Heather Okeson

Biomechanics of Human Movement

13 February 2023

Analysis of the separation angle between the thorax and pelvis, and its association with performance in
the hammer throw.

PURPOSE: The hammer throw is a technical event in track and field where the athlete’s goal is to throw
the hammer the farthest. The throw consists of three to five rotations while keeping the “hammer” in an
undisturbed orbit. The implement is a metal ball attached to a cable, which is attached to a handle. Key
points in the throw include the angle of separation between the pelvis and the thorax along with how
this relates to the single and double-footed stance associated with the event. The purpose of this study
was to investigate if a smaller separation angle between the thorax and pelvis during the throw would
positively or negatively affect the outcome distance.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS: Two men and six women were recruited for the study. All of them were in
competition season at the time of the study. Each took 10 throws with an approved hammer after dusk
and were marked with reflective tape in the pelvis and thorax regions to measure the angles of the two
regions during the throw. The hammer was marked at its head and cable. Infra-red systems were used
to find the angle of separation between the thorax and pelvis in each throw in relation to the release
and final distance of the implement. Results: The separation between the thorax and pelvis showed that
the pelvis typically leads the throw. The pelvis is most important in the second turn of the throw. Larger
separation angles decreased performance. Optimal separation has a degree angle between 20 and 40.
They concluded that athletes should work to keep the angle between these degrees during double-
footed placements especially. These findings indicate that during the first few turns of a hammer throw,
there should be more focus on minimizing separation angle during double support during the second
turn to achieve optimal results in distance.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The hammer throw is a technical event that requires specifics in angle of
release, changes in velocity, and continuous maintenance of orbit. Some parts of the throw can be
bettered through increased strength training and axial body fixes, but larger ones require torso and foot
placement changes. Improper technique can cause injury and does not improve throwing ability. Proper
technique should be carefully observed by coaches and athletes alike in order to create maximal
distances.
Analysis of the separation angle between
the thorax and pelvis, and its association
with performance in the hammer throw.
Authors:

Brice, Sara M.1,2

Ness, Kevin F.1
Everingham, Yvette L.1
Rosemond, Doug3
Judge, Lawrence W.4lwjudge@bsu.edu

Source:

International Journal of Sports Science & CoachingDec2018, Vol. 13 Issue 6, p993 8p.

Abstract:

The hammer throw is perhaps one of the most misunderstood and difficult events to learn in
track and field. Improvements in technique are focused on strategies designed to increase
implement release velocity. The purpose of this cross-sectional investigative study was to
examine the association between the angle of separation between the thorax and pelvis and
performance in the hammer throw. Two male and four female throwers were used to assess
positional data of the hammer, thorax, and pelvis. Hammer positional data were used to
determine linear hammerspeed at release, release angle, and release height. Thorax and pelvis
positional data were used to determine thorax rotation relative to the pelvis (separation angle).
The association between values of separation angle at key instances and performance was
examined. Performance was determined by distance thrown (55.69 ± 3.42 m). Release speeds
(24.32 ± 0.70 m/s) were also examined as a contributory factor towards performance and were
included to account for instances where throwers released the hammer using sub-optimal
release heights and angles which negatively affected distance thrown. The separation angle at its
smallest within each turn was found to have a strong negative association with the performance
indicators, especially in the first two turns (significant correlates ranged from −0.82 to −0.97). This
finding indicates when throwers reduced the separation to a smaller value, performance was
enhanced. Separation angle was at its smallest in double support. This suggests that throwers
may improve performance by reducing the separation angle during double support phases.
ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR