Learn the basics about discus technique with my new, interactive e-learning resource. Go ahead an try it out here. A big thank you to Claudia Steiner, the athlete depicted in the images.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Discus
Zoltan Kövago banned
Seasoned Hungarian discus thrower Zoltan Kövago has been found guilty of a doping offence and will miss the Olympics.
The Hungarian association had exonerated Kövago after he failed to submit to a doping test on 11 August 2011, but the IAAF was successful in an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and the thrower has now been banned for two years, presumably backdated to the date of the offence.
This post will be updated once the Court publishes its reasons.
Talking about getting the basics right…
Last night, Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre, warm-up track.
As I step into the circle to begin my throwing session I notice chalk markings in the discus circle. That in itself is nothing unusual, but immediately I realize something is not quite right. I have another look, and I can’t help taking a photo:
Exhibit A
Here is an enhanced version:
Get it?
The foot positions are obviously the ones the (presumably) young athlete was supposed to arrive at during his or her discus throwing action. But the (no doubt well-meaning) coach, teacher, parent, got this one horribly wrong, if we assume for now that this was a right-handed athlete (no disrespect to the lefties out there).
Unfortunately, this is by no means an isolated incident.
I’ve been coaching children and teens of all ages for over a decade, and I had to show almost every single one who came to see me for the first time what the foot position is supposed to be at the ‘front’ of the circle for a standing throw, which is the same foot position that the athlete should arrive at with the turn.
How come such basic errors are taught at such a large scale? It has never been easier to obtain good coaching materials for anyone who is interested in coaching the discus throw, and yet, the same errors are perpetuated through generations of kids, and the foot position exemplified here is only one of many basic errors I encounter.
I don’t know what transpired, but the likely scenario is (and I’ve seen such scenes many times) that this unfortunate child was practising a standing throw using the foot positions at the ‘front’ of the circle as prescribed by the markings.
But this foot position is the most direct path to teaching an athlete how to throw with the arm, rather than the legs. Why? Because the athlete has no other option but to use the arm in order to make sure the discus lands legally, inside the sector. If a standing throw were executed properly from this position (using the legs), the athlete’s hips would be facing the right sector line at the point of release, rather than facing the throwing direction, and it would be more likely that the discus would stray to the right – unless of course the arm is used to correct that, and this is exactly the reason why this foot position is such a problem. It contributes to turning kids into typical ‘arm throwers.’
So, the optimal foot position (and this is no more a matter of opinion than ‘2+2=4’) is this:
Optimal foot position
Stay tuned for an instructional video on the standing throw, hopefully in the near future.
In the meantime, here is a perfectly executed standing throw by Lars Riedel, which I filmed back in 1996 at a meet in Bellinzona, Switzerland. Distance: definitely over 60m, in perfect conditions:
Great video on two promising US throwers
I recommend you watch this video (thanks to Dale Stevenson for recommending) featuring US throwers Russ Winger (DT & SP) and Kara Patterson (JT). Great advertising for throws.
Sandra Perkovic tests positive for stimulant
European discus champion Sandra Perkovic has failed two doping tests at recent Diamond League meets in Rome and Shanghai. Her test results showed traces of the stimulant methylhexaneamine. A Croatian athletics official put the result down to the athlete inadvertently taking Geranamine extract.
Official hit by discus
Last weekend an official was struck in the head by a discus at a meet in Pretoria, South Africa. The woman is in hospital in a serious condition. She was officiating at the javelin event which was held at the same time as the discus event. The shaken thrower, national champion Victor Hogan, said he had received the go-ahead to throw.
Source:
Update:
Update: The lady is recovering from a broken skull.
Indoor discus throwing
Last weekend in the Swedish town of Växjö throwers met for an indoor meet, including javelin and discus throwers! What a huge hall that must be!
Australian Benn Harradine took the opportunity to travel there and opened his season with an excellent 65.60m, guaranteed not due to favourable wind! Estonian Gerd Kanter won the competition with 66.92m.
Watch a post-event interview with Benn here. Note how he said his first throw was relaxed!