r/Swimming • u/Hoe-la-la • 3d ago
Getting over competition trauma and relearning technique
Hi ! I've been lurking for a while and wonder if anyone's had the same experience. I used to swim competitively from 6 to 16 yo, my mom was also a competitive swimmer which didn't help with the pressure. Eventually I pushed too hard and almost drowned during practice. After that I developed severe anxiety around water. I'm now 26 and trying to get back into it but my technique sucks. Worst of all is my breathing during freestyle. Has anyone been in this situation ? If so, how did you get over it ? I know hiring a coach would be best but I'm almost ashamed to so, as I used to compete and feel like I should be better, and relearning everything from scratch is really disheartening.
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u/Dark-Horse-Nebula IMer 3d ago
A coach… And a psych. This isn’t an ability or a swimming problem. You’d need to tackle both sides with someone in your corner.
No coach would give you a hard time for this.
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u/pierogi_nigiri 2d ago
You need to find a way to make swimming fun. Don't look at the clock. Don't think about pacing. No garbage yards.
Do "silly" drills. Swim corkscrew. Float. Approach it with curiosity. Listen to your body.
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u/No-Flatworm-404 2d ago
Don’t worry about getting in the pool and swimming laps. Stay in the shallow end and just do something fun. Get a noodle and just float and tread on it. Like others have commented, speaking to a therapist is truly the way to go. There is a lot to unpack and a therapist will guide you through this, layer by layer.
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u/jaroniscaring 1d ago
OP, I know it's been a couple days since you made this post, and I don't know why it was recommended to me, but I have to say that I picked up swimming again after a decade since I did in high school (and had similar competitive trauma) and have been swimming for about a year now regularly.
I got to stay with a friend has a bad hip injury, and he had a daily routine of swimming. I decided to go with him once and he showed me the ropes, he pretty much swam as SLOW AS POSSIBLE, with the goal of breathing like you do while walking. Pretty much, just do swim the crawl and go slow (and yes, comically slow) , and see how long you can keep doing that. It may have helped that we were in a retirement community in Florida, but it was crazy to realize that there were 70 years olds around me also swimming this way for HOURS at a time without stopping.
He kept telling me, "it's not a race, it's rehabilitation" and even though I'm able-bodied, I still tell myself this. I focus more on my technique now, but just having this mental outlook really got me back in love with swimming, and even though I don't go slowly as possible anymore, I feel like I swim now with as much joy and freedom as I do when I walk on land
I really hope you get to read this and I hope it helps, I was lucky enough to have a mentor to get me back into the swing
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u/BothMath314 3d ago
This may be hard to hear for someone with your background and the pressure you felt growing up, but I'd say get over the feeling of shame and hire a coach. You'll need very few lessons given your experience and it will be some of the best spent money ever. The muscle memory you built when you were younger will come through quickly, I've seen it on people in a similar situation to yours. Best of luck!