Ant Williams

Ant Williams is recognized as one of the best free divers in the world. Ant can hold his breath for 7 1/2 minutes - in the ocean he can dive deeper than 225 feet on a single breath and in a pool he can swim 200 meters without breathing.

Ant Williams is recognized as one of the best free divers in the world. Ant can hold his breath for 7 1/2 minutes - in the ocean he can dive deeper than 225 feet on a single breath and in a pool he can swim 200 meters without breathing.

Ant Williams knows more about the ocean than most people on the planet. Ant has worked internationally as a sport psychologist for Super 12 rugby teams, Olympians and world championship athletes. His qualifications include an honours degree in sport psychology (first class) and a master's degree of science in cognitive psychology (with distinction). A registered sport & organisational psychologist, Ant owns a corporate development company that specialises in adventure-based training and consultancy. He has appeared on live talk shows such as Flipside, Sports Café and Sportzah and last year he was filmed in Cyprus by the Discovery Channel and for a TVNZ Sunday documentary.

His performances in Europe last year propelled him into the elite echelon of the world's extreme athletes: NZ number 1 freediver, NZ record holder for the deepest free dive 70m, World ranking 5th, NZ record holder for the longest dynamic swim 169m, World ranking 3rd. What does it take to dive 70 metres beneath the surface of the water - on one breath of air? Ant believes the same formula he uses to achieve new targets can be applied to business - any business. That's why his presentation has such great take home value. Knowing what you want to achieve and quantifying the steps to achievement is simple when explained by Ant during his presentation.

It takes an enormous amount of focus to succeed at world championship level in any sport, but the sport of Freediving requires more internal focus than perhaps any other sport. The world-class freediver is a unique individual who pushes the absolute outside edge of human limits with each record attempt in the liquid environment that is his arena. Complete fearlessness and the ability to remain calm under severe pressure are crucial attributes in a sport where there is little hope for the athlete who loses his self-belief at the crucial moment. Free swimming to depths that few humans ever descend to, the freediver ask extreme questions of his body and his psyche. Overpowering the body’s natural urge for oxygen and striving always to exceed each new limit set requires a level of strength, stamina, determination and commitment that few individuals can ever hope to attain.

As New Zealand’s undisputed number 1 ranked freediver, Ant holds New Zealand records in each major freedive discipline. A relative newcomer to freediving, Ant has consistently set and broken his own personal and National records in the short time that he has been freediving. Now he has become recognized as one of the best freedivers in the world. Unlike most sports, every training session is a test in physical discomfort. To succeed in such a sport Ant had to learn how to push past his body’s natural urge for oxygen. His outstanding success he attributes to keeping his mind calm and his body relaxed through highly stressful situations.

Presentations:

Topics:
• How to get from where you are to where you want to be
• Mental toughness
• High pressure decision making
• Goal setting and achievement