Air Force Academy Throwers Manual 2015-2016

United States Air Force Academy United States Air Force Academy United States Air Force Academy

Throws ManualThrows ManualThrows Manual

201520152015---201620162016

Only those who have the patience

to do simple things perfectly will

acquire the skill to do difficult

things easily.

~ Friedrich Schiller

Table Of Contents

1. Discipline

1.1. Team Goals

1.2. Rules

1.3. NCAA Rules that you should know

1.4. Travel Squad Guideline

1.5 Weight Management; AFT/PFT/AF-PFT

1.6 Captains

2. Excellence

2.1. Purpose/Goals

2.2. Defining Success

2.3. Enthusiasm

3. Values

3.1. Family

3.2. Team

3.3. Academics

4.Attitude of Gratitude

4.1. Hope/Belief

4.2. Responsibility

4.3. Class

4.4. Focus

5. Tools for understanding

5.1. Action Determinate

5.2. Arousal

5.3. competition Arousal

5.4. Identifying Anxiety

5.5. Relieving Anxiety

5.6. Power Poses

5.7. The Confidence Feeling

5.8. Controlling the Controllable

5.9. Habits and Attention

5.10. Sleep

5.11. Nutrition

5.11.1Calloric Intake

5.11.2 Nutrient Timing

5.11.3 Competition Nutrient Timing

5.12. Weight Loss

5.13. Protein

5.14. Ice Baths & Static Stretching

5.15. The Role of Music

5.16. Pre-Meet Mentality

5.17. MeetConcentration and Distractions

Falcon Throwers,

Welcome to the 2015-2016 Throwers Manual. It is

meant to be both a guideline, a tool for understanding, and

an inspiration for you when times

become difficult. You are all amazing people, and these

concepts and this information will more than likely not be

new to you, but I ask you to please read through this entire

manual. As Im hoping you read from the quote on the first

page, this manual is dedicated to the little things. And

while the little things may seem insignificant, I can promise

you one thing, little things will define your career. Under-

stand that all throwers at this level were very success-

ful in High School, they would not be here otherwise. If

you want to compete at this level, you have to master the

little things that will make you a better athlete.

This manual has been a tradition over the past few

seasons, but it was never my intent for it to be my tradi-

tion, it belongs to you. From this point forward, if you

would like to add a page, a quote that you love, a story

that you heard, there is a folder on my desk labeled The

Manual, please submit anything you wish to be reviewed

for future years. No, you cannot amend the travel stand-

ards. Yes, you may add a team rule.

The idea of this Manual is to help you, as well as

future generations of throwers at the Air Force Academy

figure out how to be successful at this institution. It is not

easy, and there are many things that you and I both will

learn along the way. My hope is that this book can

become comprehensive enough to truly light the way for

being successful here. To prove that our tradition of

excellence can never graduate.

Team Goals:

We will win the Mountain West

Conference Championship.

We will have All-American

Athletes.

We will maintain a 3.0 GPA

We will grow together as a

team.

We will grow stronger as

individuals.

Rules:

1.) Never Lift Alone. Never Throw Alone.

2.) When you are at Practice, Be at Practice. Headphones

are not permitted during a team practice.

3.) Be aware of the dangers of Throwing at all times, pay at-

tention in the sector and stand clear of the circle/

netting while watching others throw.

4.) Practice Schedules are flexible around your academic

schedule, but a text/email must be sent to Coach Vance pri-

or to the missed practice time. Academic Day (AC DAYS) re-

quests will not be denied

5.) If you wish to throw an implement at a meet, you are re-

sponsible for that implement getting to the meet.

6.) Captains are ultimately responsible for all Implements

taken to Competition to insure their return.

7.) It is your responsibility to know the time and dates in

which you compete, this includes updated time schedules.

8.) Be respectful to Teammates, Coaches, Officials at all

times.

9.) Mandatory 8 hours of sleep 2 nights prior to any compe-

tition.

10.) No gum chewing the day of competition, prior to the

competition.

11.) Be Awake 4 hours prior to any major

competition.

12.) Follow Nutrient Guideline for Food Timing prior to any

major Competition.

NCAA Rules You Should Know:

1.) Summer Time/Pre-Season is Voluntary practice, which

means that Coach Vance cannot schedule any type of prac-

tice. Technical help is available if you would like to do a

voluntary practice.

2.) During summer hours, Coach Vance is not allowed in the

weight room for any reason to monitor Lifting.

3.) During Pre-Season, Practice is limited to 8 hours per

week with a mandated 2 days off. During regular season,

practice is limited to 20 hours per week (Max 4 hours a day)

with one mandated day off.

4.) At no time should you ever accept a gift that has or

Potentially could have monetary value in recognition of

your athletic ability.

Weight Management & AFT/PFT/AF-PFT

At the Academy, you are not just a Thrower, you are an Air Force Thrower, and this means that you are different than

every other thrower in the United States. We are charged

not only with being on of the best in the country throwing

wise, but also with size maximums and conditioning

minimums. Deviating from these maximums and Minimums can

lead to you being removed from the team, so it is important

to understand the following concepts:

Weight ManagementIf you have weight management issues

with the amount of exercise that we put forward, then

your diet is incorrect. Please do not fall into the line of

thinking that All Weight is good, because that line of

thinking allows you to think that Fat is good. Fat is not

good. Fat does not help you. Lean muscle is good. Lean

Muscle helps you. Ultimately, conforming to these rules is

your responsibility, if you fail to do so, the consequences

are on you. We, as coaches, will give you workouts to help

you build your strength and size of muscles, but at no time

would we ever encourage you to eat giant portion sizes or

poor quality of food. Calculate your calories and eat

appropriate foods.

