The number in my mind right now is 85 metres.
That is the level my coach Kathrin Klaas and I believe I can reach within the next two years. It is an ambitious target, but everything we are doing at the moment is aimed at getting there.
We are not looking for quick fixes or one big throw. We are trying to build a technique that can deliver consistently at the highest level for years to come.
That process takes time.
A learning experience
This season has been a real learning experience because we are still working through technical changes. There have been encouraging moments, but also some frustrating ones. The most important thing is that the technique is becoming more stable and I can feel the progress in training.
The start of my season showed exactly why patience is needed. My first competition in Halle on 16 May was disappointing. I threw 77.64m and, to be honest, almost everything went the opposite way to how I wanted it to. I arrived wanting to show what I was capable of and instead had one of those days where nothing seemed to come together.
A week later, things looked very different. In Fränkisch-Crumbach, I threw 81.27m and immediately felt much more relaxed and comfortable in the circle. That performance showed me what is possible when the technique starts to come together naturally.
The biggest challenge with changing technique is not only the physical side but also the mental side. For months I had to think about every detail, every movement and every position in the circle. Sometimes my body felt good, but my mind was exhausted from constantly processing technical information.
Now it is starting to become more natural. I still need to be aware of where my body is in the circle, but more and more of the movement is becoming automatic. That is one of the reasons why the throws are becoming more consistent.
Consistency is really the key for me. One day I could throw over 80 metres and another day be far below that level. The goal is to remove those big variations and make the technique reliable enough to perform well every time I step into the circle.
Letting off steam in Norway
There have been mixed feelings during the early part of the season. After Fränkisch-Crumbach I competed again in Bergen.
The result was close to 80 metres, but I was tired from travelling and from competing three times within a short period. I didn't feel as relaxed as I had in Germany and I struggled to find the same rhythm.
Still, Bergen was a great experience away from the competition itself. I had the chance to enjoy the city and visit one of the famous harbour saunas.
Jumping into the cold sea after sitting in the sauna was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Bergen is a beautiful city and it was nice to switch off from athletics for a while.
Birmingham and beyond
Now my focus is back on training and continuing to build towards the bigger goals.
The European Athletics Championships will be incredibly competitive. Athletes such as Mykhaylo Kokhan and Yann Chaussinand have already thrown beyond 82 metres this year, and there are several others capable of producing huge performances on any given day.
But I try not to spend too much time thinking about what everyone else is doing.
My focus is on the process. If I can continue to stabilise the technique and keep making progress with Kathrin, I believe 85 metres is possible within the next two years. That remains the target that motivates me every day in training.
Everything we are doing now is about building towards that mark.
Germany's Merlin Hummel is the world silver medallist for the men's hammer and a regular columnist for European Athletics