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SHOT PUT – WHERE AND HOW BEST TO TRAIN
2025-02-25
The shot put is one of the most spectacular and technically demanding athletics disciplines. It requires players not only to be strong, but also to have excellent motor coordination and to master a difficult throwing technique. Find out where and how the sport can be practised, and how to create the conditions for it.
SHOT PUT – TECHNICAL ATHLETICS DISCIPLINE
The shot put is an athletics and Olympic discipline practised both by women and men. The player's goal is to throw a ball as far as possible within the limits of the designated field.
During the competition, contestants throw a ball one-handed out of a circle with a diameter of 2,135 cm, while holding it between the shoulder and neck. It has to land in a field bounded by lines. It is a slice of a circle with a radius of 34.92°. In addition, the athlete must not fall out of the circle (exceed its threshold) while throwing the ball. If it happens, the attempt will fail and the judges will not acknowledge it.
WHAT KIND OF BALLS DO MEN AND WOMEN THROW?
Men and women throw balls of different weights. The former use a 7.61 kg ball and the latter use a 4 kg ball. Steel balls are used in both men's and women's competitions. However, they are sometimes replaced by those made of lightweight aluminium during training. A classic steel and lead training ball is also excellent for perfecting the technique.
STEEL TRAINING BALL filled with steel-lead shot
Such a ball is available in a few versions in terms of its size and weight. The youngest athletes can start their adventure with a model weighing just 1 kg.
Want to instil the athletics bug in children? A must-read: Athletics for children – what equipment should a sports club have?
WHERE CAN ONE TRAIN FOR THE SHOT PUT?
The shot put is usually practised in athletics clubs. However, the basics of the sport's technique are also taught to students – during physical education lessons.
Lightweight, junior and training balls are used in such sports activities. Sometimes they are replaced by other, smaller balls. Pupils learn how to properly position the ball by their necks and become familiar with them by rolling them on the ground, throwing them upwards, and only finally throwing them with both hands. The final stage consists of a presentation and an attempt to learn two one-handed pushing techniques.
Do you want to prepare a sports facility for athletics training? Read this article: Athletics equipment – what's worth buying?
HOW CAN YOU TRAIN EFFECTIVELY FOR THE SHOT PUT?
Shot putter training takes place not only in stadiums. The athletes strengthen their legs, torso and arm muscles, performing strength exercises in a gymnasium. They also train their wrists and forearms, i.e. those parts of the body that play an important role during the ball pushing phase. Amateurs can also successfully perform such workouts at gyms. However, in order to learn how to put the shot, it is essential to learn the correct throwing technique, and to keep perfecting it.
What is the correct shot putting technique?
Athletes learning to put the shot will learn and ultimately choose one of two techniques:
• the classic one, preferred by beginner shot putters;
• the rotational technique, which is more difficult and involves turning around rapidly, which is followed by pushing the ball out.
The most popular, classic shot putting technique – what exactly does it involve?
It is the adolescents who learn to put the shot first that learn this technique. It is also the easiest to master for amateurs wishing to take up this athletics discipline. Learning it involves mastering several phases – sequences of movements. These include:
1. adopting the starting position – the athlete places himself with his back to the direction of the push and shifts his weight to his right leg (if right-handed). He lifts the ball above his head on his right hand with an upright posture, while straightening his left arm in front of him. While holding the starting position, the ball rests on the metacarpus. The fingers only support it at the sides. When the athlete assumes the starting position, he can rest the ball close to the neck, i.e. under the jaw and at the level of the supraclavicular areas;
2. preparatory movements phase – the shot putter adopts the 'scale' stance. He leans his torso in the opposite direction to the thrust and straightens his free leg at the knee;
3. run-up phase – reach – the shot putter swings his free leg in the direction of the thrust, while transferring the weight of the standing (right) leg to the heel, which then pulls away from the ground. In this way, the athlete moves along the diameter of the circle and in the direction of the push;
4. adopting the throwing stance – the stance leg, on which all the weight of the body is placed, is then bent at the knee and the foot is positioned sideways to the direction of the thrust;
5. putting phase – the athlete vigorously straightens the legs and twists the hips in the direction of the thrust. He then straightens his arm at the elbow and pushes the ball out;
6. balancing phase – the athlete tries to stay within the circle and not to exceed its threshold.
At the end of the balancing phase, the athlete leaves the circle where it is not restricted by a threshold.
From the sidelines, shot putting may seem like a trivial sport. However, nothing could be further from the truth. It requires solid technical preparation and hours of regular strength training. It is a sport that develops strength and motor coordination, and anyone can have a go at it as long as their sports club, fitness centre or gym has a ball (lightweight, training ball) and a circle for shot putters.