AFT/PFTIn the fall of every season, you are responsible

for passing your AFT/PFT. We will do some training which

will help in this, but ultimately it is your responsibility to

ensure that you can do what is necessary to pass these

physical tests. If you would like exercises to help with

this, please let your coaches know.

AF-PFTSeniorsYou are responsible for meeting the mini-

mums of the AF-PFT before graduation. I heavily encourage

you to do this in the Fall before your senior season. Fail-

ure to do so can lead to you having to run a mile and a half

in the middle of your senior year, and that is not conducive

to throwing well.

Mens Throws Captain:

Grant Hamilton

Womens Throws Captain:

Cydnee Reese

Captains

Responsibilities: 1. Communicate any/all issues that may have an effect on

the team with Coach Vance.

2. Communicate any changes to the standard practice

schedule to the throwers via group text.

3. Set the standard for the team that you want.

4. Inform Coach Vance of Any Individual who is not

performing up to the standards of the team.

Abilities: 1. Captains have the ability to call for a throwers meeting

or practice at any time that they wish. (Athletes Only)

2. Develop a Team Motto that will last through the season.

3. Confront any individual about any negative actions and

discuss positive solutions.

The Strength of the group is the strength of the leaders.

~Vince Lombardi

Throwers Travel Guideline

Elite Standards: Most likely to Travel. On weeks where

that particular event group is traveling, you will be likely

to travel and will need to plan accordingly unless desig-

nated a recovery weekend by Coach.

Conference Standards: Will Travel to some meets, not all.

May compete at the Conference Meet if the squad limit al-

lows, spots limited to those who are more likely to score

the highest in the most events.

Bubble Kids: Individuals who are close to hitting Confer-

ence Standards MIGHT travel, budget permitting, to some

meets. These athletes will be chosen at the Coachs discre-

tion based on circumstances.

All Decisions to Travel are made by the Head Coach, this is

simply a guideline for potential travel.

Mens:

Shot Put: 55

Weight: 60

Discus: 170

Hammer: 190

Javelin 195

Womens:

Shot Put: 47

Weight: 58

Discus: 160

Hammer: 180

Javelin: 140

Mens:

Top 8 on the

Mountain West

Conference

TFRRS List

Womens:

Top 16 on the

Mountain West

Conference

TFRRS List

Excellence

Purpose/Goals

One important distinction that I wish to impress upon you

early is the difference between purpose and goals.

Purpose is the reason that you exist, it is directly influ-

enced by your values and beliefs. It is the reason that gives

meaning to your actions.

goals are the things which you wish to achieve, it is a meas-

urable result, a specific target.

There is always a purpose behind all goals.

Though there is a temporary fulfillment in the achievement

of a goal, it is our purpose which defines the meaning of

our lives.

The pursuit of a goal should come from an overflow of

your lifes purpose, not from a need to define yourself.

With this in mind, I challenge you to define yourself by your

purpose, not by the success and failures of your goals. If

you strive live in that purpose, then success of your goals

will follow.

goals are a means to an end, not the ultimate purpose of

our lives. They are simply a tool to concentrate our focus

and move us in a direction. The only reason we really

pursue goals is to cause ourselves to expand and grow.

Achieving goals by themselves will never make us happy in

the long term; it is who you become, as you overcome the ob-

stacles necessary to achieve your goals, that can give you

the deepest and most long-lasting sense of fulfillment.

~Anthony Robbins

Excellence

Defining Success Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of

self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to be-

come the best you are capable of becoming.

~John Wooden

Success is an everyday proposition. It isnt defined by a

championship game or the day you get your diploma Dont

get me wrong, those are great days, and we should cele-

brate those accomplishments. But the key to a successful

life is in the journey and the process. Its that emphasis on

the journey to success that we work on each day, step by

step.

~ Jim Tressel

The end of the road is not the goal, the road is the goal.

~ Mike Shmitz

I believe that in goal setting, it is useful to clearly define what you

consider to be successful. Undoubtedly, some of the statements you

made on your goals page will have clear and decisive results that

you either will, or will not accomplish this season. The simple truth

of the matter is that you will fail at some of the endeavors that you

choose to take in life. But does that define you as a failure?

In terms of defining success, in my life, I have found that success

can be a great thing, but the bottom line is that if you were not

enough without the success, you will never be enough with it. The ob-

session to win can drive individuals to do unhealthy things, illegal

things, things that can end your career just as it is beginning.

Whether you are a national champion, or a person who has the goal

to make the travel squad this season, success for you should be de-

termined before the competition. Knowing that you have done all

that you can do to prepare, giving all you can everyday to move for-

ward to your goals, that is success. The competition itself is merely

a stage for you to demonstrate the work that you have done, and an

indicator of what else we need to work on.

On the next page, I want you to take time to define for yourself what

your goals are, what your definition of success is, and what is going

to drive you to that success.

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What is my definition of Success?

What will drive me to success?

Excellence

Enthusiasm

Knowledge is power, but enthusiasm pulls the switch.

~Ivern Ball

Flaming Enthusiasm, backed by a horse sense of persistence is

the quality that most frequently makes for success.

~Dale Carnegie

My college coach used to say that there are three types of

people in this world Those who make things happen, those

who watch things happen, and those who dont know what hap-

pened. Then he would ask Which one are you? That question

has always stuck with me. At different times in your life you

will play different roles, but the one thing that I ask of you in

your throwing career is that you strive to be a person that

makes things happen. It is a habit that you develop every day,

approaching things with vigor, even when you do not have the

energy to do it, you have the ability to change the outcome just

by approaching your task with enthusiasm.

