Brian Oldfield via Facebook July 17 at 10:15am · I would like to discuss the South African as an element of the liner method of throwing either shot or discus. This pathway is achieved best facing the center of the landing sector (this means your toes , hips , shoulders) . The right-handed thrower places his left-foot […]
Brian Oldfield (USA) "The Big O" and all that involves
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A thread for the Big O.
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August 7, 2014
Many people ask what they can do to improve their throwing distance.I remember taking a job as a carpenter's assistant the summer before my junior year in college. I had just finished my 2nd season (as a sophomore) with a 56' 7" 6th place finish in the NCAA [championship meet] and needed to work to afford my junior year meal plan at [Middle Tennessee State University]. I was on a half scholarship and needed cash to eat. MTSU was a [NCAA Division II] school and I was the silver medalist in that division.
I needed to pay for school and manage to work out at the same time. I used the work place as my gym. We dug out space for a new foundation then unloaded a flat bed semi of 10" block. I threw each block as a shot putt to the brick layer setting the block. The block would land at his finger-tips; making it easy to reach and saved a lot of time walking. The afternoon was filled with placing planks (two at a time) up and in place in one lift. After break I went to another truck and tossed boxes of floor tile up to the third story window where the other workers could just reach out and grab the 35 pound boxes instead of walking up and down the stairs with them (saving time).
Oh, at lunch time I use to throw the shot instead of eating I washed down my three tuna sandwiches I ate at break with water. When school started in the fall I was out throwing and the football team was walking by outside the fence for some reason I started to show off and was hitting the fence at 60'.
PICK IT UP AND TOSS IT.
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August 9, 2014
My concept for throwing was derived by compiling & comparing these elements of throwing; strength, speed, technique.
I took the several world records during seventies and compared them to the variables of my competitors of the day. I took the height of the shot putters studied and divided it into their weight to get weight per lineal inch. I took the strength of each and compared it to the world records or potential strength. I compared the world's best standing throw and the best transition.
I also used the speed of the world's fastest human. I then compared these statistics to the world's best throwers and projected the potential longest possible throw ever. The answer to this study size, speed, strength & technique was 91" The reason I bring this postulation up is that I had a dream last night that I threw the shot to the top of a mound of dirt and measured it at 83' 1".
I'm trying to figure out the distance it would have traveled if it would of landed on the ground instead of 7' up on the hill. I think you just add the 7' in the air to the measurement taken and get 90'1" What would the base line be in a triangle that has two sides given as 83' & 7' It should be seen as an arch and the shot was descending at impact. I wasn't good in math/ geometry.
I come across the circle at .001 level & my lift was .01 When the speed equals equals the lift (90 degrees) I get a 45 degree angle of release. I hold the shot at the top of my shoulder. You can draw a line from the ground at the back of the circle on a 45 degree angle to the height of release. This was done on my technique.
The weight of the implement in shot putting is one pound equals 2 to 3 feet an average of 2.5 feet at the fifty to eighty foot range. I threw the 16 lb. 69' and the same day threw the 4k 91' comes to 2.5' average %.
Biomechanical Problem of Shot Putting Finally Solved
I just read the article on the optimum angle. They contend that the shoulder is from where the measurement is taken & that bench pressing has modified the angle. They know what they know. I think the apex of the throw is behind the ear and is a catapult action. The trajectory or angle of the shot is greater than 38 degrees when the vertical force is as great as bench press strength My best bench was 455x 3 This was also the exact strength I had in over head push press. They didn't solve for people who have a throwing back ground instead of a shoving one.
This study is of a commonality of German throwers. Not the optimal angle of release. The study of bench pressing shot putters who tuck the shot under their chin a throw the shot like a 16 pound dart.
That weight lifter thing about throwing a 5k and it being to ballistic for his boys is also a wive's tale . I was in the greatest shape of my life in 1976 and stronger than ever .( I had been told the same about javelin throwing in college until The conference championships and the team needed points) I threw 210 'at that college meet and 8 years later threw 253' I could snatch 310lbs. & C&J 455 x3. I was still supple and not muscle bound.
