5 Ways to Analyze and Improve a Performance at a Big Meet
5 Ways to Analyze and Improve a Performance at a Big Meet
- Reflect:
First you want to recap the event and the result of the event. There will always be something you can improve on after a meet. You want to remember four weeks out from the competition. Think about mental preparation you did, Physical preparation, and remember how training went. If you had a successful meet you want to repeat these things for the next competition. If the result was bad, you want to figure out another way of preparation.
- Preparation:
Preparing for a big meet is one of the most important things about competing. Start with a diet preparation. Most olympic weightlifters have some kind of weight cut for competitions. Find foods that your body runs great on and foods that you can lose weight on. Next you want to be physically prepared for a meet. Your body has to be at its all time peak to perform at a very high level. This means no skipping reps, No missing training session, and always listening to your coach. It doesn't matter how good you think you are, your coach always knows more. Last you need to prepare your mind. Visualize your lifts on the platform and meditate before bed to help calm your mind. Nothing but success should run through your head when doing mental prep.
- Technical Training:
This is my biggest thing when it comes to improving on the competition stage. My technique is something we have been working on since day 1. It never came easy to me and the proper movements haven’t stuck. I have been stuck in bad habits for a while and you can see that clearly when I’m on the big stage. Changing your technique takes time. I have a hard time with jerks and bending my arms in the snatch. So after a meet we will go full steam ahead and try to break me of those habits. That means consistent mental focus in the gym to achieve that technical goal. The greatest technical lifters are the greatest lifters. With efficient technique you have to think very little when performing, making it a lot less stressful when the time comes.
- Coaches feedback/analysis:
Analyze your performance with your coach by getting their feedback. Have him rate your performance, what you could have done better, and what you did great. This will help not just the athlete but also the coach be on the same page after a big meet to then keep growing towards a better meet in the future. The coach is the one that sees the most during a competition. Their feedback might be totally different then you expected, but that’s okay!
- Equal goals:
If you have a goal different then your coach it will never work. You need to express your goals and feelings to your coach so they know where you stand. Also the same with the coach to the athlete. I see a lot coaches stressing out over an athlete because they don’t listen or they skip workouts and how they could be so good but the athlete wants nothing more then to just workout sometimes. This causes tension and stress between the athlete and the coach because of a simple miscommunication. This is also the case with numbers and attempts in competition. The athlete should never try and tell the coach what attempts to take. This keeps it out of the athletes head and reduces stress for everyone around. Tension between a coach and an athlete on the big stage could be detrimental to a completion, so avoid it!