Athletics of To-Day 1929

288 Athletics of To-day Fig. 36 indicates the direction in which the discus is to be thrown. To commence the throw the athlete takes up his position at the rear of the circle, with his feet planted at Rr and Lr, with the discus maintained under the hand by the under– curled finger-tips, as shown in the picture of K. Marvalitz (No. z, Plate 46). Note particularly the natural relaxed attitude of the arm, wrist, hand, and fingers, and the way in which the thumb is spread out, so that its tip comes level with the edge of the discus. Throughout the whole throwing evolution the discus is kept in position through the maintenance of sufficient centrifugal force, combined with the resistance against its rim of the outermost joints of the fingers. As soon as the feet are comfortably disposed about r8 inches apart, the athlete lets his weight go forward on to the left foot as he carries the discus with a forward and upward right arm swing to a position immediately above his head and meets it with his left hand, as shown in Picture No. I, Plate 47· Care should be taken that the back is not hollowed nor the head allowed to go back. G. M. Moll, Bedfordshire County Junior Champion and record holder, shows a correct, well-balanced position in the picture. The way in which the tips of the fingers of the throwing hand overlap the rim of the missile may also be seen. To complete the preliminary swing the left hand imparts a little power to the right, which falls, by its own weight and that of the discus, downwards and is swung up as high as possible above and behind the right shoulder, as shown in Fig. 37, page z8g. These preliminary swings may be re– peated "till ready." It should be noted that when the discus swings forward and up, the body is turned to the left, the weight is on the left foot, and the right heel is raised from the ground. When the discus swings backwards and up, the weight goes on to the right foot, the body is turned to the right and the left heel is raised. In the last swing before the turn begins, and as the discus goes up behind, the left foot is shifted back from Lr to Lz on the line of direction (Fig. 36) and the athlete leans forward from the waist (see Fig. 38, page zgo). Note that the discus is held