58 Swimming Quotes from Professional Swimmers You Can Study From

Swimming isn’t straightforward. 

Possibly apply has been difficult. You might be drained, stiff, and sore. The water is chilly. You’re coming off a foul swim meet. You’ve plateaued within the water, and also you’re questioning in case you’ll ever be capable of enhance once more. 

You’ve gotten a thousand completely different excuses which you can fall again on. And rightly so. 

However will you let your excuses will let you get the perfect of you? To get the perfect of your objectives? 

Feeling this manner is regular, and each swimmer experiences this occasionally. Nonetheless, attempt to maintain an open thoughts. Take into consideration your long-term objectives. To get there, you’ll have to push by means of now, regardless of the way you’re feeling. 

Generally all we’d like is a little bit of motivation or inspiration to get us going. So earlier than you skip swim apply, learn this text first. It would simply be the enhance you want. 

Or possibly issues aren’t all so doom and gloom, and also you’re simply in search of enjoyable swimming quotes to jot down in your coaching log. 

Regardless of the case, listed here are a few of my favourite swimming quotes from Olympic swimmers. 

My aim right here isn’t simply to provide the quotes however to see what sensible recommendation we are able to derive from them and apply to swimming and our lives. 

Motivational Swimming Quotes from Olympic Swimmers

”It’s not about being the perfect. It’s about being higher than you had been yesterday.”

– Florent Manaudou (Olympic Gold Medalist)

If you wish to really feel depressing about your self and your achievements, consistently examine your self to others. 

Don’t get me fallacious. Comparability is sweet. It’s what drives us to work tougher and be higher. And sometimes, evaluating your self to others is usually a wholesome motivator.

The issues begin to come up after we consistently examine ourselves to different swimmers.

As a rule, these comparisons aren’t an correct reflection of our progress. Everyone seems to be completely different. Everybody’s circumstances are completely different. And this might be mirrored in our progress as nicely.

The one genuinely correct comparability you can also make is in opposition to your self. This is the reason I’m a giant advocate for day by day self-reflection and conserving a coaching journal. 

It’s also possible to apply this idea to evaluate your swim meets and races. 

By being conscious of your shortcomings and the place you’re going fallacious, you’ll be able to skyrocket your progress and outcomes. 

Should you’re up for it, I like to recommend doing this on your private life and objectives as nicely. 

Associated swimming quotes from different Olympic swimmers:

• “I come to apply every single day with the mindset that I’m there to get higher.” – Caeleb Dressel 
• “I’m making an attempt to do the perfect I can. I’m not involved with tomorrow, however with what goes on as we speak.” – Mark Spitz
• “I nonetheless consider there’s enormous room for enchancment, whether or not it’s dietary, stroke, mechanics, mental- I’m nonetheless studying.” – Roland Schoeman

“The largest factor that I’ve all the time stated isn’t hand over. I by no means have, and no person ever ought to. If they need one thing dangerous sufficient, they’ll get it.”

– Michael Phelps (23x Olympic Gold Medalist)

Fast query right here for the entire aggressive swimmers– what number of occasions have you ever felt like giving up?

I do know that thought has simply crossed my thoughts greater than a dozen occasions all through my swimming profession. And that’s in all probability an understatement. 

Right here’s the factor. I’m a agency believer within the saying: “you solely lose when you give up,” and it’s served me nicely through the years.

As of penning this, I’m at present in a plateau myself. I haven’t swam a PB in my foremost occasion in over two years. And sure, I’ll be the primary to confess a few of it’s my fault. May I’ve skilled tougher? May I’ve skilled extra? Completely. 

Will I hand over? No. 

Why not? As a result of I do know from previous expertise that I all the time come again stronger and higher if I maintain working and don’t give up. Regardless of the endeavor could also be. 

The essential factor right here is to acknowledge and proper your errors (suppose: coaching log) and never dwell on them. Preserve exhibiting up every single day and maintain coaching onerous, irrespective of your present state of affairs. Issues will get higher in case you work on them. 

