Shotput and discus how to#

Junior thrower Jack Tousignant said that all of those moving parts are what make throwing, especially the discus, so difficult. We'll get kids in the right position, then we'll start working that off-arm.' There are significant distance killers if you do the wrong thing with your off-arm, your feet are wrong or you don't have your legs bent. 'Then we'll start getting the off-arm involved, what does it do? Everything has its purpose. 'We'll stay with that power throw, you're just in your stance and throwing it,' Levos said. Once all the basics have been covered, the kids are comfortable throwing and are getting stronger, then they begin to cover the more advanced techniques.

Levos said that his throwers focus on developing explosiveness and strength in the weight room through Olympic lifts twice or three times a week, as well as some plyometrics. So not only do we have the technique of learning the events, for some of the kids we have the learning in the weight room as well.' I know in basketball we're not in the weight room very much, football if we got in there once a week that was good because we're trying to maintain, but it's not a strength-building type of thing. 'I think we're a unique sport in that we are trying to get stronger throughout the year. 'The big thing (with throwing) is a lot of repetition,' he said. Throwers work throughout the season to get stronger and improve their stamina. For boys, the shot weighs 12 pounds and the disc 3.8 pounds, while girls use an almost 9-pound shot and just over 2-pound disc. The shot put and discuss weights are as prescribed by the National Federation of High Schools. When you're throwing something numerous times, you're going to get tired.' You actually do get fatigued early in the season because your body's not used to doing that. 'Our bodies aren't used to throwing implements over and over and over. 'Early on I just have them throw a lot, we get into throwing shape,' Levos said. It's at this point that Levos said his throwers become unique to athletes in other sports or even other track and field participants. The athletes then 'play catch,' throwing the shot or disc to their partners who pick it up and throw it back.

Shotput and discus how to#

After that, they practice just plain throwing and getting used to holding and how to properly throw the disc or shot. Levos said that every throw is 'built from the ground up.' Throwers learn the power position first, the most basic of the discus and shot throws. Shot put throwers work on holding the ball correctly on the pads of their hands and try to get used to pushing the ball rather than throwing it like a baseball or football. If you do it wrong it won't go anywhere.'ĭiscus throwers focus on having the disc come out flat and not angled up into the air or down toward the ground.

So we start with bowling, we roll the disc like a bowling ball and have it come off your hand correctly. 'Some people initially will throw it (the discus) and try to have it come off their pinky, but it needs to come off your pointer finger. 'The first thing we do is some real basic stuff, like having the implement come off your hand correctly,' Levos explained. With any new or returning thrower, he said he starts each season the same way. After graduating from NDSU, he coached there at Fargo North High School and has been at Hastings most of the past 17 years. He threw both shot put and discus at North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D. Todd Levos, the throwing coach for the Hastings High School track and field team, has been throwing and coaching the discipline for much of his life. A thrower has to perfect every motion from their feet to their arms to excel.

Throwing the discus or shot put is the most technique-heavy event in track and field. Throwers are only listed if they have a throw above 80% of the world record in the respective event and likewise they are ranked based upon their lowest % of world record.HASTINGS, Minn. It is interesting to note the top combinations of throwing distances for Shot Put + Discus.īelow is a summary of some multi-talented throwers for shot put and discus. Modern day throwers are often specialised towards one event.