Shot-Put, The (1960)

[Music] [Applause] the distance that a shot will travel will depend upon the speed with which it leaves the hand the greater the velocity the farther it will go hence All Points of form stem directly from the goal of obtaining the greatest possible shock velosophy the most important General principle is to cross the circle in such a way as to obtain the longest possible acceleration of the shot all fine shot Putters develop a long drive the second broad principle is that there must be a maximum use of the big muscles of the body though the arm action is important it is not nearly enough for Effective putting the legs are much stronger and must must contribute a full and Powerful share to the drive observers of the great shop Putters are struck by the utter Simplicity and naturalness of their movements this suggests an important General principle the natural almost instinctive movements of the good athlete must be preserved this is particularly true in the use of the right arm and shoulder where The Talented athlete will perform well right from the start of course the shutter does need help but the wise coach will teach a simple framework a framework in which the athletes natural movements can be used effectively most practice time in the shot butut will be spent in learning to lengthen the drive or distance of acceleration it is useful for the beginner to think of this action as similar to that of a steel strip he can think of the strip as being bent back and then released the farther it is bent back the greater the power form or technique is simply the way in which principles are put into effect good form permits a long acceleration of the shot a full blow of the big muscles of the body and a natural freeing movement of the arm and shoulder again the basic parts of the form an easy movement of the left leg power position a long drive of legs body and arm a reverse that balances The Athlete on his right leg and keeps him in the circle the drive will hop across the circle supplies momentum but it must prepare the athlete for a long solid drive on the shot this is the fundamental driving position or power position the body is back and poised to deliver a long blow attainment of an effective power position is the chief goal of the shot putter it is a highly skilled act that will occupy more time than any other aspect of the event from this position a clean blow is delivered making effective use of the entire body on the reverse the right leg bends to Aid balance the choice between a brass and an iron shot should be left to the athlete it's simply a matter of preference and he'll have to experiment it is important however that the shot feel light the shot putter must build up his strength as quickly as possible if the shot feels heavy it is very difficult to learn proper timing the athlete is introduced to the event after he has first had several weeks of conditioning exercises at first he's allowed an orientation period with very little coaching instruction the shot should be held against the base of the fingers there are three finger positions used by good shot Putters the fingers can be placed almost together they can be spread slightly apart or the small finger can be placed to the side and almost underneath the shot in the early stages the shot should be put low later on proper height will result from the correct use of the legs and back the putting action of the arm resembles the straight punch of the boxer the right shoulder is loose and high at this point the athlete has only a short acceleration of the shot obviously the longer the acceleration the greater the power thus the next part of his training is directed toward both increasing the length of drive and bringing the big muscles of the body into action longer Drive is put into practice by means of a drill the right leg becomes important the right foot is swung rhythmically to the rear and receives the body weight again the right foot is back and supports the body this action is carried out with an easy Rhythm the drive position is made easier if the right toe is pointed toward the rear recall the important principle of developing shot velocity we want the longest possible acceleration so far we have worked for a back position now we want to continue the forward drive as far as possible or we want to apply pressure to the shot as long as we can with his left foot at the front of the circle the candidate reaches forward now he moves to his right foot and again stretches forward in this way the athlete receives a clear demonstration of the reasons for the reverse he must change his feet to obtain the longest possible drive against against the shot the reverse can first be visualized as a simple exchange of foot positions in exchanging the feet it is found easier to let the left foot remain in the air this time we let the left leg swing freely and toward the rear of the circle finally the full leg drive from a back position is combined with the reverse the candidate tries to get the feel of the reverse by first working without the shot simple as it appears the action and timing of the reverse are usually puzzling to the beginner often his reverse looks so awkward and at first cuts down so much on distance that the worried coach is inclined to either abandon it or give it very intensive coaching attention neither alternative is good the reverse is a necessary part of technique and must be used it should be practiced but not over coached that is the timing should be left to the athlete with continued practice the athlete will use the r very smoothly and efficiently early coaching attention should be given to the follow throw