Adjusting Your Practice Set in the Middle of It

Making decisions on how to response to your results in the middle of a practice set is one of the most important skills for a self-coaching athlete. Knowing how to keep your practice activity in the sweet spot of challenge and effectiveness for its intended purpose is what will allow you to be most productive with your precious practice time. We would call this a feature of Following an Organic Training.

As you get into a practice set, you have three options:

1 – If the challenge level is just right, keep going with the assignment.

2 – If the challenge level is a little too low (too easy), then increase the complexity or challenge level in some slight way.

3 – If the challenge level is too high (too difficult), then either decrease the complexity or challenge level in some slight way. Or, it may be a sign that one of your performance systems has had enough for the day.

You can Increase Complexity by Using Challenge Modifiers.

When is it just right, too much or too little?

The answer is quite subjective to your personal situation. But here is a guideline:

Just Right

You are feeling challenged, and are experiencing failure maybe 20% to 40% of the time. This is the sweet spot of challenge, to provoke your brain and body to improve.

Too Little

You are not feeling very challenged and are experiencing failure maybe 10% of the time or less.

Too Much

You are feeling overwhelmed by the challenge and are experiencing failure more than 50% of the time. This could come at the beginning or end of the practice set – it was too difficult from the start, or later in the swim the challenge exceeded your resources.  You may consider your need for rest and stop that set.