Shot Put

Daegu 2011 - Women's Shot Put by Tarsier1
Shot put is an Olympic field event that requires you to throw a cannon ball like object made of metal as far as possible. The shot put has weight requirements but are different for people ages 19 and younger or 50 and older. The average shot put weighs 7.26 kg for men and 4 kg for women. The shot put circle that you either glide, shuffle, or spin on is 7 ft in diameter. While throwing the shot put, you can start as far back in the circle as you want but you have to stop before the toe board. If you step on or over the toe board, fall out of the circle, leave before they call mark, or throw the shot put out of the vector, you throw will not be measured or counted.
     To get better at throwing the shot put, most athletes do weight lifting. Squatting and benching are some of the most common weight exercises. While throwing, you have to be quick and on the balls of your feet with quick hip like thrusts to get the shot put to go as far as possible. Technique is very crucial in this event because if you do one thing wrong with your throw, you can hurt your shoulder, wrist, leg, etc. Out of all of these events, shot put is my all time favorite.
What is the best form to use, glide, shuffle, or spin?

Discus

Discus was originated and Greece and was watched to look at the athletes coordination, grace, and physical strength while throwing. It started off just for men and the weight depended on whether you were a boy or a man. The typical discus weighed around 13 lbs. Women didn't throw the discus in the Olympics till 1928.
Today, boys in high school throw a disc that is about 1.5 kg and girls throw 1 kg. Depending on a mans age, the discus will vary in weight while for women it will stay 1 kg. You are constricted
to a circle that is 8 ft 2 in. in diameter. While throwing, you start off facing the opposite way you throw. You then turn counter-clockwise (for right hand people) and do one and a half turns before releasing your throw. While releasing your throw, you want to keep your head pointing up as in looking at the sky and your arm being the last body part to come forward. You want to snap your hips to get the greatest strength and motion for the best throw possible.
You have a total of three throws, each will not be measured though. They keep markers in the vector and if you throw shorter the second time they will not be moving your marker, unless your throw goes farther. Your throw is measured from the spot your discus first hits the ground and goes to the front edge of the circle.
What can you do to make sure your arm stays back before you release the discus for the full snap with your head up high?

Javelin

      Throwing has four different events, Shotput, Discus, Javelin and Hammer. Since Hammer is not allowed to be an event in Massachusetts, I will be mainly focusing on the others. Javelin is the first event I will be covering. The javelin was first used as as offensive weapon rather than an instrument for the sport. When athletes got a hold of the javelin, they were lighter than the war ones since they were focused more on distance rather than killing their opponent.
       The javelin is a spear like object that is different weights between boys and girls. Men throw javelins with lengths between 8 ft 6 in and 8 ft 10 in with the weight of 800 g (28 oz).  Women on the other hand have javelins between 7 ft 3 in and 7 ft 7 in with a weight of 600 g (21 oz). While throwing, you have to hold the grip and throw over hand. Instead of being confined to a cirle, javelin throwers have a runway that is around 98 ft in length and 13 ft wide. To have the thow not count, you either throw the javelin where the tip lands outside the vector or if while throwing your feet pass the throwing line.
      The javelin was also redesigned on April 1, 1986, so that the flight would be shorter because when the world record was established, it became dangerous in flight.
Do you know a better technique to help you stay behind the line while throwing?

Welcome to my Blog

        Welcome to my Throwing Blog! Throwing is a big part of my life. I started as a freshman and my love for the sport grew from there. Over the past two seasons, I have been to states twice and have qualified for all of the meets that my school has offered. Earning 2 metals, 4 ribbons, 2 varsity letters, and a spot as captain as a junior, I have grown as a player. I joined the throwing team to explore my other options for sports. When I first started, I thought that it was going to be a walk in the park. I was definitely wrong. Learning the proper form and technique was just the beginning of a long hard journey. Being an individual kind of sport, it helps to have all of your teammates around you cheering you on and helping you succeed.
       The reason I chose throwing as my blog topic is to get other people interested in this sport. It requires a lot of practice, determination, and concentration, but being able to get all your frustrations out with the art of Shotput, Discus, or Javelin helps to get me through school.