58 Swimming Quotes from Professional Swimmers You Can Study From

Swimming isn’t simple. 

Possibly observe has been difficult. You’re drained, stiff, and sore. The water is chilly. You’re coming off a nasty swim meet. You’ve plateaued within the water, and also you’re questioning should you’ll ever be capable to enhance once more. 

You’ve a thousand totally different excuses which you could fall again on. And rightly so. 

However will you let your excuses help you get the very best of you? To get the very best of your objectives? 

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

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

Or perhaps issues aren’t all so doom and gloom, and also you’re simply searching for enjoyable swimming quotes to write down in your coaching log. 

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

My objective 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 very best. 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, continuously evaluate your self to others. 

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

The issues begin to come up after we continuously evaluate ourselves to different swimmers.

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

The one genuinely correct comparability you can also make is in opposition to your self. Because of this I’m an enormous advocate for day by day self-reflection and protecting a coaching journal. 

You may as well 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. 

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

Associated swimming quotes from different Olympic swimmers:

• “I come to observe every single day with the mindset that I’m there to get higher.” – Caeleb Dressel 
• “I’m making an attempt to do the very best I can. I’m not involved with tomorrow, however with what goes on at the moment.” – Mark Spitz
• “I nonetheless imagine there’s big 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 mentioned isn’t quit. I by no means have, and no one ever ought to. If they need one thing unhealthy 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 most likely an understatement. 

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

As of penning this, I’m at present in a plateau myself. I haven’t swam a PB in my primary 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 more durable? May I’ve skilled extra? Completely. 

Will I quit? 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 hold working and don’t stop. Regardless of the endeavor could also be. 

The essential factor right here is to acknowledge and proper your errors (assume: coaching log) and never dwell on them. Hold exhibiting up every single day and hold coaching arduous, regardless of your present state of affairs. Issues will get higher should you work on them. 

Associated swimming quotes:

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

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

– 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 more durable mentioned than accomplished, but it surely’s a aggressive benefit that few folks will ever be capable to beat. 

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

This was till a brand new coach by the identify of Dave Brailsford confirmed up. His total coaching philosophy was based mostly on incremental positive aspects. And he utilized this philosophy to each the apparent and unobvious areas of the staff’s coaching. 

The outcomes? 5 years later, the British biking staff gained 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, and so they had damaged 9 Olympic and 7 world information.

That’s the ability of constant incremental enhancements. 

One thing else that I need to level out right here is that you must be keen to be affected person. Changing into nice at one thing takes a variety of time. There isn’t a secret. There isn’t a shortcut. You must put within the effort and time.

“Ache is momentary– delight is without end.”

– Alexander Popov (4x Olympic Gold Medalist)

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

Now assume again to the final time you gained a medal, made a remaining, certified for that massive meet, achieved that objective time, and even simply went actually quick in observe. How did it really feel?

We frequently get caught up in our minds focusing and getting distracted by the momentary ache, discomfort, and fatigue our our bodies face. It occurs to the very best of us. 

The bottom line is to acknowledge when it’s taking place and never permit it to get the very best of us. 

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

Associated Swimming Quotes:

• “I advised myself there was no means 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 ok to win. Race such as you’re too good to lose.” – Katie Ledecky
• “If you wish to be the very best, you must be keen to do issues that different folks aren’t keen to do.” – Michael Phelps

“So many individuals alongside the way in which, no matter it’s you aspire to do, will let you know it could’t be accomplished. 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, and so they merely need the very best for you. 

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

Typically you simply should take that leap. Be sure that it’s a calculated leap. It is advisable have a plan. You want actions you’ll take to get to your objectives.  

And perhaps you fail. 

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

“Everybody can practice arduous once they’re feeling good. However it’s the times whenever you’re feeling unhealthy that you must step up. That’s when champions step up. They pull by way of.”

– Chad Le Clos (Olympic Gold Medalist)

Coaching gained’t all the time be simple. You’ll get drained, sore, and stiff. Possibly you must endure chilly water or another impediment.

However it’s usually throughout these arduous periods the place we take advantage of progress if we’re keen to push our our bodies a bit more durable. Not simply bodily progress however psychological progress as effectively.

There’s truly an idea for this in sports activities science referred to as super-compensation. The essential thought 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’ll inevitably increase your efficiency baseline to larger ranges over time. 

