Jenkintown, PA--May 12, 2009--John Taylor

Upper Body Position and Acceleration in the Throw

A few of the throwers I have been working with have trouble drawing the javelin back into a good throwing position.  The drawback is critical in setting up the throwing position.  There should be a long arm with the palm of the throwing hand facing upward.  This will allow the thrower to keep the point of the javelin down when the throwing shoulder rotates up and forward, allowing the athlete to pull the javelin with the shoulder. 

The hips also need to rotate to the side during the drawback phase.  This will create torque in the hips and torso.  There will be a slight lean back position, setting the hips ahead of the torso and creating the ability to separate upon hitting the penultimate step and moving into the impulse step and the bracing stride or block. 

There is a dynamic bound during the penultimate step that accomplishes two things.  It continues the acceleration of the run up and crossover phase and sets the hips into action to deliver the throwing shoulder.  The ability of the thrower to maintain the upper body throwing position throughout the penultimate step or bounding phase without pulling the javelin or delivering the shoulders before the hips and feet are able to transition the speed into the block is critical in delivering the javelin with great velocity. 

Staying closed with the shoulders and leaving the throwing arm behind as the impulse step moves into the block allows the hips to move foward and creates a dynamic and ballistic pull in the shoulder.  It also allows the thrower to pull the grip of the javelin through the point.  By staying closed with the shoulder and holding the blocking leg and left arm solid will allow the thrower to deliver the javelin forward and over the block as they release. 

A slow runup and deliberate approach into the drawback phase will give the thrower time to set this upper body position before they begin to acclerate into the crossover phase, gaining more acceration as the thrower picks up speed and bounds into the throw.  Take your time at the back of the runway, just don't take off and only have one speed down the runway.  The javelin throw should build speed throughout and end with dynamic and ballistic energy being delivered into the implement.  But your positions shouldn't be sacrificed just so you can run as fast as possible.  You will find that the better the positions and the more control you have with your acceleration, the more efficient the delivery will be and as a result, longer throws with less effort.