Coaching and Care of Athletes

THE JAVELIN THROW very little to the right of the javelin shaft, leads the arm contribu– tion to the delivery action (Plate LI, Fig. I 59). It is of vital importance for the thrower to synchronize with the actions just described the strongest possible turn of the right knee inward and to the left, so that his right foot will describe a long curve in coming through to the reverse position. (See Plate LI, Figs. I59-163.) The left foot provides a point of resistance, and is the fulcrum of the throwing action. When the right arm is fully extended and the right hand is vertically above the right shoulder the javelin is put into flight. The left leg supplies a final drive which must synchronize with the full extension of the right arm. The right shoulder must be forced up to support the throw and to make the javelin fly high enough. (Plate LI, Fig. I 6o, shows the position just prior to this action.) On no account must the thrower drop his left shoulder or break away from the throw to the left. The whole evolution from the start of the run-up to the actual delivery must be straight forward. At no single instant from start to finish mqy the shaft of the javelin through– out its length be allowed to get out of the line of its proposed direction of flight. So many throws that otherwise might be excellent are spoiled because the throwe~, in the phase portrayed in Plate L, Figs. I56 and I57, allows the steel point of the javelin to swing to the right away from his body and the tail to the left behind his body. Others spoil their best efforts by failing to keep the shaft on a line with the right ear and eyes when in the throwing stance shown in Plate LI, Fig. I58. Instead failure to rotate the hand into a palm-upward position or weakness in the right wrist allows the point of the weapon to rise, so that the line of the shaft is above the top of the thrower's head and the tip of the tail perilously close to the ground, if it does not actually make contact with it. The follow-through action of the trunk and right arm is shown in Plate LI, Fig. I6I, while Plate LI, Fig. I62, shows the com– mencement of the 'break-up'-i.e., reverse of the feet-with the left leg thrusting the thrower forward and to the right. Plate LI, Fig. I63, shows the completion ofthe 'break-up,' with the thrower poised on his strongly stiffened and perpendicular right leg. His right foot is 6 ins." to I2 ins. behind the scratch-line and just to the right of the line of direction, towards which the inward-turned toes are pointed at an angle of approximately 45 o. In studying Plate Ll, Fig. Io3, note particularly the easy reaction swing-up of the left leg, how the thrower has tensed the rest of his body to 393