There's two kinds of people; those that think they can, and those who think they can't...
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August 11, 2014
I participated in the Highland Games and developed a overhead vertical orbit with the 56 lb. weight gaining head speed . The idea was to increase centrifugal force to maintain the radius as I stepped through the hole left-right-left using the backward seven pathway. My right shoulder was the axis and had to remain steady through the transition down to the middle of the circle/box and up at front of the circle/box. I was off-balance out of the back because of dropping my left shoulder/ hip as I dropped/ fell into the plyo/ pivot step.
As I spiraled up into the throw I found I had very poor chance of standing/ blocking through the release. I fell to the ground hard. I managed to throw the 56 lb. wt. 43' 8", a world record. They believe falling to the ground was benefitting my throw & put lines to stay inside of a box. This ruling was voted in and my records voted out.
This chalked box was now the parameter for fair throws. This is what burns me. The athletes are now allowed to stand with one foot out side the chalk at the back of the box and take a running step into the middle instead of a rotational step to the middle of the box. Instead of a 7' 6" approach it's now a 9' runway.
The reason I fell to the ground was because I started falling at the first step by dropping my shoulder and leaning sideways entering the circle by cutting off the complete left/ pivot /post full frontal attack to the front/toeboard. The movement put me in the bucket/ falling into the circle caused by a sweeping leg and out stretched left arm for balance haunts many throwers today causing the same drift away from the throw & not posting up at the front.
The difference is that when you're working hard enough to accelerate 56 pounds and let go you get a lesson from Newton law : every action has an opposite & equal reaction. If I could have pivoted with the weight over the left post into the next pivot I could have posted up and delivered a 50 foot toss and no bruised ribs.
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August 12, 2014
How many shot putters know how to throw through the point?
The athlete that gets the most speed/ weight into the point of release at the proper angle & height will possess the ability to deliver long throws. Several of you seem to think that the art of throwing is defined by closing your eyes and blasting the throw. This when in doubt power out, maybe yes, maybe no, maybe baby I don't know method doesn't usually solve the problem and if it does it's hard to remember/ duplicate.
The effortless throw is usually your best throw, but the throw many remember and identify with is the imprint throw that we all grew to rely on. The throw we strain on to produce, the throw that sticks in are minds. We see in sport the ease that the leader seems to have , the lack of drama. It's this technique we want to emulate/remember and teach. Keep your eyes & ears open and learn to stay on the "The Yellow Brick Road" to success.
I was talking about throwing through the point yesterday [above]. I'm going to give you shot putters an idea of what I was talking about.
I always aimed my feet/toes, hips/belly button, line of attack at a target. It was a way to line up my bones. I always thought of my bones as my structural weapon. The muscles moved the bones and hold the skeleton together. I sometimes aimed at a cloud in the sky or a hole between the clouds to get a fix on the angle of release & height of release.
I would also use a tree in the distance to set the direction of the throw. I remember a tree at De Anza CC in Cupertino, Calif. it was perfectly down the left sector line and measured 84' to the base. I would line up my bones and use the South African from 11:00 position at the back of the circle and move the shot along the line through the middle of the circle to 5:00 and at that tree. I improved my aim and my distance finally hitting that tree with a 15 lb. shot.
Later that year trained at Stanford and had a new target, there was a flag pole just inside the left sector line but well past 70 feet. I lined up my bones and accelerated the shot through the circle using the backward "7" without wiggle room and hit the flag pole at the base making a loud noise like a tuning fork on steroids. I was then trying to hit it again to prove it wasn't a fluke . After a couple of close ones I hit it again a little higher on the pole. I began to bang it higher & higher changing the tone and the distance. I kept hitting the pole and climbing up it with a series of dents left for prosperity until Brooks Johnson had me stop. The highest of those dents was 7 feet high & over my head. I'm not sure if any of you couldn't improve by lining up your bones an aim/hit what your aiming at. Take the wiggle room out of your technique.
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there is so much in these articles. Can I ask If you throw a shotput and it reaches its maximum height at 10 meters would this mean it is would end up going around 20 meters ?