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

– Michael Phelps (28x Olympic Medalist)

Having objectives for the stuff you need to obtain is extraordinarily essential. Targets provide you with course.

However there’s a caveat. 

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

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

“I requested him a query. Do you’ve concern of not reaching these objectives? He mentioned no… Nicely, that’s the issue. You’re setting objectives you realize you’ll be able to attain, and whenever you try this, that concern, that insecurity, that’s the place you develop; he’s not getting that. You should all the time set objectives that you simply assume you can not obtain, after which there you get higher.” 

On the subject of setting objectives, I like to recommend breaking them down. I’m not saying make them simple. However don’t begin by making the Olympic video games your objective when you’ve but to realize a nationwide title. Don’t make a nationwide title your objective when you’ve but to succeed in a nationwide remaining. 

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

Personally, I discover this course of far more pleasing and fewer overwhelming. It additionally yields higher outcomes because you all the time know what the following step is that you must take to get the place you need to go.

Associated swimming quotes:

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

“We’ve seen, repeatedly when folks deal with the end result fairly than what must be accomplished to realize a fascinating consequence, then the wheels fall off.”

– Cate Campbell (4x Olympic Gold Medalist)

Determine the actions you might want to take to realize your objective.

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

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

Focus solely on the actions you might want to take to realize an end result. Make the standard of your actions the objective. Don’t make the end result itself your objective. 

“It’s what you do with the tough patches that may outline the athlete that you simply’ll turn out to be.”

– Dana Vollmer (5x Olympic Gold Medalist)

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

However should 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 stop 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 stop is commonly the purpose at which you’re about to succeed. 

That is additionally intertwined with our idea of incremental positive aspects 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 gained’t go completely. It’s all about the way you adapt from these issues and be taught from errors.”

– Michael Phelps (23x Olympic Gold Medalist)

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

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

Nevertheless, by being open-minded and making use of a progress mindset, you need to use these items to turn out to be higher than you’ve ever been. 

Most individuals shrink back from errors. We’ve been conditioned to assume that errors are a nasty factor. However the factor is, errors are a implausible studying alternative.

Usually we be taught extra from failure than success. 

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

Associated swimming quotes:

• “Failing at one thing is the easiest way to be taught what it takes to succeed at it. Failing to make the Seoul Olympic staff was the start of my success, sarcastically sufficient” – Summer season Sanders
• “There are going to be obstacles that are available your means. Keep optimistic.” – Michael Phelps. 
• “Typically talking, I’ve all the time discovered setbacks extraordinarily motivating. You by no means recognize these setbacks on the time, however should you change your angle, you’ll be able to flip them right into a extremely motivational instrument.” – Natalie Coughlin. 

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

– Katie Ledecky (7x Olympic Gold Medalist)

The very fact of the matter is there are some days whenever you simply aren’t going to have the ability to practice as arduous as you need to.

Possibly your physique is simply too fatigued. Possibly circumstances exterior of swimming aren’t preferrred– college is hard, you haven’t been getting sufficient sleep, you’re wired, and so on. 

Nevertheless, you’ll be able to nonetheless make your coaching session worthwhile. When 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 simple 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 help you make progress for a while, there’ll come some extent the place it locks you right into a everlasting plateau which you could’t escape. 

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

To turn out to be the very best swimmer which you could be, you’ll be able to’t get caught on this routine of consolation. You must be continuously 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 suits with this: “Determine your private limits after which push previous them. Then set new boundaries, 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 continuously 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 whole swim practices over the past season? Did you do your whole dryland exercises? How about your diet? Did you stretch? Sleep sufficient? Did you be certain that to finish your coaching journal? 

What in regards to the precise high quality of every exercise? How was that?

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

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

I’m not saying you must get every thing 110% good each single day for 5 years straight. That’s unimaginable. Life doesn’t permit for it. Not even the very best of the very best can try this. 

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

And should 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 continuously repeat it. Then transfer to a better stage. 

Associated swimming quotes:

• “The rationale swimming is among the hardest sports activities is that you must be within the pool by your self every single day, making that sacrifice. There’s no time to do anything.” – 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 accomplished every thing I can, and I used to be profitable.’ I don’t need to look again and say I ought to have accomplished this or that.” – Michael Phelps
• “Confidence comes from what you do in observe each single day” – Jordan Wilimovsky.  
• “There are lots of people which are very proficient. However simply don’t work at it. It’s a waste of expertise should you don’t work at it and enhance.” – Tracy Calkins 
• “When 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 accomplished every thing you probably can.” – Stephanie Rice 
• “I swam the race like I skilled to swim it. It isn’t mathematical. I simply let my physique do it. It’s a lot simpler should you let your physique do what it’s skilled for.” – Ian Thorpe. 

