The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

THROWING THE HAMMER. 49 position it was finally thrown, after two or three preparatory swings. A modification of this style was called the figure 8 style, in which the thrower, instead of the plain up and down pendulum style, described the figure 8 in thepreparatory swings. The present style of swinging ina circle round the headbegan about 1866 or1867, and agreat improvement in distances soon followed. This improvementis only partly due, however,to the difference in style. Much ofit, in fact most of it, is due tothe fact that by the circularswing a much longer, more slenderand flexible handle can be used. With a stiff 3 feet 10 inches to 4 feet handle, there is not more than 6 feet of difference in favour of the circular swing, and as the handle gets shorter the differ­ ence gets less. In the present style most athletes stand with their backs to the stance, andfrom a foot to from two to three feet back from it. The handle is generally held with the left hand at the top, the right in front of it and almost touching ; some reverse the hands, and the hammer is thrown round to­ wards the leftor right, according as the right or left hand is at the top. The hammer is generally thrown on the completion of the third or fourth swing, and if the thrower turns towards the left after the hammer has left his hands he is standing with his right foot close up to the stance. So great is the impetus given in the last swing that the thrower may not be able tostop him­ self until some distance from the stance, and if either footgoes beyond where the frontof the stance(^the side next the thrower) would be, if prolonged in a straight line, it is a foul throw; also, as in putting, if hand or foot rests on or over the stance. The throw ought to be measured to the first break, not the farthest nor the centre, as is often done. The stance inhammer throw­ ing does not require, asin putting, anyheight :a strip of wood or a cord kept tight by pegs isquite sufficient. DIFFICULTY OF JUDGING BEST PERFORMANCES.— With regard to the best performances, it is a far more difficult matter to determine the merit of a throw with the hammer than that ofa putt with the stone. In the firstplace, atnone orhardly anyof