shot put technique

7/30/2019 Shot Put Technique

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

The shot put has been an Olympic event since the inaugural Games of 1896

in Rome. Its a sport that requires technique as well as strength, and changes in

throwing style have since led to significant gains in the power of the thrower and the

distances achieved.

2.0 HISTORY OF SHOT PUT

Shot put history can be found to stretch back thousands of years to the days before

the British Isles became Christianized and the land was still governed by chieftains.In modern terms the sport was formalized and became an Olympic fixture in 1896.

In the pre-Christian period, Scottish Chieftains used stone throwing as a method to

determine rank, and gauge power. A local leader would challenge the chief of a

visiting tribe to a contest. Each chieftain would then choose his greatest warrior to

throw the "clachneart," or stone of strength. The leader whose warrior threw the

stone the farthest was viewed as having more military strength, and thus more power

Today the sport is done using a heavy metal ball and a special technique is perfected

in order to be able to throw the ball as far as possible. In order to be truly successful

at this event, the athlete needs to combine technique, form and strength. Back

thousands of years the event was done with stone balls in Scotland. Chieftains would

use the event to determine which was the most powerful. They would select one of

their warriors to throw the stone ball as far as possible and the winner would be

considered to come from the most militarily powerful clan. The event has also

become a part of the Highland Games.

The sport underwent changes throughout the Middle Ages through to the 18th

century, when it was a popular sport among soldiers who would throw cannon balls. It

is from this era of the sport that it gains its name with the "shot" referring to the

cannon ball and the "put" part a style of throwing that was used. Up until the modern

Olympics was begun the sport was popular, but it was not formalized. As part of the


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track and field at the Olympics the sport was finally formalized. It would not become a

women's event at the games however until 1948.

The sport today has not changed too much throughout the shot put history. The balls

are today made of lead and it tends to be the technique used that varies more. One

of the best known shot put athletes was Randy Barnes who introduced the rotational

form of throwing in 1976.

3.0 RULES OF SHOT PUT GAME

Early shot put events were judged on the distance the stone, or shot, could be thrown

from behind a raised wooden board following a short run-up of no more than seven

feet. By the early 1890s, the run-up had been replaced by a seven-foot-diameter

circle marked on the ground with the raised board, now shaped to follow the front

edge of the circle. In both cases, stepping over the board meant the throw would be

disallowed. An article published in 1892 in the American magazine "Outing"

describes the events of the Caledonian Games and discusses the then prevailing

rule of a standing throw from within a circle.

The main reason for the change from the run up to the circle was to increase the

accuracy of measurements by being able to measure the exact distance from where

the shot landed straight back to the closest point on the edge of the circle.

Figure 1 : layout of shot put circle


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In the competition the shot shall be put from the shoulder with one hand only. At the

same time an athlete takes a stance in the circle to commence a put, the shot shall

touch or be in close proximity to the neck or the chin and the hand shall not be

dropped below this position during the action of putting. The shot shall not be taken

behind the line of the shoulder.

a) The throwing circle must be entered and left via the rear half.

b) Each competitor is allowed three throws.

c) The 'put' is a push rather than a throw.

d) The competitor must not touch the top of the stopboard, or the ground outside

the circle, during the 'put'.

e) The throw is measured from the nearest mark of the shot, to the inside of thecircumference of the circle, along a line from the mark to the centre of the

circle.

f) The diameter of the circle is 2.45 - 2.55m.

g) Age group shot put weights; see specifications

Figure 2 : shot put area


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4.0 SHOT PUT TECHNIQUE

The shot is a steel ball weighing 7.26 kilograms, or just over 16 pounds, for men and

4 kilograms, or almost 9 pounds, for women. Size and weight vary based on age

group competitions. The shot putter stands in a ring about 6.5 feet across and throwsthe shot into a triangular pit area. Whoever throws the shot farthest without stepping

out of the ring is the winner. Both techniques begin with holding the shot in virtually

the same position. The shot is held in the base of the fingers, not in the palm,and

placed under the chin against the putter's neck.

Two primary classifications of shot put techniques are used today: the glide,

developed by Parry O'Brien, and the spin, developed by many but made famous by

Aleksandr Baryshnikov and Brian Oldfield. Other techniques, which may be

described as partial movements, have merit as either drills or competitive

movements. Normally, only novice athletes would use these movements in

competition, but they are frequently part of the training regimen of the more skilled

shot-putters.