the right knee is bent and the right shoulder and arm driven past the median line left arm and left leg are extended back early drills in these simple mechanics will pay in later polish the goal of the follow through is to obtain the longest possible drive on the shot and at the same time keep the center of gravity low and far enough back to help the athlete remain in the circle the footwork of the shot put should take place on an approximately straight line hence a line scratched through the center of the circle is a useful guide for the beginner starting positions at the rear of the circle may vary from the side position common until recent years to the position introduced by Parry O'Brien in which the athlete faces directly away from the intended direction of shot flight the athlete should first practice The Hop without the shot he is taught to keep his center of gravity low the most important point is the landing on the right leg in a balanced position the coach constantly stresses Body Balance over the right foot when the athlete goes from dry runs to Hops with a shot in his hand he must expect a temporary loss in both position and timing note the presence of the toeboard the experienced shot put on likes a board and works comfortably with it the beginner however is somewhat bothered by it early work should probably be without the board but with increased progress the board should be introduced it will become less and less disturbing a rhythmic and loose swing of the left leg initiates the Hop timing is important the left leg swing however is not used to pull the body forward instead it is a low Drive of the right leg that supplies the power for the movement across the the circle footwork is the heart of the shot putut drills should be a part of every workout they can be no real success until a footwork is mastered the great strength of the legs cannot be used to drive the shot until the athlete learns to land in a balanced position over the right foot dry runs or drills without the shot are helpful even to advance shot Putters for the beginner they are musts a full effort in slow motion facing to the rear the athlete takes a comfortable position over his right foot the left leg swings in alignment now low across the circle balance a drive of both legs reverse and follow through though drills should always be included as time goes by full puts will make up the bulk of the workouts in making these puts the shot putter must keep in mind a clear picture of what he is trying to do he must concentrate rate on every single put the hop across the circle is the means of gaining momentum but speed must never be one at the expense of position the athlete should concentrate on position momentum is important but it comes about indirectly as a result of natural speed increased efficiency and conditioning it is position that permits the main principles to be carried out a long drive on the shot and the use of the big muscles of the of the body still another important principle must be stressed remember that the most effective action in the shotput always appears simple and natural wise coaching will confine itself to the essentials the most valuable single bit of coaching advice the shop can receive is this concentrate on leg action he will be on the road to great progress when he knows he can balance well over his legs and he feels a solid drive against the shot good form in the shotput is of course essential to Performance but good form is nothing more than the efficient application of power power becomes a key word all great shot Putters are extremely powerful men a generation ago weight training was feared and avoided by track coaches 10 years ago weight training was controversial today weight training is a must the off season is the time for a heavy weightlifting program then under the guidance of his coach the athlete lifts three times a week he avoids lifting on consecutive days during the competitive season the typical workout starts on the track fine shop Putters are usually good Runners and they certainly realize the importance of running as a conditioner at least one day each week the sprinters should be joined for starting practice most shot Putters like to put hard in practice with competition on Saturday the athlete can put as hard and as often as he wishes up to and including Wednesday though the desire to put hard is natural enough the put should never be aimless primary attention must be on form if the workout is to have value whenever possible a coach should be on hand to observe in this way the athletes attention can be directed to the points of technique that most need correction if there's a meet on Saturday Thursday is the last day of practice and Thursday the workout is brief the athlete warms up just as if he were to be in competition when he feels ready he allows himself only a certain number of puts usually six or the same number he can expect to receive in Saturday's competition the athlete prepares himself mentally just as if the puts were to count in competition he knows that he has a limited number of tries and he must make each one good thus he has the need to concentrate and all the other benefits of a full dress rehearsal when the last of the puts allowed to him has been made the athlete must stop immediately it is best not to break this rule he avoids further pting until Saturday then he should have the right Edge for a fine competitive performance then on a b basic points for the shot putter progress Demands a clear picture of the goal and much hard work the path is not always easy but there are rich rewards in the satisfaction of achievement and the fun of competition [Music]