Anita’s Taxi is Here

Anita’s Taxi is here!

Anita Taxi

Here is how to do it right if you really want to be successful.  Pay attention to the details and do what is needed.

For the last four years Anita Wlodarczyk, the 2012 Olympic and 2013 World Championships silver medalist in the women’s hammer throw, comes to the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista (San Diego) CA to train.  She is accompanied by her  coach Krzystof Kaliszewski, and physiotherapist Joanna Madajczyk.

Doing drills correctly over and over is a big part of her program.  There is no magic, just a good plan, hard work, good technique and a commitment to doing everything the right way.  For example; delivery work with the weight.  Wind and throw 50 throws right sided, 50 throws left sided.

FYI – In addition to their coaching and physio/massage responsibilities, Joanna pulls the hammers from the ground and loads them in the taxi’s trailer.   Krzystof ‘drives’ the car back to the circle.  Anita throws the hammers back out into the field to complete their continuous round trips.

PS: click on the photo to expand it and get all the detail!

 

 

Three Things I Know by Mac Wilkins

Part 1 of 3

No Secrets here…

These three high level concepts will work well as a tune up focus before the big meets in May and June. You won’t get bogged down with complex details and “forget how to throw”.

They are also concepts that can and should be mastered as part of the foundation of your technique from the beginning of your career.
1. See the Horizon to the Target
2. Work a Wide Right Leg from the Back of the circle to the Middle
3. The Right leg/hip continuously rotate into the left side block from the middle.

The three moves are good for advanced and beginning throwers as well. They are easy to grasp and execute. The trick is executing them well in the whole movement of the throw.

Each of these three concepts have many sub parts or details that can be explored and I will list a few of them. Primarily, though, I am looking at these as high level movements, positions and rhythm that can be approached with the end result in mind. Work one idea or all three per throw in training or competition.

It might be easy to dismiss these concepts as too simple or high level and move on to more detailed trivia. The advanced thrower will find endless subtlety here and increase their power and efficiency.

1. See the Horizon to the Target (throw direction)
If you can’t see the details of the horizon, where the sky meets the earth, then you are turning too fast. Slow Down!  Or get on balance so your head is more centered as you turn.  Or be more upright with your upper body posture.

Let the left side (eyes, left arm, knee and foot) lead to the target

From 10 o’clock on, (with 12 being straight out the back of the circle) the left side is a single vertical plane. (don’t let the foot/knee get ahead of or lag behind the shoulder/arm/head unit)

At the target or in the next 150 degrees, the left side slows or pauses to let the Right Leg Engine catch up and overtake it creating torque. This slowing point varies from thrower to thrower. If the left side doesn’t slow the right leg will never catch up to create torque.

Try to hold your face at the target until the right leg pulls it around to the back of the circle. This is an important key for throwers having trouble getting torque.

The throwers in this video “see the horizon” and “hold their eyes on the target” for a hot second before the right leg turns them to the back of the circle.

 

For over 100 video lessons from Mac Wilkins on shot and discus…  www.thewilkinsreview.com