Five Keys to Success

Craig Lord recently published a piece about Michael Phelps in TheTimesOnline. It discusses Phelps' chances of beating Mark Spitz' seven-for-seven in Munich 1972. At the conclusion of the article he quotes Bob Bowman's 'five keys to success'. Well worth studying:

Five keys to success

Endurance: “He trains for the 400m medley, the 1,500m freestyle and the 200 ‘fly in that order,” Bob Bowman, Phelps’s coach, says

Technique: “Years’ worth of small adjustments add up to large gains in performance capacity.”

Mental approach: “Our mental outlook is one of the few things that we can truly control. Training we must view as a privilege, and act accordingly. We must first look inward to find solutions to challenges. ‘The solution lies with us’ is our slogan.”

Speed and pace training: “How the time is swum is just as important as how fast the time is swum. Our sets are designated to make the stroke more respondent to racing conditions.”

Power training: “We believe that the dry land work must enhance our swimming performance, not hinder it: therefore, weightlifting - which can be very taxing to the muscles – is not a major component of our programme.”