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August 14, 2014
I think some throwers need a review on getting low. I talk about running down to the front of the circle. I see the ambiguity in this statement. It takes a little more information to be clear on how this is accomplished.
The biggest clue I started with was the "J" phase of the O'Brien or conventional [glide] technique. I was a 70' 10½" glider and discovered this plyometric factor as I progressed in my career. I used and developed this in throwing, jumping, Olympic lifting & doing flip turns off the wall of a swimming pool. I later learned these last two steps had names penultimate and impulse.
I learned that when you push on the earth that the earth pushes back. I had learned to load up my legs at the bottom of he "J" always pre-turning my pivot-foot to ensure a complete revolution and pointing the toes of the right foot at the left side of the sector (slightly over rotating) as I sprinted out of the pivot faster than I entered it. I twisted both feet ahead of my upper body creating a backward "C" complete with a blocking left that also climbed into a post.
I was told that I climbed 18" vertically. My goal out of the back was to get as low as possible, pivot as tight as possible, combining the horizontal, rotational, "J" phases into a vertical phase that reached 9' in the air. This power served two purposes; one was release as high as I could and the other was to return to the center of the earth without fouling.
They measured my horizontal variance it was .001 off plum. I rotated with my spine as the axis of my spin setting up vertical and was measured at .01 degree off plum. The shot traveled from the a big circle out of the back into the South African or horizontal pathway, to a tight little circle in the middle of the circle and using the "J" phase the pathway was stretched vertically as if it was a helix propelling it over a total pathway of 12' from start to finish. This is the "Oldfield Spin".
August 15, 2014
Yesterday, I talked about the "J" phase and it's contribution to setting up the vertical or lift phase. Today, I'm going to talk about the initial pivot out of the back of the circle and its conformation and contribution to the drive or horizontal pathway.
I worked on the transition through the circle to increase my overall distance. I considered this as an accelerator of the power position. This pivot needs to be efficient and economical . It's a 180 degree pivot on the ball of the foot that turns into the South African. The toes, knee, hips (belly button) and chest forming the running position. It's low on a bent pivoting lead leg with the knee of the trail leg trail leg close to that of the lead leg. The lead-leg up to the shoulder forms a post with the arm poised in a position similar to that of a runner.
A good drill to check balance is to start at the back of the circle by stretching your uplifted arms back and shifting your weight to the lead leg setting up the 180 degree pivoting post and lunge/ sprint through the circle. This stretch, twist, pivot and sprint should be accomplished with a straight back/ spine conformation similar to a backward "C".
Acceleration through the circle is accomplished by running through the positions. I learned from Madonna that dance is position, transition, position; it's the same in rotational throwing . The South African is "C" to "J" to "C" without lifting your feet more than a couple inches off the ground . Keeping your arms up and your hips low adds to the torque at the "J".
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August 15, 2014
I just was reminded of how I took that step into rotational throwing. I was having a good day at practice . It was Jan. of 1974 and the season was going to open in two weeks. I was still gliding at the time and hit 72' that day with my right hand and a standing throw of 53' with my left. I was feeling pretty good about training and went into the UTEP track office for a coke . I was training in El Paso that winter and had wanted to throw discus in the ITA professional circuit to make extra cash. The soda gave us a sugar/caffeine buzz and we went back out to throw the discus . I jumped into the circle first ; it was getting dark early that time of year and time was on the wing. My first throw without warm up caught my heel and I tore my cartilage. I heard it pop but paid little attention to it continuing to throw .. After the discus we all went in the gym to play basketball . I was starting to feel the pain by then but was having to much fun to stop and limped on. It was later that night I got worried as it started to hurt when I laughed. I made arrangements the next day to see a Doctor in California. The season was two weeks off and I had a peripheral tear in the medial cartilage of my right knee. I had no choice but to wrap it up and spin for the rest of the season. The first meet was in Baltimore , I threw 66'1" and got second with a cast on my leg from my groin to my heel . I never won a meet that year but still managed a 69' 4" P.R. with the spin. I did learn to throw using my left foot out of the S.A. position & sweeping my right leg around and pirouetting on the toe of my casted right leg and posted on my left at the toe board. I had surgery June 4th and quit smoking the same day.
