Peter Ventre

Introduction

A) Run away from the javelin as you prepare to throw it.

B) Remain forward facing with hips, feet and head, letting the shoulders take up the line of the javelin. (Fig. 5)


C) Throw on the run from the back foot over the front foot. Keep the palms upwards, making a platform for the javelin?

D) Throw over a slightly bent front knee and make sure the javelin travels over the top and not around the body. (Fig. 7)

Developing the techniques

Begin javelin throwing off a short approach 7 strides. If you throw with the right hand start with the left foot. Before you start, take up a position with the hips, feet and head forward and the shoulders in line with the javelin. Hold the javelin palm upwards at head height, as far behind you as possible. Now run forward and throw on the run. .Basically this is javelin throwing. More speed and power can be generated as you become skilful and a longer approach with a different carrying position can be built into the pattern. For the moment, concentrate on throwing off the back foot over the front foot and exerting force along the shaft of the javelin do not concern yourself with a restraining line until you have become skilful at throwing on the run. Throwing greater distances is best achieved by becoming really skilful in performing the pattern of movement described. To become skilful you must throw many hundreds of times, concentrating on correct performance of each of the technical points mentioned.

The approach

Hold the javelin above the head in a position which enables relaxed, balanced running. Drop the javelin back to the position shown in Fig. A. Do this after 10 strides so that you now assume the same position as in your early training for the final 7 strides. Now you are performing the pattern of movement already practised except that you need to be skilful enough to blend in the extra speed and power. A very skilful performer can take up this position much later (notice that in the illustration above, the thrower assumes this position only two strides before throwing). Set ail approach distance of 17 strides, follow through after the throw and notice the average distance you need to arrest your forward momentum. Measure this total distance; relate it to a scratch line and you can now practise in competitive conditions. In training, however, never allow the presence of a scratch line to influence the throwing technique.

The grip

You must pull from behind the binding and whether you do so with thumb and first finger, thumb and second finger, or first and second finger will depend on having sufficient mobility in the wrist to platform the javelin in the palm of the ' hand and then achieving maximum transference of force into the implement along the shaft. Experiment and adopt the grip which is most efficient for you.

The throwing base

Begin as the fool touches the ground (Fig. 5) and continue over the front foot (Fig. 7). The longer the throwing base the more force you can exert. In Fig. 5 you will notice the athlete leans back and holds the javelin far away from the right foot. This can only he achieved with much training in which you learn to utilise a faster approach. The more backward lean you have, the longer you have to exert force. The position in Fig. 6 is due to the time spent over the right foot as in Fig. 5. The angle of release should riot be greater than 45 degrees the better the aerodynamic qualities of the javelin the lower this angle can be. In any case it is better to throw below than above this angle.

Training

Throw often in a relaxed way. Almost certainly, striving to throw long distances will result in muscle strain. Learn to utilise force efficiently by setting a target of 100 throws per week in which you focus attention on the mechanical aspects mentioned. The; improvement in performance will be startling. Largely, throwing javelin long distances is achieved by learning to use the power you have already.