Track & Field is about competition--finding what makes you tick, and how far you can throw, jump or fast you can run. In the throws, and the jumps, a great first competitive throw or jump can put big pressure on the rest of the field. Here are some suggestions on how to get a good throw early in the competition.

Throwing Well in Competition
At the 1976 Olympic Games, a young Hungarian thrower, Miklos Nemeth, was about to compete in the Men's Javelin throw. Miklos Nemeth was a young man with much pressure on him. The son of the 1948 Olympic Hammer Gold medalist, Imre Nemeth, Miklos had dealt with the pressures of being the child of a great athlete.

In 1968 and in 1972, he had failed to live up to his country's dreams and by 1976, he was not considered a favorite.

But, something happened on the way to the javelin competition. Nemeth was given the first throw of the competition.

The pictures from the meet tell the story. Nemeth came up to the runway and began his run. His form was perfect, and as he released the javelin he almost did a 360 degree turn as he stopped himself from fouling his throw. After his turn around he looke up, and he looked up again and then jumped for sheer joy--he had broken the world record by six feet!

None of his competition recovered from his great first throw. And Miklos Nemeth went on to win the 1976 Olympic gold in the Men's Javelin.

Now, while we are not all Olympic champions, or the sons or daughters of Olympic champions, we can learn from them in and use the tips to improve our competition.

So, here we go:

1. Before the competition, make sure that you are warmed up completely. Get there an hour before, do some light jogging and spend the time stretching, both lower body, core and upper body.

2. Get in as many practice throws as you can, make those internal checks-am I feeling right? Are my shoes fitting, tied? How do I feel holding the discus? the shot? Am I ready to throw?

3. As you go to the ring, or to the runway, focus your thoughts, think of only the task at hand, and relax. Take a deep breath, focus and begin your throw.

4. As you finish your throw or jump, remember to complete the throw and walk out the back of the ring, in a jump make sure that you lean forward and in the javelin, stay behind the line!

5. To develop your mental skills, spend five minutes every night before going to sleep telling yourself that you will throw or jump your best in your next competition. Tell yourself that I am the smoothest thrower that I can be."

6. Competition is really self discovery. Perhaps you will find out that you are not a first throw athlete, that you develop over the competition, and that your last throw is your best. Great, then work on that , but remember, you will never know how good you can be if you do not give it your all!

For more information on training, and the throws, please go to www.coacheseducation.com