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August 16, 2014
It was the 4th of July 1974 one month into non-smoking and restless. It's been a month since my surgery and I called a friend to drive along with me to California in case the leg got tired. We had a blast on the way; stopping every couple hundred miles or so for a splash in a pool complete with Bar-B-Que & Barbies.
Pit stops included St. Louis, Aspen,Tahoe, & a couple college towns along the way. It took two weeks of carefully selecting places to workout & recover from said workouts. I remember throwing a 18 lb. shot off a bent knee into a hurricane fence that returned the shot for the next throw. Lots of swimming, basketball, tennis and dancing til' dawn.
The surgery was all but forgotten except when I was Jonesing for a smoke, after all I gave up smoking as a reminder to get in shape or quit. I arrived at John Powell's condo and moved in; he was in Europe and his other roommate/Olympic teammate Tom Dwelly, a race walker, said "O.K." I started doing two -a-days starting out in the pool just outside the door. I would spend the rest of the day/ days training with the other athletes in the area testing my leg and my non-smoking resolve.
John returned and became my landlord charging me $135 dollars a month . It was like training camp in Cupertino; many athletes from several sports had moved to this semi-arid , 75 degree average daily temp. play ground. I took advantage of the South Bay weather and changed my address to 10445 Mary Av.
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August 17, 2014
I'm living in Cupertino with police protection and my knee has responded well to surgery. Training has become serious and took up most of my time. I was bicycling to each venue where I was constantly adding to my repertoire of skills, likened to a cross training. I was lifting and throwing with some of the world's best athletes.
It was a Mecca for throwers and they came from around the globe to train in this idolic atmosphere. On any given Saturday you would find an assortment of Olympians throwing at San Jose State in the morning and lifting at the Y.M.C.A. that afternoon. Each day in training was like an Olympic final.
My rotational transformation was beginning to sprout wings. I was getting stronger and improving as a discus thrower and a discus-styled shot putter. I still had an imprint of pendulating my right-leg from outside the circle and back into the middle of the circle. I was constantly trying get lower to the toe board by bending my legs to achieve the "J" factor before the lift phase.
At this time I was also introduced to separation of shoulder and hip called in some sports as the X-factor. I knew this motor skill from hitting a baseball or swinging a golf club and it was badly needed by me in the discus. I had never trusted my back with this added stretch reflex because of previous injuries to my lower back. and sixteen pounds was to be considered. The X-factor became part of my technique and I learned to lessen the impact with good footwork.
The shoe that I wore was becoming important to me. I was sprinting more and felt comfortable in the old 9.9 shoe made popular in O.G's . I took out the spikes and had them resoled for throwing; they positioned me up on my toes better than the shoes I used when I tore my cartilage. So armed with new shoes, better technique, a stronger faster body & police protection I was eager for the 1975 smokeless season.
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August 17, 2014
I started to think about some of the throwers who lived and trained in the San Jose, Cupertino area around that time and it reads like a who's who of the worlds best. In addition to Brian, Al, Mac and John; there was Art Burns, Ben Plucknett, Mike Buncic, Greg Tafralis, Jim Doehring, Bruce Kennedy, Ed Burke, Richard Marks, Carol Cady.
I'm sure I missed others. Fill in the blanks.
August 17, 2014
Pete Shmock, Lahsen Akka Samsam, Bruce Jenner, Joe Keshmiri, Fred Samara, Maren Seidler.....not to mention all of the local talent Ron Mckee, Bob Feuerbach, Bob Gummerson, and....so on....Mike Weeks, Ian Pyka, Ron Semkiw.....
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August 17, 2014
Hey Al, love to hear your comments on the development of your technique, especially the 90 degree turn of the right foot and the passive left arm. Did you fix your eyes on something to keep your head back and create separation between shoulders and hips? Any flexibility exercises?
