Posts by PaddyHammer

Swimming is a great exercise i always felt it was a great fun after training. The only time it's dangerous is when their are Sharks!!

I personally don't care for the Weight but i have to agree with Mr Bingisser the more chances of exposure for people to see the weight/Hammer the better. This is also a way for the big guys to make some cash as well. At the younger level being a High school coach in the USA the kids throw a 25lbs & 20lbs weight. In order for my kids to get recruited by Colleges it helps if they have a good mark in the Weight Throw as so many College coaches look at the ranking lists on HSHammer.com. Also from a coaching point of view today's kids need instant feedback & get bored if they have to wait 7-8 months before they see a result. An example would be if a kid start's to train with me and is doing 45' with the Weight; and after a few weeks of learning the event he then goes to a meet and does 49-50'. Then he can see the improvement- Does that mean he's a better Hammer Thrower Not really but it does show that his rotation is getting better and he's on his way to a better performance in a few months in the Hammer.

Coach Smith, Yeah I was reading the Question wrong! In the cold regions of NY I only have a field & a cage so no real chance of Throwing into a net! Great Job with the Girls Jeneva & Gwen! I met them last year at the Millrose Game's and they were very nice and took a picture with my 2 year old son. Very strong & fast I think Gwen's throw last week was a super rotation. Hopefully both girls can be in the 75+M range this year nice Job Coach

Sorry about that! I guess it's been so COLD in the Northeast of the USA! That's what I was thinking about

Net throwing has it's good and bad sides!
Good
(1) You can get more reps off 50-60 throws in an hour
(2) It usually WARMER inside
(3) You can throw at any time as their is usually lights etc
(4) You can wear shorts and a T-shirt and then its easier to work on Technical stuff
(5)No walking thru the Ice & Snow
(6) Staying warmer helps you have a better movement
(7) Nicer situation for the Coach

Bad
(1) You don't get the joy of seeing the implement fly & getting feedback on distance etc
(2) When your inside so is every other sport so you have to deal with a lot more idiots!
(3) safety I always worry about the strength of the net and the Implement getting loose
(4) Also I fear the Ball or disc coming back and hitting the Athlete as the net is so close
(5) Personally I like the isolation of the outside your on your own!! NO other people are outside!! its quiet you dig out the circle and make a trench to walk out and get the implements. I feel it does make my kid tougher mentally e.g like if it rains in a meet etc

Deal competed against [articledefinition=6]Sedykh[/articledefinition] and Litvenov in England in the Feb of 1989. It was a USSR vs UK & USA. Their is probably film of it somewhere on you tube. [articledefinition=6]Sedykh[/articledefinition] was 1st deal 2nd then Litvenov

Some ideas for winter Throwing
(1) UnderArmour lots of layers and a Hat
(2) Plastic Bags over your socks keeps your feet dry & slightly warmer as your shoes get wet from the snow
(3) 1st Day Dig up all around the circle & standing area. Then dig a straight line out to 70m this will be the path you will walk back and forth thru. This can take a long time usually if I am coaching 7-8 kids I tell them to bring snow shovels and the it takes 10minutes and a good physical warm up.
(4) Put bright construction marker string on the Hammer handle so you can find the Ball in the Snow.
(5) Throw as Many Hammer as possible e.g 6 Hammers working on form then 5 times going out to collect = 30 Throws. This saves time as the longer your outside the colder you get.
(6) Throw Table salt instead of rock salt on the circle as the circle will feel a lot smoother to work off of.
(7) Drink hot tea/coffee in a flask as cold water outside will get you sick real easy
(8) When done put a tarp over the circle. If you have rocks put then in the corners of the tarp
(9) A small fire pit is a good investment

A few weeks ago at Training Sunday morning it was so cold on the way to Training I got a Firepit! It was super to say the least as a Coach standing in the cold for 3-4 Hours your feet & Hands get so cold! The small fire made all the difference. Also with my Students when they went out to get the Hammers before they threw they would stand close to the Firepit it helped big time! As we dream of beating guys from warmer parts of the World

It shows true dedication to work in cold temperatures. In New York we try to train all year round but sometimes you have to err on the side of caution when it becomes icy for my students to drive to training etc. Also while working in cold temps its important to throw a lot of implements so as to spend as little time outside as possible. Throwing with one Hammer 40 throws will take to long but 5-6 Hammers at the same time and your done in 45-50minutes.