THE GLIDE

When Parry O'Brien, a young University of Southern California athlete, turned the starting position of the shot-put movement 90 degrees, a historical break­through in technique occurred in the event. And O'Brien became the first man to break the 60-foot barrier. He competed on four Olympic teams, won two gold medals and one silver medal, and, from 1952 to 1956, had 116 consecutive victories, a record that still stands thirty years later. O'Brien's distance records were progressively broken, climaxing in 1965 when another American, Randy Matson, shattered the 70-foot barrier. "Gliders" continued to push back shot-put distances, culminating with Ulf Timmermann's world record of 75 feet, 8 inches (about 23.06 m) in 1988. Although the spin technique has grown in popularity in recent years, many world-class throwers continue to use the glide.
Since the world record for the men's shot, 75 feet, 10-1/4 inches (about 23.12 m), was achieved by a spinner, why do world-class athletes continue to use the glide? The answer lies in two dimensions-simplicity and consistency. The fact is, the glide movement is linear and simple, unlike the rotational style of the spin, which is highly complex. The glide can be used with more consistency because it has three phases that are readily achieved; the rotational movement has more opportunities for error.

Phases of the Glide

In the glide technique, three principles are essential to putting the shot far. These are angle of release, height of release, and velocity of release. The optimum angle of release in the glide is 40 to 42 degrees. The higher the release from horizontal, the more distance is achieved. Finally, the velocity of release (how fast the shot leaves the hand) is the primary determiner of distance achieved. One of these factors, the height of release, is determined by the height of the athlete and cannot be influenced by coaching or training. However, the other two factors can be influenced by strength/power training and technique development.
Sometimes described as the linear style, the shot-put glide has the least complex technique of the four throwing events. What is forgotten by many is that the glide is a rhythmic activity that must be sequentially executed to achieve optimum results. The physiological differences in athletes necessitate variations of the technique described in this chapter. Our focus will be the critical path of certain events that must occur regardless of individual variation.

Starting Position
The athlete faces 6 o'clock in the ring (figure 14.1). The weight/ center of gravity is over the right foot. (Our example will use the right-handed shot-putter.) The shot is held on the center fingers and tucked against the neck with the thumb down (figure 14.2a). The angle between the torso and upper arm is 90 degrees. The head is square, with the eyes focused on a point outside the ring-for quick reference, select a distance equal to the diameter of the circle (about seven feet). The torso can be in either an upright starting position for a dynamic start or a lower, more traditional position. Regardless of the starting position, the back and neck must be in a straight plane.

Movement is initiated by pushing off the support leg and thrusting the nonsupport leg toward the front of the ring (figure 14.2b). The hips begin to settle toward the center of the ring. The right heel departs the rear of the circle last. Throughout the initial movement, the upper body remains facing the six o'clock position, while the lower begins to turn and face 3 o'clock on the circle (figure 14.2c-d). The feet land with the left toe between the right instep and heel. This relationship of upper and lower body is commonly called "separation." The center of gravity is over the right leg. The shot is behind the right hip ready to follow the body through to release. This is the "power position," which will generate torque and permit application of force throughout the throw.
Proponents of the vertical start position believe that the "dynamic start" increases the shot velocity along the path of travel and requires less strength. On the other hand, those beginning lower, in the "T position," believe this creates a more precise power position for more efficient application of force. The T position requires more strength to propel the athlete toward the front of the circle.

1. A relaxed crouch position with the shoulders level to or higher than the hips. The right foot should be flat. Be careful not to have the body weight centered too far onto the toes. The left knee should be next to the right knee and the left foot should never cross behind the right ankle. This will make the thrower kick into the bucket. The left arm should be long and relaxed.

2. A gentle unseating of the hips, down and back, towards the toe board.
                                                                                                      
3. A powerful extension of the left leg to the toe board. The left leg should be long, straight and reaching for the board.

        4. The thrower should roll off the right foot. The push doesn't come from the right heel but the heel is the last thing to leave the back of the circle. Make sure the shoulders stay level and square to the back of the circle and that the left arm is long and back.

