The Power of Visualization

Swimming fast is about significantly more than training the body - it's also about training the brain - the physical brain that controls our thoughts, feelings, emotions, AND body movements. We put a lot of time, effort, and energy into focusing on training our bodies, but how much do we consider training the brain, the part of the body responsible for controlling our movements? And while it's true that focusing intently on developing specific skills during practices or dry-lands is a key component of brain training; there is an entire avenue of unexplored opportunity that can be accessed when we isolate the training of the brain through visualization. Visualization can improve BOTH our motor movement patterns (swim technique) and the amount of force our muscles are able to generate when they contract (strength).

In order to understand how visualization can improve both strength and technique, let's first look at the role the brain plays in controlling your muscles.

At the microscopic level, muscles are made up of cells called muscle fibers. These fibers are grouped together with other muscle fibers, and are controlled by cells in the brain or brainstem called motor neurons. Each group of muscle fibers has one motor neuron controlling (or more specifically, innervating) it. A group of muscle fibers plus its innervating motor neuron is called a motor unit.

Because the activation of our motor neurons is controlled by the brain, muscles will not move or contract until these neurons "fire". When a motor neuron fires, it actives the group of muscle fibers in its motor unit, producing what we refer to as a muscle contraction. The greater the contraction, as well as the greater number of motor units activated simultaneously, the greater the amount of force produced.

In swimming, velocity is largely the bi-product of how well you hold onto the water and how much resistance you generate during the catch and pull phase of the stroke. Performing the fundamental technical skills well and swimming with correct form is what enables you to grab onto the water at the front of the stroke. The ability to hold onto the water and press and accelerate through the pull is largely the bi-product of developing the strength necessary to maintain traction on the water and keep the hand square to the wall behind you.

We can build strength through repetition in swimming by practicing performing a skill repeatedly (for instance, high elbow catch), with proper form. Practicing using the correct movement patterns will teach the brain to fire the correct muscles in the correct order - the more frequently we do the exercise, the stronger the neural connections and pathways become - and the greater amount of force we will be able to generate with the intended movement. And while this works well if we use the proper form, it's important to note that utilizing poor or incorrect technique will teach the brain to activate the wrong muscle fibers and strengthen incorrect pathways.

Because our movement patterns and muscle contractions are controlled by the brain, it's important to consider the training and strengthening of neural pathways when considering your development as an athlete. And while we can train the brain through repetitive practice, there are other ways to effectively train the brain when we do not have access to training facilities, we are in a "down" training time, or we are looking for some sort of supplementation to our daily training regime. This is where visualization comes in.

Visualization, if done well, stimulates the brain similarly to performing the actual skill. When we visualize ourselves performing a movement, we are essentially recruiting and strengthening the motor units necessary to perform that skill well. We are improving the coordination and timing of our movements, as well as the force output associated with the skill or movement.

An efficient way to utilize visualization is by watching video of a model who has mastered the skill, studying the video, and imagining ourselves feeling and doing the skill as well as the model. The more realistic the visualization (i.e. what does the water feel like against your body, how does the water sound, what would you be sensing and feeling if you were actually performing the skill); the greater the effect the visualization process will have on both learning to perform the skill well and strengthening the neural connections needed to recruit and activate the appropriate muscle fibers specific to that skill.

It's important to remember that practicing visualization is no different than practicing the skill - it must be done consistently well over time for a lasting change to occur. The more sessions you partake in, the better you will get at visualizing, and the greater learning will occur. Multiple sessions strung together consistently over time will lead to the greatest benefit in performance improvement from visualization.