Ryan Whiting goes to a static start

After what has been, by his standards, a disappointing season Ryan Whiting unveiled a new static start this weekend and used it to produce an excellent 21.68m toss.

After Ryan posted a vid of that throw on Twitter, I asked him to comment on his reasons for the switch to his new approach.

If you follow the throws (and if you are reading this post, clearly you do) you know that Ryan is very generous with sharing information about his training. It was not surprising then, when he tweeted this reply:

Jordan Clarke recommended it to me in July. My ankle was really bothering me and I couldn’t get out and around my left on my entry. Our reasoning was to eliminate one variable (the wind) and be able to work on a consistent entry which enables me to get into a more consistent power position. Once I do that I know how to finish a throw. Today my conversion from stand to full was 4.18m. Once I get used to finishing with the new start, I think that will increase quite a bit. A little over a month of work on the new start and 21.68m, A good sign.

Here is a pic of Ryan’s old start:

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As you can see, he used to turn about as far to the right as he possibly could with most of his weight shifted to the right foot.

 

In his new start, he does not wind at all, but simply pauses here…

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…before beginning his entry:

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As a high school coach, I am a big fan of Ryan’s new approach. For young throwers in the rotational shot and the discus a static entry  provides less opportunity for the athlete to lose his or her way when coming out of the back of the ring.

Young throwers often feel like they are creating force when they do an extended wind, but as Ryan pointed out the key to producing long throws is a consistent entry leading to a consistent power position.

If you don’t already follow Ryan on Twitter, you might want to do that as he is likely to comment further on his switch to the static start.

A quick chat with Art Venegas after Joe’s big win

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Art Venegas, coach of freshly-crowned shot put World Champion Joe Kovacs, graciously answered a few questions following Joe’s win.

How did you help Joe get ready for the epic scale of a meet like the World Championships?
It has been a gradual learning curve with the championships  always as the goal
How did you approach the qualifying round? Do you warm up the same as the final? Do you hold anything back? 
The Q round is the most important part of the meet. I have a series of preparatory phases during practice that simulate the arduous challenges World Championship qualification  presents that allows for a better chance to get to the final. We don’t hold back, but we try to not foul and keep our technical model in mind
Could you share what you were thinking during the final? It took Joe a while to get rolling. What did you say to him when he came to the rail between throws?
The final is the end of a throwing Marathon that started at 6 AM and finished at 9 PM with intense waiting periods both on and off the track. My job is to determine where the athlete is at and ask some specific questions. If the answer matches my observations, I try to make simple adjustments with usually one cue to focus on. After that, I watch the activity  of the athlete on the apron between throws and see if they are in need of rest or some drills to prepare the next throw
 As you know, making the leap from fine college thrower to world champion is not easy. What allowed Joe to do it?

Joe is an exceptional student and a long-term thinker and planner, added to his great talent and drive. I have felt since I met him that he had greatness in his future, and having been blessed with some great throwers in the past I felt that he had the intangibles that help create champions