Why? The Science of Athletics

DIAGRAM AND DEDUCTIONAL CALCULATION 243 than the normal 45 degrees delivery angle of the javelin, shot and hammer. When the thrower, in reaching the delivery position, puts his left foot down directly, and improperly, on the line of direction (Fig. 76, Plate 18) he cramps his own action, is unable to exercise the full · sweep and follow through of the right arm, and inevitably dispatches the mis- DIItlrr/ON sile at too steep an angle of -++---tJ------t'---t-"""'v="' flight, and at an angle of departure too much to the right. Similarly, the hammer thrower, whose footwork is shown in ·Fi,g. 6g, must draw a line of direction bisecting the throwing circle from back to front. In turning he must take care to place his feet directly behind their former position at the conclusion of each turn. If his feet show to the right of the direction line, instead of being planted one on either side of it, he will know that his body has given way instead of offering sufficient resistance FIG. 70 to the pull of the rotating hammer head, which IS considerable A parallel alignment of the hammer thrower's feet in the final throwing position is necessary. If the left foot does not come close to the edge of the circle the throwing action will be ·cramped, to the detriment of the follow through, and if the right foot is carried too far round on the final turn then there will be a tendency to drag the hammer round, thus decreasing the angle of departure and so shortening the flight of the missile. The shot putter (see particularly Plate 7) in gliding