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Meeting Your Expectations
At the beginning of the fall semester, I gave each of my throwers a jar full of marbles and two notecards. The jar contained 24 marbles. Each marble represents a week of the season. The last marble to be pulled out of the jar a week before our outdoor conference championships. Essentially each week we either move ourselves closer or farther away from our goals. That is where the note cards come into play. On one note card I asked each thrower to share their goals for the upcoming season - what they wanted to accomplish and why it was important to them. I’m writing this article on Tuesday, December 21, 2021. Our fall semester went relatively quickly. Our throwers competed in two meets, and overall competed very well. We did throw through some growing pains, but unfortunately I think that can be expected from time to time. And not from new throwers, but from experienced throwers as well. Meeting Your Expectations When one experiences set-backs like this, in my humble opinion it comes down to expectations. What were you expecting was going to happen? Did your work and effort leading up to the meet warrant those expectations? Those were two questions I asked a couple of my throwers after our first indoor meet. What were you expecting was going to happen? This question often comes with an unequivocal look of disbelief. I can’t believe coach just asked me that question. Of course I expected to throw far. When I get that response, I follow up with this. Did your work and effort leading up to the meet warrant those expectations? Now I’m making them think a little bit. As a coach you need to know your audience and in this case your athlete. I feel comfortable asking these types of questions because we spend time discussing these topics during the season (before practice, during practice, after practice). I am a HUGE proponent of being a reflective thrower. In this instance, journaling and keeping a detailed journal adds support (to either the coach or thrower) when a discussion about work and effort comes into play. When I’m presented with a blank journal with a blank look that accompanies it, I have come to realize that 99% of throwers will look back on the semester and really think about it. That other 1% doesn’t, and when presented with ideas about training they really don’t have much to discuss or care to discuss. When reflecting back on the fall semester, it is ok if you didn’t meet your own expectations. I understand. Life happens is the response I’ve grown to hear most often the past few years I’ve coached. Make life happen for you. With about 19 weeks left of the season, there is plenty of time to make life happen for you. How will you reorganize your priorities so you aren’t sitting at the conference meet in May and thinking about what I should have done differently? You can put a lot of pieces in place NOW to ensure your spring semester lives up to your expectations.
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Fall 2021 Semester Thoughts
And just like that, the fall semester has come to a close. Our athletes have returned home for a much deserved and needed break. As coaches we plan and plan and plan for a semester and in the blink of an eye it is over. In all honesty I wasn’t sure what to expect this fall semester with so many new throwers joining the team. In total we had 11 throwers this semester. Five freshmen and six returning throwers. I didn’t know what to expect because you never know how a group of individuals are going to come together as a TEAM. It became quite evident early on that they were going to get along just fine. Now that isn’t to say that there weren’t some hiccups along the way, but for the majority of the semester we were able to put together a solid string of training sessions that produced nice throws at Houghton College and Utica College at the end of the semester. As I’ve written previously, when the weather turned we were only able to practice indoors on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. A much more reasonable set up compared to training from 8:30pm - 10:30pm last spring semester. In my opinion, the most difficult part of the competitive season begins - winter break. It isn’t difficult in the sense of being away from the throwers, but how the throwers spend their time when they are away. Essentially, all the great work that has been completed this fall semester can quickly become unraveled if the throwers don’t keep up with their training regimens. I understand that it may be difficult to throw over break. In my four years at SUNY Fredonia, I never brought home a weight or shot to train with over the winter break. Now that I think about it, I’m not quite sure I was able to bring one home. What I was able to continue building upon was my strength levels. My younger brother and I got winter break gym memberships at a local powerlifting type gym and made a lot of growth over the five weeks we were home together. At that time, we didn’t do much of anything besides go train at the gym and play video games while we were home for break. He was a freshman and I was a senior, the perfect training partner. Holistic Coaching: Propelling Towards Greatness Overview
______________________________________________________________________ Scheduling a free mentoring meeting Scheduling a mentoring session is the first step on your journey towards propelling yourself towards greatness. This 30 minute session will provide you with an overview of a true time tested goal-setting journey that will propel you towards achieving your goals. In this session, Dr. Infurna will share mental conditioning strategies that can be incorporated into your daily training sessions such as; the skill of focus, time management, confidence building, positive self-talk, goal-setting, and increased self-efficacy. Dr. Infurna will illuminate a path that will allow you to see where you want to go by discussing realistic and actionable steps down your path towards greatness. Create a customized roadmap that will direct you towards your goals With Dr. Infurna, you will illuminate a path that will allow you to see where you want to go by discussing realistic and actionable steps to be taken down your path towards greatness. Dr. Infurna will take you down a reflective journey of understanding where you were previously in your throwing journey, bring a sense of awareness of your current throwing situation, and inspire a vision of where you can take your throwing successes. We’ll travel on your journey together Through continued mentoring sessions, Dr. Infurna will continue to illuminate your path towards greatness. Each mentoring session will consist of a discussion focused on your path; accountability, what has gone well, what could be improved upon, and strategies to support you on your journey. I’m really excited to announce that I will be offering a free 30 minute Holistic Coaching and Mentoring Consultation session for throwers this year. I’ve been thinking about putting together an opportunity like this for quite some time. My approach to coaching and how I work with my athletes is more outside-the-box than what we might consider more traditional coaching methods. I emphasize more time spent focused on the mental aspects of throwing, which has led the throwers I’ve coached to achieve unprecedented success. Throwers that I’ve mentored have accomplished these outcomes:
Holistic Throwing Consultation
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You want to throw farther, right? Are you focusing on the mental aspects of throwing as well? Are you aware that by training the mental aspects of throwing you are preparing yourself to unlock your true greatness. If you want to throw farther by analyzing your mental training as well as your physical training then this opportunity is for you. This free 30 minute consultation with Dr. Infurna is for the thrower that wants to harness their physical and mental aspects to throwing. In this free consultation, Dr. Infurna will:
You will be contacted by Dr. Infurna within 48 hours of selecting this holistic approach to coaching consultation. You and Dr. Infurna will then schedule a time to speak via phone, Zoom, or Skype. Dr. Infurna will also email you his mindset and goal-setting strategies that will be discussed during your call. Over my 10+ years of coaching high-school, collegiate, and post-collegiate has provided meaningful insights into the types of physical and psychological traits required to accomplish one’s goals. It is in this process that I have refined my approach to coaching which provides throwers both the physical and mental cues required towards achieving one’s goals.
This specific free 30 minute coaching/mentoring consultation meeting with me, Dr. Charles Infurna, includes the following:
I will share strategies and tips that I have incorporated with my throwers over the past decade that has led them down a path of accomplishing their goals. |
Dr. Charles InfurnaCharles Infurna, Ed.D., is the owner and lead coach of Forza Athletics Track Club. Dr. Infurna has coached National Record Holders, National Champions, All-Americans, and Conference Champions at the Post-Collegiate, Collegiate, and High School level. Archives
January 2023
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