Motivational Story - Michael Phelps (Decorated Olympic Champion)


 

Greetings! This is a true story of how a coach taught his star pupil discipline through the most unique set of training distractions. Back during Michael Phelps early pool sessions when he was just beginning to compete in the Summer Olympic Games, Bob Bowman, his long-time coach, as an example, would hide his goggles so that Phelps had to find them so as to disrupt his routine. 

He would deliberately arrange a late pickup to the practice session so that Phelps would miss his meal and swim with hunger. He once cracked his swim goggles so they would fill up with water and obstruct Phelps’ vision in the practice pool. 

The coach purposely created these moments of uncertainties for Phelps in lower-risk practice situations so that when it really mattered most, he had familiarity with the unexpected and a mental adaptability that gave him the best shot at winning a race. 

What makes this unusual training method stand out is that Phelps actually had his Goggles fill up with water during a 200-Meter Butterfly race at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. He won despite the mishap and kept his composure whereas many athletes in this intense moment of pressure, possibly would have allowed their Mindset to freak and succumbed to the distraction? 

FOR THE ATHLETES: This is a good lesson to always be prepared and to fight through the "craziness" when you are in those "Big Game" moments! 

Jim Loria

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