Hammer Style Differences
There are two ways to throw a hammer.
- Vintage Style (dragging)
- Modern Style (the artist formerly known as “pushing”)
Dragging occurs when the athlete rotates around *their* axis. A general characteristic of this style is to pick the right foot up off the ground and put it down as fast as possible (for a right hander). The thinking here is that if the foot picks up fast, it will be put down fast. A misconception.
“Pushing” + patience allows the ball to pass zero degrees and into the sector; using the systems inertia to move *you* through the ring.
As for the Differences, one style isn’t necessarily better than the other. Throw the judgment and supremacy out the window. Throwing hammer is throwing hammer. That said, one IS undeniably more efficient than the other.
- Double support phases in the Vintage Style: 120-150 degrees.
- Double Support phases in the Modern Style: 350-400 degrees.
- Amplitude is increasing your degrees with each turn (or catch).
- Amplitude is roughly the same between the styles in the first turn. However, in the Vintage Style, the amplitude gets less and less with each subsequent turn. What I refer to as ‘Negative Catches’.
- In the Modern Style, the potential to grow the amplitude (letting the hammer turn you) increases each subsequent turn. Note that I used the word “potential.”
NOTE: many people clearly understand the difference between the two. However, due to how often so many people do not grow their amplitude, it’s clear that this understanding is merely conceptual in nature.
Consider this:
Instead of thinking drag vs push, think ‘grow the amplitude.’ Drag and push are words that mean different things to different people. Often filled with an air of judgment. The idea of simply growing the amplitude is a much more specific goal.
Here’s a trick 🤫 : if your catch increases, you’ve grown the amplitude. If your catch doesn’t increase, or gets worse—you haven’t. Now examine what the orbit of the ball looks like under both of these examples.
Reduce negative catches, and you WILL throw farther.
I will be expanding on this and other things hammer throw in a program I’ll be offering soon.. 🤓
♾