Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES 7 to ro secs. Speed is important in hammer-throwing, but appar– ently the contractile muscular power of the sprinter or jumper is not so necessary, since mass to resist the pull of the -hammer is one of the main essentials. In this connection it is interesting to note that when a r6-lb. hammer is thrown a distance of 150ft. the centrifugal force exerted, or the pull on the threwer's arms, is equal to 366 lb. The velocity of the hammer when it is put into flight is 6g ft. per sec., the greatest vertical height attained is 3 7 ft. 6 ins., and the time of flight through I50 ft. is just over 3 secs. Despite what has been said, there must, of course, be sufficient contractile power to produce the required acceleration. Mention has been made in this book in connection with several events of the necessity for producing constant acceleration. This, however, is not altogether pos~ible in the case of hammer-throw– ing. For example, during the preliminary swings the head of the hammer passes behind the athlete's head, and his arms, being in a bent position, are unable to exert a continuous pull. Again, during the turning movements the hammer-head, although travelling in a circle, does so in a plane which cuts the ground at an angle which may vary from 30° to 6o 0 , so that the strength of the pull – is usually exerted when the hammer-head is descending, as it is then in a position for the athlete to transmit his greatest power. In this connection it may be pointed out that when the thrower, in turning, has his back to the direction in which the throw is to be made the hammer-head will be but a few inches above the ground, whereas the completion of a half-turn to bring him facing the direction of the throw will find the hammer-head raised to a height of from 6 to 9 ft. above the ground. Not only is it more convenient to exert the pull on the hammer when the head is descending, but it would be foolish to attempt to put the pull into the rising phase, because when the athlete is turning the hammer would get ahead of him, which is one of the main things the thrower has to avoid. Fig. r8I shows the circle in which the thrower places himself with his feet at R I and L L He should stand easily, as shown by Hein in Plate LVI, Fig. I82. He takes hold of the hammer by placing both his hands in the loop handle, and then swings the hammer-head out and back to a convenient position in rear of his right leg, such as will give him a long pull to start the preliminary swings around his head. The knees are bent as he reaches for the hammer. It is important to note that the left hand is placed next to 422