TEACHING THE SHOT PUT TO BEGINNERS
ASHLEY MUFFET DUNCAN
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Rotate or glide?
 The answer to this is situational
 Women in most cases, could most likely achieve
similar levels of performance with either
technique, if both techniques were equally
sound.
 Most men will rotate at the college level, the
heavier implement demands more
speed/rotational momentum; which is more
often achieved in through the spin technique
Choosing a technique for
high school throwers.
 The glide is in most cases the easiest form to
teach a brand new thrower.
 The glide teaches the athlete how to gain
momentum into the power position and also
how to deliver the ball.
 For this reason, I believe it is best practice to
teach a brand new thrower the glide first.
 If the athlete shows promise in the rotation
through the discus, a change over to the spin
can be made at anytime.
Understanding the basics
 Though the shot and disc rotational
techniques may look extremely similar they
are different in many way.
 When achieved at a high level, the shot and
disc technique will feel extremely different to
the athlete, especially at point of release.
 It is important to understand this when
teaching beginners.
HOW are they different?
 The discus is out on a “lever” away from the
body.
 The discus does not need to be lifted and the
point of release the same way the shot put
does.
 The discus ring is bigger than the shot put
ring, allowing the athlete more room to “run
the ring” out of the back.
Stand throw
 Athlete begins with a shoulder width base,
feet shall stagger with heel of the right foot
parallel to middle of the left foot (right
handed thrower).
 Athlete will then turn upper body towards the
back of the ring, feeling upper and lower
body separation in midsection.
 The athlete will then bend the right knee and
slightly drop the chest over the knee, feeling
the majority of their weight over the right leg
Stand throw continued
 To initiate the throw, the athlete will drive the
right hip around towards the direction of the
throw; being sure to keep the head and
shoulders back
 The left side will stop (block) rotational
momentum as the athlete squares their hips
and shoulders to the sector.
 The athlete will then strike the shot, following
through over the toe board.
Stand throw
 Beginners need to spend a lot of time on
working and perfecting the stand throw
position.
 For true beginners this could occupy 20-50%
of practice in the beginning of the year.
 If this position is not technically sound, the
athlete could have trouble understanding the
full throw.
Half turn
 This drill is mainly used for rotational
throwers, but is a good drill for gliders as well.
 This drill can help a coach to determine
whether to switch a glider to the spin.
 Drill is great for teaching balance and also
helps the athlete to understand the rotational
momentum and rhythm of the spin.
Half turn
 Athlete begins with shoulders facing the sector and
the right toe facing down the left sector. The
athletes back foot is where it would be in start of full
throw.
 The right side turning leads the throw, as the left
foot slightly pushes off and lands in stand throw
position.
 It is important to watch that the athlete is not
leading the half turn with the left side and upper
body pulling.
 The athlete will rotate over the right leg until the
back leg touches down in the “stand throw position”
Stand throw and half turn
 For beginners, it is important to emphasis feeling
the positions of the throw. Asking an athlete if
they “felt the stand throw” in their half turn can
help teach a beginner patience.
 It is critical for young throwers to understand the
importance of hitting the right positions in
practice.
 In the stand throw and half turn emphasizing
legs is crucial. Many young athletes will rush to
use their upper body, eliminating their legs from
the throw completely.
Drills for glide shot put
 Drop knee stand throw (drop the left knee for
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right handed thrower)
Straight leg glide
A-Drill
Double hop
Glide and stop
Basics of Glide shot put
 The athlete will start with dominant leg in the
center of the back of the ring, rear leg will
start left of center near the middle of the ring.
 Athletes chest will be over their knee, knee
over toe. The athletes weight will mainly be
felt over dominant leg.
 Non-dominant leg drives in towards the
athlete, then straight out aggressively
towards the toeboard
Basics of Glide shot put
 As the non-dominant leg drives towards the
toe-board the athlete will push off the
dominant leg on either the toe or heel
(preference).
 The dominant leg will land in the middle first
and maintaining the chest over knee, over toe
position. The dominant leg should be bent,
ready to explode up and around when nondominant leg makes contact.
Basics of Glide shot put
 Once the non-dominant leg lands, the athlete
should be in the same position they would be
in the stand throw. The shoulders should stay
back and the athlete should be “closed”
What to watch for
 The non-dominant leg should not start up
much higher than the dominant legs knee.
 The non-dominant leg cannot “hang” in the
air, it needs to go straight to the toe board
 The shoulders and head need to be facing the
back of the ring when the athlete lands in
double support.
Simplifying the technique
 The athlete is trying to gain speed from the
glide into the stand throw.
 If the athlete is having a hard time
understanding the technique, break the
throw up into a glide and stop, then slowing
take the stop out.
 Push hard out of the back, land in stand
throw position, lift/turn, and strike the ball.
QUESTIONS??
MuffetDuncan.1@OSU.EDU
GO BUCKS!!