Progressions for Teaching the Hammer Throw

with Robert Weir,
University of Missouri Assistant Coach - Throws;
2017-20 - Weber State - Assistant Coach, Throws;
2013-17 - Clemson - Assistant Coach, Throws;
2012-13 - Hawai'i - Associate Head Coach, Throws;
2010-12 - Oregon - Assistant Coach, Throws;
2009-10 - United Kingdom - National Team Throws Coach;
2004-08 - Stanford - Head Coach;
2001-03 - Stanford - Associate Head Coach, Throws;
1997-00 - Stanford - Associate Coach, Throws;
1994-96 - Stanford - Assistant Coach, Throws;
1993 - Stanford - Part-time Assistant Coach;
USA team head coach (2006 World Junior Championships), USA senior throws coach (2005 & 2007) ;
While at Stanford, Weir guided Adam Nelson to the 2000 U.S. national title and an Olympic silver medal in the shot put;
As an athlete, Weir was a 3x Olympian (1984, 1996, 2000),
2x Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist (1982 hammer throw, 1998 discus throw),
3x NCAA National Champion,
10x NCAA All-American

Find the ideal technique for your hammer throwers.

In this comprehensive instructional video course from Championship Productions, world-class hammer thrower Robert Weir, shares with you a complete breakdown of the hammer throw.

Following a quick and simple 7-exercise warm-up, Coach Weir breaks down the essential grip for the hammer, a vital element for injury free throwing. He next moves into Hammer Swings or "winds." This skill will help to determine the most natural high and low point for the individual thrower, and will assist you in determining the optimal point of initiating footwork for the turn.

Hammer Turns is the next technical area of instruction. In this segment, Weir instructs the toe turn and the heel turn. For each technique Weir breaks down the double support phase and the single support phase and offers strategies to lengthen the double phase and shorten the single phase, which will maximize hammer acceleration.

Weir shows you how to coach "relaxed shoulders" and demonstrates the problems that arise when a thrower's shoulders are pulled, or misaligned. He also analyzes the keys to an ideal release of the hammer and how to attain a peak angle for the release.

You will also see five of the most common errors for the hammer throw. Weir then presents the best correction for each.

The use of two experienced hammer throwers, each with varying styles greatly enhances the benefits of this video course. One demonstrator utilizes a heel turn and three rotations and the other utilizes a toe turn with four rotations.

These valuable insights will assist you in finding the technique that optimizes your throwers' individual styles.

39 minutes. 2010.