Associated swimming quotes:

• “Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.” – Matt Biondi
• “Desires do come true… by no means cease believing.” – Josh Davis

“You’ve simply acquired to attempt to maintain enhancing a little bit bit every day and carry on coaching to maneuver that needle as shut as you’ll be able to to excellent.”

– Ryan Murphy (4x Olympic Gold Medalist)

Lengthy-term consistency beats quick bursts of effort any day. 

Concentrate on getting 1% higher each single day. That’s it. That’s the key to success. 

Mastering that is tougher stated than finished, but it surely’s a aggressive benefit that few folks will ever be capable of beat. 

A sensible instance (and a narrative that I like) is the British biking group. They went almost 100 years, profitable solely a single gold medal on the Olympic video games. And so they fared even worse on the Tour de France. 

This was till a brand new coach by the title of Dave Brailsford confirmed up. His whole coaching philosophy was based mostly on incremental good points. And he utilized this philosophy to each the plain and unobvious areas of the group’s coaching. 

The outcomes? 5 years later, the British biking group received 60% of all of the biking gold medals on the Beijing Olympic Video games. Quick ahead one other 4 years to the London Video games, they usually had damaged 9 Olympic and 7 world data.

That’s the facility of constant incremental enhancements. 

One thing else that I need to level out right here is that it’s important to be prepared to be affected person. Changing into nice at one thing takes lots of time. There isn’t any secret. There isn’t any shortcut. It’s important to put within the effort and time.

“Ache is short-term– delight is eternally.”

– Alexander Popov (4x Olympic Gold Medalist)

Have you ever ever slacked off the final 10 meters of your race? How about in coaching?

Now suppose again to the final time you received a medal, made a closing, certified for that massive meet, achieved that aim time, and even simply went actually quick in apply. How did it really feel?

We regularly get caught up in our minds focusing and getting distracted by the short-term ache, discomfort, and fatigue our our bodies face. It occurs to the perfect of us. 

The hot button is to acknowledge when it’s occurring and never permit it to get the perfect of us. 

Don’t permit short-term ache within the final 10 meters of your race to smash all the factor and all of the hours and energy you’ve put into coaching. 

Associated Swimming Quotes:

• “I instructed myself there was no manner I used to be going to let this coaching go to waste. It was my time, and I used to be able to go.” – Katie Hoff
• “Apply such as you’re not adequate to win. Race such as you’re too good to lose.” – Katie Ledecky
• “If you wish to be the perfect, it’s important to be prepared to do issues that different folks aren’t prepared to do.” – Michael Phelps

“So many individuals alongside the best way, no matter it’s you aspire to do, will let you know it could possibly’t be finished. However all it takes is creativeness. You dream. You intend. You attain.”

– Michael Phelps (39x World Report Holder)

What number of occasions have folks unrightfully doubted you? 

I’m not saying to take folks’s doubts and throw all of it out of the window, both. Usually it comes from a well-intentioned place, they usually merely need the perfect for you. 

But it surely’s essential to do not forget that most individuals are extremely risk-averse, particularly within the modern-day. 

Generally you simply need to take that leap. Be certain that it’s a calculated leap. You must have a plan. You want actions you’ll take to get to your objectives.  

And possibly you fail. 

That’s okay, too, since you would’ve discovered one thing from it. Most definitely, you’ll notice that you’re able to a lot greater than you give your self credit score for. However in case you don’t at the least give your self an opportunity, you’ll by no means know what you’ll be able to obtain. 

“Everybody can prepare onerous once they’re feeling good. But it surely’s the times whenever you’re feeling dangerous that it’s important to step up. That’s when champions step up. They pull by means of.”

– Chad Le Clos (Olympic Gold Medalist)

Coaching received’t all the time be straightforward. You’ll get drained, sore, and stiff. Possibly it’s important to endure chilly water or another impediment.

But it surely’s typically throughout these onerous classes the place we take advantage of progress if we’re prepared to push our our bodies a bit tougher. Not simply bodily progress however psychological progress as nicely.

