Aaron Peirsol’s advice on being mentally prepared for a big race.

Peirsol's Tip:
Most swimmers would love to duplicate Peirsol’s calm demeanor before a big race. He says it’s simple. If you’re planning your race strategy during a race or just before stepping up to the blocks, you have missed a major goal of going to practice every day.

“Practice is just that,” he says. “It’s where you mentally practice for a race. At a meet, I just get on the blocks and go."

“I’ve been to meets where some swimmers look like they’ve aged five years by the end of the last day. They take it way too heavily and realize that either they didn’t give it their best, or they didn’t put in the work to do their best."