Shot Put Faq

WWW.COACHTHETHROWS.
COM
SHOT PUT FAQ
Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com
The Top 20 Questions Asked About the Shot Put | Dave Hahn
Which muscles are most important for throwing the shot put?
It is a common misconception that a strong arm or upper body is all that is needed to successfully throw the shot put. While the upper body does play an important role in throwing the shot, the majority of force generation comes from the larger muscles of the lower body. To throw the shot put well, an athlete needs to employ all the musles of the body from the ground up, explosively and in the correct sequence. Special emphasis should be placed on developing strength and explosiveness in the legs. Whether the athlete uses the glide or rotation technique, all force application must start at the ground and travel up through the body and into the implement. Common exercises to help improve lower body strength and explosiveness include the squat, jumps, sprints, and Olympic lifts. Each of these exercises require multi-joint movements that start with putting force into the ground.
What is the more effective shot put technique, glide or rotation?

There is always debate as to which technique is better. While the current world mens world record in the shot put was set by an athlete using the rotational method, the womens world record was set using the glide technique. Both are effective methods of throwing the shot put. Generally speaking, the glide technique requires more brute strength and explosiveness, while the rotational technique requires more technical skill and kinesthetic awareness through the circle. The coach and athlete should discuss which technique best suits their individual situation based on factors such as training age, knowledge level, competitive level, and time available to train.
What are the rules and regulations to throwing the shot put?
Like all other track and field events, the shot put has its own set of rules and regulations. Depending on the competition level and age class, there are multiple governing bodies that sanction track and field competitions. Each governing body has slightly different rules for how competitions should be run. Regardless of the governing body, shot puts should be weighed and certified by the weights and measures official prior to competition. A high school boys shot put should weigh 12 lbs and the collegiate and open shot put should weigh 16 lbs, or 7.26 kilograms. The womens shot put remains 4 kilograms from high school through college and open divisions. The shot put circle is 7 feet in diameter with a toeboard, and should consist of a hard surface such as concrete. After entering the circle, the athlete must propel the shot put in a putting motion while remaining inside the circle. After the implement has landed in the throwing sector, the athlete must leave the back half of the circle after pausing to show the judges that he is under control.
What are the best shoes for throwing the shot put?
The best shoes to wear for shot putting allow the athlete to easily pivot and feel the ground beneath them. Throwing shoes should fit snug and have fairly smooth bottoms. Most of the major shoe manufacturers make shoes specifically designed for the throwing events. There are shoes specially designed for both the glide and the rotation. Glide shoes generally have more of a heel to them, while rotational shoes are smoother and are very flat. Rotational shoes are often designed to help keep the athlete on the balls of the feet. The choice of shoes is highly individual and depends on the needs and comfort of the athlete. Nike throwing shoes tend to be the most common and easiest to find. The Nike Zoom SDs have proven to be a good multi-purpose shoe for the shot put, discus, and hammer throw. They remain functional on a variety of different throwing surfaces and weather conditions and have the durability to hold up for a lot of repetitions.
There are many retailers that sell throwing shoes. One that I personally have had good success with is Dick Pond Athletics. Ive found them to have great pricing, fantastic customer service, and fast shipping. You can see their current catalog at their website www.dickpondathletics.com.
What are the best technique drills to improve an athletes ability to throw the shot put?
Performing drills that break the throwing movement up into individual parts, is a great way to allow the athlete to focus on particular aspects of the throw. The athlete can master specific movements and skills before progressing to more advanced or complicated movements. There are dozens of drills that can be done for the shot put. Every coach and athlete has their own favorite drill to focus on a particular component of the throw.
Some of the most common fundamental drills for the glide shot put are the following: Power Throw Drill (stand throw) Half Wheel Drill A Drill Left-Right-Left Drill
Some of the common drills focused on fundamental aspects of the rotational shot put include the: Power Throw Progression Wheel Drill Walking Throws Two-Turn Throws
For more complete explanations of these drills and video demonstrations, be sure to register for my mailing list at www.coachthethrows.com/blog to recieve free weekly drill demonstrations.
What are the world records for the shot put, and who are some good examples for my athlete to watch?
The current womens world record is held by Natalya Lisovskaya of the Soviet Union. She set the mark of 22.63 meters (74 3) in Moscow, on June 7, 1987. She won Olympic gold in Seoul at the 1988 Summer Olympics, and was World Champion 3 times during her career. Natalya used the glide technique. She still owns the four farthest throws in history for the womens shot put. The current mens world record is held by Randy Barnes of the United States. He set the mark of 23.12 meters (75 10.25) in Westwood, California, on May 20, 1990. He won the Gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He was also the Silver medalist in Seoul in 1988. You can learn more about Randy Barnes at his official website www.randybarnes.com. While world record holders and other elite athletes have achieved the pinnacle of the sport it is not always wise to try to emulate what they do in the circle. Unless you are working with athletes who excel in international competition, your athletes most likely do not have the strength levels, training age, nor the necessary time to dedicate to the shot put that world record holders and Olympic athletes do. Therefore some of the positions and things that they do in their technique simply cannot be done by other athletes. It is important to look at a variety of athletes who have experienced success at your level. See what unique talents they have and how they use those talents to successfully develop their own individual throwing style. What are the commonalities you see in many different throwing styles? You will see that shorter throwers have different styles than taller throwers and so on.
7.
Is it useful to throw differently weighted shot puts in practice?

