Tag Archive: competition

1. Coaching at a weightlifting competition

   25th July 2022 3:48 pm Leave a Comment

   Three things I had in mind to help the weightlifters

   

   Last weekend I coached three of our club weightlifters at the Wild Boar Tier 3 event: Gabby, Will and Chris. This was their first competition outside of the club.

   Whilst every ‘S&C coach’ does ‘Olympic Lifts’ they do not coach the lifts in competition. There are big differences between training in the gym and competing. Coaching at a competition requires a different skill set and this needs to be practised and improved.

     Here are the three key things I had in mind this weekend:

   1; A happy lifter is a good lifter.

   I am strict on form, technique and standards when training. I critique and show/ explain corrections to help the lifters improve. They work hard and we have less rest than is ideal in order to maximise the limited time we have.

   But on competition day, when the lifters were a bag of nerves, my job was to reassure and encourage rather than critique.

   I gave one or two technical points as a reminder, Chris tends to lean forward from the clean, so ‘Chest Up’ is a cue we use. Gabby and Will needed to get their butterflies flying in formation, so ‘breathe’ or ‘smooth’ were the cue words.

   The rest of the time we chatted about non-weightlifting things, to try and put them at their ease.

   2: Remove all obstacles from their path.

   The lifters’ minds were full of jumping frogs. They need to channel all that nervous energy into lifting the bar above their heads. My job is to do everything else for them so that they just walk weigh-in, warm-up, walk out and lift.

   I can’t make the weight for them, nor can I lift for them (heaven forbid) but I can organise the warm-up, load the weights, remind them to drink and eat and let them know the start times.

   I had to estimate the start times for each of the lifters. Will should have been the easiest because he was lifting the least in his group (he is under-17 youth but was put in the men’s category). However, I got him warmed up, there were two minutes left on the timer, and the software system failed! It was an additional 12 minutes until Will went out. Luckily, he is young and fit, so I dropped the weights and we could do a couple more single loads.

   Gabby was lifting towards the end of her group which meant delaying her warm-up even though everyone around her had started. Counting the lifts, working out how many were going and then timing the warm-up accordingly is a key part of competition coaching. We got this right.

   

   Chris was somewhere in the middle of a large group (14 lifters). He had Covid two weeks ago and I was more concerned with his overall energy and recovery levels. I thought he had 6 big lifts in him but no more.

   We couldn’t afford to have him do an extra single or go too heavy in the warm-up. We revised the target that we had and aimed for a happy 6/6. We got the warm-up right, and he lifted well.

   Because it was a huge group, I took him outside for a sandwich and a chat in the fresh air. This 10 minutes interlude helped him recover physically and mentally.

   3. Know the rules.

   At the weigh-in, the lifter has to give their opening total. They are allowed to make two changes in each lift but that can not be more than 20kg above/below what they tell the Technical Official at the weigh-in.

   

    There is a 2-minute rest between lifts if a lifter follows themselves and a 1-minute rest if they follow on from someone else.

   Extra rest can be gained by changing the totals slightly: the clock is stopped while the loaders make the change.

   I made full use of all these rules to gain extra rest for our lifters. I knew Chris would need the rest between the clean and jerk: they are very tiring. I also used them to get other lifters to go earlier than expected. You can get too clever by half here, but we had a plan, and we worked the plan. I did a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, keeping an eye on the timers and the loads.

   

   Knowing the rules helped me manage the clock and give our lifters the best chance possible to achieve their totals.

   That left them with the simple (not so simple!) job of lifting the bar above their head.

   Summary

   We had three happy lifters who enjoyed their first Tier 3 competition. Gabby won, and Chris came second in their groups: we weren’t in control of what other people lifted, but Gabby, Will and Chris all lifted well.

   Well done to them. The smiles were worth it.

2. How to start weightlifting pt3: your first competition

   12th April 2022 10:33 am Leave a Comment

   Your first weightlifting competition.

   

   Entering your first competition is a big step for every weightlifter. Every single Olympic weightlifter has had to enter as a beginner at some point. Whilst you may not be able to control your nerves, and you can’t control what the other entrants are lifting, you can prepare yourself by eliminating silly mistakes.

   Competition overview

   Weightlifting, like boxing and wrestling, is divided into different weight categories. Men and women compete in different groups and they are further sub-divided into youth and masters.

   In smaller competitions, you may find yourself lined up with people a lot younger or older or even heavier, but the results only count against your category. Usually, 6-8 people are lifting in the same group.

   Each lifter has to weigh in with an official 2-3 hours before their group is due to start. The lifters have a warm-up area to prepare for their first lift. They are called to the competition platform and their names are announced to the spectators about ten minutes before the first lift is due.

   The lifters share one competition platform and the lightest load is lifted first. The weights are continually added to the bar until each lifter in the group has attempted the snatch three times. You might lift three times in succession or you might have to wait for 5 to 8 lifts as other lifters make their attempts. If you are following yourself, you will have a 2-minute rest, if you are following another lifter, you will have a 1-minute rest.

   The same process is repeated with the clean and jerk. If you fail an attempt you can either stay on the same weight or choose to go up. You can never go lighter!

   The winner is the person who has lifted the most weight combined in snatch and clean and jerk.

   A presentation is held shortly after the competition finishes.