4.1 Grip and Arm Position

i. Gripping the shot put is the same for all athletes. The following

explanations use a right-handed put :

ii. Hold shot with both hands.

iii. Place shot in throwing (right) hand and spread fingers around shot.

iv. Do not rest shot in palm of hand

v. Place thumb and little finger wider apart for balance and support.

vi. Raise shot above head, wrist flexed backward.

vii. Shot is supported by thumb and little finger on sides;majority of weight is

on other fingers.

viii. Bring arm down, place shot against neck, below ear, with palm turned out.

ix. Elbow is away from body.

x. Apply pressure against neck to support shot.


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Figure 3 : Grip and arm position

4.2 Learning the Standing Throw

The standing throw from a power position is very important when learning

the shot put. Knowing how to make a proper standing throw will contribute

a great deal to your success when moving on to the glide or spin

technique.

i. From ready position, stand straddle near toe board, facing

ii. perpendicular to direction of throw (left shoulder at front of the ring).

iii. Shoulders are parallel to direction of throw.

iv. Left arm (non-throwing arm) is relaxed, extended in front of body.

v. Step back and bend right leg, keeping back straight.

vi. Turn upper body 90 degrees away from direction of put.

vii. Body weight is over bent right leg.

viii. Drive hips and chest counterclockwise toward direction of put.

ix. Extend right arm and snap fingers, releasing shot.

Figure 4 : Standing throw from the power position


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4.3 Power position

Stand in a shot circle with your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart.

About 60 percent of your body weight should be over your right foot and 40

percent should be over your left foot. Place your right foot near the center

of the circle facing toward 9 o'clock, with your left foot closer to the toe

board.Hold the shot at your neck with your thumb down and your four

fingers pressing the shot into your neck. Rotate your shoulders to the rear

of the ring so that there is a relatively straight line from your head to your

left foot at the front of the ring. Your left arm should be loose and away

from your body to the side. This is the completed power position. This basic

power position for delivery of the shot is similar, independent of the style ofimplementation, spin or glide, and a standing throw should indicate that.

Figure 5 : standing throw from the power position

Figure 6 : Movement behaviour and resulting characteristic lines of the shot, pelvis and the knee

from the power position to the delivery position. The comparison of the lines makes their opposite

course obvious(Figure according to TIDOW1983 )


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4.4 Delivery

To "unwind" and lift out of this position, your initial movement comes from

your right foot. Push your heel out and rotate your knee in the direction of

the throw to start the unwinding of your somewhat torqued and flexed

body. This forceful unwinding, lifting, and driving somewhat forward of your

torqued body advances up the centerline of your body through your hips,

chest, shoulders, and finally to your arm, wrist, and hand, at which time the

implement receives the culmination of these rotational, linear, and vertical

forces. Your post or blocking left leg at the toe board should give only

slightly to the load while you shift the forces to the linear and vertical

direction. The blocking side leg resists the rotation so that all forces

transfer into the implement, propelling the shot up over your left side

through the delivery.

Figure 7 : From the sideways stance (7.1) through the delivery position (7.3) to theactual delivery (7.5). The movement section depicted here takes only 150ms.Sideways stance and frontal position (7.3) are therefore only very short transitionphases

Regardless of the time of innervation and the speed of contraction of the

extensor muscles of the arm,it is an elementary rule to lift the elbow of the

putting arm at least to shoulder height after the shot haspassed the

shoulder (see Figures 7.1 to 7.5and Figure 8).


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Figure 8 : Idealdelivery position from side and rear. Figure 8.1 shows thepre-tension of the chest muscles and the still clearly bent putting arm,which has been lifted to shoulder height. Here, putting hand and shot arein front of the shoulder.

The reason for this rule is that the raised elbow guarantees that the whole

body stays behind the implement all through the delivery action. It also

permits a final impulse to be given to the shot bymeans of a horizontal

volar flexion of the wrist (see Figure 9). lf the putter imagines that, directly

besides or in front of him, is a shoulder high ball of foam material, which he

is not allowed to contact with his putting arm, he will generally succeed in

achieving the correct high elbow position. However, this is only true if

sufficient torque has been built up in the powerposition and if this torque

has not been released too early. The following fast swing of the

shoulderaxis into the delivery position will then press the shot into the

putting hand firmly enough. Otherwisethe elbow must be lowered to

prevent the shot falling from the hand.

Figure 9 : The release of the shot. Here the elbow of the putting arm is lifted,and the wrist of the putting hand is in volar flexion. This movement is directedhorizontally and outward.


