Athletic Training

ATHLETIC TRAINING young man or a mature athlete may throw the 16-pound hammer without danger. For big men hammer throwing is an ideal exer– cise, because no matter how long they work they cannot injure themselves. In this re– spect it is different from any other event on the athletic programme, for the _longer the athlete clings to it and practises with intelli– gence the more proficient he becomes. I have frequently known men to be champions at this event at forty years of age after practis– ing more than twenty years. The hammer is thrown from a 7-foot circle and the rules of competition are very simple. Each competitor is allowed three throws, and, as a rule, if finals are held, the best four men are allowed three more throws, each competitor being credited with the best of all his throws. The throw is measured from the nearest edge of the mark made by the head of the hammer where it strikes the ground to the point of the circumference of the circle nearest such mark. There are three methods of fouling, as follows: (1) Letting go of the hammer in an attempt. ·ci) Touching the ground outside of the cir- -