        5. The pull of the right leg into the power position. The pull is completed by flexing the right hip and lifting the right knee up to the chest.

       6. Look for a near-simultaneous landing of the left foot and the right foot in the power position. Actually, the right foot will land slightly before the left foot.

       7. Look for the classic power position of a straight line from the left foot to the left shoulder. The shot is just outside the toes of the right foot. The shoulders are still level and square to the back and the left arm is long and pointing to 6 o'clock.

       8. Watch the initial impulse of the right leg lifting the back up and the left shoulder clearing out high and long. The shot should stay back.

       9. Look for the turn of the right knee and hip to create separation between the right hip and the shot (crunch position).

       10. Watch that the left leg fights to brace (very little bend in the knee).

       11. Linear delivery!

       12. MOST IMPORTANT-Watch the path of the shot from start to finish. The path should be in a straight line and at a 40-42-degree angle from the crouch to the delivery. If the shot deviates from this path, you must determine the reason.

1. STARTING POSITION (Upright Position to Lowest Point of the Shot to Right-leg Push-off):

        There are many variations of the start. Connie prefers to start upright, then "T" into a horizontal position with a strong loading of the right leg. At the "T" position the shot should be at its lowest point and well behind the right knee. The shoulders are relaxed as the swing leg is brought inward and then extended out­ward towards the toe board. There is a flat­footed push-off over the right heel, but not directed from the right heel. The left arm is held back, anticipating a long smooth opening as right foot contact is made.

 Let's Start at the Back of the Ring

When you reach this phase of the teaching process, don't make it complicated. You are simply preparing to give the athlete more speed and power to add to his or her already fine punch technique.

You need the athlete to move quickly and to assume the excellent position to explode his punch or cannon. The term cannon will enable the athlete to focus on the importance of solid leg position. Most huge cannons are mounted on huge sturdy foundations.

1. At the top of the ring, stand with your back to the toe board. At this time the athlete should be balanced and comfortable. Have the athlete go down several times to pick up an imaginary weight. This will set up good balance at the top of the ring.

2. Your feet should be under the shoulders with the toe of the left foot even with the heel of the right foot.

3. At this time, to develop comfort have the athlete do the following drills:

a. Run backward five yards with shot on neck.
b. Hop back quickly on right leg for five yards.
c. Long jump backward several times.
d. Hop backward with bar or broken cross bar on the neck.

4. The next teaching progression which can also serve as a rest period is the balance of the T position. The letter T is formed by the body. Repeat this T drill ever and over. Make sure that when the left leg returns it never passes the right leg.

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Glide

The two main approaches to achieving the power position are the long/ short glide and the short/long glide. The model long/ short glider was Al Feuerbach. His technique consisted of a very dynamic start, which drove his right foot 8 to 12 inches (about 20 to 30.5 cm) beyond the center of the ring while achieving the power position (figure 14.2e). The short/long glide was highly influenced by German coaches, who produced the prototype in Ulf Timmermann. The initial movement, though dynamic, is shorter, with the right foot at or behind the center of the ring. The proponents of the short/long glide believe that the shot is more easily driven through a single plane with greater velocity and that the force is less likely to be split. When matching the technique to the athlete, one should consider speed, [strength, agility, and height. Historically, the smaller [5 feet, 11 inches to 6 feet, 1 inch (about 180 cm to 185 cm)], more athletic individual appears to be more successful with the long/ short technique.
The throw is initiated from the power position. The hips begin to turn around the center of gravity, which passes through the ball of the right foot, which never stops turning (figure 14.2f). The upper torso trails the hips as torque is applied from the legs. At 20' clock the upper body and shot accelerate and catch the lower torso.

Coaching Points for the Glide

Getting Started
The shot is raised over the head; the wrist is bent facing upward, the ball resting at the base of the fingers. The shot is then placed on the neck, under the jaw with the thumb touching  the collarbone.
The ideal path of the shot is straight as possible from starting position to the release, with a gradual increase in  the height of the ball from the start of the glide.