There is a lot of different research that shows the benefit of throwing differently weighted implements in practice settings. The specific weight and the number of repititions taken by the athlete depends on skill level and the individual athletes traits such as strength level and rate of fatigue. The general rule of thumb is that athletes should throw implements that remain within 10% of the weight of the competition implement. Some coaches use heavy implements during the pre season to build sport specific strength, then as the competition phase approaches they switch to lighter implements for speed development. Other coaches have athletes throw a variety of differently weighted implements with the athlete striving to use the same rhythm and technique with each weight.
What are important points to look for when watching video of the shot put?
A video camera can be a great tool in any coachs arsenal. When reviewing film of your athletes, stay focused on what youve been working on in practice, and dont get the athletes focusing on too many things at once. It is important to trace errors back to the root cause, instead of just pointing out the flaw. Remember to finish the throw well, the athlete must enter the throw correctly. A lot of emphasis should be placed on proper entry positions. I have a set of video checklists that I use with athletes. The checklist breaks the throw down into 3 or 4 parts and gives them specific points to focus on when watching the throw. The athlete grades each portion of the throw looking for progress being made over time. You can get a copy of my video checklists by signing up for my Coach The Throws Insider Newsletter at www.coachthethrows.com/blog.
Does the diameter of the shot put matter?

Shot puts can be purchased in a variety of diameters, depending on the type of metal used and the method of manufacture. Shot puts are commonly made of either iron, brass or stainless steel. Implements of the smallest legal diameter can often be found in either brass or stainless steel. Brass is a soft metal that is easily dented and scratched. Stainless steel is a hard metal that does not rust and is very smooth. Iron and steel shot puts are the most common, and usually the most economical. Iron shot puts are usually made by pouring molten metal into a mold. This leads to imperfections in roundness and center of gravity of the shot put. Steel shot puts are usually formed by turning them on a lathe. This process ensures the best quality shot put, forming a consistent surface free from defects. Turned shot puts usually have a plug where the weight can be slightly adjusted, when it comes time to tune up the shot put.
You will find that when it comes to shot put diameters, novice throwers often prefer the feel of the smaller shot put. While more experienced athletes prefer the larger diameter shot put (128 mm for men, 116 mm for boys, and 110 mm for women) as this gives them a larger surface to push against. This spreads the force out more evenly over the hand, losing less throws through the fingers.
Where can I purchase shot put equipment?
There are many retailers or track and field equipment. There are three main companies that supply most of the equipment to all the other retailers: UCS, Gill, and M-F Athletics. M-F Athletics is a major supporter of the NTCA (National Throws Coaches Association) and usually offers a 10% discount to members. You can see their catalog at M-FAthletics.com.
8
What other competitive opportunities exist for throwing the shot put outside of high school and college?
You do not necessarily have to be affiliated with a high school or college track and field team to continue to compete in the shot put. There are additional opportunities to compete available through the USATF, AAU, and city leagues. For more information check out www.usatf.org. Shot putters have also proven to be successful in Scottics Highland Games competitions. Highland games are primarily strength based activities, many of which include throwing heavy objects. Search for Highland Games competitions in your area.
How can an athlete earn a scholarship to throw the shot put at an American college?
Every high school athlete dreams of receiving a scholarship to play their sport of choice in college. The majority of college scholarships are given by institutions that are members of the NCAA. The NCAA is broken into three different divisions. Each division has a different philosophy regarding the balance of academics and athletics. Division 3 prohibits the granted of any athletic scholarships. Division 2 allows limited amount ofathletic scholarships. Division 1 allows the most athletic scholarships. Athletic scholarships are offered to those athletes that coaches feel will significantly help their programs at the conference and national levels. Coaches want to get the most bang for the buck, and therefore prefer to offer scholarships to athletes who excel in multiple events. For a thrower, this often means qualifying for the state meet in both the shot put and the discus and finishing in the top 5 both their junior and senior years. Every coach and program has different criteria for offering athletic scholarships, so you will want to be sure to start contacting coaches from schools that you are interested in attending your junior year of high school. Introduce yourself, expressing your interest in their program and request that you be added to their recruiting list.
9
If you are offered an athletic scholarship, you will want to fully research all of the schools you are considering and weigh the pros and cons of each. It is very rare for a shot putter to be awarded a full scholarship for track and field. Partial scholarships can come in nearly any dollar amount, so you may have the opportunity to compete for a better program for less of a financial cost than a program that offers you a partial scholarship after all other factors are assessed.
10
What should an effective practice include?

