1.

INTRODUCTION

The shot put has been an Olympic event since the inaugural Games of 1896 in Rome. Its a sport that requires technique as well as strength, and changes in throwing style have since led to significant gains in the power of the thrower and the distances achieved.

2.0

HISTORY OF SHOT PUT

Shot put history can be found to stretch back thousands of years to the days before the British Isles became Christianized and the land was still governed by chieftains. In modern terms the sport was formalized and became an Olympic fixture in 1896. In the pre-Christian period, Scottish Chieftains used stone throwing as a method to determine rank, and gauge power. A local leader would challenge the chief of a visiting tribe to a contest. Each chieftain would then choose his greatest warrior to throw the "clachneart," or stone of strength. The leader whose warrior threw the stone the farthest was viewed as having more military strength, and thus more power

Today the sport is done using a heavy metal ball and a special technique is perfected in order to be able to throw the ball as far as possible. In order to be truly successful at this event, the athlete needs to combine technique, form and strength. Back thousands of years the event was done with stone balls in Scotland. Chieftains would use the event to determine which was the most powerful. They would select one of their warriors to throw the stone ball as far as possible and the winner would be considered to come from the most militarily powerful clan. The event has also become a part of the Highland Games. The sport underwent changes throughout the Middle Ages through to the 18th century, when it was a popular sport among soldiers who would throw cannon balls. It is from this era of the sport that it gains its name with the "shot" referring to the cannon ball and the "put" part a style of throwing that was used. Up until the modern Olympics was begun the sport was popular, but it was not formalized. As part of the

track and field at the Olympics the sport was finally formalized. It would not become a women's event at the games however until 1948. The sport today has not changed too much throughout the shot put history. The balls are today made of lead and it tends to be the technique used that varies more. One of the best known shot put athletes was Randy Barnes who introduced the rotational form of throwing in 1976.

3.0

RULES OF SHOT PUT GAME

Early shot put events were judged on the distance the stone, or shot, could be thrown from behind a raised wooden board following a short run-up of no more than seven feet. By the early 1890s, the run-up had been replaced by a seven-foot-diameter circle marked on the ground with the raised board, now shaped to follow the front edge of the circle. In both cases, stepping over the board meant the throw would be disallowed. An article published in 1892 in the American magazine "Outing" describes the events of the Caledonian Games and discusses the then prevailing rule of a standing throw from within a circle.

The main reason for the change from the run up to the circle was to increase the accuracy of measurements by being able to measure the exact distance from where the shot landed straight back to the closest point on the edge of the circle.

Figure 1 : layout of shot put circle

In the competition the shot shall be put from the shoulder with one hand only. At the same time an athlete takes a stance in the circle to commence a put, the shot shall touch or be in close proximity to the neck or the chin and the hand shall not be dropped below this position during the action of putting. The shot shall not be taken behind the line of the shoulder. a) The throwing circle must be entered and left via the rear half. b) Each competitor is allowed three throws. c) The 'put' is a push rather than a throw. d) The competitor must not touch the top of the stopboard, or the ground outside the circle, during the 'put'. e) The throw is measured from the nearest mark of the shot, to the inside of the circumference of the circle, along a line from the mark to the centre of the circle. f) The diameter of the circle is 2.45 - 2.55m. g) Age group shot put weights; see specifications

Figure 2 : shot put area

4.0

SHOT PUT TECHNIQUE

The shot is a steel ball weighing 7.26 kilograms, or just over 16 pounds, for men and 4 kilograms, or almost 9 pounds, for women. Size and weight vary based on age group competitions. The shot putter stands in a ring about 6.5 feet across and throws the shot into a triangular pit area. Whoever throws the shot farthest without stepping out of the ring is the winner. Both techniques begin with holding the shot in virtually the same position. The shot is held in the base of the fingers, not in the palm,and placed under the chin against the putter's neck. Two primary classifications of shot put techniques are used today: the glide, developed by Parry O'Brien, and the spin, developed by many but made famous by Aleksandr Baryshnikov and Brian Oldfield. Other techniques, which may be described as partial movements, have merit as either drills or competitive movements. Normally, only novice athletes would use these movements in competition, but they are frequently part of the training regimen of the more skilled shot-putters.

