and anatomical characteristics. Today I'll refer to the psychological skills and the other two groups will be analysed tommorow.

Psychological skills

Most people don't think of psychological qualities as talents, especially not in an obviously physical sport such as swimming. Swimming is about getting from here to there faster than anyone else. However, the mind plays a great part in deciding how fast an athlete will swim. The psychological skills provide the foundation for long term development of the more physical talents, and they have as great an effect on on athlete's performance as aerobic capacity, stroke efficiency, or height.

• Drive to succeed. Driven kids have a fire in the belly to be great. There is a close connection here with self-confidence. They set high standards for themselves.
• Competitiveness.Competitive kids want to race and win at whatever they're doing. They hate to lose, and they will often ignore important considerations such as wise pacing or proper technique.
• Focus. Focused kids have a laser-beam attention to what they are doing, and they are not easily distracted.
• Self-confidence. Confident swimmers expect to succeed. They have a positive attitude about their abilities, and they relish challenges where the results are in doubt because they enjoy proving themselves.
• Self-reliance. Self-reliant swimmers don't need their parents or coaches to walk them to the blocks. They don't wait for things to be done for them; they take responsibility for their own success.
• Poise. Swimmers with poise remain unruffled under championship pressure, and the more important the meet, the faster they swim. Poised swimmers can read themselves correctly, putting themselves in the right frame of mind to succeed.
• Toughness and persistence. Tough and persistent kids will not back off when under pressure or hurt, and they are willing to repeat a task after failing until it is mastered or until a goal is achieved.
• Work ethic. Swimmers with a good work ethic love to work hard. They would rather die than miss a practice. Consistent hard work often reveals other kinds of talent.
• Coachability. Coachable swimmers trust the coach; they will make tha changes a coach asks them to make. This requires an honest look at strengths and weaknesses and a willingness to fix problem areas.
• Courage. Though obvious realted to self-confidence, poise, and other psychological talents, courage deserves its own place at the table. A courageous swimmer can overcome the fear of pain, failure, and success.

These phychological skills can be practiced and improved, often concurrently with the physical improvements. By creating conditions that require certain psychological skills, coaches can give swimmers to practice them. By continually talking about these talents, highlighting swimmers who exhibit them, and linking mental attributes with swimming performance, coaches show athletes the importance of championship thinking.