DEVELOPING THE YOUNG SHOT

PUTTER
By George Dunn, Oak Lawn Community High School, Illinois
This distinctly American approach gives insight to the development system that
haspr
oduc
edmanyoft
hewor
l
d
sgr
eatshotput
t
er
s.Re-printed with permission
from New Studies in Athletics.
The most important physical quality look for in the young thrower is explosive
arm and leg power. Next, naturally, would be the size and mechanical advantage
of height and weight to propel a 5.44 kg shot. All of our first year students (13 14 years old) are given a physical fitness test. Any male student who scores well
in the 50 meters, the agility run, the 600 meters and most importantly, jumps over
2.44 meters in the standing long jump, is encouraged to be a thrower if he seems
to have growth potential over 2.44m as a first year student - indicating he had
explosive power. The average size of all my state champions has been 1.55m
and 97kg.
There are other tests that are good predictors of success in throws. One is the
vertical jump test, and I look for performances over 83cm. My best thrower was
able to do a 96.5 cm vertical jump. Another test is maximal strength and I have
found the following levels of performance to be good predictors of state
champion potential:
1. Bench Press over 180 kg.
2. Half Squat over 225 kg.
3. Incline Bench over 172 kg.
4. Power Snatch over 100 kg.
5. Power Clean over l36 kg.
All these predictors are reliable as long as there is general equality in such things
as size, weight, hei
ghtand
f
l
awl
esst
echni
que.
In teaching the young thrower, I always start with the power position. Only after
t
henov
i
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hepowerposi
t
i
ont
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ai
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lIi
nt
r
oduce
the glide or turn. The coach must be very patient and realize that no two athletes
are alike and each will have his own rate of learning a new skill. So, patience on
the part of the coach and even the athlete is necessary for learning a technique.

When teaching the glide, the emphasis is on getting the athlete in a well
balanced power position and the separation of the lower and upper parts of the
body. These are two very difficult goals for the novice athletes to accomplish. I
use the visual part-whole method when teaching. I video almost every day
because I have found that flaws cannot elude the camera as they do the naked
eye. I never allow my athletes to throw unless I watch them because my greatest
fear is that they will develop and ingrain a bad habit. We throw every day in
training, which is five days a week starting in November (after the football
season) and six days a week starting in January, constantly drilling different
aspects of the technique.
As far as the rotation technique is concerned, I have not introduced it as an
option to the glide, although my last state champion was a spinner. He used what
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technique that is very close to this particular style. The progressions used are
basically the same as those I use for the glide. Once an athlete learns the glide
power position I introduce the spin release and progress backwards to the back
of the circle, again, using the part-whole method.
I feel only certain athletes are capable of using the spin. Firstly, they must have
good balance and then a certain mental temperament that enables them to
overcome the frustrations and difficulties experienced in learning the technique. It
seemst
hataf
t
eracoupl
eofy
ear
s,t
hegl
i
det
echni
quebecomes
l
ockedi
n
whereas the spin never seems to reach the point of consistency where the
athlete feels comfortable with it.
In my own coaching I emphasize technique and skill development as much as
conditioning. I have found that strength is necessary for an athlete to assume
and perform some of the biomechanically sound positions for effective and
efficient technique. If the athlete is too weak to handle these positions, then
modifications have to be made in the technique, often resulting in problems later.
Ev
enaf
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henov
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ageofanat
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et
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ai
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her
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equal
emphasis
placed on technique and conditioning. The only difference would be the more

adv
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pect
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het
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specific and intense.
Our training sessions are long, averaging 2-1/2 to 3 hours. This is because we
attempt to balance strength training and technique work. The first part of each
session is devoted to technique work with the second half used for strength
training. Figure 1 shows a microcycle for the more experienced throwers (2 or
more years of training) and for the novices for the week of January 8 to 12.
As can be seen, the emphasis with the younger athletes is on general strength
and an introduction to Olympic weight lifting. The program for our more
experienced shot putters has a great deal more Olympic lifting, because we are

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also do more specific training, i.e., tossing cleans, box tossing cleans, tossing
overweight plates (puds) that weigh 16 to 23 kgs. The number of throws gets as
high as 175 in one session.

First year students do not train above 85 percent. I have found that is very
adequate for youths who have no background experience in weight training. The
more experienced athletes will usually train above the 80 percent level, and they

do as many Olympic lifts as regular lifts. In some microcycles, though, the

Olympic lifts dominate.

