My Blog
January 15, 2004
My envy is starting to grow. I hear of the big bombs being dropped in the weight. Then I talk to an old training budy. He regales me with tall tales of monster lifts and deceivingly far throws. Bastard. It really makes it hard to miss being out of the sport that was your universe for 7 years. Oh yeah, I was kidding about envying throwing the weight. I'm more of a 16-lb. guy. Anyway. Now I'm living vicariously through all of you. I'm semi-retired (see earlier comments about back injuries), I working with my old high school coach to help him learn how to coach hammer. He sent me an e-mail last week making 2 astute observations: 1) You can't throw the 25-lb high school weight like a discus and 2) even the lighter weight is hell on the lower back. I guess so if you throw it like a disc! This e-mail prompted me to offer him some advice. And through the miracles of technology, I have cut and pasted the entire diatribe here, just for you dear reader.
Good technique is crucial if you want to throw the weight and stay healthy. I applaude any one for taking it up and also teaching it. To be successful in the hammer, you really need to forget about all you know in the shot and disc. The most fundamental concepts are the same, (i.e.-speed, strength and most importantly-looseness). However, the movements are very different. Example- you should have zero separation in hammer. If anything, you want reverse separation, trying to get the ball ahead of you. You NEVER lead the ball. (An aside...if you are a current athlete, don't read the following, as it is a trick that coaches employ to get you to do what they want. Coaches only now? Good. You are never truly behind the hammer. And it is okay to be a hair in front. But watch the big boys and it is only by a degree or two. But as a coach, you want to instill the concept of one system.)
Okay, now that everyone is back with us, I want to offer a solemn word of advice from the perspective of someone who may never throw competitively again. Yeah, I'm feeling sorry for myself. Throw me a friggin' bone. Enjoy it while you can. The moments may be fleeting. Take every throw like it will be your last one.
Take care and THROW FAR!
August 29, 2003
Well, I haven't been as diligent at throwing as I need to. I've got a new job and have been planning a move from Athens, GA to Washington, D.C. If any of you guys train in the DC/VA/Baltimore area, drop me a line. I'm looking for a place to train. I haven't gotten back into the weightroom yet, but I have been able throw some. I actually competed in a small meet in Athens that we put together for Andras Haklits. I threw 59.70m. Even though this mark is well below where I was, it was somewhat of an accomplishment, given it was the third time I had thrown since January. I've thrown the 6k 67.50m and am working into some short heavy stuff. Not too heavy, but 8k is enough for me. I've been developing some pretty interseting training techniques with my physical therapist. I don't want to get back into heavy cleans/snatch/squat just yet, so we are thinking of ways to work the legs/trunk without as much stress on the body. The exercises are hard to put into words. Maybe I can take some pictures and post them on the web somewhere. The underlying theory of what we are trying to accomplish is to train every movement in a way that most replicates hammer movement. Well, duh. Simple changes though. For example, we do step-ups with a bar across our back, loaded with many lbs. Rather than using barbells, now I use dumbells. I hold the dumbells in front of me (like where a hammer is supposed to be during a throw). Also, rather than just stepping in one plane, I will turn and twist in various planes as I step. Since we are using dumbells, it is much easier to twist without worrying about straining anything. Another flare is added by changing the weights of the dumbells. I'll hold a 10lb. in my right and a 5lb. in my left. Do a circuit, then switch the weights. All of this should add up to a more well balanced system and hopefully one that is a little bit stronger. No, I don't think I'll be able to squat 600lbs or clean 170k by doing lightweight dumbell step-ups. But the great thing is that I'm not competing in the squat or clean.
I'm competing in the hammer. I have to give myself a chance to stay healthy. By doing some of these exercises, I should be able to stay healthy and still generate enough power to throw far. My cynicism is ever waning.
Throw far,Jay
July 1, 2003
After a 6 month hiatus, I finally found the nerve to go back out to the track yesterday. I decided I would start with a "light" 14lb. hammer to test out how my back would hold up. I did 10-15 sets of assorted drills including right-arm only, left-arm only, 2-1hand/4-2hand, and 2X10 dry turns. I'm still walking, so it must not be too bad. I am amazed at how the body atrophes over time. Six months feels like 6 years. My plan now is to throw 2-3X per week really easy to ease back into timing. I'll keep you posted.
