The Complete Guide to the Hammer & Weight Throw

with A.G. Kruger,
Ashland University Head Track & Field Coach;
University of South Dakota Assistant Coach/Throws from 2015 to 2022;
3x US Olympian;
14x National USA Champion in Hammer & Weight Throw;
NCAA DII National Champion (hammer throw);
2001 NCAA DII National Outdoor Male Track and Field Athlete of the Year;
Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS);
Certified Functional Movement Screening (FMS)

The hammer throw and weight throw are two of the most exciting throwing events in track & field. However, many athletes don't get exposed to them early in their careers due to safety concerns and lack of facility space.

In this video, A.G. Kruger expertly breaks down these events into simple, easy to understand concepts that are sure to help athletes and coaches of all levels find success.

You'll learn about:

• Footwork and body positioning
• The wind and release
• Various hammer drills

Coach Kruger brings a wealth of expertise to this video. A certified strength and conditioning specialist, Kruger was a 14-time national champion in the hammer and weight throw and three-time Olympian for the United States.

Footwork and Body Positioning

Basic footwork and proper body positions are crucial first steps to learning the hammer and weight throw. In this section, Kruger breaks down the base position and the importance of keeping everything together to set up spacing and rotation. He then demonstrates the various positions that every athlete should hit as they rotate during the throw.

Kruger demonstrates his main drill concepts that will teach how to use basic footwork, be in position, and how to work out of these positions. By segmenting the body positions, Kruger creates a simple training drill that can be used with first time throwers to familiarize themselves with the positions they'll need to master during rotation, as well as what coaches can look for to cue their athletes as they turn.

Wind and Release

The key to a good release is to keep everything simple. Regardless of how your athlete enters the release phase of the throw, the main goal is to sit back against the implement, then finish up and through. To help athletes achieve these points, Kruger shows three release drills: the Wind and Release, the Sling and Release, and the Nino Start Entry Release.

In the Nino release, athletes start lower, making it difficult to get back against the ball and stand up at the finish. While the drill is simple enough to teach, the difficult starting position makes it an excellent teaching tool for intermediate and advanced throwers.

Kruger also uses single arm drills to teach dynamic balance by keeping one side of the body inactive during the winding phase.

Hammer Drills

In the largest segment of the video, Kruger shows you how to put everything together. Beginning with multiple turn drills, you'll see how practically any item can become an effective teaching tool - from chains, handles, and weight plates, to the actual implements themselves. By doing so, athletes will be able to better understand the continuation of movement and balance throughout the throw.

Kruger expertly breaks down the hammer and weight throw events into simple segments that coaches and athletes of all abilities can use to help their development. By keeping progressions easy to follow, Kruger has created a video that is great for teaching first time throwers in a way that will help them learn and grow fast. At the same time, coaches of more advanced throwers will still find a lot of value in this program to reinforce proper body positioning.

60 minutes. 2017.