Hammer Throw

Many people will ask, "What is the hammer throw?" the Olympic hammer throw is an athletic competition where the object thrown is a heavy steel ball attached with wire 4 feet long to a stick and it is thrown as far as possible. The name hammer throw comes from years ago in the competition when an actual hammer was used. The winner of the hammer throw is the one that can throw the farthest. The weight of the hammer is 10 lbs for men and 8.82 for women. To be competitive with the hammer throw, a basic skill must be learned as well as a good hammer throw technique. The athlete throwing will gain the mot distance by winding the hammer around their head to set them selves up for the turns. They then apply some force and speed by completing 1-4 turns in the circle. Some expert athletes believe 3 to 4 turns is the most effective. Hammer throwing is a very competitive event in the Olympics each year.

After moving in a circular path, the ball will gradually increase in velocity with each turn. The high point of the ball will be towards the sector and the low point will be at the back of the circle. The hammer thrower will release the ball from the front of the circle. The two most important factors for success are the angle of release and the speed the ball is going. Hammer throw does require skill and practice. If you have questions or want to learn more about hammer throw, there are hammer throw videos you can purchase. These videos are quite helpful for the beginner.

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The men's hammer throw has been in the Olympic Games since 1900, with the current world record being made by Yuriy Sedykh at the European athletics championships in Stuttgart, West Germany in 1986 with 86.74. The women's hammer throw was added to the Olympics at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

For Bethany Hart, hammer throw comes very easy, as she is a two-time All American hammer thrower in 1999 and 2000 at the University of Connecticut. She is also a certified athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach. Bethany competed in the 2004 Olympics for hammer throw. You can check online for world records for many different hammer throw events. You can also do a search of Trevor legato hammer throw record.