Athletics (British Sports Library)

SHOT PUTIING 175 ever, control is the chief essential, and so speed must be built up gradually. Remember as you land on the right foot at the end of the glide to bend the right knee a little and to draw back the right snoulder. So soon as both standing put and glide have been mastered separately, begin to knit the two actions together, but be prepared to find at first that you can·put as fa:r standing as you can with the glide~ Train five days out of seven, but always for style and only very occasionally for distance, just to see what sort of progress you are making. At first be content upon one day to practise a fairly fast glide and a very gentle put, another day practise a slow glide and a hard put in combination, on other occasions work lightly and try to make the speed of the glide coincide with the force you get into the delivery. In this way you will learn gradually to synchronize all your movements and so will build up all-round speed, allied to perfect timing. These two things are the secret of success. When you have both phases perfected and co– ordinated, begin to work for speed and strength, but do not neglect the standing puts and separate gliding with the shot in hand to bring you to the foot position R2-L2 without putting at all, but having the shot in hand, so that you may adjust your body balance to its weight.