August 17, 2014
Jed , my abbreviated answers. My 90 degree foot turn evolved without a thought to it...I'm bow legged..so that worked to create better efficiency for me , but it will not work for everyone. (knock knee'd throwers)....passive left arm....the key is to relax those body parts that are not 'active' at the moment...the left arm 'works wonders' at the 'transfer of power' / 'release' phase. My eyes were fixed on nothing, my feelings were internal, not external, as I prepared to throw. In training it's ok to teach a thrower to fix their eyes on something, just as you will have to think...think...think...your way to better technique through endless repetition...in training....but....you will only experience better technique when you no longer have to...think about it..... in competition....
August 17, 2014
I'm bow legged too and tried to keep my knees together when ever I threw or ran. I got stronger & faster as my training progressed my legs/knees/hips became tighter and later returned to the bowed positions. Ben plucknett was a good example of working hard and slimming his hips and throwing farther because of his trimming down a pant size.
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August 18, 2014
Living out my dream in Utopia for throwing. I was thriving and the 1975 season was getting started. I had a system by where I would enter a couple of All-Comers Meets to prepare for the meet scenario of staying in the circle and stretching out my distance. I always trained like a diamond in the rough and these meets honed my technique.
We had a few meets and and I was getting close the indoor record that George Woods tossed last season erasing my mark. It was the San Francisco meet at the Cow Palace that I was looking forward to. I had this bright idea of throwing far and having a party after the meet. I called all the honeys I knew and invited them to the meet. They had to go to will call for their tickets and bring a girl friend.
The meet was underway and I was looking around the Palace for the girls who had showed and was in 4th place after four throws. I realised that I needed to pay attention and got a jolt of adrenaline as I entered the circle for my 5th throw. My best mark was 68' 4" after four throws and I was beside myself with a possibility of a 4th place finish in front of party going crowd. I stepped into the circle thinking I was going to go for it on this one and still had another one just in case. I was prepared to foul but only used the rest of the circle that until then didn't.
The shot landed 72' 6½" and a new World Record. I ran to Matson and put my hands on his shoulders and jumped as high as I could pushing off over his head. As I returned to the floor I looked to see if Randy was pissed off (he took it well). I then ran out a kissed the spot where it landed (I was back ). I still had one more throw left but it didn't matter. Oh ,the Party afterwards was a success too.
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August 22, 2014
I was working to improve the factors I needed to throw that 80' throw and stay in the circle. I needed speed, strength, technique and a little luck. The training for the Super Stars was the motivation and provided the discipline for success.
I started by adding sprinting over 100 yards instead of the 40 yards that I ran in the I.T.A. against the ladies. It would begin with running down the crown of the football field from one goal line to the other. I used my 40 yard sprint speed to get my 280 lbs. moving, then two stepped the 5 yd. lines.
At first I could only hold that stride from 60 thru 100 yards. Then stretching out my legs and walking back letting my pulse return under 100 beats a minute I'd go again. Each run was for form and I was able to stride the entire field in 40 steps.
I still look at football players to see if they can two step the 5 yd. lines . My speed was reduced about a second from 10.5 to 9.6 in flats. Bruce Jenner and I raced to a 9.8 in the grass. My approach was similar in swimming always working on form and counting strokes. I concentrated on overhead presses as they were a weakness compared to the elite athletes I admired. I was throwing shots weighing between 8 and 20 pounds developing a 2.5 foot per pound ratio.
Now, all of this was done with the host of world class friends that were exchanged at each venue. The whole South Bay was loaded with training partners for any sport . My main concentration was throwing and lifting. I was holding the shot higher on my neck and found success at first with the light shots.
There was this tree outside the throwing area at 84'. I could throw out of the 72' pit with a scattered landing pattern. I chose to line up my bones and threw from the backward 7' that continued first of all as the sector line and lined up with that skinny maple tree. The shots hitting that tree were getting heavier until I could reach it with 15 pounder. For technical
support I was throwing the discus farther than ever. (faster, stronger, farther).... -
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[quote='Brian Oldfield','http://social.throwholics.com/index.php/Thread/4457-Brian-Oldfield-USA-The-Big-O-and-all-that-involves/?postID=28397#post28397']August 22, 2014
The I.T.A. is back in El Paso
I just spent a week in Dallas throwing and eating big. I got my shot put standing throw up to 66', full spin was 76' , The discus hit a tree 18' high off the ground & coming straight down at 206' , I thew the javelin 253' off seven quick steps. After lunch we hit golf balls; the kind with the red stripe around them. The club was a aluminum head standard driving range one. I was on fire after the morning secession and was driving them so far on a low rising straight line way past the 350 yd. markers and actually got lost in the hazey thermals . Their were a couple of S.M.U. football coaches watching with their jaws hanging open. We guessed the distance to be way past 400 yards....Now El Paso.