Every training group will differ based on the training age, talent level, facilities available and personalities of coaches and athletes. Therefore it is important to develop a practice format that is unique and effective for your training group. The same principles that apply to structuring practice for any other sport should also apply to throws practice. Practice segments should include: Warmup Technique Work Conditioning Cool Down Each practice should follow this general sequence. You should always try to do technique work when the athlete is fresh for best results. As a general rule of thumb, you should work from simple to more complex movements.
In what order should shot put skills be taught?

As mentioned in the previous question, you should generally teach skills with less complexity first and the gradually increase complexity of skills and movements. With the shot put, this usually means breaking the throw into at least 3 parts: The Power Position The Middle The Entry Each of these parts can then be broken down further into specific drills focusing on particular skills needed in each. Since the power position is so critical for success in the shot put, it is usually wise with teaching beginners the power position first and then working backward toward the entry as the athlete masters specific skills.
11
How long should a practice session be and how many throws should be taken?
Athletes of different ages and skill levels require different approaches to practice. If working with athletes younger than high school age, practices should be kept to less than 90 minutes, focused on having fun while developing fundamental skills. Athletes should be introduced to multiple events, avoiding too much specialization in single events. Throwing volume should not exceed 20 throws per session or 60 per week. High school level athletes generally have more attention span and physical stamina to complete longer practices. Practice sessions should last about 2 hours, with the maximum throws per session not to exceed 50, or 200 per week. High school athletes are more specialized in their events. A strength and conditioning component should be added in addition to throwing practices to develop their overall strength levels while also building sport specific strength. However, strength and conditioning work should not come at the expense of throwing and skill development.
What are some common misconceptions or errors in many shot put training regiments?
One of the big misconceptions about throwing the shot put is that it is done only with the upper body. This leads to multiple flaws in training and throwing. Firstly, there is an overemphasis on upper body strength exercises like the bench press. While it is important to have a good base of strength to effectively throw the shot put, emphasis should be placed on exercises that build explosiveness in the lower body such as the Olympic lifts. This upper body emphasis also leads to major flaws in technique. One of the common errors is throwing with the shoulders instead of the hips. Force application must start from the ground up, actively using each major muscle group in the correct sequence.
12
What facilities are needed to train for the shot put, and what alternatives are there to training if access is limited?
The shot put does not require very much specialized equipment or facilities in order to train. The primary need is to have a landing area that allows shot puts to be thrown. Ideally you will have a track facility to train at with a shot put circle and dedicated landing area as well as access to shot puts. If you do not have access to a dedicated shot put facility, you do not want to be throwing a shot put on a competition soccer, football, or baseball field as it will destroy the grass. You will generally need a landing area about 60 feet long and 40 feet wide. Other necessities include a paved throwing surface and a shot put. You do not necessarily need to have a circle with a toeboard for training. Instead you can use chalk to draw a 7 foot circle onto a sidewalk or other paved surface. While it may be helpful to have access to multiple shot puts of different weights, you can easily train with just a single shot put of the competition weight. If you do not have access to a weight room or other training facilities, you will want to be creative in your post-throwing training. Use equipment and facilities to the best of your ability doing body weight exercises, sprints, and using the shot put as a medicine ball.
Why is the core or abdominals so important to throwing the shot put?