4.1

Grip and Arm Position i. Gripping the shot put is the same for all athletes. The following explanations use a right-handed put : ii. Hold shot with both hands. iii. Place shot in throwing (right) hand and spread fingers around shot. iv. Do not rest shot in palm of hand v. Place thumb and little finger wider apart for balance and support. vi. Raise shot above head, wrist flexed backward. vii. Shot is supported by thumb and little finger on sides;majority of weight is on other fingers. viii. Bring arm down, place shot against neck, below ear, with palm turned out. ix. Elbow is away from body. x. Apply pressure against neck to support shot.

Figure 3 : Grip and arm position

4.2

Learning the Standing Throw The standing throw from a power position is very important when learning the shot put. Knowing how to make a proper standing throw will contribute a great deal to your success when moving on to the glide or spin technique. i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. From ready position, stand straddle near toe board, facing perpendicular to direction of throw (left shoulder at front of the ring). Shoulders are parallel to direction of throw. Left arm (non-throwing arm) is relaxed, extended in front of body. Step back and bend right leg, keeping back straight. Turn upper body 90 degrees away from direction of put. Body weight is over bent right leg. Drive hips and chest counterclockwise toward direction of put. Extend right arm and snap fingers, releasing shot.

Figure 4 : Standing throw from the power position

4.3 Power position Stand in a shot circle with your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart. About 60 percent of your body weight should be over your right foot and 40 percent should be over your left foot. Place your right foot near the center of the circle facing toward 9 o'clock, with your left foot closer to the toe board.Hold the shot at your neck with your thumb down and your four fingers pressing the shot into your neck. Rotate your shoulders to the rear of the ring so that there is a relatively straight line from your head to your left foot at the front of the ring. Your left arm should be loose and away from your body to the side. This is the completed power position. This basic power position for delivery of the shot is similar, independent of the style of implementation, spin or glide, and a standing throw should indicate that.

Figure 5 : standing throw from the power position

Figure 6 : Movement behaviour and resulting characteristic lines of the shot, pelvis and the knee
from the power position to the delivery position. The comparison of the lines makes their opposite course obvious(Figure according to TIDOW 1983 )

4.4 Delivery To "unwind" and lift out of this position, your initial movement comes from your right foot. Push your heel out and rotate your knee in the direction of the throw to start the unwinding of your somewhat torqued and flexed body. This forceful unwinding, lifting, and driving somewhat forward of your torqued body advances up the centerline of your body through your hips, chest, shoulders, and finally to your arm, wrist, and hand, at which time the implement receives the culmination of these rotational, linear, and vertical forces. Your post or blocking left leg at the toe board should give only slightly to the load while you shift the forces to the linear and vertical direction. The blocking side leg resists the rotation so that all forces transfer into the implement, propelling the shot up over your left side through the delivery.

Figure 7 : From the sideways stance (7.1) through the delivery position (7.3) to the actual delivery (7.5). The movement section depicted here takes only 150ms. Sideways stance and frontal position (7.3) are therefore only very short transition phases

Regardless of the time of innervation and the speed of contraction of the extensor muscles of the arm,it is an elementary rule to lift the elbow of the putting arm at least to shoulder height after the shot haspassed the shoulder (see Figures 7.1 to 7.5 and Figure 8).

Figure 8 : Ideal delivery position from side and rear. Figure 8.1 shows the pre-tension of the chest muscles and the still clearly bent putting arm, which has been lifted to shoulder height. Here, putting hand and shot are in front of the shoulder.

The reason for this rule is that the raised elbow guarantees that the whole body stays behind the implement all through the delivery action. It also permits a final impulse to be given to the shot bymeans of a horizontal volar flexion of the wrist (see Figure 9). lf the putter imagines that, directly besides or in front of him, is a shoulder high ball of foam material, which he is not allowed to contact with his putting arm, he will generally succeed in achieving the correct high elbow position. However, this is only true if sufficient torque has been built up in the powerposition and if this torque has not been released too early. The following fast swing of the shoulderaxis into the delivery position will then press the shot into the putting hand firmly enough. Otherwisethe elbow must be lowered to prevent the shot falling from the hand.

Figure 9 : The release of the shot. Here the elbow of the putting arm is lifted, and the wrist of the putting hand is in volar flexion. This movement is directed horizontally and outward.

