Making the decision to sign-up for a Weightlifting meet can be tough, especially if it is your very first meet. Just making the decision and signing up is a huge leap outside of most people’s comfort zones. We have worked with a wealth of individuals who have competed in Weightlifting for the first time. Just talking to them and convincing them that they should compete is probably the hardest part of the process in getting them prepared for their first meet.
In any competitive endeavor, actual competition requires the most mental work. Most people don’t get nervous to practice or to train, but on the day of competition or even weeks before, you can be experiencing the “butterflies.” In my opinion, if you don’t ever get nervous and have the butterflies for competition then you simply don’t care enough. Some people might disagree but that is a conversation for a different day. My point is that competition preparation can be very stressful especially for individuals competing for the first time.
In a situation like this you don’t want to throw any more on the athletes’ plate than they can already handle. This is when it is the coaches job to remove all technicalities from the athletes mind. As a coach, you are in charge of all the opening attempts, educating the athlete AHEAD of time on the flow of competition, why the taper is the way it is, and so on. The athlete only needs to think about lifting and that is it. If they have too much to think about it could be a recipe for disaster.
This is where I think picking the right opening attempts can be very important. At Force Barbell, we make this process very easy. We tell the athlete that their opening attempts should be the heaviest weight they can hit on any given day no matter what. If they came down with the flu the night before they should be able to walk in the gym the next day and still hit this weight. If you start to throw percentages out there, for example, “your opening snatch should be 90% of your best,” then the athlete could begin the process of thinking too much and getting in their own head.
The opening attempt should be a must hit. It should be a weight that you have seen the athlete hit time and time again. If you select an opener that is a bit too high and the athlete misses the first attempt, then it is much harder mentally and physically to come back and hit that. It is the same as starting a count 0-1 in baseball. Set yourself up to win your competition. I’m not talking about winning THE competition, but if you set yourself up to go 6/6 by setting very reasonable openers you have a much better chance to place in the competition if you are at the necessary level. If you are trying to qualify for a national competition that is a different story. You might have to play it a bit aggressive and set higher opening attempts because the total you are shooting for might be a bit higher than anything you’ve ever hit. You only got one shot to get it done so you might have to swing for the fences. With that still being said, if you can set opening attempts at a weight you can hit you have a bit more flexibility with your second and third attempts and more confidence heading into heavier attempts.
It is my opinion that unless you are already a Senior National competitor in Weightlifting your goal for each competition is to go 6/6 hitting all of your attempts. I have seen way too many average level competitors bombing out at local meets for no reason. If you are not trying to quality for a national competition then there is no reason for this to happen. This is a huge confidence crusher especially for someone who is still really new to the sport.
Be a thoughtful coach and don’t let your athletes pick stupid attempts that sets them up in a position to fail. Even though setting your first attempt at a reasonable weight might not be close to the most you have ever hit, don’t let your ego get in the way of performing at your best. Try selecting a weight at your next competition that isn’t so aggressive and you might thank me once you approach the bar with a lot more confidence on your second and third attempts.