A strong core is vital to success in throwing the as shot put as well as all other throwing events. Think about trying to swing a baseball bat underwater. Unless your feet are locked into the ground somehow, your body moves backward, reducing force application or bat speed in this case. Although the shot put leaves from the hand, it is actually a lower body event. All force application for all track and field events must start with the ground. A strong core acts as a more conductive conduit efficiently transferring force from the ground through the body and into the implement.
13 . Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com
It is important to strengthen the core using a variety of activities and planes of motion. Some activities that help strenghthen the core include: standard abdominal exercises like crunches, medicine ball workouts, and weight room.
What can be expected of an athlete transitioning from the high school shot put to college weight?
The weight of the womens shot put remains the same (4 kilograms) from high school through college. However, the mens shot put goes from 12 pounds in high school to 16 pounds in collegiate competition. This is a significant increase that really amplifies any weakness of technique or physical strength. High school boys that rely soley on upper body strength to throw the 12 lb implement find it difficult to be successful with the 16 lb shot without a significant increase in strength. On average, it can be expected that an athlete throwing in the 54 foot range at the end of their high school career will be capable of throwing 50 feet with the 16 lb shot by the end of their freshman year of college.
Where can I find additional help and resources pertaining to the shot put?
There are many books, websites and videos dedicated to throwing the shot put. You can find many resources for coaching the shot put and links to other useful materials at http://www.coachthethrows.com including an online coaching seminar for beginning coaches to get off to a successful start in coaching the shot put and other throwing events.
14
About:
Dave Hahn has been recognized as one of the top throws coaches in the United States. He has coached for 7 years at the collegiate level, during which time his athletes have earned AllAmerican status 30 times, 7 NCAA D3 National Championships, 3 National Records, along with many school and conference records and awards. He was selected in 2006 by the USOC and USATF as an Emerging Elite Coach. In 2008, Hahn founded the website www.coachthethrows.com. Which provides resources and assistance to young throws coaches just getting started coaching the throws. Register for his newsletter at coachthethrows.com for exclusive content and notifications of updates to his blog and other services.
Testimonial
Dave, Not only are you a good teacher, but your approach to handling athletes plays a large role in their success. I believe you and I share a belief that it is essential to get the athletes to understand the importance of seeking excellence and improvement day in and day out. The winning, championships, and titles are the by-product of constantly seeking to get better and to help make those around you better. -Mark Maas Former President of WISTCA
15
Testimonial
Even before entering my freshman year at the University level, I knew Coach Hahn was the right man for the job. I attended a summer camp at the University while still in high school and just working with him for that week changed my work ethic and technique in the throws; what I learned from him in that short amount of time was largely part of the reason I chose Whitewater. Out of all the years Ive been a track and field athlete, I have never experienced a more technique-focused coach. The preseason focus we have is all technique and learning the steps individually, and eventually putting them together to create the throw. Coach Hahns methods of teaching have always been creative and it makes learning the steps enjoyable when in actuality, it can be very frustrating. The more enjoyable experience we athletes have the better we become and theres proof in the numbers. Coach Hahn has produced numerous National Champions, young National qualifiers as well as getting athletes to conference. One accomplishment I was lucky enough to be a part of was getting a record-breaking number of female throwers to the conference meet. The success our throws program has is the pairing of our desire as athletes to be the best we can, and his ability to point us in the right direction. Theres a different thing to focus on weekly, like explosiveness or footwork among others, and that breaking down of the throw is extremely beneficial rather than just going out and throwing the implement whatever way you can. One of the things I like best about his methods is he forces you to reflect on your throw, the positions you felt yourself in throughout and in my opinion that has made us better throwers, which is the ultimate goal of any coach. -Megan Blake Athlete
16

Shot Put Faq

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Shot Put Faq

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

WWW.COACHTHETHROWS.

SHOT PUT FAQ

Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com

What is the more effective shot put technique, glide or rotation?

Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com

Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com

Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com

Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com

Is it useful to throw differently weighted shot puts in practice?

Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com

Does the diameter of the shot put matter?

Where can I purchase shot put equipment?

Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com

What should an effective practice include?

In what order should shot put skills be taught?

Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com

Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com

Why is the core or abdominals so important to throwing the shot put?

Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com

Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com

Copyright 2010 www.coachthethrows.com

You might also like