Coaching and Care of Athletes

THE SHOT PUT ing, either sideways, as shown in Fig. I64 and Plate LII, Fig. I 65, obliquely, or facing the line of direction. He cradles the shot comfortably in his right hand, which he disposes at the junction of his neck and trunk, so that the elbow is directly to the rear of the shot. He then leans his trunk a little to the right, so that his weight and centre of gravity come over his right foot. The toes of the left foot are now resting lightly on the ground, and the left arm is raised in counter-balance and held loosely relaxed. This position is portrayed in Plate LII, Fig: I65, by E. Hirschfeld, Germany, formerly world's record holder at 52 ft. 7! ins . Alter– natively the left arm may be held in front of and across the body. The next move will be for the athlete to hop, or 'shift,' to a spot on the line of direction towards the centre of the circle. I prefer to use the word 'shift,' because 'hop' is misleading. In making the shift the right foot is never carried higher than a few inches above the surface of the circle. Before the shift can be made the athlete must engender a certain amount of momentum, for he has to overcome the inertia of his own body and the dead weight of the I6-lb. shot. To get himself started the athlete, keeping his weight over the right leg, swings his left leg from the hip loosely about 2 ft. forward and then backward two or three times. These left-leg swings may be made in line with the right leg or in the rear of the right leg. When poise and balance have been secured by swinging the left leg as just described the shift takes place in this manner. As the left foot completes its last backward swing the right leg drives the body forward-and this drive must come right through-and simultaneously the left leg, partly flexed at the knee, is swung forward and up to add momentum to the shift. The left arm also is partly flexed, and the elbow must be kept well up to prevent the left shoulder from dropping subsequently. This phase of the action is demonstrated correctly in Plate LII, Fig. I66, by S. Baerlund, Finland. The picture was taken at Berlin, when he put 52 ft. 10~ ins. for second place in the Olympic Games of I936. When the shift started Baerlund's right leg was flexed comfort– ably at the knee, but in completing the drive his right leg has been extended strongly. There are various refinements of technique that have beelf tacked on to the shift by great shot-putters, who believe that their employment adds inches, and perhaps even feet, to the 4°5