Athletics of To-Day 1929

~ --- ---- ---~ ~-- - Throwing the Hammer 3 I I thrown over roo ft. further and hundreds have doubled his dis– tance, because they had the advantages of a better hammer and a better style. Quite soon the blacksmith's "sledge" gave place to an iron ball fitted to a cane shaft; other improve– ments followed, and to-day the athletic hammer is a hammer by courtesy alone. It consists of a r6 lb. brass shell attached by means of a ball-bearing swivel to a shaft of i in. spring wire, terminating in one, or two, stirrup handles for the insertion of the thrower's fingers. As to the evolution of method. Hardly had the sport been taken up seriously than some one envisaged the mechanical principle that the hammer-head was, as it were, attached to the circumference of a circle, and that if the circle had the motive power of a spinning human body at the centre much greater distances would be reached than ever were possible to a man who threw standing still. There is only one actual style of hammer throwing, although there occur slight variations in the footwork according to the number of turns the athlete elects to make use of to work up cumulative speed for his throw. To begin with, the standing throw and the turning movement, whereby the circle is traversed, should be practised and mas– tered separately. To make the standing throw, the athlete takes up his position at the front edge of the circle, from which point the throw is normally d livered at the end of the turn, back facing the direction in which the throw is to be made, feet about 24 inches apart, heels about 6 inches from the edge of the circle. The first joints of the fingers are looped into the stirrup handles at the end of the piano wire shaft, but if only one stirrup handl is used, then the left hand should be inside against the handle and the fingers of the right should grip over the fingers of the left hand (see Picture No. 2, late 54, of M. C. Nokes). The starting position both for the standing throw and the turn is as seen in icture No. r, late 54, of A. E. Flaxman. Some athletes, however, prefer to lay the head of the hammer further behind them and to bend the body forward from the