We have talked previously about what it means to be success-

ful, enthusiasm is a huge part of this. It is easy to be enthusias-

tic when it comes to meet day. It is not easy to be enthusiastic

in October with two months before your first meet. Yet the dif-

ference in having a successful season and not is often found

in that month or two of growth when you have nothing more to

focus on than the training. If you can get an extra rep, an ex-

tra few quality throws, an extra few drills, sprints, anything

out of a practice, you have made yourself that much better.

And if you can do that every day, it adds up.

The higher the energy level, the more efficient your body is.

The more efficient your body is, the better you feel and the

more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results

~ Anthony Robbins

Values

Family

A Family in Harmony will prosper in everything

~Chinese Proverb

Family traditions counter alienation and confu-

sion, they help define who we are; they also provide

something steady, reliable, and safe in a confusing

world.

~Susan Lieberman

College presents a unique experience for most in-

dividuals coming in, for the first time in your life,

you are away from your family unit. It is understand-

able that at some point during the year, you will

miss being home terribly. Part of having a balanced

life is maintaining the relationship with your family.

If you take one thing away from this section of the

manual, take this: your family will always be a part

of your life, there is nothing in this world that can

change the bonds of blood, cherish those relation-

ships and nurture them to the best of your ability.

That being said, my goal for you is to consider The

Air Force Academy an extension of your family, it is

by no way a replacement for your family. It is simply

another place that you can call home with individu-

als around that will support you.

If your parents have any questions at any time, or

would simply like to talk with me, please encourage

them to do so.

Values

TEAM

Together

Everyone

Achieves

More.

Coming together is a beginning; Keeping together

is a process; working together is success.

~ Henry Ford

A Team of Geese

When Geese fly in formation, they travel about 70% faster than

when they fly alone.

Geese share leadership. When the lead goose tires, he or she

rotates back into the V and another goose flies forward to become

the leader.

Geese keep company with the fallen. When a sick or weak goose

drops out of flight formation, at least one other goose will leave

the formation to help and protect the weaker goose.

By being a part of a team, we, too, can accomplish much more,

much faster. Words of encouragement and support (honking from

behind) inspire and energize those on the front lines and help them

to keep pace in spite of day-to-day pressures and fatigue.

Finally, show compassion and active caring for your fellow

mana member of the ultimate team: Humankind.

The next time you see a formation of geese, remember that it is a

reward, a challenge, and a privilege to be a contributing member of a

team.

The throws squad is a small part of a large team. We cannot

win a conference championship without a full and united team. We

are all human, and we all want to feel good about ourselves. Thats

why, when someone else doesnt do well, in a perverse way it can

make us feel better about ourselves. That is an immature way of

thinking, but its a reality. We have to work on our team skills every-

day, because were never entirely squared away in anything we do;

growth is always a process, no matter who we are. People who say

they dont have petty thoughts occasionally are either far better

than anyone Ive ever met, or theyre not being honest. We succeed

or fail as a team, not a portion of a team, a full track and field pro-

gram.

Values

Academics

Only the educated are free.

~Epictetus

Education is our passport for the future, for

tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it

today.

~Malcolm X

We all know that people without academic degrees

are capable of wonderful things. I would never suggest

that having a degree makes someone a better person. But if

you have the opportunity to move toward a degree and find

something that you are passionate about, you will find

yourself with choices that someone without a degree may

not have. Academics is an opportunity, and the more we take

advantage of that, the more opportunities we will face in

the future.

My goal for this throws program is that every individu-

al on it maintains over a 3.00 GPA, and that is no easy task.

A dedication to academics is a dedication to your future. If

excellence is indeed a habit, there should be no facet in

your life where you do not strive to constantly improve.

Set your goals and know what it takes to reach them, for-

mulate a plan to achieve them. After that, it is simply a mat-

ter of discipline and focus.

One note: The Academy is slightly different than any

other institution in the country in that prog grades count

towards eligibility. If you are ineligible at prog, you may

lose your eligibility for the entire season, so dont drop

the ball early!

It is easy to be ordinary, but it takes courage to excel.and we must

excel.

~Eddie Finnegan

Attitude of Gratitude

Hope/Belief

Hope is an adventure, a going forward, a confident search

for a rewarding life.

~ Karl Menninger

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.

Sometimes life will put unexpected obstacles in your way,

and you wont know how to handle it. It is tempting in those

times to lose hope, to lose belief in yourself. Nothing goes

exactly as planned, but how you respond to your adversity

will ultimately define your character. Hope and Belief are

your two biggest assets in times of doubt, however far away

they may seem, you must hold them close to your heart.

Here is a story that I want you to look back to in times when

you feel you are losing that hope/belief:

A farmers mule fell into a dry well. After assessing the situa-

tion, the farmer decided the mule wasnt worth the time and expense

it would take to save it. Essentially, he lost all hope for the old

mule. So he called his neighbors together and asked them to help him

haul the dirt to bury the animal and put it out of its misery.

When the first shovelfuls of dirt came down, the mule became

hysterical and began to kick. But as the dirt continued to hit his

back, it dawned on the creature that he should shake it off each time

and step up on the growing mound of dirt beneath him. Load after

load of dirt hit him square in the back, but no matter how painful it

was, he shook the dirt off and stepped on it.

Before long, the accumulation of dirt was such that the old

mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of

the well. The dirt that had been meant to bury him had actually

saved his life because of the manner in which he had responded to

the situation.