This was a magical place for me and I've been training to make a statement. I took a couple standing throws reaching 66' then had to argue with the staff to move back the telephone poles at the 72' barrier engulfing the landing area. They move them back and I started to throw farther than I ever threw before. The shot was coming from behind my ear and out into the grass there were people standing on the poles leaving indentations in the grass. I was slicing through the circle and pulling the shot up over my blocking left leg and finally told Debo who was standing on left end of the log that I was going to put it between his legs. I sliced through the circle lower than whale shit and plyo'd up and over the left leg like a catapult. The shot was high in the air and everyone on the telephone pole scattered as the shot hit the top of it right where Fred was standing. They measured the indentation in the grass at 84'. The pole bounced end to end three times rolling several yards and stopping. I watched the shot actually get smaller as it flew to it's destination. Let's compete !!!!
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August 24, 2014
THE OLDFIELD SPIN 1980
In this study, I will explain my concept of the rotational style of shot putting.These technical aspirations were developed from my total experience as a shot putter.My technique can be broken down into five phases:
1) Starting Position
2) Linear "Sprint" Phase
3) Nirvanna Phase
4) Vertical "Lift" Phase
5) Reverse/ Re-entry Phase
The method of throwing described here is a result of many years of practice and throws taken beyond 80'. It is from this comparison, when all factors were utilized that that my longest competitive throws resulted....STARTING POSITION
The starting position for rotational shot putting is accomplished by sitting low at the back of the circle, facing one hundred-eighty degrees from the landing area. The feet are shoulder width apart, the knees are bent at about ninety degrees and your weight is distributed up on the balls of your feet. The back is straight and your center of gravity should be slightly turned out (similar to the front squat). The arms are held back with both elbows at ninety degrees (perpendicular to the spine and back), adding to a big chest to the position. The shot is held high behind the ear at the base of the skull. The center of gravity of the shot put rests just below the apex of the fingers of the throwing hand with the thumb pointing up. The shot will have a natural tendency to roll to the fingers when thrown. The left arm is also held up and back with the elbow bent and the thumb pointing upwards. The head is back and the eyes are kept level throughout the throw (at no point should you look down). Balance and direction are key factors to throwing far and will greatly reduce dizziness and inefficient or extraneous movement that inhibit distance. A quick test of one's starting position and balance is to turn and look over the shoulder of the throwing arm into the landing area. At this point the athlete can gain the perspective needed to line up their spine toward the direction or focal point of the throw. Remember this:, in the rotational style, the starting position is basically the power position , and you must be under and in front of the shot, at the back of, in the center of, and at the front of the circle....THE LINEAR ''SPRINT'' PHASE
This phase, sometimes called the horizontal pathway, is where the momentum is added to the starting position by sprinting low down through the center of the circle to the toe board. First, the weight is shifted to ball of the left foot ( for right handed person) which pivots 180 degrees. The right leg circumvents the pivoting left and becomes the lead lead leg sprinting down into the center of the circle. the right foot is pre turned to get a head start on the 360 degree pivot which takes place in the center of the circle. The sprint step should resemble a lunge to regain contact with the ground as soon as possible, while keeping low and parallel to the ground. The first step to the center is accomplished best if the knees almost touch as the right leg passes the left. If the right leg gets to wide out of the back of the circle more time and power will be lost to rotational motion and can cause over rotation at the front of the circle.The key to the linear approach is the backward seven with a tight turning axis. The footwork, center of gravity, and the pathway of the shot all line up on this reverse seven. The left foot slide to the double leg support at the toeboard is achieved by staying low. It is important that the center of gravity stays at a constant depth without vertical variation and the foot work is done close to the ground. Try to decrease heel kicking, single leg support time and air time. These are signs that you need to be lower, maintain contact with the ground longer and enhance acceleration. The momentum will then start at the feet and spiral up through the power position (separation/torque is asserted at this point). Remember not to duck your head as this will eliminate your pulling power and change momentum into a pushing force which is not as powerful and greatly increases the possibility of fouling....THE NIRVANA PHASE
I named phase after the Hindu concept that says when Nirvana is reached, there is an extinction from the individual existence. The seldom mentioned , often misunderstood position is most significant to the outcome of the throw and the recovery after throw because It combines all energies going into the pivot, gains power and directs momentum up through the release. These energies are described as planes of power and all line up the musculoskeletal performance as the impulse step ignites. These power phases are:1) ROTATIONAL - this phase consist of two turns, the first of which is 180 degrees and centrifugal. The second second is centripetal and 360 degrees which results in 540 degrees. Each turn is rotational in nature, directing force to the axis of the turn or keeping the arms and legs in close to the spine to speed up the turn. This allows the body to come out of the turn faster than it enters.
