Coaching and Care of Athletes

/ COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES of great Finnish javelin-throwers. It is the method which has been adopted and, one might say, nationalized by English-speaking athletes. As in all styles of javelin-throwing, the javelin lies in the cradle of the thrower's palm, with the binding passing across the root of the first finger and the cleft between the soft pads formed by the ball of the thumb and the border of the hand below the little finger (Fig. r 52 ( r)). When the hand is closed the top joint of the thumb is over the rear edge of the binding, behind which the first joint ofthe index finger is disposed, while the remaining three fingers are curled round the binding. On the instant of delivery the second, third, and fourth fingers are curled back, and the final propulsion comes from the palm of the hand, the index finger, and the thumb. Round about 1922 Bela Szepes, a wonderfully expert Hun- - garian thrower, produced a new type of grip. He 'disposed his index fi11ger under the shaft pointing directly to the tail; tbe second finger was curled round the shaft in rear of the binding. The ball of the top thumb-joint pressed against the shaft, so that the tip of the first finger touched the junction of the first and second joints of the thumb. Only his middle finger lay across the binding, the top joint of the little finger being tucked in beside the binding. Many people wondered how he could throw with the index finger under the shaft and pointed towards the tail; but, in fact, in making the throw he shifted the index finger round the shaft to strengthen ~ the position of the second finger disposed behin?, but touching, the rear edge of the binding. Jarvinen lays the third and fourth fingers across the binding. The thumb and second finger, curled round the shaft, are behind the binding, with the first finger fairly well in line with his forearm and extended along the underside of the shaft- not directly under, as in the Szepes style, but under and a little to the right of the shaft. The Jarvinen grip from the laying of the javelin on the palm, in the carry and arm-stretch positions, to the delivery position~is shown in Fig. 152 (r to 4a). . Modern Finnish throwers claim that the Jarvinen grip enables them to hold the javelin a little nearer to the point of balance, and that the disposition of the index finger helps to keep the tail of the javelin from dropping .too much in the throwing position. The way the javelin should be disposed in the starting position and carried during the first phase of the run-up is shown by Jar– vinen in Plate L, Fig. I53· Many athletes prefer an underarm carry, because it is easier to learn, but it never gives as good results 39°