When we possess the hope and belief that ultimately

we are going to be successful in our journeys, theres not

much of what comes our way on a daily basis that we can-

not handle. My hope for you is that you can read these

words in a time of need and believe that no matter what the

circumstance, you can be successful.


Responsibility

The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the con-

duct of one hour.

~Japanese Proverb

Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own

reputation: for tis better to be alone than in bad company.

~George Washington

There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So keep in

mind that in the end, the choice you make, makes you.

John Wooden

Honor is better than honors.

Abraham Lincoln

You are a Division 1 athlete at a Nationally recognized institu-

tion. More than that, you are a thrower at an institution known for

having a quality throws program. What has been built here is larger

than any of us, it is a tradition of excellence. With that tradition

comes a tremendous amount of responsibility. My hope is that you

hold yourself to the highest standard simply because you recognize

that you have the potential to be something great, a leader amongst

your peers. Inside each of us we have the capacity to see situations

for what they really are, and it is my sincere hope that you choose to

be responsible and do what is right. Be the kind of person who is

above reproach, have that kind of integrity. If you do that, then you

will never have a fear of the truth.

When someone has been given much, much will be required in return;

and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be

required.

Luke 12:48


Class

Do it with Class

Class is respect for others. It is a deep and genuine respect for every

human being, regardless of his status in life.

Class is having manners. It is always saying thank you and Please. It

is complimenting people for any and every task done well.

Class is treating every other person as you would want them to treat

you in a similar situation.

Class never makes excuses for ones own shortcomings, but it always

helps other s bounce back from their mistakes.

Class never brags or boasts about ones own accomplishments, and it

never tears down or diminishes the achievements of another person.

Class does not depend on money, status, success, or ancestry. The

wealthy aristocrat may not even know the meaning of the word, yet the

poorest man in town may radiate class in everything he does.

If you have class, everyone will know it, and you will have self-respect.

If you are without classgood luck, because no matter what you

accomplish, it will never have meaning.

The reason that class is so highly regarded by most is be-

cause it is so hard to master. No doubt that reading through

that list you read one or more of those and said Okay maybe I

havent done that all of the time. I did the same thing. Class

is difficult because it is confident and selfless at the same

time, it is a constant state of emotional maturity. It is the abil-

ity to leave situations, places, and relationships better than

they were when you found them. As an athlete, I challenge

you to approach every person, place, and thing you do with

the class commensurate to your appreciation for being an Air

Force Academy Cadet.

Never Let your persistence and passion turn into stubbornness and

ignorance.

~Anthony DAngelo


Focus

Paradise is where I am.

~Voltaire

Nothing is worth more than this day.

~Goethe

Focus is often the determining factor in how success-

ful you will be. We talk so much about handling things on a

day to day basis, focus is the foundation for that. So often

we find ourselves letting our mind wander, reliving some-

thing that has happened, worrying about something on the

horizon, or thinking of things what we have to do later in

the day. The most unproductive time is spent worrying

about what needs doing.

To find proper balance in your life, be in the moment

that you are in. If you are at practice, be at practice. If you

are in the classroom, be in the classroom. Dedicate your-

self to the task at hand and ultimately you will find things

will come easier. When you arent worried about a test,

practices will be more productive, likewise when you

arent stressed about a competition, tests will be less of a

challenge.

Only when your consciousness is totally focused on the

moment you are in can you receive whatever gift, lesson, or

delight that moment has to offer.

~Barbra De Angelis

Tools for Understanding

Humans are, by nature, creatures of habit. Throwers

are, by nature, perfectionists. We understand that the

smallest change in movement can often lead to a large re-

sult in performance. But for all of the times that we talk

about technique, we rarely discuss belief, when belief all

to often will ultimately determine if we are successful.

When a person believes something, whether that be-

lief is true or not, they tap into their potential. The poten-

tial of the human body is absolutely incredible, yet that po-

tential will only match the expectation set by belief. Ac-

tion is the result of belief plus potential. Action then pro-

duces a result, which, due to human nature is repeated and

will either confirm or deter from future belief. In graph

form, it looks like this:

Success breeds success as the belief rises from re-

sults. Likewise, if results are poor, belief suffers. As

throwers, we have a tendency to focus so much on the ac-

tion that the belief suffers. If we doubt the potential or

the action, the results will be less than desired, which has

a tendency to reduce belief in the future. One thing that I

have found in my years of coaching, is that if you have any

doubt either in your potential or your action, your results

will not meet your goals. Many times when I hear people

say that they do have belief, they are telling themselves

just as much as they are telling me. Belief is something

that you have to feel inside of yourself, and it comes from

the mental preparation weeks in advance of competition.

Tools for Understanding

Belief, as discussed on the previous page, is part of

your cognitive arousal. the physiological counterpart

to cognitive arousal is somatic arousal, or how ready

your body is to compete. Prior to a meet, it is normal

for athletes to have cognitive and somatic arousal.

Both somatic and cognitive arousal add together

to produce your overall arousal level for any given

competition. Arousal can be a good or bad thing for

performance, and ultimately it is determined by how

you handle it. Either cognitive or somatic arousal can

help if you are particularly low on the other, so if your

mind is amped but your body is not, a good warm-up may

make you successful. If your body is feeling great but

your head is not in it, taking time to step away and focus-

ing on your goal, visualizing the result can push you to

success.

Catastrophe theory is when your overall Arousal

is too high. When your somatic arousal is high and you

raise cognitive arousal too far, or vice versa, results

tend to diminish for most all individuals. You may know

this by another name: Anxiety. anxiety is the negative

side to arousal, and it is also divided into cognitive and

Somatic, it appears when your arousal level has begun

to rise too much. Anxiety is the fear of failure, and it

can effect the mind as well as the body.