2) Horizontal Force - takes place after the first turn and consists of a lunging sprint step into the second pivot and sliding the left to the bucket. Acceleration should be added to each step without any lateral variation.
3) THE "J" PHASE - the "J" phase is also along the the horizontal plane. It is the process of working your way down to the middle of the circle to set up a plyometric base and double leg support a the bottom of the second pivot.
4) NIRVANA is the name of the matrix where the first three power planes are combined together the torqued upper body to keep the shoulder from drifting ahead of the hips. The body weight is under and in front of the shot as you start to helix up through the vertical plane. The power position unwinds as you develop vertically. The feet, knees and then the hip are next to come into action leaving the shoulder back and torqued.
This process develops a store of energy much like an archer's bow that is strung and ready for release. This position is referred to as the backward "C". It is important to remember to come out of each pivot faster that you entered it, because you need to get to and throw off the top of your vertical phase. Anything less cut off distance....
THE VERTICAL "JUMP/LIFT" PHASE
Positioning, balance, and alignment are key factors that add distance to a throw. Proper utilization of these factors will create a more efficient throw. Acceleration and depth of position add time & power development to the velocity, angle, and height of release. The horizontal speed combined with an efficient pivot at the power position must equal the vertical jump phase for maximum distance.Problem areas such as being off balance, having either over or under rotated, moving too slow or too fast ,too short or too long a step can be corrected if your center of gravity is low enough through Nirvana. The hips act as a gyroscope and can sort out flaws before vertical acceleration begins.Body weight is distributed between the pivoting right quadriceps and spinning the right hip ahead of the shoulder. The biceps femoris of left leg is responsible for pulling the body weight forward and aiding in the vertical development. As the center of gravity ascends, the left arm pulls down and locks the the left side of the body, accelerating or catapulting the right shoulder from its torqued position and comes into play as the final accelerator. The torque / separation of the is utilized by delivering the throw over the top of the left side of the body as it stands up and locks down into position. If the pathway of the shot circumvents the right hip and does not come over the left leg a flat throw with unchecked inertia can result in a foul or a less than optimal distance. There's a test phase as well. Picture an imaginary strap from the shot to the right heel. I you dropped the shot it should land behind the heel...
REVERSE/ RE-ENTRY PHASE
This phase is the best understood as the result of the jump phase adequately absorbing all the proceeding energies that came out of Nirvana. When the jump is vertical and without variation it will use gravity to return to the center of the earth via the same pathway. When both sides of the body are used to accelerate the throw, there's no division of labor. Energy needed or reserved to make the reverse can instead be added to the throw , making it unnecessary for you to supply the breaking action. Let the reverse happen naturally by using gravity to supply re-entry . After all, what goes up must come down. The results of the vertical acceleration when matched equally from the horizontal acceleration will create a forty- five degree angle of release and a far throw that one day will measure over eighty five feet !!!!!!! -
August 31, 2014
Brian, if you could do it all again what would you do differently?
