Motivating the new lifter - the message.

New lifter in the training hall. Two weeks in and the lifter discovers that it's not possible to lift as much as the New Zealand rep on the next platform. (really!). Or finds the snatch and clean technique tough to master. Or is intimidated by the skilled and powerful lifters around them. 

Not a new situation for many athletes and coaches meet it regularly. So what's the central message?

Well, I find it useful to remind the lifter - "Remember, even a world record holder had to lift the bar for the first time." [for 'bar' read 'golf club', 'tennis racquet', 'basketball' and so on]. It's often worth inviting the novice to ask a skilled performer how they felt when they first started. It can be reassuring.

(photo source: Hugh Lawrence collection)