Pre-Meet Rehearsal

Pre-Meet Preparation

Focus is important. Without it, it will be challenging to remember what you’ve practiced during physical workouts. Learning to manage stress properly and even controlling excitement can help improve your mental game when it's time to compete.

Be your best with these 6 tips for getting in the zone before a competition:

1. Focus On Technique

If you become consumed thinking about winning or losing, you'll get distracted from the actions you need to perform physically. It’s important to learn to ignore the factors that you don’t have control over, such as weather or terrain. Focus on the details you need to execute during competition. Instead of visualizing the outcome, identify the individual steps you need to take to get there.

2. Understand How Stress Can Benefit You

Heading into competition, you may feel stressed. Recognize stress as something that can work for you or against you. A small amount of stress can help benefit your performance by energizing you and giving you a rush of adrenaline. What’s important is not letting stress consume you, or turn into anxiety. Learn to accept the presence of stress and use it to your advantage.

3. Visualize Your Performance

Many talented athletes practice visualization before a competition. They envision potential scenarios that they could potentially encounter and determine how they will respond. This helps athletes react quickly when presented with the same scenario on the spot.

4. Pick The Right Pre-Event Environment

Some people like to get pumped up by listening to loud, fast-paced music. Others feed off of encouragement from their fans. Some choose to find a quiet space and listen to calming music, or meditate. Find out which method works best for you and make sure to create replicate that environment for yourself prior to the competition.

5. Practice Positive Self Talk

The narrative in your head before competition should be mindful and purposeful. Set yourself up for success by talking through the event in a positive, uplifting way, as a coach would motivate their team.

6. Self Awareness

It’s good to be in touch with yourself. Understand how you typically respond to certain stress triggers and create a plan for dealing with them. If it helps, you may want to keep a journal with you to log your thoughts. You’ll also be able to review the thought processes you've written down and learn from them.

In conclusion, it’s about putting in the training ahead of time, both physically and mentally. Preparation can make all the difference when it comes time to compete.

Rehearsal Practice

Just like stage productions rehearse the play before opening night, we will rehearse the javelin competition meet the day before in a rehearsal practice session.  

At Home:  Pack your backpack/gym bag with your personal needs (water bottle, snacks, sun screen/sun gear, rain gear, music earbuds/headphones, cell phone, etc).  

At School:  Pack the javelin team bag with essential gear (100 foot tape measure, two runway markers,  sockballs, & snap ropes/towels).  Don't forget your javelins (make sure they & containers have your personal info and/or HS identification markings)!  Make arrangements for a teammate, parent, coach, or friend to videotape your warmup and competition throws.

Step 1: After arriving at the meet, make sure your personal items, javelins, and javelin gear are placed at a secure team location. Then go to the javelin competition runway to measure and place your runway markers at their precise distance along the side of the runway.  

Step 2:  After placing your runway markers, then get out of the sun and chill out!  At 1 hour prior to checking in time with the javelin official, begin your Warm Up.   

Step 3:  Warm Up (jog, arm circles, chest swings, hip circles, elbow circles, forearm stretch, quad stretch, hamstring stretch, and hip ahead of shoulder stretch).

Step 4:  Stretch Cord = 5 x A to B Corkscrew, 5 x A to D, &  5 x C to D Hinge Pulls.

Step 5:  Sock Ball (16 oz) =  5 x Heel Click and Slam to ground

Step 6:  Rope = 5 x Gradual increased speed rope snaps. 

Step 7:  Towel = 5 x 8 steps towel throw (focus on rhythm of feet and body movement).  

Step 8:  Report to the Javelin Official when called.  

Step 9:  While doing official supervised group pegging,  B to D release with negative angle of attack and spin release in front.  If allowed, line drive glide and slide throws.

Step 10:  Practice runway throws = Check how close your full approach brings you to the foul line.  If too close, move starting mark back. If too far, move starting mark up. Throw easy and nail the flight with a long pull release (Adjust starting mark depending on runway conditions etc).  

Throw #1 Goal:  Get an official mark by throwing 85% effort.

Throw #2 Goal:  100% speed  to equal or surpass PB distance. 

Throw #3 Goal:  Repeat #2.  

Before, and in between your competitive throws, isolate yourself and prepare for your next attempt by visualizing your performance and doing positive self talk.