A Freediver's Mindset: How to Rewire your Mind for Performance

Curtis Tredway
3 days ago
5 min read

Going from 42m to 50m in a single dive. Then 53.5m to 60m. And most recently, from 61m to 67m.

These jumps didn’t come from a perfect training block or a sudden breakthrough in technique. They came from something deeper - something I used to overlook entirely:

Confidence.

It sounds simple, but for the longest time, it was the missing link in my diving. And confidence doesn’t come from just telling yourself “you’ve got this.” It’s built through both mental and physical preparation that reinforces belief.

In this article, I’ll share what actually changed for me, and how working on my mindset helped unlock the biggest progress I’ve ever made in the water.

Disclaimer: These leaps didn’t happen overnight. After each breakthrough, I spent months consolidating—building out my comfort range, refining technique, and giving my body and mind time to adapt before pushing again.

My History With Performance Anxiety

I’ve always struggled with performance anxiety—not just in freediving, but in sports events, tests, and even social settings. I've also been someone who historically shied away from discomfort. So it's wild that I chose one of the most mentally and physically demanding sports.

When I first saw new markers on the line—40m, then 50m—they triggered a wave of tension before I even took my first breath. I’d feel amazing in warm-ups, but the moment I clipped on for a PB attempt, something shifted. The calm would vanish. Equalisation would fail, sometimes even shallower than usual.

I wish I’d known then what I know now.

Meeting the Mind Masters

Two months ago, I met Matt Yang—a diver who hadn’t trained in 5 years, yet went from 89m to 119m in just two months. When I asked how, he didn’t say training or supplements. He said hypnosis.

Naturally, I was intrigued. I joined one of his workshops and began applying the tools right away: visualisation, mental anchoring, and breath-led intention. And something clicked.

Then I trained under Matt Hill, the UK National Record Holder (114m). He’s known for making huge leaps between comps with very little depth training. His secret? Mindset. That said, his physical prep isn’t to be underestimated either—dry EQ work, RV stretching, and plenty of time in the water spearfishing. But his ability to turn it on when it counts comes down to mindset.

"If the mind isn't with you when you clip on the lanyard, the body won't follow" - Curtis, Tredway

Another huge influence was Thibault Guignes, French National Record Holder (125m), who I trained with at Camotes Freediving. Thibault’s physical training methods are elite, but his approach to mental prep stood out just as much—mental rehearsal, state control, and shifting into the right mindset before deep dives.

Different backgrounds. Different methods. Same foundation: train your mind like you train your body.

Tools That Actually Helped

Here are some of the key strategies I now use—either from these coaches or refined through my own experimentation with sport psychology, stoicism, and mindfulness.

1. Visualisation With Emotion

Don’t just run through the dive mentally—feel it. Anchor confidence by imagining success and challenge. Picture things going wrong: tangled lanyard, mask leak, rough duck dive. Then see yourself calmly working through it. The nervous system doesn’t know the difference between real and imagined, so train it.

2. Mental Gym

Just like you wouldn't show up to a comp without physical prep, you can’t expect peak mental performance without conditioning. This means daily reps of:

Positive affirmations
Mindfulness
Visualisation
Attention deconcentration
Cue-setting

Condition your nervous system so that entering a focused, calm dive state becomes automatic.

3. Self-Hypnosis & Cue Setting

Matt Yang’s method of anchoring a state—calm, flow, presence—to a physical cue (like tapping your fingers or using a phrase) helped me drop into the right mindset instantly before a dive. I now use this before every PB.

4. Stoic Framing & Reframing Discomfort

“Don’t wish it was easier. Prepare for it to be hard.”

Instead of trying to avoid discomfort, I learned to embrace it. When negative chatter surfaces, I don’t resist it, I acknowledge it, reframe it.

One trick that worked for me: Our mind is just trying to protect us, it's our guardian and not our enemy. To reframe the negative chatter, I visualised my fear as my childhood dog, Ambassa, my guardian. When doubt arises, I imagine him beside me, trying to protect me. I give him a pat, thank him, and tell him: “It’s okay-we’ve got this.”

You can also rehearse problems before they happen. That way, your nervous system knows how to handle them. I visualised all sorts of issues - lanyard snag, mask flood, failed duck dive - and rehearsed myself staying calm and solving them. Because let's face it, its very rare to have a perfect dive.

5. Breath-Led Mindfulness

I started meditating with intent - not zoning out, but tuning in. Focusing on breath, relaxing the body, observing physical sensations. Especially powerful before and after dives to reset the nervous system. Really try and stay with the breath, if the mind drifts acknowledge it then come back to the breath.

Coherent breathing exercises are great for this. Reducing your breathing to 5-6 breaths per minute, i.e. 5 in, 5 out, 2 hold.

6. Post-Dive Rewiring

After a challenging dive, I’d resist the urge to call it a failure. Instead, I’d journal:

What did I learn?
How did I stay composed?
What will I do better next time? Then visualise the solution!

This shifted my mindset from “I messed up” to “I levelled up.”

7. Post-Dive Visualisation

After my 67m dive, I celebrated briefly—then laid down and replayed it in my mind. Not just watching it, but feeling every step. Adding detail and performing micro movements Locking in the sensations. Doing this while it’s still fresh creates stronger positive associations for your next dive.

Final Thoughts: Your Mind Is the Gatekeeper

It doesn’t matter how strong your legs are, how good your EQ is, or how many PBs you’ve hit. If your mind isn’t with you when you clip on the lanyard, your body won’t follow.

When I started training my mind with the same dedication I trained my body, everything changed.

This blog only scratches the surface—but if you’ve plateaued, or get overwhelmed at depth - just know, it’s not just physical. There’s a deeper layer to unlock.

Want to Go Deeper?

At Deep Sensations Freediving, we don’t just teach freediving—we train the whole human. Whether you’re a diver, an athlete, or just someone wanting to overcome fear and improve your performance under pressure, we offer: