This may be perhaps the “wildest” thing I will say to date.
No matter how strong you are, the ball WILL bully you if you’re not in a countering position.
First, let’s define “countering” again.
While coaching last week, this topic came up for me again. I was explaining *why* the athlete had more time to do something—even though the length of the throw was roughly the same.
Doing Nothing isn’t really doing nothing (obviously).
Hammer is not about what you do to it.
The best throwing is done mindfully.
It’s certainly not easy. Even when consciously trying to.
I was recently asked what Connection feels like
Yesterday I wrote, “do nothing and accomplish anything.”
There’s truly so much one can dig into here as it relates to moving well with the hammer.
The Beauty of Hammer Throw is in its movement.
There are two ways to throw a hammer.
- Vintage Style (dragging)
- Modern Style (the artist formerly known as “pushing”)
Dr. Bondarchuk shared how immensely talented Igor Nikulin was. He never said it in a judgmental way. He was always careful to say each man’s path was each man’s path.
If you don’t have a coach who has a “system”, don’t try to mimic one from afar.
Here’s why.
Yesterday I posted about how I prefer to teach how to *think* about throwing as opposed to telling students how to throw.
*Listen*
You don’t “step” during the throw—you allow the hammer to *pull* your foot off the ground.
“I’ve never thrown that far so easily.”
Your positions are only as good as your ability to move *through* them.
Literally - No Move Feet
Perhaps not mentioned enough, separation is an important piece of the “what” and “how” of the hammer throw + athlete system of movement.
“Patience is not passive, on the contrary, it is concentrated strength.” - Bruce Lee