Athletics of To-Day 1929

Throwing the Discus The actual delivery with everything at full stretch and the left leg and side well stiffened, right shoulder pressed up to support the throw, and wrist turned in a final flick, is admirably shown by G. M. Moll in Picture No. 8, Plate 48. The angle of elevation and the tilt to the right at which the discus commences the flight must both be noted. Much the same sequence of action is to be noted in Pictures Nos. 9, ro and rr, Plate 49, of K. Marvalits, Ketil Askildt and 0. Zallhagen. The complete straightness of both legs and full follow through of the right hand is well demonstrated in Picture No. 12, Plate 49, while G. M. Moll in No. r, Plate so, shows the beginning of the break– up action in which the left arm and leg swing backwards, and the right foot is shifted with a quick hop to R3 (Fig. 36). There are two arm waves in the throwing action, whereby the circle is crossed from back to front. The high point of the first wave is just when the turn on the left foot begins, and the low point is reached as the right foot is about to be put down across the direction line. As the right foot spin begins the right hand rises again to a high point, thus comm ncing the second up and down wave, and the second low point is reached as the left foot is put down at L3 (see Picture No. S, Plate 48, of Hoffmeister). W. E. B. Henderson, who has spent considerable time in studying the true science of discus throwing, does not favour the wave arm action, which must be executed with a maximum amount of accuracy if it is to be effective. All his throwing, in fact, was done on a rising, almost horizontal, plane theory. The preliminary swings made from right hip to left shoulder level across the body were followed by what may be described as a rising corkscrew turn. The action started, as shown in Picture No. 2, Plate so, from a low crouch, and during a spin at increasing speed the legs were fully extended until they came quite straight with considerable snap in the final drive, which accompanied the swinging round of the arm in the throwing action. Many Americans use a similar form which does not, however, give the deep-breathing body stretch in the prelimin– ary swings. The American styl swings are made slowly across the body with the back of the hand uppermost, the trunk