Boris Bachmann
Level 7 Valued Member
I enjoyed the short SF article about "Blindfold Training For Mental Focus"
Back in my competitive swimming days, I would often swim with my eyes closed during (relatively slow) portions of warm-ups/cool-downs and technique drills. In a controlled (i.e. indoor pool w. minimal waves) and uncrowded (one or two swimmers per lane), this was not difficult to navigate, but added a lot to the training as far as proprioception/kinesthetic awareness. And, for swimmers, the ability to swim "blind" is an asset if you find yourself in the middle of a competition with goggles that have filled with water or come off completely on the start (rookie mistakes, but they do happen to even skilled swimmers from time to time).
I have done some kettlebell and barbell work w. eyes closed and, just like with swimming, found it to be interesting work.
Back in my competitive swimming days, I would often swim with my eyes closed during (relatively slow) portions of warm-ups/cool-downs and technique drills. In a controlled (i.e. indoor pool w. minimal waves) and uncrowded (one or two swimmers per lane), this was not difficult to navigate, but added a lot to the training as far as proprioception/kinesthetic awareness. And, for swimmers, the ability to swim "blind" is an asset if you find yourself in the middle of a competition with goggles that have filled with water or come off completely on the start (rookie mistakes, but they do happen to even skilled swimmers from time to time).
I have done some kettlebell and barbell work w. eyes closed and, just like with swimming, found it to be interesting work.