   There are three technical officials who judge whether your lift is successful, or not. This is now done electronically and you will hear a buzzer and see 3 white lights for success or red lights for failure. You just need two white lights for it to count. If the electronics fail, then the judges will use a flag system.

   Control the controllable

   

   This has become a cliche amongst sports psychologists but, watching one of our recent weightlifting club‘s ‘Personal Best’ nights, I was gobsmacked about how ill-prepared some of the young people were.

   This is why we run these sessions: it allows the novices to make mistakes and learn on their ‘home turf (platforms)’. They can then improve and prepare better for the time they enter their first licensed competition.

   Here is a checklist of things that are within your control:

   • Enter the competition early (they sell out fast).
   • Arrive on time (plan your route, know the start time, allow for delays).
   • Make your weight. Only enter the category that you know you can make weight for. Know this in advance and lose weight gradually if you have to.
   • Have a drink and snack ready. If you have had to skip a meal to make the weight, have something ready to eat before you compete. Never rely on finding something at a competition venue.
   • Don’t chew gum (can’t believe I have to write this). You can choke on it.
   • Know your opening lifts. You have to declare this on the competition entry and also when you arrive. You are allowed to adjust this by a maximum of 20kg on both lifts combined before you lift. I.e. if you declare an opening snatch of 60kg and clean and jerk of 80kg, (140kg total) you can adjust to a 120kg or 160kg total depending on how you feel on the day.
   • Have all your weightlifting kit packed and prepared. Check the competition rules to see if you need a singlet or not. You will always need weightlifting shoes.
   • Know your personal bests and what you aim to lift on the day (some people don’t know what they lift!).

   Dealing with the uncontrollable

   

   There are certain things you can’t control: the schedule, the weigh-in times and how much your opponents are lifting. The order in which you make your attempts is constantly changing as the other lifters adjust their attempts. You could wait 2 minutes, or have to wait 10 minutes between lifts: this is disconcerting and you might have to get an extra warm-up lift in.

   But, if you have everything else in control, you are better able to focus on the bar and make your lifts. The audience is respectful at competitions and wants to see good lifts. If you are fit and prepared, then be confident and lift the weight above your head. It’s that simple.

   Summary

   It is a good idea to go along to a competition to see how the format works. You can volunteer as a loader (always needed) or cheer your club mates on.

   Otherwise, get used to lifting in front of an audience at your club, and replicate the countdowns and the 6 attempts. This will help you understand the process. Enjoy your first weightlifting competition.

   • How to start weightlifting part one.
   • How to start weightlifting part two

3. Paralympic review

   10th September 2012 10:54 am Leave a Comment

   Well, it’s over.

   I had a great day at the Paralympics last Thursday watching 3 of our athletes competing in the Blind Football playoffs.

   Dan James, Robin Williams and Keryn Seal were part of the GB team that tied their match against China at full time 1-1.

   This led to a penalty shoot out which GB lost. The boys then played in the 7/8th playoff against Turkey on Saturday where they won 2-0.

   No amount of training can guarantee a victory.

   The boys were in a reflective mood that afternoon when we caught up. They have all improved immensely over the last year, but so has everyone else.

   Time for a much needed break for them, then we shall we resume in two weeks time.

   Well done too to Judith Hamer who was part of the GB wheelchair basketball team that also came 7th.

    

4. Judith Hamer: Wheelchair Basketball

   23rd September 2011 8:15 am 1 Comment

   Judith Hamer plays for the Great Britain under-25s basketball team.

   I have worked with her for the last 3 years or so as part of the TASS scheme based at Exeter University.

   (This picture shows her sporting her bronze medal from the recent European Championships and her new leg!)

   Today was my last training session for her (at least for the forseeable future). Jude is going to Loughborough University and will base her training up there.

   The last 3 years have been a steep learning curve for Jude and myself, as we have got to know the demands of the sport, her own particular needs and special requirements and also dealing with the outside factors (this morning idiots were blocking her disabled car parking spaces again).

   This has not been all smooth sailing, with various arguments, disagreements, miscommunications, funding problems and so on. The last 6 months though have seen real progress made physically, mentally and emotionally by Jude.

   Watching Jude develop as a young person and a successful athlete has been a real pleasure and is one of the most rewarding coaching experiences I have had.

   It was great to hear that Jude delivered her best effort so far at the recent tournament and that she is hoping to continue working hard and performing to put herself into contention for London 2012.

   I wish her all the best for the future.

    

5. Peaking for fencing competitions

   7th December 2010 3:19 pm Leave a Comment

   At the H&W competition last weekend, one current Excelsior athlete (Chris Hay) came first, and one alumni (Louise Helyer) came 2nd in their respective categories. 

   Well done to both. Other athletes remarked on their own inability to produce results on the day, despite just coming back from a winter training camp in Hungary.

   This is a common phenomena, known as peaking for after the championships. If you train for 8 hours a day for 5 days, then spend the 6th day negotiating travel chaos, don’t expect to perform well on the 7th.

   Your central nervous system will have been massively overworked, and it will not have been able to recover with disrupted sleep and food patterns.

   The best idea would be to do the competition the week after the camp, once your body and CNS has had a chance to recover.

   Even better a month afterwards once you have had time to absorb, process and refine the new techniques and tactics you have learnt on the training camp.

   • Introducing fitness to fencers
   • Winning with your B game