Shot Put Tips
Read these 6 Shot Put Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Track And Field tips and hundreds of other topics.
Get Jacked
“I couldn't be a thrower, see how week my arms are?” A common misconception among high school athletes is that you must be big to be a shot putter. Well, it's a good thing that high school students learn fast and learn well, because the major force and strength behind the throw in the shot put comes from the athlete's legs, not arms.
Shot put training requires full body strength training, which includes arms, but also focuses on building a strong and flexible core and legs. Think about it – quads, gluts, and hamstrings are significantly larger muscles than biceps and triceps.
Shot Putters Need More Than Big Biceps
A beefy upper body is not a prerequisite for shot put success. Strong legs and a strong core put the “kinetic chain” in motion and propel the shot forward. When working on leg strength, remember to work opposing muscle groups equally. For example, try to lift similar amounts of weight with both the quads and the hamstrings. Keeping the opposing muscle groups at a similar strength will help your shot put form.
From the Ground Up
How about some shot put tips for shot put coaching? To coach the block and arm strike at the end of the throw, have athletes work with medicine balls doing chest passes with elbows out and thumbs down.
Have athletes throw from their knees with the left leg bent up, left arm extended. Add the blocking movement and more torque as athletes get stronger and more capable.
Where Does the Speed Come From?
Some shot putters use the glide shot put technique and others use the rotational style. Is one better than the other? No. Currently, in professional and top level world competitions, the rotational and glide shot put techniques are being used with equal success.
The glide shot put is the more basic shot put technique and generally easier for beginning shot putters to learn, but can be as powerful as the rotational style, a throw more similar to the discus. Athletes may take longer to develop consistency with the rotational shot put technique. With consistent shot put coaching though, you can master any technique.
Shot Putters Need More Than Big Biceps
A beefy upper body is not a prerequisite for shot put success. Strong legs and a strong core put the “kinetic chain” in motion and propel the shot forward. When working on leg strength, remember to work opposing muscle groups equally. For example, try to lift similar amounts of weight with both the quads and the hamstrings. Keeping the opposing muscle groups at a similar strength will help your shot put form.
That's a Heavy Softball
Put that shot as far as you can. Put it? Put it where? Shot put it from the circle out into the sector. The shot put is the name of the event in track and field that requires the athlete to throw, or rather “put,” which is more equivalent to pushing, a heavy round implement as far as they can.
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