Arousal has another key component, Attention.

Any athlete has a limited amount of attention at a cer-

tain time. This attention is narrowed with additional

arousal, letting athletes focus more on the task at

hand. The more aroused an athlete is, the smaller the

window for attention. This is the reason that it is diffi-

cult to work on multiple cues and keep a high arousal

level. At best, an athlete can focus on one or two cues

and still maintain the ability to perform at a maximum

capacity. If your arousal level is too high, you cannot

focus on any.

(Continued on the next page)

Tools for understanding

Several factors go into exactly how much arousal you

will need to perform at a peak level. Your skill level, your

environment, even your personality can come into play. The

graph below does a great job of explaining:

The hard part about arousal is that you can

Always bring it up, but it is not so easy to bring down. Usu-

ally once someone has hit the catastrophe point, if they

can bring their arousal back down, they will find that

their peak performance will not be as good as it would

have been had they not pushed their arousal so high at the

start. The Key is to note when your arousal is getting too

high or low, and making an adjustment to your routine to

adapt to the stress at hand.

To find what arousal level you should have, you need to

consider the event that you throw. Usually the length of

the path of the implement tells you how much arousal you

should have, the shorter the path, the more arousal. If you

are a glide shot putter, you will need a very high level of

arousal. If you are a javelin thrower, you should have a

fairly low level to stay relaxed. Likewise, Weight Throw-

ers should have a higher level than Hammer Throwers. Dis-

cus Throwers need less intensity than Rotational Shot Put-

ters, but more than hammer Throwers.


Controlling Arousal

Identifying Anxiety

We spoke of Anxiety earlier when talking about arousal.

The hard part about Arousal for throwers is that for most

strength events (Like Shot Put), arousal levels have to be

very high, which opens the door for Anxiety to present it-

self. Anxiety can be detrimental to performance as it

begins to wear on your belief, which in turn effects your

potential. Below is a list of anxieties, I want you to circle

the ones that you have realized when anxious.

Cognitive:

Indecision, Sense of confusion, feeling heavy, negative

thoughts, poor concentration, irritability, fear, forgetful-

ness, loss of confidence, images of failure, defeatist self-

talk, feeling rushed, feeling weak, constant dissatisfac-

tion, unable to take instructions, thoughts of avoidance

Somatic:

Increased blood pressure, Pounding Heart, Increased res-

piration rate, sweating, clammy hands and feet, butter-

flies in stomach, Adrenaline surge, dry mouth, need to uri-

nate, muscular tension, tightness in neck and shoulders,

trembling, blushing, distorted vision, twitching, yawning,

voice distortion, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of

appetite, sleeplessness

Behavioral:

Biting Fingernails, Lethargic movements, inhibited posture

(low power pose), Playing safe, Going through the motions,

Introversion, Uncharacteristic displays of extroversion,

Uncharacteristic displays of aggression, avoidance of eye

contact, covering face with hand, Incessant talking,

Pacing.


Controlling Arousal

Relieving Anxiety

There are a few ways to reduce anxiety, but one thing is

clear with all of them, they require practice. You cannot

master these techniques with one or two uses, you have to

practice them. I will introduce one to you in the throwers

manual, if it does not work for you and you need another,

please feel free to contact me about it.

The Five Breath Technique:

This technique can work quickly, but needs to be done in a

place where you can focus purely on your breathing. It is

to be done in a seated or lying position. The first few times

you try it, you will need either a friend to read the instruc-

tions to you slowly and clearly, or pre-record them on an

MP3 file and listen to them while you perform it. After a

few times, you should not need help remembering how to do

it.

~Take a deep Breath. Allow your face and neck to relax as

you breathe out.

~Take a second deep breath. Allow your shoulders and

arms to relax as you breathe out.

~Take a third deep breath. Allow your chest, abdomen, and

back to relax as you breathe out.

~Take a fourth deep breath. Allow your legs and feet to

relax as you breathe out.

~Take a fifth deep breath. Allow your whole body to relax

as you breathe out.

~ Continue to breathe deeply, and each time you breathe

out, say the word Relax.

Repeat if necessary.


Controlling Arousal

Power Poses

So often we find that body language reflects atti-

tude, but what has recently been found is that body

language can also effect your attitude. Studies have

shown something that we have always seen, but never

really understood until now. Humans are not exempt

from the animal kingdom, and this is a great example.

Strong Power Poses are expansive, open postures

that reflect high power. Whereas contractive, closed

postures reflect that of low power. Think about a time

when you were really nervous, odds are you were

slouching in a chair with your head down, arms close

to your sides, legs together. You were taking up very

little space, and you were emanating the body lan-

guage that you were scared. Now think about a time

when you won a large event, youve all been success-

ful, you know what it feels like. Odds are your hands

went up in the air, your head was up and you felt like or

did jump around. These are power poses, they are seen

in primates as well.

How this is applicable to throwing is part physiologi-

cal, part psychological. Before an event, adopt the

habit of always standing in power poses for 5-10

minutes. This increases testosterone levels in the

body, which in turn increases explicit and implicit feel-

ings of power and dominance, risk-taking behavior, it in-

creases your pain tolerance, and action orientation.

High Power Poses have also proven to reduce cortisol

levels, which reduces stress and anxiety. These feel-

ings are essential for achieving an optimal perfor-

mance. So get used to standing in power poses and you

will become more successful.


