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No human resembles a cannon more than a shot putter.

In fact, soldiers in the middle ages


competed by tossing cannonballs. Today, we compete by putting the shot. The shot is simply
a spherical object. It is propelled by way of pushing, rather than by throwing. The men’s shot
weights 7.26kg and the women’s shot weighs 4kg. This sport is definitely not for wimps.
Following are some pointers for any soul who wishes to put his or her strength to the test. As
such this essay seeks to identify and explain two of the following techniques and skills from
short put, javelin and discuss. Thus the article will present shot put and discus .The answer
will be supported with illustrated diagrams.

The shot put

Step 1: Holding the shot

Place the shot at the base of one’s fingers, not the palm. Spread one’s fingers slightly apart
and use one’s thumb to prevent the shot from rolling off. 

Adapted from Hubbard (1989).

Step 2: Stand inside the circle

When shot putting, one must stay within the circle during the entire throw. The circle is
usually painted on a slab of concrete and is 7 feet (2.13 meters) wide for official
competitions. If one stop outside the circle during the throw, it is a foul and is not counted in

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the competition. After throwing, the athlete must exit the circle through the back half of the
ring, not the front, or the throw becomes foul according to Hermassi (2010). (This avoids
arguments over whether an athlete stepped over the line during the throw or afterward.)The
circle usually has a "toe board" in front that will block the athlete's foot from going too far
forward. One is not allowed to step on top of the toe board.

Adapted from Hubbard (1989).

Step 3:
Push, don't toss. 

Adapted from Hubbard (1989).

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Because the shot is so much heavier than balls in other sports, it cannot be tossed overhand or
underhand without a high risk of causing a pulled muscle or other injuries. Always "push" the
shot put out by extending one’s arm in one direction, without swinging it. Read the
instructions below for more information about standard throwing techniques.

The discuss

On another note discus throwing dates back to at least 708 BC. During that time, a Greek
sculptor named Myron created his famous statue, Discobolus, of a discus thrower. The poet
Homer even referenced discus throwing in his Iliad. Discus throwing formed an important
part of the Greek pentathlon, though iron and bronze discs of that time were much heavier
than the ones used these days (Keigo, Hiroaki, Koki and Kenji 2008). Today, both men and
women of all ages participate in this Olympic event.

Discus throwing Step-by-Step

In this activity there is need of good practice of some preliminary swings and with that adopt
one’s shoulder well with the stance. Thus the first step is positioning of the discus high, in a
relaxed manner. Instead of speed it is the radius that matters the most (Lichtenberg and Wills
1978).. So keep one’s hand long enough from the body so that it will give a huge radius on
the discus. Positioning one’s body weight in the middle of the stance. One should aim on chin
over the knee over toe of one’s left leg.

In step 2, as soon as one take off the right foot from the ground, shift one’s body weight on
the left foot. One need to trail the discus behind one’s hips. In doing so ne will be bringing
right foot towards the center of the circle by swinging it wide of the left foot. This is followed
by step 3 which very is important in the view of positioning of the foot (Linthorne 2001).
Thus one need to pivot one’s right foot on the ground with its ball followed by
positioning the left foot low. In step 4 one need to hold the discus in the high position behind
one’s back while balance and maintain the level of both one’s shoulders.
Adapted from Hubbard (1989).

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Adapted from Hubbard (1989).

As soon as the right foot lands on the ground, aim for the chin over knee over toe over right
leg. Maintaining the position of the left foot still low and fast.

In Step 5 one can achieve real power when one touch the ground with the left foot. During
this time position, one’s left arm in the direction of the throw. One need to complete the
pivoting of the right foot. Bracing the left side of one’s body now. In this step one will be
driving one’s right hip in forward direction to aid the motion.

In step 6 as one drive forward the right hip, note the “bow” position. One should make one’s
right arm relaxed and comfortable as it is the time to strike.

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One need to keep the left side braced and firm all over this step. In step 7 need to let one’s
right arm come through fast and last. One need to do the aerodynamic lift and drag of the
release angle.

Even after the release of the discus, keep one’s left foot well-grounded as before. Soon after
the throw, keep the position of one’s right arm and the corresponding thumb in line with each
other.
In summation the essay discussed specific steps followed wen executing shot put and
discus .The steps were given accordingly and in chronological order that is from one’s first to
the last aspect .Relevant images were provided to allow the acquisition of untended
knowledge but the learners.

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REFERENCES

Hubbard, M. (1989). The throwing events in track and field. In C. L. Vaughn (Ed.),
Biomechanics of Sport (pp. 213–238). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Hermassi, S., Chelly, M. S., Fathloun, M., & Shephard, R. J. (2010). The effect of heavy- vs.
moderate-load training on the development of strength, power, and throwing
ball velocity in male handball players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning
Research, 24(9), 2408-2418. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e58d7c

Keigo, O. B., Hiroaki, F., Masatoshi, M., Toshinori, E., Hisashi, T., Koki, G., & Kenji, T.
(2008). A biomechanical analysis of the men's shot put at the 2007 World
Championships in Athletics. New Study in Athletics, 23(2), 53–62.

Lichtenberg, D. B., & Wills. J. G. (1978). Maximizing the range of the shot put. American
Journal of Physics, 46(5), 546–549. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.11258

Linthorne, N. P. (2001). Optimum release angle in the shot put. Journal of Sports Sciences,
19(5), 359–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410152006135

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