Episode 40 - Moving Glaciers - a podcast by Charles J. Infurna, EdD

Moving Glaciers

“When significant changes are needed, we often assume a cataclysmic event is necessary to achieve them.  Which typically fails through the actions of impatience.  It takes glaciers a millennium to find the ocean, don’t assume you can push them back up the mountain in an afternoon.”

Derek Woodske

I was speaking to Luis this past weekend about the opportunity I had to work with some high school throwers at the school I visit a couple of days a week.  In our conversation I shared that all but one of the five throwers took standing throws in competition.  The lone turner taking a modified Highland Games approach to throwing.  In two sessions with the kids, as I shared with Luis, they began taking multiple turn throws with the weight.  I pride myself and my coaching ability on being able to teach someone how to throw the weight/hammer in one session while being able to finish the session with two winds and three turns with the implement.  Now I’m not saying that the throws are perfect.  Oftentimes far from it, but the athlete is able to stay in the circle after three turns and a finish.  That’s a win in how I perceive myself to coach throwers.

In a meet on Saturday, the one of the throwers I worked with was able to set a personal best in the shot-put, placing 5th after being seeded 12th of 16.  He was really excited and pumped up about having set a new personal best in the shot, especially since he told me it had been since before Christmas that he had done so.  Now onto the weight throw.

As an aside, this high school track and field meet was run exceptionally well.  Warm-ups went well, and the officials moved through the flight in about 25 minutes or so.  In total, 16 male throwers each took 4 throws.  Immediately after they were finished, they were ushered off to the weight.  After another 15 minute warm-up, they were done in about 30 minutes.  Warm-ups and competition done in about 1hr. 30 minutes.

I had a sense that the excitement of the shot-put personal best was going to take its toll on the weight because of body language and aside conversation with the other throwers within earshot of where I was sitting.  Warm-ups went pretty well, with the focus of feeling comfortable taking a one wind and two turn throw in competition.  His first “real” weight/hammer throws.

His first throw in competition was a sector foul due to releasing the weight a little early.  He was still pumped up about his opportunity to throw farther, and went for it again in round 2.  This time it was a foul down the opposite sector line.  Now I could see a sense of apprehension and fear come over his face.  On his 3rd throw he reverted back to his old throwing style, good enough for a 41’2”.  His 4th throw was also a foul down the left sector.

After the meet we had a brief conversation about feeling comfortable in the circle, giving the technique a chance, and how to move forward during the next couple of weeks before Sectionals.  I asked him what happened there in round 3, and he told me that he didn’t want to foul out so he reverted back to his old style of throwing.  He also told me that he thought he would have figured it out after two sessions.

In the two sessions prior to this meet, he took a total of 20 throws with weight/hammer technique.  Maybe a little bit of impatience.  Certainly fear.  A little desperation.

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