Success in Athletics and how to obtain it

186 SUCCESS IN ATHI ETICS best results are to be obtained there should be none. The main cause of this is a not instantaneous enough release of the weapon at the moment of throwing, and therefore the question of how the javelin is held should be made 'a most important one. This pull produces vibration for the following c < I. Diagram ·32. 2 . reason (diagram 32). Assuming that the javelin is held at its true centre of gravity (c), a downward pull at this point at the moment of release will cause the ends to fly up as in I, which will be followed immediately by a reaction at t~is point, causing it to fly downwards as 2 ; and it will easily be under– stood that this constant series of _vibrations renders it impossible for the javelin to maintain its true line of direction through its centre of gravity, and . therefore the result must be that the energy is rapidly destroyed. The flight of the javelin as just dealt with is seen in figs. 79, 8o, and 8 1. However, pull at the centre of gravity will be less detrimental than if applied at any point ,outside of it, for the reaction of the weights of the two halves on either side will be equal to each other, which would not be the case were it held at any point outside of it, and the tendency is for equilibrium to assert itself. The correct angle at which a javelin should be thrown is 45°. In certain styles of throwing, however, the angle is reduced to approximately 30" by reason of the thrower' s body being bent down over the weapon before it is delivered.