Mike's Mailbag: How to Manage Parents' Training Expectations
Mike's Mailbag: How to Manage Parents' Training Expectations
Dear Mike,
I think my swimming world is falling apart. Ever since my terrible championship meet in March, my parents think I should spend less time on swimming and more time on other things. My parents have since made me take off one day every week. However, they tell me that even if I swim less than other swimmers, I should still get the same results, if not better. They say that the key is “quality practices.” The new season has just started, and I really am trying to double my attention on technique and speed. But my parents’ expectations are to sprint (or at least try really hard on everything) everything besides drill. So when someone beats me in warm-up they think that I’m not trying hard enough. But warm-up is warm-up, and are you really supposed to try hard on it or work on technique? Also, whenever I try to work on my technique, they also think I’m going slow and I’m supposed to try harder. On the main set, I work my butt off, but they still don’t think it’s enough. They threaten to take away more days of swimming if I don’t fix this, or even worse, make me quit. I genuinely love this sport, and I truly think I’m trying harder. My coach also says I’ve been having good practices, but my parents don’t think so.
So what exactly are “quality practices”? Does that mean I do what my parents say and sprint everything including warmup? And how exactly do you work on technique during practice?
Thanks,
-Help NEEDED
