Levels of Athlete Commitment in Olympic Weightlifting

Probably every athlete starts out with very little idea of what it takes to be successful in a sport and to a large extent it is the responsibility of coaches to drip feed this knowledge when opportunities present.

Where are you in this athlete commitment structure?

The Level 1 Olympic Weightlifting Athlete

  • Finds interest in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting and generally responds well to being coached
  • Attendance at training is not regular and suffers too frequently from life events and other motivations
  • Purpose of training is not Olympic Weightlifting specific, i.e. engages in Olympic Weightlifting to make progress in another sport
  • Does not have a plan for participating in Olympic Weightlifting competitions through the year
  • Has difficulty completing their Olympic Weightlifting training program due to lack of productivity or lack of attendance
  • Not yet keeping a Olympic Training log or possessing any records of personal bests
  • Is not aware of the need to support other Olympic Weightlifting Club Athletes or help out at Olympic Weightlifting competitions

The Level 2 Athlete

  • Developing an increasing interest in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting and responds well to formal and informal athlete education processes
  • Competes in Olympic Weightlifting competitions when advised
  • Attends training on a reasonably regular basis but absences from training are not notified in advance or adequately explained.
  • Follows a training program but implementation of the program lacks discipline
  • Training suffers too often from poor self-management or lifestyle choices
  • Does not engage in self-monitoring (records of training [training log], personal bests or body weight checks)
  • Helps out at Olympic Weightlifting competitions if requested
  • Beginning to identify as a club athlete and working with other athletes

The Level 3 Athlete

  • Displays an intrinsic love of Olympic Weightlifting and a high level of motivation to learn about the sport
  • Possesses long-term goals in the sport
  • Attends training regularly, absences from training are adequately explained and alternative training arrangements are made if a training session is missed
  • Demonstrates good productivity in training and respects the need to work at improving their own training process
  • Engage in self-monitoring (keeping a log, personal bests record, regular body weight measurement and recording)
  • Constructs a plan for participating in Olympic Weightlifting competitions through the calendar year (one of which is a National Olympic Weightlifting Championship)
  • Monitors and manages effectively their daily needs for nutrition, sleep and recovery
  • Is highly supportive of fellow Olympic weightlifting athletes in training
  • Always available to help out at Olympic Weightlifting competitions in any capacity (official, coaching, competition set-up, etc) if they take place in their domiciled region or if they are competing in same event.
  • Represents their state/region in a national event, or has a likelihood of doing so,

The Level 4 Athlete

  • Displays an intrinsic love of Olympic Weightlifting and a total commitment to being the best athlete they can be.
  • Committed to achieving high-performance goals (e.g. Olympic Weightlifting National Team Selection)
  • Frequency and regularity of training reflects high performance goals
  • Demonstrates exemplary productivity in training and works hard to maximise opportunities for improvement in their training process.
  • Engages in self-monitoring (keeping a log, personal bests record, regular body weight measurement and recording)
  • Works to a year plan of competitions which include national and international events
  • Totally dedicated to monitoring and managing their daily needs for nutrition, sleep and recovery.
  • Support of fellow club athletes is genuine but limited by their need to maintain a focus on their own training activity.
  • Available to help out at Olympic Weightlifting competitions in any capacity (official, coaching, competition set-up, etc) where it does not clash with national or international events or training camps and is in their domiciled region.

Special Book Deal

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Click the above picture for more information on the 406 page book "Coaching Weightlifting Illustrated", ISBN-13: 9780646850634

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