A common theme among athletes I have coached in weightlifting is a fear or anxiety of their first meet. Some of these lifters are afraid of placing last or in their words “looking silly”. Some are just simply terrified of being seen in public wearing a singlet. The common fear is simply a fear of the unknown. That is where my coaches and I step in for athletes.
My First Meet
First, to understand our approach to coaching athletes at a meet, a trip down memory lane is necessary. When I attended my first meet, I had a friend in attendance to watch and take pictures as my only support. I did not have a coach to count attempts and strategize my warm-up, nor did I know that is was necessary to count attempts or plan a warm-up strategy. I had no teammates to load plates, help fill water or fend other lifters out of my space. The meet was sanctioned but you could lift as an unsanctioned lifter (as I did), wearing a t-shirt and shorts.
I warmed immediately after the weigh-in, not accounting for the time after the session starts to when I actually lift. I actually warmed up both lifts to 2kg over my opening weights before my session started! A fellow competitor saw this, and suggested that I just lift the same weight as what is being lifted on the platform, and make the increases on the competition bar my pattern for my warm-up. I followed his advice and was ready to lift. I approached the bar for my first attempt, the same way I even do today, and made 2 of my 3 snatches. I followed the advice I had seen in a YouTube video that said to open with a weight you could make first thing out of bed, then follow with a weight that is either your current PR or slightly under it. I followed the same strategy on clean and jerk, but only made 1 lift. When the dust settled, I was surprised to learned that I took 3rd place in my class and walked away with a bronze medal.
What I learned
Throughout the day, I was amazed by the kindness of the other lifters that were competing. While most were first time lifters like myself, the more experienced lifters spent the day asking questions and assisting all of the beginners. That first meet saw a number of lifters who are now big names in the sport compete for the first time and I highly doubt they would have continued in the sport if the first meet was an unhappy experience.
There were simply things I learned throughout the day: somewhat how to strategize a warm-up, what to keep in my gear bag for a meet, how to conduct myself when approaching the marshall’s table, and a few things about what would become my own personal style of lifting in a meet.
The biggest lesson I took away from that meet was there is a counter to every fear of competing. I was afraid my numbers would be so low that I would be an embarrassment, and I wound up making the podium. I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to lift proficiently in front of a crowd, and realized that the only crowd I was lifting in front of were other lifters that were competing that day. While I didn’t wear a singlet at my first meet, I wish I had and had competed as a sanctioned lifter because no one cared what they looked like wearing one. At the end of the meet, my fear of the unknown had gone and I was already looking for the next one.
How we coach and why
I also learned that while there were many lifters around that were helpful, I still felt very alone at my first meet. And I watched other athletes who were visibly shaken by the same feeling I had. A few years later, in February 2015 I coached my first athletes in a meet in Colorado Springs. And I discovered rapidly that because of my first meet experience, I coach very differently from other coaches when it comes to competition.
The first thing I realized is that it is difficult being a one man show as a coach, which is why we call ourselves a team. My partner coach Jake and I run this team together, knowing our roles as coaches. One of us stays by the marshall’s table and keeps the count of attempts, pays attention to the moves made by other lifters, and strategizes to make the proper jumps to achieve the desired total or placing. The other coach stays with the lifter, assisting in loading the warm-up bar, watching the warm up attempts to cue as needed, and providing any other assistance that the athlete needs. We aim to simplify the process as much as possible, which from an outside view may look bossy or controlling. We tell our athletes exactly when to lift, when to sit, where to look, and for some athletes we even program in scheduled bathroom breaks. We do not allow lifters to load their own bars or go to the marshall’s table- that is the job of the coaches or team mates assisting the coaches. Again, this may seem controlling but we have found that it allows the lifter to focus on the only thing that is important at that time: Lifting!
When the final warm-up lift is completed, the coach walks with the athlete to sit by the platform until they are called for their first attempt. This is where our trademarked style comes into play. One of the coaches walks with the athlete to the corner of the platform or stage, and stays there through the lift. We take pride in knowing our athletes well enough that we can give precise, final cues custom to each athlete we coach. Some of the cues have to do with the lift itself, others just provide a gentle reminder to stay focused but relaxed. When the athlete completes their attempt, we want to be the first ones there to provide what they need before their next attempt on the platform.
Our approach to other lifters at meets
On more than one occasion, we have helped athletes at a meet who are not part of our team. Because I have been in their shoes, I can often recognize an athlete who is competing for the first time or is competing without a coach. Often, they are making the same mistakes I made at my first meet: Warming up too soon, missing equipment, etc. I make a point of approaching these lifters, inviting them to warm up with my athletes and providing them as much assistance as I can by counting their attempts and helping them warm-up. I never ask for payment or thanks from these lifters, I simply do it because I want them to enjoy their experience and develop a love for the sport. I am proud to say that Jake has embraced this attitude as well, and we strongly impress upon our athletes to foster a welcoming demeanor at competitions even towards their fiercest competitors. Generally we never hear from these athletes again, but a few of them have now become permanent fixtures on our team or have become our closest friends on other teams.
For those of you who are anxious your first competition, especially those of you that have become part of Butcher Barbell, relax. Let your coach take control. If you are competing alone without a coach, research how to count attempts and plan a warm-up. If you are not on the Butcher Barbell team, but are in the Colorado or North Carolina areas, contact us and we will help you ourselves or hook you up with a coach or team that can.
-Stephen Butcher
Join the competitive Butcher Barbell team here:
https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/#/subscribe?type=team&id=10614