There may be really an idea for this in sports activities science known as super-compensation. The fundamental concept is that after a interval of coaching and making use of stress on the physique, there’s a drop-off in efficiency attributable to fatigue. After recovering (a lighter exercise, for instance), the physique rebounds to above its earlier efficiency baseline. 

Whereas the super-compensation impact doesn’t final, it can inevitably increase your efficiency baseline to larger ranges over time. 

“I believe objectives ought to by no means be straightforward. They need to pressure you to work, even when they’re uncomfortable on the time.”

– Michael Phelps (28x Olympic Medalist)

Having objectives for the belongings you need to obtain is extraordinarily essential. Objectives provide you with path.

However there’s a caveat. 

Your objectives need to be difficult. They need to push you to your limits. They need to make you query whether or not they’re even attainable to attain. 

Former Navy SEAL and ultramarathon runner David Goggins explains this very nicely. Right here’s what he has to say: 

“I requested him a query. Do you might have worry of not reaching these objectives? He stated no… Properly, that’s the issue. You’re setting objectives you understand you’ll be able to attain, and whenever you try this, that worry, that insecurity, that’s the place you develop; he’s not getting that. You could all the time set objectives that you simply suppose you can’t obtain, after which there you get higher.” 

In relation to setting objectives, I like to recommend breaking them down. I’m not saying make them straightforward. However don’t begin by making the Olympic video games your aim when you might have but to attain a nationwide title. Don’t make a nationwide title your aim when you might have but to achieve a nationwide closing. 

Break it down. Be certain that your objectives are difficult and push your limits. However sequence them in steps that result in your final aim and solely deal with the following step. 

Personally, I discover this course of way more fulfilling and fewer overwhelming. It additionally yields higher outcomes because you all the time know what the following step is that it’s important to take to get the place you need to go.

Associated swimming quotes:

• “I needed to do one thing that no person had ever finished earlier than. And that began with a dream and a aim.” – Michael Phelps 
• “With out objectives, coaching has no path.” – Natalie Coughlin 

“We’ve seen, repeatedly when folks deal with the end result somewhat than what must be finished to attain a fascinating end result, then the wheels fall off.”

– Cate Campbell (4x Olympic Gold Medalist)

Establish the actions it is advisable take to attain your aim.

Don’t confuse actions and outcomes. Actions are in your management. Outcomes are usually not.

An end result is the symptom of a sequence of actions. 

Focus solely on the actions it is advisable take to attain an end result. Make the standard of your actions the aim. Don’t make the end result itself your aim. 

“It’s what you do with the tough patches that can outline the athlete that you simply’ll change into.”

– Dana Vollmer (5x Olympic Gold Medalist)

Progress isn’t linear. Usually it strikes by means of phases of little to no progress adopted by an exponential leap.

However in case you use these phases of little to no progress to deal with constructing your basis, the leap is a lot larger when it does occur. The broader and stronger your basis, the upper you’ll be able to construct. 

Most individuals will give up once they don’t see the outcomes they need. That is the place the weak get weeded out. There’s a saying that the purpose the place you need to give up is usually the purpose at which you’re about to succeed. 

That is additionally intertwined with our idea of incremental good points that we mentioned earlier. Progress is sluggish at first, however over time, these 1% enhancements compound and result in extraordinary outcomes. 

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“Issues received’t go completely. It’s all about the way you adapt from these issues and study from errors.”

– Michael Phelps (23x Olympic Gold Medalist)

What number of occasions have you ever undertaken one thing the place all the pieces went completely and precisely as deliberate? 

I don’t suppose that’s ever been the case for me.

Nonetheless, by being open-minded and making use of a development mindset, you should use these items to change into higher than you’ve ever been. 

Most individuals shrink back from errors. We’ve been conditioned to suppose that errors are a foul factor. However the factor is, errors are a incredible studying alternative.

Usually we study extra from failure than success. 

Keep in mind our little dialogue about utilizing a coaching log for self-reflection about your swimming? Should you don’t self-reflect, it’s onerous to acknowledge your errors, it’s difficult to study from them, it’s unimaginable to repair them, and you’re sure to repeat them. 