4.5

Shot Put follow & through technique Two different finishes may be used for the standing throw: the nonreversing finish,which may be used with a balance step through, and the reversing finish. When finishing with a nonreverse, you may keep both feet in place if you have learned the balance required for this technique or you may switch or reverse your feet well after the shot is delivered with your right foot traveling to the toe board and your left leg sweeping up and back for balance. This is known as a nonreverse or late reverse standing throw. The reversing finish involves an aggressive jumping action with both legs driving up into the throw. The shot is delivered as a result of your right side driving forward, up and around into the lifting, blocking left side, where the summation of forces is directed into the implement. Your right foot comes down near the toe board with your left leg reaching up and back toward the center of the ring for balance.

Picture 6 : a) non revershing finih b ) revershing finish 4.6 Glide Technique Parry O'Brien developed the glide technique that is now used worldwide. Most throwers would agree that gliding is less technically complex than spinning. It is common to think that tall, strong throwers might be better gliders and the shorter, powerfully built persons might best use the spin. The concept of the "full" glide is to move quickly and efficiently over the 7-foot (2.135 meter) distance of the shot ring to develop greater momentum than is possible with a standing throw, thereby applying much

greater force to the shot and putting". Begin the glide by facing away from the direction of the throw. Stand with your body weight over your right leg or foot at the back of the circle, with your foot facing 12 o'clock, or away from the landing area. Stand vertically or bend at the hips and recommend a bent-over or flexed-hip starting position, because by flexing at the hip the thrower lowers the center of gravity, thus becoming more stable or better balanced as the throw begins. The left arm should hang down, and left leg should be bent with the toe touching the surface of the circle.

Picture 7 : Glide shot put position

5.0

SHOT PUT MOVEMENT AND RHYTHM

The O'Brien glide style shot-putting technique requires the ability to use a single leg support while maintaining balance and driving backward toward 6 o'clock. Four forces are being applied during the drive out of the back of the ring unseating, shoulder lift, left leg drive and left leg drive. For maximum momentum development and transfer to the shot, these movements must be made in a rhythmic, coordinated sequence. Unseating is the term used in shot-putting to describe moving the body's line of gravity beyond its base of support, the basis moving the body from one place to anothe of the body on earth. With body in the bent-over starting position, initiate the rhythm of the movement by lifting your left leg up and then down and bending it while moving it somewhat forward toward your right leg. Before the left leg reaches a full forward position begin the unseating process. Unseating is the process of shifting your center of mass from a balanced position over your right foot base of support at the back of the ring at position 12 o'clock to a moving position behind the right foot by causing the hips to slide or sit to the rear. It should feel somewhat of a "sitting" sensation toward the direction of the throw as begin the glide. The greater the distance behind the heel of the right foot this line of gravity is forced or allowed to shift, the faster move to avoid falling on rear. Too much shift of the line of gravity and will fall, too little and it will not develop maximum momentum. Many trials of this movement are required to determine the proper speed of movement to enable a successful throw with maximum force development. As shift the line of gravity rearward from the front foot, move the hips down and to the rear and lift the shoulders slightly to allow the right leg to drive body quickly to the center of the ring. In a move timed carefully with the right leg thrust, kick the left leg strongly toward the toe board producing momentarily the appearance that splits witr legs. This rearward kick, if timed properly, adds momentum to the throw, keeps the hips ahead of the upper body, and ensures that feet will arrive simultaneously at the power position.

Picture 8 : The OBrien technique divided into 17 phases (athlete: P. Shmock [USA])

SUMMARY The phases or phase elements presented, as well as the corresponding assessment criteria of the modern O'Brien technique are summed up in the shot put analysis sheet. Since what is observed is to a great extent dependent on the onlooker's position (cf. TIDOW 1983), it is recommended that the shot putter should be observed not only from the side but also from the rear. Here, further details, such as the behaviour of the putting arm from the initial position at the back of the circle (including the correct hold and position of the shot at the neck) to the delivery can be closely observed. The judging of the position of the feet in relation to each other (in the power position, criterion: 15 cm staggered) demanded in phase element 23 requires the view from the rear. Only then is it possible to see the degree of sideways deviation of the front foot from the normal putting position (in relation to the rear foot). Since, in the linear shot put technique the movements are presented a period of between 800 and 1,000 msec, it is necessary to concentrate on only two to three details per attempt or only on certain faults. However, as far as consideration of the technique model is concerned, and in the diagnosis of the filmed movement sequence, the analysis sheet should be used in a complex way from phase to phase and on the element level as well.