What did we learn from Darrell Hill on the Throws Show? Perhaps the biggest thing is that he is going to break the world record. Darrell is confident. He is confident in his ability, he is confident in his training system, and he is confident that the long term process will yield a world record mark.
One of the main reasons we were so excited to have Darrell on the Throws Show is that we think he is severely under acknowledged for both his accomplishments as well as his potential to be the top the shot putter of all-time. One of the main reasons we have full confidence he can achieve this is because of the outlook he has on training, his approach to competition, and his belief in himself. Perhaps the greatest indicator of Darrell’s incredible capacity as an athlete is where he has come from. He wasn’t a 70 foot shot putter in high school (he barely broke 60 feet), and he didn’t have a giant leap to success either. He has shown a steady climb in distance from his freshman year in college through to the present day, adding at most 1.5m to his throw in a year. There’s no reason to say this won’t continue. Here are three insights from Darrell:
1. Be a Sponge
Want to know how you make constant progress and become the best in the world? Never stop learning, or in Darrell’s words, “Be the spongiest sponge that ever sponged!” There are tons of resources available today with YouTube and Instagram where everyone can have access to what the best throwers and coaches in the world are doing. Over and over again Darrell harped on how he is constantly trying to take in new information. It doesn’t mean that you have to try everything that you hear, but by receiving the information, your perspective and intellect is widened. Being open minded and progressive is one reason Darrell is able to maintain his constant progression.
2. Have a Plan
Darrell recalled his experience at the 2016 Olympic Trials where his coach at the time Art Venegas helped him prepare for every aspect of the competition. “Adam Nelson is going to scream and rip his shirt off. The competition started and Adam screamed and ripped his shirt off.” By being prepared and having a plan for every little thing the competition could throw at him, his focus on himself was never shaken. If you were watching him at the trials, he wasn’t phased by anything. He knew what he had to do and that’s all he did. He didn’t talk to over people, he didn’t get caught up in the pre-competition hype or big warm up throws, he just did Darrell. “It was all the plan, the plan, the plan.” He stuck to the plan and came away with a monster 21.63m throw and a trip to Rio.
3. Believe.
Darrell talked a lot about the belief and confidence he has in his training system. The fact the he has had three primary coaches from college to the present day (Pat Ebel, Art Venegas, and now Greg Garza) is a testament to his open mindedness and willingness to work as a team to reach his goals. However, he explained how it wasn’t necessarily an easy process transitioning coaches, as it took time for him to fully understand the coach’s system and for his coach to understand his tendencies and feelings in the circle. Once that trust is built however, the team is unstoppable. Along with the belief he has in his training system is the trust he has in the long-term goal. He doesn’t need to throw far at every point in the season, but only when he needs to throw far. In the beginning of the season he believes his training system will get him where he needs to go, and at the end of the season that his training has him fully prepared for what he needs to do in that moment. Lastly, there is no doubt that Darrell believes in himself. He said it himself that he is going to break the world record, and we could tell he believes he can do it. The first step is believing in yourself. If you don’t first believe you can reach your goals, you’ve already failed.
A huge thanks again to Darrell for coming on the Throws Show! He is an absolute beast physically AND mentally, and we believe he can break the world record. Go follow him on Instagram, and remember to believe in your preparation, believe in your coach, and most importantly believe in yourself.
Watch the Episode HERE!