Reducing and controlling fear （减少并控制恐惧情绪）

This week’s Speedo Tip of the Week comes from Ben Harlow, head age group coach for the ConocoPhillips Splash Club in Bartlesville, Okla. He offers some advice on reducing and controlling fear.
本周的Speedo贴士来自于Ben Harlow教练，他来自于Okla Bartlesville的ConocoPhillips Splash俱乐部，他是俱乐部的年龄组主教练。他给大家提供了一些关于减少并控制恐惧情绪的建议。

Harlow’s Tip:
Harlow的贴士

Reducing and controlling fear is a very difficult thing to achieve when you are surrounded by new, exciting and different challenges than you are used to.  I would like to offer some suggestions to help control – if not overcome – most of the fear prior to meets.
减少并控制恐惧的情绪是一件比较困难的事情，特别是当你面对新的挑战，或者与以往不同的挑战的时候。我想提一些建议，虽然这些建议也许不能完全克服恐惧情绪，但有助于恐惧情绪的空中，特别是比赛之前的恐惧情绪。

First of all, fear to some small degree is a good thing.  It helps you realize that you really do care about what you are doing. It lets you know that it is important to you and others.  The problem is having too much fear.  This causes swimmers that are great in practice to freeze up and make mistakes they normally would not make in swim practice.
Below I have listed a number of tips to help you overcome pre-meet jitters:
首先，在某些程度上说，恐惧是一件好的事情：因为这说明你对于将要做的事情非常在意，同时也让你知道这件事对你和对别人都非常重要！所以最大的问题是恐惧过度。过度的恐惧可能会造成运动员在练习的时候过于兴奋而导致动作僵硬，或者出现平常练习时根本不会出现的问题。下面，我列了一些建议，希望能有助于克服比赛前的紧张情绪。

1.
Practice. The first thing to do is to soak up like a sponge everything your coach and swimmers older than you have to offer to make your practices and swim meets better experiences.
练习。第一个要做的事情就是要像海绵一样吸收所有的一切：你教练的建议、那些老运动员的建议，根据他们好的建议多加练习，以期得到更好的经验。

2.
Use time in the pool to not only get in shape, get stronger and technically sound, but to practice races and events, which occur on Saturday and Sunday against the best in your state or sectional area.  Make it feel as “real” as possible!  Use starts, crowd noise, home officials and fellow swimmers to help you prepare for this.
多模拟池内练习。这个练习不仅仅是花时间来练习动作外形、强化体能或者强化技术，同时还要尽量模拟周六或周日进行的州或地区的比赛现场状况：模拟在这个状况下的练习，感觉越真越好！用出发命令、人群噪音、家庭、办公室等各种状况模拟，你需要你的队友的帮助来准备这些。

3.
Visualize. Whether at the pool or at home, use visualization to go through the steps and see the perfect race in your mind.  Get in a comfortable place and go through the start, streamline, breakout, strokes, turns and finishes until you have completed the perfect race and can look up in your mind at the board and see your goal time posted.  Visualize the pool you will swim in too (if possible).
意念。无论是在游泳池内还是在家，用意念来复习一下正确的步骤和你脑海中的一次完美的比赛。找个舒适的地方，回想一下出发、流线、呼吸、划水、转身和冲刺等等，这样你就可以在你的意念里面观看你的比赛并且取得你希望的成绩。如有可能，同样设想一些你将要游的泳池状况。

4.
Breathing Techniques. Use breathing techniques like deep belly breathing, rapid shallow breathing and “dragon’s” breath to let your lungs and body get used to the feeling while visualizing.  It is amazing what your mind can help you accomplish!
呼吸技术。在你进行意念的设想时，试着使用腹式深呼吸、快速浅呼吸、或者“龙式”呼吸，让你的肺部和身体一起来适应你的感觉。这个非常神奇，意念可以帮助你获得成功。

5.
Study the Competition. Get to know your competition or read about the best and what makes them tick. Try not to let their times intimidate you. Never lose before you even get off of the block. Like Kristy Kowal has said, “If you have a lane, you have a chance!”
从比赛中学习。尝试了解你的对手，特别是那些优秀的选手，并且了解他们的比赛动机。不要为他们的成绩所吓倒，在没有被淘汰之前，永远都不应该放弃！就像Kristy Kowal曾经说的：“如果你拥有一个泳道，你就拥有一次机会！”

6.
Post your goals. Place your goal times everywhere you can think of: school and pool lockers, mirrors, nightstand, homemade book covers and bulletin boards. This way they become familiar and special to you.  
设定你的目标。把你的目标成绩张贴在你所能想象的任何地方：学校、泳池的更衣柜、镜子、床头柜、家庭作业本的封面上甚至于公告板上。这个方法能让你对你的目标更熟悉，并起到提醒的作用。

Now that you know what you can do at practice to prepare yourself for the big competition, come back next week to read coach Harlow’s tips on how you can calm your nerves on the day of the meet.
现在你知道在大的比赛来临之际应该做一些深了吧。下周再来看看Harlow教练的贴士，内容是关于比赛当天如何控制自己的紧张情绪的建议。