By far the most asked question we get is, "How do I get started in the Highland Games?"

First, however, I will answer the next most asked question...
No, you do not have to be Scottish to compete in the Games. Come and join us on the field and have fun.

The answer to the #1 question comes in several parts as seen below and is intended for those that have no experience with the Scottish Highland Games.

You get started in the Games by doing. This sounds silly but it is not. Pick something up and throw it. The key to success in the Games is dedication, weight lifting, nutrition, mental preparation and practice. Get familiar with throwing heavy things - then seek out training partners. What they show you will come much easier if you already have been handling heavy weight. You will also be much safer during your first few training sessions.

The Scottish Highland Games, by their very nature, are not for children. In all but a very few cases, a person should be at least 18 years old before competing in our Games.

The Highland Games requires strength in motion - not just strength. You need to develop muscle memory through thousands of repetitions. There have been lots of champions who were extraordinarily strong. There are no champions who did not also have extraordinary technique. The Games requires both in a finely tuned balance.

Only by frequent and consistant training will you gain that balance of technique and strength. Do not expect to achieve greatness in your first few Games. It may take years to perfect the balance. Get into a training program and stay with it.

Contrary to the common wisdom, our greatest strength is in our lower body. There is a lot of discussion as to whether the hip flexors are more important than the quads, etc. Those are the fine details. When just starting out, don't worry about the details too much. They are important but, when starting out, you need to work on the basics first.

Focus on the lower half of the body - leg presses, lunges, squats, etc. Get into a gym and get a trainer to show you the safe and correct way to do these lifts. Also focus on shrugs and high pulls. Bulid the traps as a supporting muscle group to help finish the throws.

Many experienced throwers have their own opinions about how much effort to put into which body part and how to throw the implements. This section is geared towards those with little or no experience in the Games. Once you have thrown a few Games, you can hook up with the more experienced throwers and learn from them.

In general, try not to go too heavy too soon. You will want to develop explosive power not slow pondering strength. I am not putting down those that can squat 800lbs. I am just saying there are no 800lb cabers in our sport. You want to lift enough to cause your body to grow and yet remain supple and explosive. If you do not know what is being said here, go to a gym and ask a trainer.

You get strong by getting weak. When you lift, you are creating micro tears in your muscles. The slight overload that causes those micro tears will trigger a response in the body to build your muscles stronger as they heal. You will need at least two days for recovery time after a heavy session (plus the proper nutients) before you should put a load on your healing muscles. Recovery takes even longer for older people. What does this mean? NEVER lift heavy the day (or two) before competition. Get a trainer with a good foundation in sports nutirition.

OK, there are people that lift before comp. They are very experienced athletes and know when and how to lift just before comp. You are probably new to lifting and your muscles are not well trained.

This also goes for deep tissue massages. These break down problems in your muscle groups and can cause you to "misfire" on comp day. I know, I have done it. Comp was three days after a deep tissue session and I simply could not explode. Work with your massage therapist to decide what type of massage is appropriate just before comp.

Speaking of recovery, always take at least two days off (or more based on your body) for each muscle group after a heavy session. Give your body time to heal (recover) before the next session. I had a good friend that kept losing strength. It turns out he was doing heavy sessions 2 or 3 days in a row. Lifting more does not make you stronger. Finding the correct balance between heavy sessions and recovery will.

This leads to the dreaded topic of drugs. We have a zero tolerance on performance enhancing drugs. Some drugs will help you shorten your recovery time. Some help on comp day. Simply put, DO NOT take them. You will get caught and you will get banned. Drugs are not welcome in the Scottish Highland Games. Be advised.

Focus on lower body until you can hook up with an experienced athlete who can take you to the next step.

Proper nutrition is critical for proper recovery and general health. However, this is the wrong forum to discuss this very complex topic. Suffice it to say, learn about nutrition from someone that is an expert.

You have to think like a winner to be a winner. Many Games have been won by the very last throw of the day. If you think you can win, often you will. If you think you will lose, you most certainly will. There are some very good books and tapes that can help with mental preparation for winning.

Your physical health affects your mental preparation. You will certainly be injured at some point in your throwing career. Usually it involves simple muscle aches and sprains. Pracitice good health care with your health care provider to ensure you are healthy enough to be on the field. If you are not healthy, your mental state can slip into the loser mindset.

There might be times that you are too injured or ill to throw. Knowing when to throw or not is a very personal decision. We do not provide advice on this issue. If you are not certain that you are fit, always consult a medical professional.

Throw something. Oh yes, proper technique is imperative but so is just plain learning how to make something fly through the air and land far, far away. Obviously, it is best to throw with proper implements with proper coaching. Acquiring proper implements will come in time. So will proper coaching.

If you are in school, go out for the Field events - especially the Shot Put. You will learn a lot about strength in motion and gain competiton experience.

There are some very good makers of Highland Games implements that can be found on the Internet. The implements are expensive but are worth it once you have decided to endure the sweat, strain and pain of learning how to throw well.

In the interim, get some cheap weight plates and bolt or weld them together with some chain and throw them.

Coaching is very important. Most people who are willing to coach; however, also want to train for their own competitions and only have so much time to devote to teaching you. You will find that the Scottish Athletes are willing to share their time and their hard won technique tips. Most will let you practice with them and will spend a small portion of the session teaching you.

Do not expect them to give over their training session and dedicate themselves to you. And, NEVER NEVER NEVER stand up your training partner. We all have spent many hours going to the field and waiting for the hot young person that was so excited at the Games and wanted to learn from us only to be stood up. If you do not want to make the commitment and are not dedicated, don't ask for help.

So, how do you find someone to train with? Come to the Games, pay your entry fee for the Novice class and stand on the field with the other Novices and learn. Watch the more experienced throwers. Approach them during lunch or after the Games and ask for their help. Also, your judge may not be your friend during competition but he or she will be a great source of help getting started and can hook you up with others in your area after the competition.

This leads us back to where we started. You get started by doing. Look at the schedule of Games for the year. Check out the next Games with a Novice ("C") class. Cobble up a light weight for distance (28# for men and 14# for women), go to someplace where putting dents in the lawn will not get you (and us by association) in trouble, be very very safety conscious and throw the daylights out of your weight.

Sign up for your first Games and come throw. Forget about looking like a seasoned thrower. Few do. Just come, throw heavy stuff and have fun. You will learn and grow by doing.

One final point. The Scottish Highland Games and the Scottish community in general are a family-oriented, fun-loving bunch of people. Be polite and respectful. Be willing to learn. Almost everyone on the field will have more experience than you. Even if you are stronger, you can probably learn from them.  Come to your first Games ready to learn and ready to put in your time like we did.

You will find that it is usually the same people who drive the truck with the implements to the various fields around the tri-state area all year long. They, and very few others, unload the truck and setup the field. The same dedicated few take the implements from the field and then reload the truck at the end of the day- often while athletes are sitting nearby enjoying a cold beverage.

When you are new to the Games, ask how to help unload/load the truck. You will find that you get far more help with your training if you just help unload or load the truck. We want to get to the cold beverages too and will be happy to share tips and tricks with you once the truck is loaded and the work is done.