How to Throw the Discus

I have had the opportunity to hear the great Mac Wilkins speak on a couple of occasions, and this past summer I had the rare privilege to spend a week at the Olympic training center, where he worked with a handful of coaches in a learn-by-doing environment. His teachings have had a significant impact on my understanding of the discus.

In his presentation at the 2005 NTCA conference, Mac laid out his basic principles that he has established throughout his career. Mac's basic principles include:

o There is no hit o Sling it - whip it - throw it like a hammer - foxtails o Longer path and lever is better o The line through the circle goes from left foot to the middle to the left foot o Slow to faster o What you do at the back, you repeat at the front o The center of the merry-go-round turns slower o Many paradoxical feelings

These are his fundamental principles that are referred back to during every phase of the throw. In his classic instructional video, Gold Medal Discus, Mac breaks the throw into four phases:

o Windup o Balance o Orbit o Block

The windup is a portion of the throw that is often overlooked by beginning athletes. Remember principle number 6 above, "what you do at the back, you repeat at the front." If the athlete rushes the windup or is not balanced on the windup, this will lead to an improper power position, and most likely a foul throw.

The windup establishes the rhythm of the entire throw, therefore it should be the slowest movement. The right foot should remain planted on the circle, as the athlete winds the discus back around the right leg. The hips and shoulders counter each other, and the weight is distributed fairly evenly among the feet. Remember that the head should remain neutral, with the chin in line with the sternum. The disc should only be wound back as far as comfortable for the athlete while remaining in control. Athletes often wind too far back, and cannot maintain the separation of the disc and hips. Upon entry to the throw, the discus "springs" back creating too much speed going into the middle of the circle. Remember that the athlete must work the ground, or circle, to transfer force into the implement. So slow down, and spend some time in the back of the circle. During the windup and entry of the throw, balance is crucial. The athlete must be balanced both left to right, and back to front. Being balanced out of the back is critical to landing in a proper power position at the front of the circle. Mac's keys for being balanced left to right are:

o Left arm, knee and foot locked in same plane o Inside ball of left foot as guide o Left shoulder around left toes o Arms up - see the horizon

In order to maintain balance back to front, Mac uses the following keys:

o Inside ball of left foot as guide o Knee leads and hips must follow o Maintain integrity of posture o At 9 o'clock (90 degrees) - left knee drops - right knee comes off o Left thigh close to vertical o Hip path through circle o Balance B2F allows hips to get ahead and right leg to work

The windup and entry of the throw should be slow and balanced. Setting up the proper positions is much more important than speed. If the entry is not executed properly, then it will be nearly impossible to get into a balanced power position allowing long throws.

Out of the back of the circle, the athlete rotates nearly 180 degrees on the inside of the left foot, with the discus locked back and left arm long. When the thrower's left arm reaches the left sector line, the athlete looks to a high point at 180 degrees, and aggressively pulls the inside of the right leg toward the left hand with a dorsiflexed foot. As the right foot sweeps to the middle of the circle, the left foot pushes off the circle leading to the flight phase. Upon landing in the middle of the circle, the athlete keeps the discus locked back and continues turning the right foot as long as possible. The left foot should land quickly after the right. The discus should be allowed to sweep long around the body into a natural release point. The thrower must resist the urge to pull or hit the discus as this will only interrupt its orbit.

References

1. Sylvester, Jay. The Complete Book of Throws. Human Kinetics Publishers. Champaign, IL. 2003.

2. Wilkins, Mac. Keys to the Discus. National Throws Coaches Association. 2005 PowerPoint presentation.