Across The Ring
The start varies from thrower to thrower, but some basics remain constant. The purpose of the start is to enable the thrower to get into a good power position with more speed on the ball than from a standing put. A good technical thrower with the glide can gain 10-20% over the standing throw..
 The thrower faces the rear of the ring in an upright position with the feet together, from this position several different starts can be used:

Basic Start: Static Start With Feet Together
            The upper body is bent slightly over the right leg, knees are together and the left foot is slightly behind the right foot at the starting position. The lower body falls back or unseats from the waist, then the left leg is stretched and kept low as it extends across the ring. The right heel leaves the rear of the ring after the left leg is extended. The left arm is down and relaxed, the upper body remains passive, the thrower's eyes and head remain back.
As the thrower gains experience, the thrower can lower the upper body into a crouched position, as in Figure 23.3.

Figure 23.3

Advanced Start: Active Left-Leg Start
The upper body is bent slightly over the right leg, the left foot starts in the middle of the ring, and the legs are brought together at the knees as the upper body is dropped down slightly. Then the lower body unseats and left leg is either stretched or aggressively driven to the toe board, depending on the thrower's skill level. The right heel leaves the rear of the ring after the left leg is extended.

World-Class Variations
     Most top-level throwers use the advanced start, some world-class throwers add to this technique.
Ulf Timmermann and many other European gliders, rise up on the right toe in the back of the circle as the knees are brought together. A longer path of acceleration on the ball and added momentum out of the back of the circle are the main advantages of this variation.

Across The Ring
Most of the force to get across the ring is generated by unseating and driving the left leg to the toe board. The right leg is picked up and placed near the center of the ring. The upper body remains passive and back. For most throwers the left arm will remain back and over the right leg.
Once the athlete starts the glide across the ring, the thrower must keep the ball and body moving toward the throw. Shot putters need to increase the speed of the throw during this movement and set up a proper throwing position.

The Power Position
The shot putter lands on the ball of the right leg, and the left foot touches down after the right foot. The feet will have a right heel to left toe relationship, so the hips can open during the putting phase. The throwing stance varies in width depending on the technique employed by the athlete. The long-short technique has a narrow base, with the left foot landing on or past of the midline of the circle at a 90-degree angle from the throw. The short-long style utilizes a wider throwing stance, generally behind the middle of the circle with the right foot turned slightly from the starting position in the back of the ring, approximately 100-140 degrees from the throwing area (Figure 23.4).
 
Figure 23.4

The shot remains over the right leg, the upper body is still passive; however, some athletes actively open the left arm as the athlete reaches the power position, but the shot is always kept back over the right foot with good technical throwers. The shot put should be down and the right el­bow below the right hip when looking at a side View.
The lower the ball, the greater the pull and the longer the path to apply force on the shot.
The longer base has an advantage because of the wider base of the power position, there is a longer increase in the acceleration path the shot will travel when the athlete applies muscular force.! However, the longer path of acceleration must be over a short period of time because the velocity of release is such critical factor for the shot putter.

The Release
In the long-short technique, the athlete pushes then turns with the right side of the body. With the short-long the thrower focuses on lifting the ball first then turning into the throw
The left leg braces with a blocking action, as the left arm opens to the middle of the throwing sector. Then, the right side begins the throwing action with a high arm strike, the elbow up near the ear, the left arm pulls in toward the chest. The left hip remains behind the knee to increase the blocking action during the put; the legs extend and remain on the ground as long as possible. Finally, during the final putting action, the legs lift off the ground and the put is finished at a throwing angle between 37-41 degrees.
The right leg lands against the toe board, with a flat foot parallel throwing area, then the center of gravity is lowered for added stability and balance after the release of the shot.

