Shotput Essays - Throwing Sports, Ballistics, Individual Sports

Shotput Essays - Throwing Sports, Ballistics, Individual Sports Shotput Shot PutPhysics is everywhere in the world of sports. It can be found when a boxer punches a guy, or when a person is stabbing something. The shot put is an event which has many practical applications to physics. From the time the thrower begins moving, to the time the shot hits the ground, physics can be applied.The first track and field events began over two thousands years ago in Greece. People participated in sprints, endurance races, shot put, and discus. Track and Field events were held first in the Olympics in 776 B.C. They were held again every four years: however, under the Roman Empire, track and field started to die (McMane, 5). It didn't begin to flourish again until the middle of the eighteenth century. In 1896, the Olympics started again in Athens, Greece. Since then, they have been held every four years with few exception. The shot put event evolved with the maturing of Olympic Games. It advanced from a very basic understanding of the sport, to a precise approach to ea ch athlete's technique.It is important to understand the set of events that should be followed in each throw. The shot should be placed over the head balancing the shot on all four fingers. The left arm should then be raised above the head. Both hands are turned so that the palm of each hand are looking down at each ear. In that position the arms are lowered to rest on the shoulder. Then both hands are squeezed to the neck. The rhythm for shot placement is described as up, turn, down, squeeze(Naclerio 117). There are many different styles used in the shot. Parry O'Brien developed a 180 degree shot rather than the usual 90and found that the longer he pushed the faster the shot would travel. The most descriptive word for the action of the shot putter's arm is punch ( Naclerio, 116). The motion of the arms should be like punching towards a tall person. The legs of the putter should move in a violent manner and the right heel should get around the right knee. The throwing motion of the shot than begins. In the up position the athlete will then balance the shot on the base of the fingers. In the turn position, the athlete faces his or her palms to the ears, then lowers his arms to prepare for the squeeze. In the squeeze phase, the ball is nestled against the neck. The left arm is than relaxed to become an extension of the left shoulder.The physical properties of the shot may also be important. The shot is generally made of brass or iron (Matson 1). It is thrown from a circle of 2.135 meters in diameter into a sector about 65 degrees from the center of the circle. The circle has a board 10 centimeters high around the front.Tall heavy and strong athletes are suited to shot putting. The release velocity of the shot is very much dependent on the speed at which the thrower moves across the circle. Therefore, shot-putters are generally fast and powerful. Strength, power and flexibility form the foundation of shot putters. In order to avoid injuries in trial runs the subj ect should engage in arm, waist, hamstring, hip and quadriceps stretching. Also a light jog or brisk before stretching may be appropriate. Warming up each day will also be vital to results. If the same warm-up routine is used each day then the results will be more uniform because the subject will be similarly ready for each day of putting. Videotaping is used extensively in shot-putting. Video taping can be helpful because there is often a big gap between what one thinks he/she is doing between what he/she is actually doing. The techniques of athletes use in throwing the shot have changed dramatically over the past century. The first style was a crude approach to throwing the shot. An athlete simply threw from an upright stance perpendicular to the toe board (Judge, 30). In the 1950's, Parry O'Brian added momentum to his technique by introducing the back to the toe board stance. This involved sliding towards the toebaord to add speed and momentum behind the shot. And