Success in Athletics and how to obtain it

THROWING THE 56-POUND WEIGHT 181 about twenty-four inches apart, and his back turned to the direction of the throw. He first swings the weight between the legs, over outside the left knee, then right across to the side of the right knee ; from this position he swings it up in front of the body, over the left shoulder, round behind the head, and down to the left side ; this swing is repeated three times at gradually increasing speed; at the completion of the third swing he jumps around and hurls the weight from beside the right knee, out and up. During the swinging the back and abdominal muscles must be contracted, and the arms kept straight out when the weight is passing in front of the body. The upper part of the trunk is allowed to sway from the hips. Next, the athlete takes up his position at the back half of the circle and swings the weight ; he lowers the left shoulder to get force into the turn. The weight may be thrown with two or three turns. In making the turns, one foot should always be on the ground before the other is lifted, to keep the balance. At the completion of the turns the weight should be got away from the hands precisely as the hammer is delivered. The preliminary training is the same as for hammer– throwing, but the actual throwing practice should commence with a 35-pound weight, and when the 56 is employed, half a dozen throws a day must suffice. The athlete's food should tend to make muscle, and even put on weight, but must not impair the "wind." He should study carefully the chapter on Hammer– throwing, as the method employed in the two events is to all intents and purposes identical in every detail.