| Forget Frisbees. Challenge your friends to a discus throwing competition: Posted: Discus throwing dates back to at least 708 BCE. [1] During the time, a Greek sculptor named Myron created his famous statue, 'Discobolus', which was a discus thrower, [2] while the famous poet, Homer, made various references to discus throwing in his Iliad. [3] Discus throwing formed part of the Greek pentathlon--the discs at the time were made of bronze and iron, and were much heavier than the discs used today. Today, both men and women of all ages participate in this Olympic event. [4] Steps Selecting the disc - Before throwing, choose the right disc. The size and weight of discus you throw is determined by your age and gender. Use the following list to help you choose correctly.
- Women (all levels) - 1Kg Discus
- Boys (up to Age 14) - 1Kg Discus
- Men (High School, 15-18) - 1.6Kg Discus
- Men (College) - 2Kg Discus
- Men (Masters to 49) - 2Kg Discus
- Men (50-59) - 1.5Kg Discus
- Men (60+) - 1Kg Discus
Standing correctly Note: This is for right handers. Do the vice versa if you are left handed. - Practice the stance. This is one of the most important steps to throwing a good discus, along with holding the disc correctly. Think of the width between your feet as you are about to the throw the disc. Make sure your feet are both shoulder width apart and your arms are both extended to the length.
- When in the discus ring, find a comfortable footing position. The footing position, if you're right handed, is with the left foot pointed outwards of the ring (the exit of the discus) and the right foot pointed 90 degrees clockwise from the left. So, the left foot is at 12:00 and the right at 3:00.
- Do not space your feet out so far that the wind up will be blocked. Think of it as an "L" so that the right goes to the top and the left to the bottom.
Throwing the disc These are the steps for throwing the discus the standard way, for right handed throwers. - Enter the ring with your chosen disc.
- Position your feet correctly. Get in a good stance while you swing your arms and prepare to throw your discus, because it will also help to determine the length of your upper body stride.
- Place your left hand under the discus. This provides the proper support. Place the right hand on top of the discus.[5]
- Bend your fingers around the discus edge lightly, only from the first joint of your fingers.[6] Your fingers should barely skim the edge rather than clasp or wrap the discus.[7] This makes it easier to throw it because you are not gripping it, nor holding it with your palm.
- Extend your right arm. Maintain the positioning of the discus in your right hand, face down, with your other hand supporting the bottom.
- Swing your arm with your body back and forth horizontally. This gains momentum for the throw.
- When swung back, let the disc swing alone but when pulled forwards, put the left hand under to keep it from getting released.
Good Angle For Getting Height To The Throw - In the same time, you will need to swing your lower body as well so the rotation is greater.
- Remember to keep your feet on the same position so momentum is not lost.
- Swing back and forth repeatedly until you feel like throwing.
- When you feel like the swing is great enough, release the disc with greater force.
- Use your legs as the primary force. Have weight on your left ball of your foot while the right leg swings around widely and lands in the middle of the ring. Push off with your left leg and have all your weight transferred to the right leg in the center of the circle as it turns until pointing to the front of the ring, as your right leg turns into your left leg (the blocking leg). Then feel that your body spins from the feet up, having your torso and arm being the very last things to come through the throw.
- Flick your fingers and aim your arm/hand high as you let go of the disc for a farther distance. If you use strength in your arms and legs it will go even farther. The harder the push, the farther it will fly.
- Extend your chest out before the release to allow the shift of weight #During your throw, never go over the ring line because it will result in disqualification. When entering and exiting the ring, you must go from the back and out the back. If not, it will also result in disqualification. Other disqualifications include after the throw if any of your feet go over the ring.from the legs to the arms.
- Find your markings and if it wasn't good enough, try harder for the next throw. If done properly, the disc should travel relatively horizontal and reach a great distance. The average throwing distance for highschoolers is approximately 150-160 feet.
- After the throw is done, exit the ring as you entered.
Video Tips - Be aware of your surroundings. You cannot throw if there are people in front of you because you can, and will, hit them. In addition, people watching should be outside of the ring itself behind the net. The net helps prevent the disc from flying off into the crowd of people behind. Be aware that even pros slip their discs when in competition. There should be only one person in the ring, you, the participant.
- When participating in the discus throw, clothing requirements are:
- Be aware that it is necessary to wear shoes in the discus ring. This avoids any foot injuries that might occur, such as the disc slipping off your hand and landing on your feet.
- Do not wear a hat inside the ring. This will help prevent any misguided throws because the bill of the hat might get in the way. In addition, in most sports, hats are restricted for various reasons.
- Wear suitable clothing. For discus throwing, you should wear moderately comfortable shirts and shorts. This means not body-stuck tight nor sumo-sized. Wear anything that is easy to turn in for the wind-up.
- Other forbidden pieces of clothing include sunglasses because they do not allow full access to sight.
- Get your own discus so you can practice at home. The more practice you have, the better you will do.
- Stay hydrated and eat plenty of healthy foods to keep yourself prepared for your throw.
- Practice in such a way that when the disc leaves your hand, the last point of contact should be the top bend of your first finger.
- Remember to always lead with your chest. If your off hand leads the throw, it creates a whip like motion, giving you increased momentum.
Sources and Citations |
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