Triskaidekaphobia - Joshua's Training

**Joshua** · 1st March 13, 09:53 AM

Learning to throw with spikes was a whole new world. I had to really think long and hard about foot placement because once you're spiked, you have no room for adjustment. Too narrow and you aren't stable... too wide and your hammer bottoms out. I might skip using my spikes in competition tomorrow until I've been able to perfect throwing in them, or at the very least I'll just wear one spike on my right foot.

**Alan H** · 1st March 13, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by Joshua

Learning to throw with spikes was a whole new world. I had to really think long and hard about foot placement because once you're spiked, you have no room for adjustment. Too narrow and you aren't stable... too wide and your hammer bottoms out. I might skip using my spikes in competition tomorrow until I've been able to perfect throwing in them, or at the very least I'll just wear one spike on my right foot.

I've been so worried about knees and ankles that I've shied away from blades. I finally made a decent one, and bolted it to my right boot and tried that. It was OK, but it didn't create any miracles of distance, and I will still worried about my knees after a few serious cranks.

I'd say...and this is repeating the common wisdom, that you won't see any change in distance until you've practiced with them for about 6 weeks, so I'd agree....no point in wearing them tomorrow.

**o1d_dude** · 1st March 13, 10:39 PM

If anything, you will probably lose distance when you first switch over to blades because you will feel confined.

Once you figure out that the blades take the foot position out of the throwing equation and start throwing HARD, the distances will come. Before you long you won't be able to throw hammers without them.

**Joshua** · 2nd March 13, 06:21 PM

The good news: I made a small PR in heavy hammer today, throwing with one spike. I don't remember my stone throws but I made some progress in *how* I threw as I have been drilling stone lately a lot (stone and hammer are my only real implements)

The bad news: I threw WELL below even my averages on the stuff I'm good at.

There were two variables that shook me up, but the other guys had the same variables, and were just better prepared for them. I'm not blaming them, but myself for not being prepared.

One, the ground was sand... and that sucked with my new cleats that I was all stoked to get. By the time we went to caber I was wearing my sneakers because my new metal cleats were literally digging ankle-deep holes in the field.

Two, going in traditional order is not what B's do on our fields, B's go reverse order so we start with WOB, Sheaf, etc... because of this I was just plain winded by the time we got to my favorite, WOB. I didn't even clear 11 feet.

I need to improve my conditioning, which was doing well until recently when I'd backed off due to some back strains at the Brandon games two weeks ago.

So...

More throwing (coincidentally the only events that weren't useless for me were the ones I'd trained thursday)

More implements (I've got a ring handle, going to build one of O1d Dude's DIY 56lbers)

More conditioning (I need to stop sitting on my ****)

When my scores are up on NASGA I'll post them. I am pretty sure I hit 61' and change on the heavy hammer though.

**Alan H** · 4th March 13, 12:11 PM

How'd your knee feel with the single blade? No stress?

**Joshua** · 4th March 13, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by Alan H

How'd your knee feel with the single blade? No stress?

No stress at all. I've always had good knees and I hate to admit it, but I was holding back on my spin a bit as I didn't want to foul or fall backwards. I was following Kevin DuPuis all day and that guy holds pretty much every field record on this field... I knew I wasn't going to throw anywhere near him (he threw 93' HH on his 2nd, and 101' on a 4th or 5th challenge throw if I remember correctly).
61
The numbers got published in NASGA btw - I threw the hammer 61' 4", which isn't an all time best but it's the furthest I've thrown the heavy since 2008. So I'm going to keep drilling hammer now that I'm relearning it.

Braemar: 24' 6" (PR I guess, I've never thrown B stone)
Open: 29' 2" (best throw since 2006)
HWFD: 23' 2" (don't know how this stacks up to the Brandon Games 2 weeks ago as results haven't been posted yet, but skipping Brandon this is my best since 2006 - pretty sure I threw 28' and change in Brandon though)
LWFD: 46' 2" (kinda meh)
HH: 61' 4"
Caber: 3x45* (17' stick 130lbs of middle-heavy madness, only 3 of us turned it)
Sheaf: 16' (boo)
WFH: 10' (Super Boo)
Placing: DFL - Dead F'ing Last (9th of 9)

But the events that I practiced two days before were the ones I made progress in. The Gods of Hammer and Stone beseech me, I must now craft weights for distance, and height. That's happening this weekend. I have one of those IronMind ring handles and I just need to find a link that will fit over it.

And I need to get a D-handle to train with as well. That was one other variable that we threw D's on the distance events and even though it was the exact same 28# I threw 52' 10" back in 2006, it was unfamiliar enough to me that it wasn't pleasant to throw.

Finally, I'm going to have to stitch up a bag to throw. I wouldn't mind getting a Clev but the wait is fairly long from what I've heard Gonna have to start bugging local coffee shops for burlaps so I can put one together.