Why? The Science of Athletics

286 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS path inclined slightly inwards to the right. That is to say, the high point of the rim inclines inwards to the left as the discus mounts upwards, it then flies gyroscopically fiat for an instant, and, falling, has the high point of the rim inclined slightly inwards to the right. In Fig. g8, Plate 22, Jules Noel shows one very good point and ·one bad fault. The good point is to be found in the way the slight flexing of his right wrist is keeping the discus under the hand in such a way that when the arm sweeps across the front of the body the discus will be released at a true angle of 35 degrees, provided his body, also, is at a proper angle. The bad point is in the dropping back of the head, which causes the thrower to sweep his arm up, rather than across, and so makes the delivery angle too steep and the arm sweep too short. If the wrist is bent back on the arm the discus may still depart at the true angle of 35 degrees, but will be unstable in flight, because the final pull of the fingers, which impart the spin to the missile, will be uneven and the last flick of the wrist itself will be lacking. If the discus shoots along the · ground upon landing that is a sure sign that it has not been thrown high enough. A discus that has expended the full force of its propulsion in the air "pancakes," or bounces, when it hits the ground. When a javelin is properly thrown it enters upon its path at a true angle of 45 degrees_, but here we have conditions to consider which do not affect the shot– putters and hammer discus throwers. The weapon itself weighs but I lb. I2 I/4 ozs., but the fact that that weight is distributed through a length of 8 ft. 6 ins. of steel head and more or less pliant, tapered wood shaft makes it an awkward implement for the novice to handle and control. In throwing the javelin, the whole result, from a dynamical point of view, hinges upon two main circumstances, i.e. the speed and strength of the · thrower in combination, and perfect balance. In the examination of errors that arise, the factors of strength and speed need not, for the moment, concern u~, as we