Inspirational Swimming Quotes from Olympic Swimmers

“The stuff you be taught from sports activities – setting objectives, being a part of a staff, confidence – that’s invaluable. It’s not about trophies and ribbons. It’s about being on time for observe, accepting challenges, and being terrified of the weather.”

– Summer season Sanders (2x Olympic Gold Medalist)

I’m not the very best swimmer on the market and can by no means be. Positive, I’ve had my moments of victory, and chances are high you’ve had them too.

However for me, swimming is about much more than successful. It’s in regards to the classes I be taught, the buddies I make, the experiences I collect, and the flexibility to grasp not solely my physique but additionally my thoughts.

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

However don’t make it your sole focus.

When you make successful your sole focus, you’re going to have a tricky time within the sport and gained’t take pleasure in it almost as a lot as you need to. 

Have a look at every thing 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 you can be not solely a gracious winner however a great loser as effectively. Not everybody wins on a regular basis; as a matter of reality, nobody wins on a regular basis. Successful is the straightforward half; dropping is de facto powerful. However you be taught extra from one loss than you do from one million wins. You be taught loads about sportsmanship.” – Amy Van Dyken
• “It’s not about successful on the Olympic video games; it’s about making an attempt to win. The motto is quicker, larger, and stronger. Not quickest, highest, strongest. Typically 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 boundaries different folks place in entrance of you as it’s about overcoming the boundaries 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 information. However it does have every thing to do with having the imaginative and prescient to dream, the braveness to get well from adversity, and the dedication by no means to be shifted out of your objectives.”

– Kieren Perkins (2x Olympic Gold Medalist)

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

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

However it holds a variety of reality. When you don’t imagine in your self and your objectives and that it’s the realm of risk to realize them, you then gained’t.

Since you’ll cease earlier than you even get shut. I imply– what are the possibilities you’ll hold chasing after one thing you don’t even imagine 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 mentioned it earlier than, however most individuals don’t have any sense of what’s attainable for them to realize.

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

Associated swimming quotes:

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

“Benefit from the journey, take pleasure in each second, and cease worrying about successful and dropping.”

– Matt Biondi (8x Olympic Gold Medalist)

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

Most frequently, the success that comes from doing one thing isn’t in reaching the objective however within the technique of working in direction of that objective. 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 objective, it’s solely a quick second of satisfaction, and you then transfer on to your subsequent objective. 

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

Associated Swimming Quotes:

• “Typically we complain, however there’s something lovely about waking up earlier than everybody to get higher at what we love.” – Natalie Coughlin
• “Take pleasure in swimming for swimming’s sake. We’ve got to spend far an excessive amount of time within the water to not benefit from the technique of difficult your self of transferring by way of the water.” – Jeff Rouse
• “When 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 incredible 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, dropping just isn’t coming second. It’s getting out of the water figuring out you would have accomplished higher. For myself, I’ve gained each race I’ve been in.”

– Ian Thorpe (5x Olympic Gold Medalist)

Whether or not you are 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 should you skilled extra, more durable, or higher, then it might be within the realm of potentialities. 

However what should you did all of these issues? What should you made the a lot of the assets accessible to you?

You possibly can’t management whether or not or not one other swimmer goes sooner than you. You possibly can’t management if they’re extra proficient than you, have extra entry to assets, and so on.

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

Associated Inspirational Swimming Quotes:

• “I can not management what goes on in one other lane, and that is how I deal with the video games. There isn’t a level in being nervous about different swimmers. It’s nearly specializing in your self and what you might want to do with a purpose 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 successful; 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 effectively.” – Libby Lenton (Trickett)

Swimming Quotes Can Give You a Motivational Enhance

Whether or not you wanted a motivational increase or had been searching for a number of attention-grabbing swimming quotes, I hope you discovered what you had been searching for.

On the finish of the day, there may be nothing fallacious with searching for an exterior supply of motivation at times whenever you want it (akin to 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 are feeling.