Alongside our weight training work, I feel that plyometrics are absolutely
necessary for the development of explosive power through the development of
the stretch-reflex.
The novice throwers begin with very basic jumps, such as:
Standing long jump
Standing triple jump
Double leg jumps
Vertical jumps, and

 Single leg hopping and skipping

As they develop strength, they are introduced to jumps over objects, such as
medicine balls, 30 cm traffic cones and double leg box jumps off 30 cm boxes. If I
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se.The
jumps must be done very fast with a quick response if there is to be any benefit.
The number of contacts or landings starts with 30 to 40 and builds up to 150 with
the most experienced of our athletes.
The jumps obviously become more specific as the athlete gets older and
stronger. For example, I use an exercise where the athlete drives off a 30 cm box
into the power position and delivers the shot (competitive weight). I use the same
program as prescribed by Dr. Sergio Zanon (1). I also use the pendulum-shot for
plyometric training of the arm.
For our best senior athletes, plyometric jumps are integrated into the squatting
program. There have been studies indicating this is a very effective training
routine.
At the start of the season, I make the athletes use lighter implements so that they
are able to concentrate on technique. Novice throwers find the competitive
implement (5.44kg) very difficult to handle and do the technique property. I use
more of a mixture of the fight and standard weight shots for the more mature
athletes. For the first two months, we throw only into a net, taking away the

di
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or

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om 25t
o40 per day. We throw every day!
Different or variable weight implements are used for two reasons; the first is
because of individual needs. If there is a need for specific strength, then the
overweight implements are used. Secondly, we use different weight implements
for the same reason that we constantly change our weight training, for the
purpose of shocking the neuro-muscular system and helping to prevent
plateauing. The body adapts to the same weight being used day after day.
Anatoliy Bondarchuk has saidt
hathef
oundno
i
deal
combi
nation of weights in
terms of daily, weekly, or monthly sessions. He used all kinds of combinations,
but did find that different throwers respond differently to the various
combinations. He then adjusted the combinations that suited a particular athlete.
At the 1977 Canadian Track Clinic, Peter Tschiene discussed a GDR study
which stated that possible negative feedback may affect timing in the technique.
The GDR researchers found that if the weight of the implement is too heavy or
too light, it could alter the timing of the technique. This does not imply that a
heavier or lighter implement cannot be used, it just means that the athlete throws
from a stand or a modified position.

The volume of throws taken in a year by our novice throwers averages about
4000 to 5000 throws or about 500 to 700 throws a month, With more experienced
throwers we average between 6000 to 7000 throws a year or 800 to 1000 throws
a month. If we count the number of overweight throws (barbell discs, puds, etc.),
it could climb to 175 throws in one session.
In the competitive season, we are required to compete at least once a week in a
dual meet and then we usually have multi-team competitions on Saturdays. The
state association says we can have a maximum of 18 competitions per year,
including the conference, sectional and state championships. This also includes
the 5 indoor meetings that are staged during the winter. Our outdoor season
begins in the first week of April. I would prefer to have only Saturday meets, but
for the average athlete who would not qualify for the state meet, these dual
meets are important for mai
nt
ai
ni
ngi
nt
er
es
t
.The
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etrains right
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or
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ower
that the state championship is the ultimate goal.
We prepare the athlete for competition by reducing the volume of work and using
high intensity weight training twice a week to maintain the training level. The
numbers of jumps and throws are reduced to enable the athlete to feel mentally
and physically fresh. The throwing during the last three weeksi
sf
or
f
i
net
uni
ng
the technique. Figure 2 shows a typical micro-cycle during the competitive
season.
As for monitoring my throwers training progress, I use the Max Jones
Quadrathlon. It tests all aspects of speed and power, and consists of four tests:
1. The Standing Long Jump
2. Three Double Leg Jumps
3. 30m from Blocks, and;
4. Overhead Throw with the Competitive Implement
I have found that if the training has been effective, there is steady progress in all
phases of the test. It seems that at about t
het
i
mewhenwear
e
peaki
ngf
orthe
state championships, if the training has been on schedule, there is usually a
dramatic improvement in the 30m and the overhead shot throw. When a male
athlete scores over 250 points, I feel he is physically ready for the state
championships.