August 31, 2014
Stayed in the circle on 78'11".
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September 1, 2014
I just remembered a job I had in junior high as a bus boy at the Elks Club . My sister got me the job where she worked on weekends as a waitress . It was there that I learned to carry the try over my shoulder and pivot with my spine as the axis not disturbing any of the dishes and glassware back & forth , in and out of the kitchen through the swinging door. I remember using this awareness when I held the shot during the early days of spinning. I was able to keep the shot isolated in the pocket behind my ear keeping it from pulling out to the right or sliding down in front. I didn't want to foul by letting the shot separate centrifugally from the neck. I didn't want to injure my bicep tendon or drop any dishes...
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September 5, 2014
It's the time of year that I took more time working on technique . I always found myself lighter and weaker by the end of summer. I always had something I wanted to improve on for the next season. This is the time of year to take a pragmatic look at your training program . You reestablish your base in weightlifting, find that extra time to examine your mechanics/technique in throwing. I trusted a system of throwing weighted shots; the heavy ones taught me position(s) and pointed out weaknesses along the pathway , the lighter shots tested my concept and gave me a peak into the future. I use a 22#, 20#, 19#. 18#, 17#, as heavy shots(I only threw the 16# in meets) I used a 15#, 14#, 13#, 12#, 11#, 10#, 9#, 8# as light shots. I received a an average improvement 2' to 2.5' with the heavy shots and 2.5' to 3' with the lights. I think for example : I threw 69' with a 16' and 91' with an 8.8' in a clinic for elite athletes in November. We were being tested for several days educationally for the 1984 season coming up. The speed across the circle was the same with either weight and angle & height of release were the same. The only difference was the distance was 3' a pound improvement . This was similar to what I experienced in training and allowed me to take many extra throws in a secession . I even used a 4# shot to see the difference between the potential of the glide and the spin. The glide seemed to hit a wall at three feet per pound while the rotation/spin technique delivered 5' a pound . I read a report on the energy generated in the different throwing events place the hammer as first, the discus was next and the glide was third ahead of the javelin ...
September 5, 2014
A younger athlete in your opinion should or should not use a heavier shot in practice? How about if they are strong upper and lower body but still young in age and experience?
September 5, 2014
Dennis, I improved in throwing as I reached the same bracket of strength that other greats in the sport had accomplished. I always was tall & weak for the longest time . I could throw a baseball , snowball , rock as good as others but it was a slow crawl to the top of the heap in shot putting. I had to find my speed , my strength both lower & upper body , while maintaining the feel for what came natural. There are throwers who lift and lifters who throw. I was afraid of squats until I finally sat completely down and learned it was safe. I first started getting low as a thrower then as a lifter always considering throws and the best position for throwing. I found that the front squat was very unpopular and heard many excuses on why athletes didn't like them. I then needed to know and started at the bottom . I used a rack for posture and soon was able to front squat with out it . This latter became my dominate squat and it carried over into my throwing technique.
September 5, 2014
question...you were able to throw all the weighted shots the appropriate distance...for example the 20 went 65 , 16 went 75, the 12 went 85...or there about..anyway my question is some of the big throwers did not have the pick up needed, they would say get the 12 to go where it should, follow with the 14 going where it should then pick up the 16 and have a huge drop off...why is that? these guys were strong enough, big enough and have great technique, but could throw all the weights BUT the one most important one
September 5, 2014
Rob, every athlete has a glitch in their training or in their training compared to the meet technique. I did and took many throws in warm ups to get some practice at the same level of energy as a competition. The day I threw 75' I warmed up to 74' and for the first time saved it for the meet. Demons exist In your technique, in a distance, or a weightlifting break through asking a pretty girl to dance...
September 5, 2014
A great commentary on training methods. I am curious about your take on practicing and fouling in an apparent casual way. My experience is that if you don't practice "foul" conscious, when it comes to big meets, the fear of the foul alters technique. Your thoughts?September 5, 2014
I didn't practice fouling I just stepped over ,(one step out rule) whatever I stepped out on in practice I could stay in on during a meet. It was my system and save the banging of my toes into the toeboard.
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