May 7, 2003
It has been 4+ months since I've picked up a hammer. A back injury has me side-lined this year. However, I'm trying to stay in shape. This included going out and watching a meet this past weekend. It was a great time with everyone throwing fairly well. Why does that matter? Everyone looked like they were trying too hard. one thing I've learned in my hiatus is to make it easy on yourself. This includes both technique and training. As far as technique, be balanced. Strength, flexibility, jumps, etc obviously matter. However, if I was throwing right now, I would be concerned with balance. Balance and stability foster good technical turns and subsequently far throws. As far as training...I mention this a lot...know who you are and what your physical constraints may be. I was talking with Kevin Fitzpatrick this past weekend. He doesn't "catch" any of his Olympic lifts, as it helps prevent injury. If I was training, I wouldn't do front squats. Why? I just want to get across that you can throw far training in different ways. The basic principles are the same, but philosophies are much different. Make sense?
18-Feb-2003
I was talking with Lance Deal the other day. I told him I had a little back injury after the throwing marathon in OR (see below). He asked how long I had been injured. About 12 days I replied. I could hear Lance shaking his head. He expounded he's found that after any significant change in the body's stress level, injury is sure to come about 10-14 days after the stress change. Thinking back, this is pretty consisitent with my minor injuries. And the most recent development, I now have a herniated disc in my low back. When/how did this happen? When I got the low back muscle pull, I took some time off--a significant change in my stress level. Instead of lifting and throwing, I just rode the bike and swam a little. Two weeks after I changed, I felt some numbness in my foot. And now here we are. This may be the end of my season.
TWO WEEKS.
Just Damn.
Moral of the Story: Is it not obvious? Take it easy for the two weeks after a major change in your body-stress level.
...by the way, if you have back trouble, go see a therapist that practices Arthro-Praxis. Awesome.
10-Jan-2003
As if life doesn't throw you enough curve balls on its own, I just returned from 4 days in hammer throwers paradise...Eugene, OR.
I had the pleasure of throwing with Stuart Togher, Jud Logan, Lance Deal, Jon "MacDiesel" McEwen, Travis Nutter, James Parker, Carey Ryan and A.G. Krueger. I suffered at the hand of the stick and I marveled at the philosophy from some U.S. hammer giants. It was AWESOME! Stuart is a brilliant mind. Now we just have to beat our own path.
10-October-2002
There is a quest among some of the Athens' throwers. This quest is a 100-beer guantlet laid down by the mellow-mushroom (a local pizza joint). Drink 100 beers and get your "Brad the Impaler" plaque on the wall. We were working on the list and got into a discussion on training wisely. (While drinking beer???, sounds "wise" doesn't it?)
What do you do well and what do you do not so well? For me, I finally figured out that I don't front-squat well. The main problem is that I shift my weight (hips) right when I push off the bottom. This puts tremendous strain on the lower back, hence 4-5 muscle pulls from said excercise. I have only done a few workouts this year in front-squat. But I am focusing really hard on pushing off equally...oh...and not going heavy. What good is it to have a 200k front-squat if you can't throw because of injury.
Be very aware of you, your training and how you feel after certain movements or training excercises. The more attention you pay, the smarter you will become as a thrower. Apply your new knowledge and the resuts will come.
Throw Far!
Jay
12-September-2002
It all started in a parking lot at about 3:00am in Palo Alto, CA. Myself and a few other accomplices (I will not name them, for their wives might read this, ha-ha-ha!) were standing in a hotel parking lot looking for more mischief. As with all throwers, mischief needs fueling, but In-N-Out was closed. Sponge-Bob and Patrick decide to head off in search of a donut shop. Before our party broke up, we competed in “feats of strength,” a-la Seinfeld and Festivus. Sponge-Bob posed the question “Can you hold your ankle behind you, like you are stretching your quad, then squat down and touch that knee to the ground. Of course everyone tried it. Sponge-Bob did it, so did Squid-word. But I couldn’t. It was quite frustrating. If I can throw a 16-lb ball 240+ feet, why in the world can’t I do this simple stupid pet trick?
Fast forward a few months. Time to get back into training. I go out and do a drill I got from Lance Deal – one 16-lb hammer in each hand, with your arms out to your side and do multiple turns. Needless to say, this was a flop. I couldn’t find my rhythm. My coach told me to get lower; not one of my strong suites. LOWER! Damn it, don’t bend over, just drop your hips. Why don’t I sit back and counter. Then we watch the tape from the 2002 European champs from Munich. No, not all technique is the same, but those guys have something I don’t. I want to learn how, but why am I not getting it?
I realized at work this morning that I see the big picture, but I don’t always do the little things to get me there. Just like in the parking lot, I didn’t have the small motor skills and balance necessary for the feat of strength. In training, I don’t frequently do the "small-things" drills to help cement good habits. I just throw. It has gotten me by so far.
All of this to say that this season I resolve to do the little things better. The little things will help go a long way. Balance. Dig in. Get low. Drop. Throw Far.
Jay
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