Success in Athletics and how to obtain it

CHAPTER XVIII THROWING THE 56-POUND WEIGHT THis event is of the greatest importance, as it now forms a part of the standardised programme at the modern Olympic Games. Although the hammer-thrower and shot-putter may very occasionally be an eleven-stone man and yet . attain to pre-eminence, the man who attempts to juggle with the 56-pound weight must of necessity be large, bulky, and possessed of enormous strength– sheer weight alone is necessary to resist the pull of the iron mass in motion. The throwing takes place from a 7-foot circle, and the method is very similar to that employed in hammer– throwing. The weight is spherical in shape, attached by a· swivel to a triangular handle (see diagram 31). ' First, the thrower must learn to hold the weight and swing it around Diagram JI. his head. The hands grasp the bar with knuckles to the front, the knuckles of the first finger on both hands being adjacent, but not too close together, or the shoulder movements will be unduly cramped. In learning to throw from a standing position, the athlete takes his stand with the feet firmly planted, 180 I I I l '\ I