Associated swimming quotes:

• “Failing at one thing is one of the best ways to study what it takes to succeed at it. Failing to make the Seoul Olympic group was the start of my success, sarcastically sufficient” – Summer time Sanders
• “There are going to be obstacles that are available in your manner. Keep constructive.” – Michael Phelps. 
• “Typically talking, I’ve all the time discovered setbacks extraordinarily motivating. You by no means admire these setbacks on the time, however in case you change your angle, you’ll be able to flip them right into a extremely motivational software.” – Natalie Coughlin. 

“I attempt to make the great days nice and take one thing constructive from the times I’m not feeling good – work on approach or one thing like that.”

– Katie Ledecky (7x Olympic Gold Medalist)

The actual fact of the matter is there are some days whenever you simply aren’t going to have the ability to prepare as onerous as you need to.

Possibly your physique is just too fatigued. Possibly circumstances exterior of swimming aren’t superb– faculty is hard, you haven’t been getting sufficient sleep, you’re stressed, and so on. 

Nonetheless, you’ll be able to nonetheless make your coaching session worthwhile. Should you’re going to be within the pool for the following 2 hours, why not attempt to profit from it? Work on underwaters, hand entry, turns, respiration, and so on. 

Are you able to enhance your underwaters by 1%? 

Decide one factor and deal with that for the exercise. Most of us can do with some extra approach work anyway. 

“Nice issues by no means come from consolation zones.”

– Penny Oleksiak (Olympic Gold Medalist)

How straightforward is it to get locked up within the routine of going to coaching, doing the exercise, pushing ourselves a bit right here and there, skipping a 50 right here, or slacking off a bit there? How many people do that?

Be sincere.

Whereas this routine will, in all chance, nonetheless will let you make progress for a while, there’ll come some extent the place it locks you right into a everlasting plateau which you can’t escape. 

In case your aim is making progress as quick as attainable, this additionally isn’t a very efficient technique. 

To change into the perfect swimmer which you can be, you’ll be able to’t get caught on this routine of consolation. It’s important to be consistently progressing exterior of your consolation zone and pushing your boundaries in coaching. 

One other quote by Nicole Haislett (a 3-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer) completely matches with this: “Establish your private limits after which push previous them. Then set new obstacles, and repeat the method many times, and once more.”

As soon as once more, how can you make sure that you don’t get caught on this routine of consolation and that you simply’re consistently making progress? Self-reflect. Have a coaching journal. 

“Excellent preparation prevents poor efficiency, the 5 P’s.”

– Sue Rolph (3x Commonwealth Video games Gold Medalist)

Did you present as much as your entire swim practices during the last season? Did you do your entire dryland exercises? How about your vitamin? Did you stretch? Sleep sufficient? Did you make certain to finish your coaching journal? 

What concerning the precise high quality of every exercise? How was that?

And that’s not even all the pieces. There are extra issues that I can name- race technique, visualization, and so on. 

If you wish to carry out at a excessive stage, it’s important to hit the entire markers each single day. And you may’t simply hit them; it’s important to guarantee they’re prime quality.

I’m not saying it’s important to get all the pieces 110% excellent each single day for 5 years straight. That’s unimaginable. Life doesn’t permit for it. Not even the perfect of the perfect can try this. 

But when you may get the standard of all the pieces you do to 80% and hit that marker every single day, you’re going to make lots of progress all through a season. It’s a lot better to get the 80% every single day than it’s to get the 110% at times. 

And in case you can’t try this but, go for the 70%, the 60%, and so forth. Begin someplace and construct it up till you’ll be able to consistently repeat it. Then transfer to a better stage. 