For the young thrower, gaining weight and getti

ng
bul
kedupare of great
concern, especially after reading the muscle magazines that fire their fantasies. It
becomes very difficult to convince them that as they mature and continue to work
hard and follow the weight program I develop for them, they will one day be as
big as the older athletes. I have to explain maturation to them and tell them they
must be patient, because they have their own growth rates.
A problem I run into is their wanting to buy food supplements. When they read all
the advertisements in the muscle magazines, they think these proteins will be a
quick fix to get big bulging muscles. I emphasize that we are not body builders,
but athletes. Our role model is Ulf Timmerman. It
s not how massive you are,
though muscle mass does help, but how explosively the shot leaves the hand. Ulf
Timmerman may not own the Mr. Universe title, but he does hold the world
record and is an Olympic champion.
A recent United States Olympic Committee study stated that there is no scientific
proof that supplemental protein will enhance muscle growth. The studies
revealed that hard intense lifting is the most effective way to develop muscle
mass.

I am somewhat ambivalent on the subject of specialization. There are sports

played in American high schools which are very compatible with the throws such
as American football. However, I discourage a boy from getting involved in
basketball. I feel that American football complements the throws since the
athletes are encouraged to lift weights. It is an aggressive sport that teaches
mental toughness and requires movements that help to develop speed and agility
and the
ki
l
l
eri
nst
i
nct

,a necessary ingredient for a good shot putter.

Basketball coaches generally discourage the type of weight training that is
required for the throws and are opposed to their players gaining any bulk. Also,
on the high school level, basketball and wrestling overlap into the indoor track
season, a time which I feel is very important to prepare the thrower for the
outdoor season. Basketball and wrestling finish at the end of February and two
months (March and April) is just not enough time to prepare a top athlete for the
state championships which, in our state are at the end of May.
I am sure we could produce many more good throwers in the USA, but a major
limitation is the fact that we have very few throws coaches. Those schools that
do have throws coaches usually hire American football coaches who use the
position to earn extra money and monitor the weight training of their football
players. As a result, their hearts are realty not in the shot put. I have seen some
outstanding athletes who could have been potential state champions but,
because of their poor technique, have never progressed beyond average level.
The second reason, is that the coaches who do coach the shot do not possess a
good knowledge of technique and are not knowledgeable in developing a
periodized training program that enables their athletes to
peak
for the state
championship. It is amazing to see that, even at college level,
adv
anceds
hot
putters have poor technique and poor training programs (if they hove any at all).
Another reason for the lack of throwers is the interest of the really talented
athletes in the
moneyspor
t
s
, such as football, basketball and baseball. In the
USA, track is a
minorsport and any athlete who is worth his salt will go where
the money is. There are some states that will not allow any kind of track and field
training until the first day of March; thus allowing the coach only Iwo months to
develop a shot putter. A boy from one of these states may never reach a level
where he would be offered a scholarship to pursue a career as a college shot
puller. In America, professional sports have a great impact on the thinking of
youngsters and their future in sports. Track and field is a lonely sport, especially
for the shot putter, who is often all alone off in a corner, not even coached, left to
himself and his obsession with a 5.44 kg iron boll. His training is self-generated
or he uses lips from other putters and often uses programs described by body
builders in muscle magazines. What a waste of talent!!
Finally, I would like to comment that drugs have been the scourge of track and
field in the USA. Too many talented athletes have made the mistake of grabbing
t
he
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ckf
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cht
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esent
.Manyy
oungt
hr
ower
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i
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believe that intense training can result in success without steroids. They reflect
the thinking of a great many athletes, because they hear of many elite athletes
using steroi
ds.Ev
er
y
onewant
st
he
qui
ckf
i
x

;t
hus
,wehav
eanabuse of drugs.
However, since testing has begun, the distances thrown at university level have
dropped dramatically, which is good. Now, the coach is forced to work harder,
training his athletes. He cannot fall bock on the use of steroids. This will filter
down to the novice athlete who realizes he does not have to resort to what I feel
i
san
unet
hi
c
alact

,t
aki
ngst
er
oi
ds,et
c.
Reference
1. Zanon, S.
Pl
y
omet
r
i
cs:Pas
tandPr
es
ent

, in New Studies in Athletics, 1989,

4:1, pp. 1-17.