GLIDE PHASE TO TRANSITION

       This separates the great throws from the good throws. A good glider will start square to the back of the circle. As the athlete leaves the back of the circle with a good left-leg kick followed by a good right-foot push-off, the critical timing of the throw is about to happen. As right foot contact is made (10:00-11:00 o'clock position with little to no settling of the right leg) within the front half of the ring, the right shoulder and ball (if you are 6'0" tall or less) stays in a locked position (right elbow at 2:00-3:00 o'clock position and the ball at the 12:00-1:00 0' clock position, with the ball still behind the right foot), as the left leg is still airborne. The transition phase of the right-to-left is about to take place with great speed and precise timing. As momentum from the glide travels forward, left-foot contact is made. At this moment there is a simultaneous action of the left grounding and blocking (which will promote lift and constant ball movement) and a forward upward firing of the ball of the right foot, right leg, hip and shoulder as the left arm has pre-opened and leads the system. In many cases, if this is done properly, you will see a backward "C" position during the first moments of the delivery phase. Training this timing can even be worked on during standing throw training to teach the proper chain of technical events.

Short-Long

I feel that the emphasis many coaches put into getting the right foot far underneath the thrower is what causes them to hop. If you are telling a thrower to get the right leg further across the circle, the natural thing for the thrower to do is get higher off the ground in the glide to give himself more time to get the leg underneath him. In my opinion, this is just too much work to do and is not only unnecessary, but inefficient.
I prefer the short-long technique. It is an efficient and very dynamic technique. There is a feeling among many coaches that the short-long technique requires more natural strength than the long­-short or the spin. This belief is based on the fact that the thrower has a very wide base in the power position and this doesn't feel like a real powerful position.
For example, if you did a squat jump with the feet 2'6" apart and then again with the feet 3'6" apart, I'm sure you would feel more stable and would jump higher with the narrower base. However, we are not jumping, we are throwing. We don't deliver the shot straight up, we want to de­liver it at a 40-degree angle.

THE ESSENCE OF THE SHORT-­LONG

Long Pull-It is believed that 80-90% of the distance of the throw comes from the power position. If this is true, then we must determine the best way to maximize the thrower's ability in the power position. The advantage to having a wide base is that it allows the thrower more time to apply force to the shot. I use the analogy of a rubber band. The further you stretch a rubber band, the more power its force when you snap it. The short-long gives the thrower a long path of acceleration.

Shortest Distance Between Two Points
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. If the goal of the glide is to get into a power position, then we must try to get the thrower across the circle as flat as possible and not have him going up and down. To do this, it is imperative that the thrower unseat and drive the left leg correctly. The left leg plays a vital role in propelling the thrower across the circle. This aids the right leg as well. When the left leg functions correctly, the right leg has to do less work during the glide into the power position. In fact, the right leg does barely any work to push the athlete across. The main goal of the right leg (and the use of its energy) is getting it into the power position. Since we are going to use a wide base, the right leg only has to move a little over two feet to get into the power position.
Across The Ring
Most of the force to get across the ring is generated by unseating and driving the left leg to the toe board. The right leg is picked up and placed near the center of the ring. The upper body remains passive and back. For most throwers the left arm will remain back and over the right leg.
Once the athlete starts the glide across the ring, the thrower must keep the ball and body moving toward the throw. Shot putters need to increase the speed of the throw during this movement and set up a proper throwing position.

DELIVERY PHASE (From Planting of Left Leg to Delivery of Shot):

        When the left leg grounds and makes contact, the forward-upward turning of the right side (foot, knee, hip, and shoulder) creates a big muscular tension in the upper body. The shot starts to leave the neck as the right hip starts to face the throwing field. The delivery is made with full extension of legs and throwing arm, while the legs stay grounded as long as possible. When a good release is achieved, the right shoulder will be above the right ear, (high elbow and shoulder tilt) which creates, maintains and lengthens the upward ball path.

THE POWER POSITION

The shot putter lands on the ball of the right leg, and the left foot touches down after the right foot. The feet will have a right heel to left toe relationship, so the hips can open during the putting phase. The throwing stance varies in width depending on the technique employed by the athlete. The long-short technique has a narrow base, with the left foot landing on or past of the mid-line of the circle at a 90-degree angle from the throw. The short-long style utilizes a wider throwing stance, generally behind the middle of the circle with the right foot turned slightly from the starting position in the back of the ring, approximately 100-140 degrees from the throwing area (see Figure 23.4).

