Triskaidekaphobia - Joshua's Training

[Alan H]

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]

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]

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]

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

[Joshua]

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.

[Joshua]

Heavy Hammer

51' 5"
52' 2"
55'
49' and change foobar
57' 2"
54' 7"
52' 5"
51' 9"
55' 5"
59' 8"

3 sets of 5 hammer winds (slow)

[Joshua]

My 59' 8" practice throw

[Joshua]

Getting Stoned

Braemar 22#: 6 throws guessed (from my open stone throws later) to be low-to-mid 20's. I always warmup stone workouts with braemar because I don't actually leave my hips behind in it, where that habit comes out in open stone for me.

Open Stone 14#: 25 throws, I know for a fact 8 throws were over 30'. Best throw was 34' 6". Worst throw the stone "rolled" off my hand and I only managed 24' and change. Besides that stinker, I didn't throw under 27' the whole night.

Hammer Winds: 5 sets of 5 with last wind as fast as manageable without spikes or cleats.

Just for s&g I threw my hammer. It broke. Off to Home Despot tomorrow for a new handle. I'm going to accrue a ton of extra conduit around this house as it's a 10-foot piece for $1.60 and I only need 50" on the flanged end for my hammer handles.

[Joshua]

Yesterday Weightlifting: Clean and Jerk form work up to 105kg/232lbs, Back Squat 5's up to 150kg/330lbs

Then I went on a 1.1mi pub crawl.

This morning throwing:
3 sets of 5 hammer winds
About a dozen throws in the mid 50's with no tape or tack, best was 56.8 feet (I replaced my handle today and had no tape for it so it was slick)
Braemar 22lb: 23, 23, 25, 21, 24
Open Stone 14lbs: approx 12-15 throws - best was 36.5 feet (!)
42 wfh (using tape on a stick to measure branches): 9, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13.5, 13.5, 13.5


I'm going to do well in stone, I feel like I'm improving every time I throw it.

[Alan H]

Hey, I like the pub crawl!

There's nothing as motivating as improvement! Good job on the stones.