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10: Bring your own jump rope. Not having the rope you are used to practicing with can make a big difference.
10: Bring your own jump rope. Not having the rope you are used to practicing with can make a big difference.
9: Get there early. You aren’t going to get any sleep the night before anyway, so you might as well take your time in the morning.
8: Bring a support crew. You don’t want to be carrying chairs, coolers, bags or whatever on competition day. This is just one less thing to worry about. Most friends are happy to help with this. Have them take lots of pictures and video. The pictures will be fun to look at when it is all over.
7: Check out the pull up bars before your heat. They are probably going to be a different diameter than the bar you are used to. If they are thinner than you are used to, you are probably going to pull yourself up too high until you get used to it. Try a couple pull ups before your heat gets called.
6: Stand right outside the competition area before your heat gets called. As soon as they call you, sign in, and grab a good spot. What’s a good spot? Usually near the edge of the competition area (so your buddies can cheer you on) and with a “forgiving judge”. You’ll be able to pick these out pretty quickly. Don’t end up with the feminazi judge who takes away 10 of your 30 reps because she is on a power trip.
5: Have someone count out loud from your support crew. Judges lose count. A lot. Having someone standing next to you counting out loud can prevent a lot of problems.
4: Take a look at the events once they are announced. Figure out what clothes you need to wear. Socks, Oly shoes, long sleeve shirt…. whatever. Lay everything out and organize it. It should be easy to find in your bag.You aren’t going to have a lot of space to spread out, so you need to be able to find your stuff fast. Mess around with taping your wrists and hands in the weeks prior. Know how you like to tape your hands.
3: Once you are assigned a judge, do a couple reps of each movement with him. Have him let you know what he is looking for. Do a couple in a row with speed. Make sure you are on the same page.
2: Don’t do anything different. Maltodextrin on game day? Maybe…. but this isn’t the time to try it out. You should know exactly what you are eating on game day- and have tried it many times before.
1: Have fun. Take the scene in. You aren’t a professional athlete. Don’t be the guy who takes themselves too seriously.
