15 Tips for Peaking in the Throws

Physical, Mental, and Emotional Preparation

Physical Preparation

Performance is controlled by both physical and mental preparation.

Expose athletes to performance indicators that correlate with competition performance. Changes in training performance that directly relate to a specific event are good indicators of competition outcomes.

In sports, the more an athlete performs actions correctly, the more likely they are to replicate those actions under stress.

Success is the result of repeated failures and learning from past mistakes. A Chicago Tribune article referenced Michael Jordan’s success and failure in a Nike advertisement. Jordan stated, “I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed” (Zorn, 2018).

Athletes who are concerned about fouling attempts in field events—because they frequently foul in training—will likely foul in competition. Changing practice behavior from frequent fouling to mostly fair attempts will reduce the likelihood of fouling in competition. Just like Michael Jordan, the more practice shots he makes in competition-like scenarios, the more likely he is to make the big shot in a game.

Athletes will increase their belief in success as a result of better preparation.

Mental and Emotional Preparation

In addition to changing behavior, athletes need to use positive self-talk and mental imagery to build and maintain self-confidence. Positive self-talk promotes competency and encourages an optimal emotional state during competition. It can be internal or spoken softly to reinforce a positive mindset.

The athlete’s emotional state may require the use of “mood words” to achieve the optimal level of arousal for performance and to help maintain control of the situation.

The ideal mental and physical state for optimal performance relates to the concept of flow in sports (Jackson & Csikszentmihalyi, 1992). Flow represents a harmonious integration of mind and body, merging cognition and action into a nearly automatic, effortless performance.

Appropriate thoughts and actions during competition help athletes stay focused and perform at a high level.

Schmidt (2019) stated, “Physical practice is just one way to rehearse a task. Several methods not involving physical rehearsal have also been shown to enhance learning. Observation of a human model provides objective information that learners can use to organize their thinking about the task. Mental practice and imagery reflect important methods to undertake this organization of thoughts” (Chapter 10).

Athletes gain self-confidence by understanding their strengths, watching videos that reinforce technical skills, and consistently using mental imagery and positive self-talk.

For example, to improve athletes’ psychological skills, coaches implemented a mental imagery program during practice sessions:

“We had a staff member videotape every jump for every athlete during the training period. In the evenings, we conducted mental training sessions where we showed both good and bad video clips to each athlete and asked them to visualize correct jumping movements by eliminating incorrect ones. We found that repeatedly visualizing correct movements helped athletes build self-confidence as well” (Wang & Zhang, 2015, p. 65).

Mental Imagery Training

According to Wang and Zhang (2015), “the goal of mental imagery training is to enhance the correct images of designated movement structures so that the brain can send precise neurological signals to the muscles, which can then perform coordinated and intended movements” (p. 67).

Mental imagery can reinforce motor skills, correct errors, and develop complex movement patterns. It also helps athletes stay focused on proper technique and maintain emotional control during competition.

Schmidt (2019) stated, “Evidence from various experiments has demonstrated convincingly that mental practice procedures generate motor learning. Although mental practice does not result in as much learning as the same amount of physical practice, it results in far more improvement than no practice at all” (Chapter 10).

Note: Studies suggest an increase in strength levels when mental imagery is combined with physical training due to improvements in neural pathway efficiency and motor programming (Yue & Cole, 1992; Mulder, 2007).

Mental Rehearsal During Practice

Schmidt (2019) stated, “To increase both effectiveness and efficiency, it would make sense to insert periods of mental practice or observation during rest between trials or sessions. Rather than seeing rest as lost time, these intervals can be used productively to enhance motor learning while athletes recover from fatigue” (Chapter 10).

Schmidt (2019) also wrote, “Mixing physical practice with periods of demonstration, observation, or mental practice likely has positive effects on motivation. These periods allow for reflective thinking about what occurred during practice and how improvements can be made in the next performance opportunity” (Chapter 10).

Athletes improve retention through consistent practice and a structured approach that reinforces movement rehearsal. Both physical and mental rehearsal of complex movements should be part of every athlete’s routine. Athletes can repeat coaching cues as they mentally or physically prepare to execute movements.

Athletes must focus on controllable factors rather than those outside their control. Consistent attention to technical details, along with positive reflection and the elimination of negative thoughts, allows athletes to better manage their cognitive processes.

Focus on the skill or technique
Use imagery to reinforce correct movements
Reflect on successful performances
Prepare for all controllable factors

Athletes can learn to transform negative thoughts into positive ones:
“We asked each athlete to list possible negative external stimuli and then develop positive replacements. With consistent mental practice, athletes learned cognitive restructuring techniques” (Wang & Zhang, 2015, p. 66).

Research shows that while all forms of practice improve performance, combining mental and physical practice produces superior results (Jeannerod, 1994).

On a neuroanatomical level, physically performing or imagining an action activates overlapping brain areas (with reduced activation during imagery) (Decety, 1996).

Olympic Athletes and Mental Rehearsal

The following statistics are based on research involving national- and international-level track and field athletes, including Olympians (Ungerleider & Golding, 1991):

Over 40% practiced mental rehearsal two to six times per week
Most used imagery before competition; nearly 30% used it during practice
Nearly 50% visualized their personal best performance

There are two primary types of mental rehearsal:

1. Visual (External) Imagery – “Video View”
Athletes see themselves from a third-person perspective, like watching a video. This focuses on positions and movement patterns without emotional or sensory input.

2. Kinesthetic (Internal) Imagery – “Inside View”
Athletes feel the movement and environment, engaging sensory and emotional components. This form is more closely linked to performance quality in elite athletes (Raiola & Di Tore, 2017).

Athletes were distributed as follows:

~30% visual imagery
~30% kinesthetic imagery
~40% combination of both

Most athletes mentally rehearsed movements 10–50 times per session.

66% reported moderately to very clear imagery
Over 20% reported extremely vivid imagery
69% experienced strong emotional connections to imagery

Research consistently shows that kinesthetic imagery is more effective due to greater sensory involvement and brain activation (Mulder, 2007).

Field Events vs. Running Events

Field event athletes are more likely to use mental rehearsal compared to runners:

97% of throwers
86% of jumpers

Field event athletes also report stronger physical sensations during imagery, likely due to the technical precision and body awareness required.

Olympians vs. Non-Olympians

Olympians demonstrate:

Greater environmental awareness during imagery
Stronger physical sensations
13% higher usage of mental practice strategies in competition

Olympic Games and Mental Imagery

Research shows that mental preparation is essential for elite performance. Successful Olympic athletes consistently use mental imagery and positive self-talk as part of their preparation. They tend to be confident, focused, and emotionally controlled (Gould et al., 1999).

Key strategies include:

Enjoying the Olympic experience
Learning from past Olympians
Using stress management techniques

Additional research confirms that psychological strategies are critical to overall training (Durand-Bush & Salmela, 2002; Gould, Dieffenbach, & Moffett, 2002). Athletes who achieve “relaxed concentration” can reach peak performance when it matters most (Jackson & Csikszentmihalyi, 1999).

“If Olympic athletes have excellent technical and physical abilities but lack psychological control, they will most likely fail to perform their best in highly competitive environments” (Wang & Zhang, 2015, pp. 59–60).