The Mental Game

I’ve always thought that the best tool for sports psychology is a good training program. A good training program won’t solve all of an athlete’s problems, but when training is going well, it is hard to convince an athlete that they will not succeed. Throwers even have a unique advantage in this department. We get to practice every day like it’s a competition and are truly able know what shape we are in; all we have to do is pull out the tape measure and measure our results. Distance runners, on the other hand, do not have this advantage. An article in last month’s Runner’s World talked about how Kara Goucher has worked with a sports psychologist to overcome her mental hurdles. Unlike throwers, it is harder for runners to know exactly what shape they are in. They obviously run in practice, but they don’t replicate an entire race at competitive speeds. Even if they do, they cannot replicate race tactics in training. When the distance runner toes the line, they often aren’t quite sure what to expect and that is where doubt can enter the mind.

On the flip side, when training is not going well, throwers have no advantage in this area.  My training last year was inconsistent because I was adjusting to technical changes and my training was often interrupted by work.  Inconsistent practices led to inconsistent meets and I was not able to end the season with the results I wanted.  This year, however, things are different.

Often when I don’t write about my training for months it is because I am not throwing very well.  That is not the case now.  The reason I haven’t had any training updates recently is because my training has been pretty uninteresting.  I’ve been doing the same workout for nearly two months and, until this week, I don’t have any results to share since we’ve been throwing into a wall indoors.  But with the World Master’s Indoor Championships in town, we began training outside again this week. After a few days of adjusting, I’m already throwing right at my training bests.  This has giving me my confidence back heading into my first meet later this month.  I don’t have astronomical expectations for the first meet … it is just the first meet after all.  However, I know I will do better than last year and set myself up for a great season.  In fact, I am so eager to compete that I may throw in a meet with some local high schoolers in Centralia, Washington next weekend before heading over to France.  (On a side note, I will also be conducting a hammer throw clinic for throwers of all levels after the meet.)

My current training program has me throwing both the light 5-kilogram hammer and the slightly heavy 8.2-kilogram hammer.  I am taking it easy in the weight room and have not lifted anything heavier than 50-kilograms (110-pounds) in nearly two months.  Before this program, we were focusing on high-volume special strength work and throwing heavy hammers.  My current program allows me to rest up a little and concentrate on technique again so that I can transfer my new strength into the throw.  As I mentioned above, all this is paying off.  This week I have consistently been 3 to 6 meters ahead of where I was last March with the 5-kilogram hammer.  While I did not throw the 8.2-kilogram hammer last March, I am also approaching my training best with that implement.  Take a look at the video below from last week (before we moved outside) to see how my technique is looking now.   I still have lots of points to improve upon, but the start of my throw is coming into form.  I am excited for my first meet and ready to throw far again.