Controlling Arousal

Confidence

The Winning Feeling

Fire in my belly, Ice in my head

Merge with the Motion

Stick with the Gameplan

Talk the Talk Walk the Walk

Stare Through Opponents

Hawkeyed

Jacked full of Energy

Controlled Aggression

The Winning Feeling

Everyone knows the feeling of great confidence,

unfortunately, it is not something that we have all

of the time. The example above is full of feelings

that are associated with that great confidence. Fo-

cusing on these feelings can help to build a feeling

of confidence when you need it.

The feeling of great confidence is something very

personal, and odds are, most of the above example

will not correlate to your Winning Feeling. On the

next page, there is an empty Winning Feeling chart.

If you have issues with not feeling confident prior

to a competition, focus on the feeling that provide

that confidence in the days before, it should help

you find the confidence you need for any

competition.


Controlling Arousal

Confidence

My Winning Feeling

Recreating the Confident Feeling

1. Relax and try to recreate a feeling of complete confidence.

2. Picture yourself preparing to perform.

3. Notice the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of the scene. What are you

wearing? What colors can you see? Are there any distinctive noises or

smells?

4. Look at your opponents. How does your opponent appear? How does

your opponent make you feel?

5. You are performing very well indeed. Pick out what is especially good

about your performance.

6. Notice the outcome, the way you are moving, and the way you feel.

7. You are performing as well as you possibly can and are feeling very con-

fident. You are a tough opponent for anybody when you feel like this.

8. Notice how intensely focused you are and how relaxed your body feels.

9. Who or what do you remind yourself of when you perform like this?

10.Imagine yourself performing like this for a few more moments. Every-

thing is easy.

11.In a moment, you will let the scene fade, but before you do, pick out any

other details that seem important to you.

12.Now, slowly return to a state of full awareness.


Controlling Arousal

Controlling the Uncontrollable

Many athletes get caught up in things that they have no

control over, and these athletes usually are not happy

with the result of the competition.

The following is a list of Uncontrollable things:

The Weather

Officials

How other Athletes Perform

The competition surface

Other Athletes using your Implement

Long Warm-ups/Short Warm-ups

The Starter/National Anthem

Broken Implements

Music Playing

Spectators (Standing behind the ring/along side the run-

way)

There is nothing you can do about any of these things, but

what you can control is how you react to it. My challenge

to you, learn to love adversity. Love the rain, the snow, the

heat and the cold. Plan for implements not to weigh in.

Love when officials call foul on what looked like a P.R.,

they are challenging you to do it again. Love that other

Athletes are getting better, but be ready to show them you

have outworked them. Love slow rings, fast rings, sticky

rings, slick rings, fast runways, runways with slick plant

spots, short runways that arent even minimum runway dis-

tance, slow runways with excessive grip that make crosso-

vers extra tricky, see them as challenges to be overcome.

Every athlete there has to deal with them, be the athlete

that handles them the best. Even if your implement has

been thrown and isnt waiting for you when your name

called, love the wait and be ready to overcome the obsta-

cle. Love Adversity and you will have no problems control-

ling the uncontrollable.


Habits and Attention

The first dimension of attention is Selectivity. Selectivity

allows for you to choose what you focus on. Your central

nervous system is constantly bombarded with sensory in-

formation, sights, smells, sounds, internal feelings,

environmental conditions, information, etc. From the time

that you are born, you learn to focus on the things that

are important to filter some of the information. That

filter is your ability to concentrate.

Recent findings in regards to habit have also shed some

light onto this topic. Your mind learns much like the motor

units learn motor patterns. Repetition provides efficiency.

When faced with certain stimuli, the brain can be trained

to automatically phase out most sensory information to

focus more intently on the task at hand. This is why you

will generally see better performances from home

facilities in athletics, because the athlete is very familiar

with the stimuli of the competition and therefore is able to

handle the sensory information without fatiguing the

Central nervous system.

This is also why detailed visualization and visiting the

Facility, if possible, prior to a competition is important. it

gives you the opportunity to handle some of the sensory in-

formation prior to actually competing, therefore allowing

you to concentrate on the competition in the future. New

Stimulus, like having to find the weigh station, looking at

the track for the first time, finding throwing areas, how to

check in, where the warm-up area is, if it is higher elevation,

if it is in the city or country, if the crowd is closer or far-

ther than you are accustomed to, if they play music at that

facility or dont and you are used to listening to music, all

of these things are stimuli that together can fatigue the

Central Nervous system prior to competition. This is why

you are heavily encouraged to find a quiet place in the

hours before competition to relax, recharge your CNS, and

visualize the upcoming competition.


The Importance Of Recovery

Sleep

One of the largest factors that will determine how successful of

an athlete you will become is sleep. Studies have proven that the

body is consistently able to reproduce efforts if the subject has had

a minimum of 8-10 hours of sleep versus individuals who has not. For

athletes, it is paramount. The ability to get your body back to homeo-

stasis is critical in the development process. It reduces the likeli-

hood of injury, and promotes recovery in the body.

R.E.M. sleep, sleep where you dream, has proven in recent years to

be even more important than once thought. During R.E.M. sleep, your

mind subconsciously goes through the activities of the day before.

Meaning, your mind has just gone through the motor pattern for an

ideal performance.

This is why sleep, particularly after heavy technical sessions, has

to be a high priority. Individuals who sleep 9 to12 hours after heavy

technical sessions are more likely to repeat the skills the learned

on the previous day in the following session.

Having Problems Sleeping?

~ Read a fictional book that captures your imagination.

~Avoid looking at any screen for 45 min prior to bedthis in-

cludes computer, TV, Cell Phone, as the light mimics the ef-

fect of sunlight in your brain.