The shot remains over the right leg, the upper body is still passive; however, some athletes actively open the left arm as the athlete reaches the power position, but the shot is always kept back over the right foot with good technical throwers. The shot put should be down and the right el­bow below the right hip when looking at a side view.
The lower the ball, the greater the pull and the longer the path to apply force on the shot.
The longer base has an advantage because of the wider base of the power position, there is a longer increase in the acceleration path the shot will travel when the athlete applies muscular force.! However, the longer path of acceleration must be over a short period of time because the velocity of release is such critical factor for the shot putter.

The coach should look for a few things in the power position. The right foot should be in the back half of the circle and there should be a straight line from the thrower's left foot to the left shoulder. The shot should be just outside of the right foot. If it is farther back, the right leg is too far underneath the thrower and he will have difficulty making the transition from the glide to the delivery.
One way to tell if the thrower has the right foot too far underneath is to look at the angle of the lower leg from the ankle to the knee. This angle should be nearly perpendicular to the circle.
If the shot is inside the right foot, the thrower is probably too high in the power position (caused by lifting the shoulders out of the back) or is impatient during the glide and getting into the delivery too soon. Either way, he is not staying back and is losing pull.
Another difference between the short-long and the long-short is the placement of the right foot in the power position. In the long-short, most coaches stress turning the foot in towards the direction of the throw at a 90-degree angle (toes pointing at 3 o'clock). The short-long does not. In fact, many short-long throwers don't turn the right foot at all. I prefer that it turn a little, pointing at about 4:30.
It is important that the thrower be balanced on the ball of the right foot, but, again, not all short­-long technicians do this either, mostly because of the linear delivery over the top.

The Power Position

 
Figure 23.4

THE DELIVERY

In order for the technique to be successful, the shot must stay behind the hip as long as possible and it must be delivered linearly, in a straight line over the top. We want the delivery in the short­-long technique to be a single-leg delivery with the right leg turning and pushing into a hard, braced left leg.
The left leg should be braced, but it will bend when the right starts to drive and then straighten out into the block. This transfers a tremendous amount of energy into the shot.
The thrower should not be in a rush to deliver the shot and definitely should not unwind! The initial impulse of the right leg should be directed toward pushing the back up. Then the thrower must open the left shoulder high to get into the crunch position and the hips turn to the front, creating separation between the right hip and the shot. The delivery phase begins with initiation of the arm strike and the shot being pushed from the neck. The lead leg straightens and begins a blocking action, which halts left­side movement and accelerates the right side and the shot (figure 14.2g). At release, the arm is fully extended: the thumb is pointed down and the shot is flicked away with the fingers. The head is up and the eyes are focused on the trajectory. The delivery is so important to gliders that we spend as much or more time working on deliveries as glides.

There are two primary methods to finish the throw. The first is the reverse. In the reverse, linear momentum from the block is dissipated by exchanging the positions of the left and right feet (figure 14.2h). The right arm is extended and the left arm is parallel to the ground. The putter lands flat-footed on the right foot and faces 9 o'clock. The second method, used by many European throwers, is the nonreverse throw. In the nonreverse, the feet remain essentially in the power position at release. The right foot moves forward four to eight inches (about 10 to 20 cm) following release. Current biomechanical research indicates that the non reverse technique is more efficient since it permits application of force over a longer path during deliver

The Release in long-short and short-long technique.
In the long-short technique, the athlete pushes then turns with the right side of the body. With the short-long the thrower focuses on lifting the ball first then turning into the throw
The left leg braces with a blocking action, as the left arm opens to the middle of the throwing sector. Then, the right side begins the throwing action with a high arm strike, the elbow up near the ear, the left arm pulls in toward the chest. The left hip remains behind the knee to increase the blocking action during the put; the legs extend and remain on the ground as long as possible. Finally, during the final putting action, the legs lift off the ground and the put is finished at a throwing angle between 37-41 degrees.
The right leg lands against the toe board, with a flat foot parallel throwing area, then the center of gravity is lowered for added stability and balance after the release of the shot.