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4.5 Shot Put follow & through technique

Two different finishes may be used for the standing throw: the

nonreversing finish,which may be used with a balance step through,

and the reversing finish. When finishing with a nonreverse, you may

keep both feet in place if you have learned the balance required for this

technique or you may switch or reverse your feet well after the shot is

delivered with your right foot traveling to the toe board and your left leg

sweeping up and back for balance. This is known as a nonreverse or

late reverse standing throw. The reversing finish involves an aggressive

jumping action with both legs driving up into the throw. The shot is

delivered as a result of your right side driving forward, up and around

into the lifting, blocking left side, where the summation of forces is

directed into the implement. Your right foot comes down near the toe

board with your left leg reaching up and back toward the center of the

ring for balance.

Picture 6 : a) non revershing finih b ) revershing finish

4.6 Glide Technique

Parry O'Brien developed the glide technique that is now used worldwide.

Most throwers would agree that gliding is less technically complex than

spinning. It is common to think that tall, strong throwers might be better

gliders and the shorter, powerfully built persons might best use the spin.

The concept of the "full" glide is to move quickly and efficiently over the

7-foot (2.135 meter) distance of the shot ring to develop greater

momentum than is possible with a standing throw, thereby applying much


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greater force to the shot and putting". Begin the glide by facing away from

the direction of the throw. Stand with your body weight over your right leg

or foot at the back of the circle, with your foot facing 12 o'clock, or away

from the landing area. Stand vertically or bend at the hips and recommend

a bent-over or flexed-hip starting position, because by flexing at the hip the

thrower lowers the center of gravity, thus becoming more stable or better

balanced as the throw begins. The left arm should hang down, and left leg

should be bent with the toe touching the surface of the circle.

Picture 7 : Glide shot put position


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5.0 SHOT PUT MOVEMENT AND RHYTHM

The O'Brien glide style shot-putting technique requires the ability to use a single leg

support while maintaining balance and driving backward toward 6 o'clock. Four

forces are being applied during the drive out of the back of the ring unseating,

shoulder lift, left leg drive and left leg drive. For maximum momentum development

and transfer to the shot, these movements must be made in a rhythmic, coordinated

sequence.

Unseating is the term used in shot-putting to describe moving the body's line

of gravity beyond its base of support, the basis moving the body from one place to

anothe of the body on earth. With body in the bent-over starting position, initiate the

rhythm of the movement by lifting your left leg up and then down and bending it while

moving it somewhat forward toward your right leg. Before the left leg reaches a full

forward position begin the unseating process.

Unseating is the process of shifting your center of mass from a balanced

position over your right foot base of support at the back of the ring at position 12

o'clock to a moving position behind the right foot by causing the hips to slide or sit to

the rear. It should feel somewhat of a "sitting" sensation toward the direction of the

throw as begin the glide.The greater the distance behind the heel of the right foot this line of gravity is

forced or allowed to shift, the faster move to avoid falling on rear. Too much shift of

the line of gravity and will fall, too little and it will not develop maximum momentum.

Many trials of this movement are required to determine the proper speed of

movement to enable a successful throw with maximum force development. As shift

the line of gravity rearward from the front foot, move the hips down and to the rear

and lift the shoulders slightly to allow the right leg to drive body quickly to the centerof the ring. In a move timed carefully with the right leg thrust, kick the left leg strongly

toward the toe board producing momentarily the appearance that splits witr legs. This

rearward kick, if timed properly, adds momentum to the throw, keeps the hips ahead

of the upper body, and ensures that feet will arrive simultaneously at the power

position.


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Picture 8 : The OBrien technique divided into 17 phases (athlete: P. Shmock [USA])

SUMMARY

The phases or phase elements presented, as well as the corresponding

assessment criteria of the modern O'Brien technique are summed up in the shot put

analysis sheet. Since what is observed is to a great extent dependent on the

onlooker's position (cf. TIDOW 1983), it is recommended that the shot putter should

be observed not only from the side but also from the rear. Here, further details, such

as the behaviour of the putting arm from the initial position at the back of the circle

(including the correct hold and position of the shot at the neck) to the delivery can be

closely observed. The judging of the position of the feet in relation to each other (in

the power position, criterion: 15 cm staggered) demanded in phase element 23

requires the view from the rear. Only then is it possible to see the degree of sideways

deviation of the front foot from the normal putting position (in relation to the rear foot).

Since, in the linear shot put technique the movements are presented a period of

between 800 and 1,000 msec, it is necessary to concentrate on only two to three

details per attempt or only on certain faults. However, as far as consideration of the

technique model is concerned, and in the diagnosis of the filmed movement

sequence, the analysis sheet should be used in a complex way from phase to

phase and on the element level as well.


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shot put technique

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