~ Try the Five Breath Technique

~ Listen to soft music/nature Music

~ Try a milk based hot drinkNo Caffeine

~ Avoid Cheese, Spicy Food, Caffeine

~ Soak in a hot bath containing 6 to 8 drops of Lavender Oil.

~ Keep your room warm, but not too warm 64-68 Degrees to

prevent dehydration

~ Sleep Alone.

~ Supplement Melatonin



Nutrition

Along with sleep, nutrition will also be a large de-

ciding factor on how good of an athlete you will be-

come. At different times of the year, your diet

should change pretty drastically to fit with your

goals. During loading (Hypertrophy/Strength)

times, your caloric intake can increase greatly,

while at other times during the season, you should

be eating less (Power/speed).

Here is a General Guideline:

Estimated Daily Caloric Needs of Male and Female

Athletes By Activity Level:

To estimate your daily intake, multiply the number

corresponding to your activity level and sex by

your body weight. This number is around what your

body needs to maintain your current body weight.

Male Female

Activity Level Calories/Pound Calories/Pound

Light 17 16

Moderate 19 17

Heavy 23 20



Nutrition

Below are breakdowns of what you should be eating once

you have figured out what your caloric intake should be.

3200 calories will be low for some of you, so I am hoping

you get the idea of how to estimate based on the below ta-

ble. Im not suggesting that you take a measuring cup to the

cafeteria, but it should give you an idea of how much of

each group you should eat in a day.

Calorie

Level(Per

Day)

2000 2200 2400 2600 2800 3000 3200

Grains 6oz 7oz 8oz 9oz 10oz 10oz 10oz

Vegeta-

bles

2.5 Cups

3 Cups 3 Cups 3.5 Cups 3.5 Cups 4 Cups 4 Cups

Fruits

2 Cups 2 Cups 2 Cups 2 Cups 2.5 Cups 2.5 Cups 2.5 Cups

Milk 3 Cups 3 Cups 3 Cups 3 Cups 3 Cups 3 Cups 3 Cups

Meat and

Beans 5.5 oz 6 oz 6.5 oz 6.5 oz 7 oz 7 oz 7 oz

Oils 6 tsp 6tsp 7tsp 8tsp 8tsp 10tsp 11tsp



Nutrient Timing

Before

Activity

During

Activity

After

Activity

Strength & Power

Weight Room

2-3 Hrs. Before:

200-400 Calories

w/ 35-85g from

carbs plus 10-15g

Protein or 6g Ami-

no Acids



Nutrient Timing

Competition Day:

The Goal is to be sure that caloric intake is sufficient to fuel your day, not just

your activity. You want adequate fuel available, but no need to load. You should

feel good and not be under-fueled or overloaded. Be sure to include familiar

foods that sit well. Avoid spicy foods and high fat foods before competition. For

multiple events, you will have different fueling requirements based on the timing

of your events.

Morning Events:

For morning events, a good supply of quick-digesting carbohydrate is in order. If

you are able to leave some time for digestion, including protein will keep you from

getting hungry. Keep fat to a minimum, as it will keep food in your stomach longer.

Aim to have one-quarter to one-third of your daily calories before the event, so

this could mean getting up early to be sure that you are properly fueled. Your pre-

event meal should be similar in size and style to your normal pre-training meal.

For example, if you usually train in the afternoon and eat pasta before training,

have pasta for breakfast; otherwise, any carbohydrate-rich breakfast including

familiar foods will do.

Afternoon Events:

Fueling begins at breakfast, so absolutely no skipping. Your breakfast and lunch

should be a meal, not just a bar. Sufficient carbohydrate is the most important

thing to focus on here. Include protein and fat at breakfast because, for after-

noon events, there is enough time to digest. Depending on the timing of your event

and meals, go for a slightly larger carbohydrate-rich breakfast (pancakes or waf-

fles with eggs and juice; add bacon or breakfast potatoes if you like, or bagels

with yogurt and fruit) and smaller carbohydrate-rich lunch (Wrap or sandwich

with pretzels and an apple). Remember to top off the tank with 15g Carbohydrates

before you begin.

Evening Events:

For evening events, be sure you have two-thirds or more of your calories through

the day before the event. As with morning and evening events, stay away from fat-

ty foods 3 hours from the competition.

Remember: When you compete is different than your Event Time. Do not plan your

meals based around your event time, base them around when you will be throwing.

Add a minimum of 40 Minutes per flight if you are in a later flight. To top off the

tank, I highly recommend taking 15g Carbohydrates during the last round of the

flight before you begin, or before you begin throwing warm-ups.



Weight Loss

Weight Loss is tricky, particularly during training. Your

body needs certain nutrients to get back to Homeostasis,

without these nutrients, the risk for injury is increased.

So the question becomes, how do you lose weight while still

giving the body what it needs?

The answer is not an easy one, but it is possible. One thing

to understand, weight loss MUST happen slowly. Gradual

weight loss ensures maximum fat loss and preservation of

Lean Tissue. What we are aiming to do to lose weight is to

change your body composition, not simply lose weight.

Weight lost by lean tissue loss is muscle lost, meaning the

hard work you put into the weight room just went out the

window. Here are some rules:

1. Calorie intake should drop no lower than 2000 Calories

to start. Do not attempt a 1200-1500 calorie a day diet to

start, your body will go into shock, save fat and break

down muscle.

2. The diet should be composed primarily of foods high in nu-

trient density. Nutrient density refers to the nutrients

(vitamins, minerals and protein) present per calorie of

food.