Associated swimming quotes:

• “The rationale swimming is among the hardest sports activities is that it’s important to be within the pool by your self every single day, making that sacrifice. There’s no time to do the rest.” – Chad le Clos
• “Simply do the rattling work” – Burce Gemmell (Katie Ledecky’s coach)
• “I need to have the ability to look again and say, ‘I’ve finished all the pieces I can, and I used to be profitable.’ I don’t need to look again and say I ought to have finished this or that.” – Michael Phelps
• “Confidence comes from what you do in apply each single day” – Jordan Wilimovsky.  
• “There are lots of people which might be very gifted. However simply don’t work at it. It’s a waste of expertise in case you don’t work at it and enhance.” – Tracy Calkins 
• “Should you fail to arrange, you’re ready to fail.” – Mark Spitz
• “You don’t need to line up on the blocks and know you haven’t finished all the pieces you presumably can.” – Stephanie Rice 
• “I swam the race like I skilled to swim it. It’s not mathematical. I simply let my physique do it. It’s a lot simpler in case you let your physique do what it’s skilled for.” – Ian Thorpe. 

Inspirational Swimming Quotes from Olympic Swimmers

“The belongings you study from sports activities – setting objectives, being a part of a group, confidence – that’s invaluable. It’s not about trophies and ribbons. It’s about being on time for apply, accepting challenges, and being scared of the weather.”

– Summer time Sanders (2x Olympic Gold Medalist)

I’m not the perfect swimmer on the market and can by no means be. Positive, I’ve had my moments of victory, and likelihood is you’ve had them too.

However for me, swimming is about much more than profitable. It’s concerning the classes I study, the chums I make, the experiences I collect, and the power to grasp not solely my physique but additionally my thoughts.

I’m not saying that profitable doesn’t matter. There isn’t any different feeling like the fun you get from touching the wall first and taking gold. 

However don’t make it your sole focus.

Should you make profitable your sole focus, you’re going to have a troublesome time within the sport and received’t get pleasure from it almost as a lot as you should. 

Have a look at all the pieces else that swimming has to supply. Acknowledge. Study. Apply it to different areas of your life. 

Associated swimming quotes:

• “Crucial lesson I’ve discovered from sports activities is how one can be not solely a gracious winner however an excellent loser as nicely. Not everybody wins on a regular basis; as a matter of reality, nobody wins on a regular basis. Profitable is the straightforward half; shedding is actually powerful. However you study extra from one loss than you do from 1,000,000 wins. You study lots about sportsmanship.” – Amy Van Dyken
• “It’s not about profitable on the Olympic video games; it’s about making an attempt to win. The motto is quicker, larger, and stronger. Not quickest, highest, strongest. Generally it’s the making an attempt that issues.” – Bronte Barratt
• “It’s probably not about counting medals for me. It’s nearly getting higher every single day.” – Caeleb Dressel. 

“Being your finest just isn’t a lot about overcoming the obstacles different folks place in entrance of you as it’s about overcoming the obstacles we place in entrance of ourselves. It has nothing to do with what number of occasions you win or lose. It has no relation to the place you end in a race or whether or not you break world data. But it surely does have all the pieces to do with having the imaginative and prescient to dream, the braveness to get better from adversity, and the dedication by no means to be shifted out of your objectives.”

– Kieren Perkins (2x Olympic Gold Medalist)

You’ve in all probability heard the age-old recommendation of believing in your self earlier than.

It’s typically straightforward to look previous it and shrug it off as being “wishy-washy.” 

But it surely holds lots of reality. Should you don’t consider in your self and your objectives and that it’s the realm of risk to attain them, then you definately received’t.

Since you’ll cease earlier than you even get shut. I imply– what are the possibilities you’ll maintain chasing after one thing you don’t even consider you’ll be able to obtain?

I’m not telling you to be unrealistic. 

However who defines what unrealistic is? That’s one thing you outline for your self. I’ve stated it earlier than, however most individuals don’t have any sense of what’s attainable for them to attain.

Why? As a result of they haven’t even tried. Earlier than you deem one thing unrealistic or implausible, you higher give it an excellent run for its cash. 

Associated swimming quotes:

• “The extra you consider in your self, the sooner you’re going to get.” – Adam Peaty
• “The tougher I labored, the higher I acquired. The higher I acquired, the extra I believed in myself and the objectives I needed to attain in swimming.” – Erik Vendt 
• “A real champion is aware of how one can overcome doubts and handle these doubts and switch them into motivation.” – Misty Hyman 
• “The physique does what the thoughts prefers.” – Lenny Krayzelburg 
• “You’ll be able to’t put a restrict on something. The extra you dream, the farther you get”. – Michael Phelps

“Benefit from the journey, get pleasure from each second, and cease worrying about profitable and shedding.”

