Spotter

A spotter is someone trained to look for something. The term has the following special meanings.

Spotter (auto racing)

A spotter in auto racing is a trained team member whose job is to relay information to their driver, keeping them alert of what is occurring on the track. They are typically positioned high above the track, atop one of the grandstands, or other support buildings, with a bird's eye view of the circuit. Spotters keep in constant contact with their drivers via two-way radio communication. Spotters are considered the drivers' "eyes" and are one of the more notable, yet simple, safety measures adopted by professional auto racing in the past two decades.

History and facts

Spotters became commonplace in NASCAR and CART in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Two-way communication between the driver and pit crew began in the 1970s and early 1980s, however, all communication was based in the pit area, and was primarily to discuss pit stop strategy and mechanical problems with the cars. No tracks had video boards, and monitors carrying the satellite feeds of the race telecast (which is standard in the pit areas nowadays) was still decades away. Pit crews notably had very little information on what was going on out on the track, outside of what they could observe firsthand from the pits.

Spotting (weight training)

Spotting in weight or resistance training, is the act of supporting another person during a particular exercise, with an emphasis on allowing the participant to lift or push more than they could normally do safely.

Correct spotting involves knowing when to intervene and assist with a lift, and encouraging a training partner to push beyond the point in which they would normally 'rack' the weight (return it to its stationary position).

Spotting is particularly prevalent when performing the bench press. Because of the risks of lifting a heavy weight in the supine position, a lifter will often ask for a spot unless he or she is completely confident that the lift will not be failed. While a spotter may prevent injury, a lifter may become too dependent on the spotter, and not realize the degree that the spotter is assisting them. This is sometimes jocularly referred to as the "two man bench press".

Another exercise in which spotters are recommended is the barbell squat. Squats should be spotted by two spotters, one at each end of the bar. In the event of a missed lift, each spotter hooks an elbow under the end of the bar, and takes the plates in both hands. Care must be taken to keep the assistance balanced and coordinated to avoid uneven deloading of the weight and possible torsion injury. If two spotters are unavailable, a single spotter can assist by taking some of the weight off the bar allowing the lifter to return the weight to the rack. Unlike other exercises this exercise does not present much of a chance for the spotters to assist the lifter, as the spotters only intercede in the event of a missed lift.