Speed glide short putting part 3. (Track & Field).

Every track coach must set a technical model for each of his athletes, mold it, and drill on it until it is mastered.

At the University of Florida, we have adopted a series of drills on each part of the throw, designed to help the athlete learn and master all of the essential techniques.

In Part I (January), we covered the arm strike and the block. In Part II (February), we advanced to the lower body, the standing throw, and the drop.

To continue:

Teaching the Shift:

As the dynamic glide begins, the weight shifts back onto the support leg heel and the center of gravity is raised and replaced in the direction of the throw. Movement is initiated by extending the left leg at the knee and hip toward the toeboard. At the same time, the right leg and hip provide a vertical/horizontal impulse through the ball of the foot.

The shoulders, eyes, and head remain in their starting position. The free leg drives toward the toeboard, staying close to the ground. The support foot lands in the center of the ring at a 90-degree angle.

The right foot lands in the rear section of the ring and does not cross the midway line. The toes will point approximately to 9 o'clock. How far behind the midway line the foot will come will depend on the athlete's size. In theory this will produce a longer acceleration pathway for the shot in the delivery and less time off the ground.

The function of the right leg is to employ rotation and lift and keep the athlete's mass and the shot moving forward. The trunk is rotated toward an upright position while avoiding excessive rise in the center of gravity. At double support, a straight line would pass through the joints on the left side of the body.

The Step-Back Drill is the first drill with which to teach movement across the ring. The athlete must assume the same starting position as in the glide. He/she should step to the middle of the ring with the right foot and extend the left foot to the board. The athlete can throw off of this drill. Once this basic movement is mastered, it is time to teach the glide.

The "A" Drill offers a great way with which to teach the shift in the glide. The athlete assumes the starting position and unseats, with most of the weight on the right heel. The left leg extends toward the toeboard, creating an elongated body position similar to the letter "A."

This drill helps eliminate the flight phase in the transition phase of the glide. The transition phase is the period from rear-foot contact to front-foot contact. In the dynamic glide, this phase must be fluid. Too long of a flight phase will often cause the left leg to ground late and take away the valuable time in which force can be applied to the implement.

The ballistic start in the dynamic glide may cause the athlete's midsection to buckle at key parts of the throw. Poor core control may induce the athlete to pause in the middle of the ring and sometimes cause a winding-up motion at the end of the glide. This may prevent the athlete from obtaining any meaningful distance from the flight across the ring and the use of a ballistic start.

Power cleans, snatches, squats, and torso exercises in the weight room can help build static core strength, while throws with kettle bells, puds, and medicine balls can build dynamic core strength.

Core strength will enable the athlete to control himself from the kneecaps upward to the chest.

The Medicine-Ball Push Drill can help teach the extension of the left leg in the glide. We place a medicine ball behind the athlete's left leg and have him/her kick the ball to get the feel of the left leg extension.

The common problem of many beginners is pulling the right leg under in the glide.

The Towel Hop Drill is great for teaching the pulling of the right leg. We place a towel in the center of the ring and have the athlete practice gliding and pulling the right leg over the towel.

Care should be taken not to overdo this drill. Too much of it can narrow the base and cause the hips to drift.

The Mini-Glide Drill offers an excellent way to teach the athlete the simultaneous grounding of the feet. It has the athlete perform a shortened version of the glide, starting with a glide of six inches and increasing it from there.

The Partner Glide Drill is designed to emphasize the closure of the shoulders in the glide. The athlete assumes a normal starting position in the back of the circle, with a partner holding the free arm. The partner provides mild tension by walking with the athlete while he or she glides. They perform sets of five.

A glide with a pole on the shoulders offers another way to work on keeping the shoulders closed. The length of the pole will help the athlete feel the opening of the shoulders.

If the athlete has trouble staying down on the glide, he can practice gliding under a crossbar or a rope placed at about mid-ring at a height that will force the athlete to assume the proper position in the glide. The athlete can then glide under it.

Sets of repeat glides down a line are great for working on consistency in the glide. We have the athlete pick a line on the track and begin gliding, while we check for foot positioning.

REFERENCES

* G. Dunn, and K. McGill: The Throws Manual, Track and Field News Press, Palo Alto, CA.

* G. Dunn: "The Shotput" in V. Gambetta (Ed.), The Athletics Congress's Track and Field Coaching Manual, Champaign, IL: Leisure Press, 1990.

* L.W. Judge: "Using a Dynamic Glide in Shot Putting, Part 1," Scholastic Coach, April 1992.

* L.W. Judge: "Using the Dynamic Start in the Glide," Track Technique, Summer, 1991.

* L.W. Judge: "Detecting and Correcting Technical Flaws in Young Shot-Putters," American Athletics, Winter, 1992.

* L.E. Knudson: "A Biomechanical Analysis of Power vs. Speed Techniques in Shot-Putting," Techniques in Athletics, June 1990.

* K.A. McGill: "Shot-Putting Analysis," Track Techniques, Summer 1984.

* T. Pagani: "The Shot-Put: Mechanics, Technique, Conditioning, and Drills," Track and Field Quarterly Review, 1979.

* R. Sloan: "Glide and Rotational Shot," American Athletics, Los Altos, CA.