3. The diet should be composed of food low in energy densi-

ty. Energy density refers to the calories per weight or vol-

ume of food. (In Englishit means food you can eat a lot of

without getting that many calories, helps fill you up with-

out skyrocketing your caloric intake). Ex. Broth Based

Soups, Salad Greens, Vegetables and fruits. Foods that

are high in water content and contain fiber.

4. Weight Loss is best achieved in the off-season or Pre-

season.

5. If you would like help with a diet, feel free to keep a food

journal and set up an appointment to speak with me about

your diet.



Supplementation

Protein

Then general rule for Protein intake is .8 to 1 gram

per pound of body weight during hypertrophy and

strength cycles. This does vary though, based

Primarily on to things:

1. What your caloric intake is. If your body isnt get-

ting enough calories, protein will be broken down

as a source of energy, therefore not being benefi-

cial in replacing your amino Acid Pool. If you are in-

terested in the strength benefits of protein, you

must have adequate calories in your diet.

2. Quality of the protein. The higher the biological

value is, the lower the protein requirement. A ma-

jority of protein should be taken from animal form

(Meat, Fish, Poultry, Dairy Products, and Eggs). If

you are using supplemental Powder protein, under-

stand that the absorption of that protein is not as

high, therefore you may need to take more of it to

gain the intended effect.



Static Stretching,

PNF Stretching and Flexibility

Static Stretching for throwers is critically im-

portant. range of motion for any thrower can be di-

rectly correlated to how successful they are. Be-

lieve me, Ive been there, after a hard weight room

day where you can barely stand, the last thing on

your mind is static stretching to cool down. Take

the 10-15 minutes and get it done. It promotes recov-

ery, and increases range of motion. Static Stretch-

ing/Yoga/PNF Stretching/other regenerative ex-

ercises should be done at the end of every lifting

session for the appropriate muscle groups.

During the summer and pre-season, I strongly en-

courage you to get involved with activities that will

help you improve your flexibility. Activities like Yo-

ga, Pilates, etc can serve a purpose in your training

if they can successfully improve your range of mo-

tion. It can also increase core strength, posture,

and help you to maintain your fitness level. Main-

taining this strength and flexibility will ultimately

lead to less injury throughout the year. Though it

is not technically a recovery method, it is consid-

ered a preventative measure which will ultimately

reduce recovery time in the future.


The Role of Music

Music can be an effective way to train, it can also hinder

what you are trying to accomplish, as with all things, it de-

pends on how you use it. Say for instance, you want to use

music as part of your pre-meet ritual, first there is the con-

sideration that no electronics are allowed on the infield,

so you will need to time when you listen to music. Not only

that, you should also be very selective of the music that

you do listen to. Any music that drives your arousal level

to a catastrophe point is not constructive. However, music

that regulates your warm-up as to not warm up too fast,

can be considerably beneficial. Also, if you are cognitively

dependant on music to get you into the right state of mind,

then it can be fantastic for arousal. Not all athletes like

this though, as some like to listen to their bodies and strug-

gle with the outside stimulus. During meet day, it is left to

personal preference.

Music has been proven to aid in arousal level, which can be

very beneficial in some parts of training. Weight room

Workouts, particularly Short duration High Intensity

tasks, familiar drills done for repetition, Warm-Ups or

Cool-Downs to regulate tempo. The idea is to attempt to

correlate the music with the activity, so up tempo songs

would be recommended for strength work, medium tempo

music for Drills, Slow tempo for Warm-up or cool down.

The only time that music is not encouraged during practice

time is time spent learning a new skill. Learning new skills

requires maximum concentration, and listening to music

can detract considerably from athletes ability to concen-

trate on what they should be learning. During technical

practices, do not to listen to music.


Pre-Meet

Pre-Meet rituals are a good thing, as they alleviate exces-

sive stimulus to the C.N.S.. They are habits that you devel-

op either consciously or unconsciously in the morning pri-

or to competition. One useful activity I would encourage

you to do in the notes section of the manual is to write

down your pre-meet habits. What you normally eat and

when, when you like to be at the track, if you visualize be-

fore the competition, listen to music, anything you do habit-

ually. This will help you identify your arousal level and

make changes if necessary.

In terms of pre-meet warm-upthere is one issue that I want

to address. When I attend meets, I often see individuals

warming up much longer and harder than they do in prac-

tice in preparation for the meet. Please, do not be one of

these people. Competition is all about mimicking what you

have practiced. If you warm-up longer, your body will have

an increased range of motion, one that your technique is

not accustomed to. This increased range of motion can

change the timing of your throw, which in turn makes it

impossible to simply trust in your technique.

Training Mindset v. Trusting Mindset

Training MindsetWhere you analyze your performance as

you go.

Trusting MindsetWhere you use your skills, not your head.

When the Training mindset is turned on, performance

suffers. When you are in your pre-meet, dont get too

technical. Start to shut the mind off and get into the

rhythm of your throwing.


Concentration and Distraction

Key Details to Concentrate

on in Competition:

~ Your Arousal Level

~ Coachs Instructions

~ Visualizing the Timing of

the Throw

~ Staying in the Moment

~ Time until your next at-

tempt

Distractions:

~ Other Competitors

~ Spectators

~ Surrounding Landscape

~ Media/Photographers

~ Past Errors

~ Mind Drifting to Private

Life

~ Feeling hot and sweaty

~ Fear of taking a risk

~ Success

~ Technical Issues

Notes and Thoughts:

Notes and Thoughts

(cont.)

Air Force Academy Throwers Manual 2015-2016

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Transcript of Air Force Academy Throwers Manual 2015-2016