Saturday was the Hammer-Rama pt. II.

The Rattlesnake Glen Highlanders convened on the Magni-Throwers field to learn the Way of the Hammer. Not sure where the Magni group was but there were four of the Rattlesnakes present so the passers by saw kilted men tossing sticks and stones on Saturday as usual.

Sep 22, 2012

3x11 lb No measurements
3x12 lb No measurements
3x14 lb No measurements
3x16 lb No measurements
3x22 lb w best of 65'

We started out with the 11 lb hammer to work on technique and worked our way up to the regulation weight hammers.

The idea is to keep the arms long and loose, the feet slightly wider than shoulder width, the toes turned out slightly, the knees are slightly bent, the low spot of the hammer's orbit is to the right of the right foot, and the pull is up over the body on release. The "baseball bat swing" or a "golf swing" is INCORRECT.

Keeping the low spot of the orbit is maintained by the "catch". The shoulders rotate to the right while the hammer is overhead and the catch position anticipates the pull at the low point. The "pull" starts at or before the low point of the hammer's arc. Throwing the head and shoulders back during the release adds POWER to the throw.

The bent knees are important because they allow you to drive your hips forward while the hammer is up and behind the thrower's head. This is how you maintain your balance. They also allow you to do the "Highlands Hula" which is your hip movement to the side as needed to accelerate the hammer and maintain balance. Your arms are just along for the ride.

Robert and Dave both threw some PR's by the end of the day, and Roger had corrected a new of technique issues. He's still working on the muscle memory thing and trusting the technique but when he gets it all dialed in and starts cranking it, look out!

For fast twitch guys, learning to trust the technique is a challenge because strength and speed work pretty well. Strength, speed, AND technique work even better.