Athletics (British Sports Library)

DISCUS THROWING 163 ferred to the left leg after the discus has left the hand. Many discus throwers hold the position shown in Sketch 13 until the discus has come to ground, others reverse the feet, so that the right foot is drawn through to the position shown in Sketch 14, R3. Sketches 10 to 13 show the manner in which the thrower drops back his head to aid him in giving the discus proper elevation during its flight. It should also be observed that throughout the turning movement the arms are swung fully extended from the shoulders. They are swung loosely, with muscles relaxed until the actual throwing movement commences just prior to the grounding of the left foot (Sketch 9), when all power is gathered for the throw. Fig. B of Sketch I shows the way in which the discus leaves the hand, with the fingers imparting to it a very strong spin from left to right, which will serve to make it "scale," or fly gyroscopically fiat, through the air. This spin should be set up first by the little finger, all the rest participating in turn, and the index finger giving the final impetus. This index-finger movement is important, as a final impetus imparted by all the fingers at once makes the discus fly unevenly through the air. The training of the discus thrower necessitates the development of the turn and the throw as two absolutely separate exercises at first.