– Matt Biondi (8x Olympic Gold Medalist)

As aggressive swimmers, we frequently get so locked up chasing after our objectives that we overlook to benefit from the journey alongside the best way.

Most frequently, the achievement that comes from doing one thing isn’t in reaching the aim however within the technique of working in direction of that aim. The key is in your day by day actions. That is additionally the place you’ll be spending most of your time.

When you attain the aim, it’s solely a short second of satisfaction, and then you definately transfer on to your subsequent aim. 

So strive to not take all the pieces so significantly on a regular basis. Have enjoyable. Benefit from the course of. And as Jeff Rouse (see quote under) says: “Get pleasure from swimming for swimming’s sake.” 

Associated Swimming Quotes:

• “Generally we complain, however there’s something lovely about waking up earlier than everybody to get higher at what we love.” – Natalie Coughlin
• “Get pleasure from swimming for swimming’s sake. We have now to spend far an excessive amount of time within the water to not benefit from the technique of difficult your self of shifting by means of the water.” – Jeff Rouse
• “Should you actually love one thing, that by no means dies, and it by no means goes away, and that’s what it’s like with swimming… I genuinely love the game, whether or not I’m competing or not. No matter I’m doing, I’ll nonetheless love the game; it’s such an awesome factor to be part of.” – Rebecca Adlington 
• “My favourite quote is from my dad, ‘Do your finest and have enjoyable.’ That’s just about what I’ve lived by.” – Amanda Beard
• “An enormous a part of swimming for me is I like it, and it’s so a lot enjoyable.” – Missy Franklin
• “It’s unbelievable; I’m swimming so quick. I went in with no expectations. I simply went out hoping to get a private finest. I went on the market with a smile, simply to have enjoyable and see what would occur.” – Jade Edmistone
• “It’s not the vacation spot, it’s the journey.” – Missy Franklin

“For myself, shedding just isn’t coming second. It’s getting out of the water understanding you possibly can have finished higher. For myself, I’ve received each race I’ve been in.”

– Ian Thorpe (5x Olympic Gold Medalist)

Whether or not you’re taking gold, podium, and even make the ultimate is out of your management.

Sure, you’ll be able to argue that it’s in your management within the sense that in case you skilled extra, tougher, or higher, then it may very well be within the realm of prospects. 

However what in case you did all of these issues? What in case you made the many of the assets accessible to you?

You’ll be able to’t management whether or not or not one other swimmer goes sooner than you. You’ll be able to’t management if they’re extra gifted than you, have extra entry to assets, and so on.

However you’ll be able to management what you do. Solely you’ll know in case you gave it your all.

Associated Inspirational Swimming Quotes:

• “I can’t management what goes on in one other lane, and that is how I deal with the video games. There isn’t any level in being nervous about different swimmers. It’s nearly specializing in your self and what it is advisable do so as to carry out at your finest.” – Cameron van der Burgh
• “You’re all the time racing in opposition to the opposite swimmers, however I all the time attempt to deal with what I’m doing and the way I need to swim my races.” – Katie Ledecky
• “By no means fear about what anybody else is doing…Simply swim your individual race.” – Dara Torres
• “Tonight was not about profitable; it was about specializing in myself and what I used to be aiming to do. It’s the explanation why I used to be capable of swim so nicely.” – Libby Lenton (Trickett)

Swimming Quotes Can Give You a Motivational Increase

Whether or not you wanted a motivational enhance or had been in search of a couple of fascinating swimming quotes, I hope you discovered what you had been in search of.

On the finish of the day, there may be nothing fallacious with in search of an exterior supply of motivation at times whenever you want it (resembling these swimming quotes), however your true supply of success might be present in being disciplined to carry out the identical difficult duties day in and time out, no matter how you’re feeling.