Key Elements in Russian Hammer Technique

by Glenn McAtee and John Stoikos, University of South Carolina

The last years of the 1970s saw a revolution in the technique of hammer throwing. Marked increases in the world record were achieved by the Russian hammer school by utilizing a new technique. This article's authors have had the good fortune of studying the Russian technique in Ottawa with Boris Zaichuck, former World Record Holder and a main proponent of the new style of throwing.

This technique's main concept is to have the low point in the middle. The theory behind having the low point in the middle is the high point will be in the middle of the throwing sector when the right foot places. Russian biomechanics research showed this orientation of the high and low points would have a more positive effect on the hammer's acceleration. Using the Russian technique, the hammer can be accelerated two ways: using the force generated by the thrower and using the force of gravity pulling the ball downwards. According to Zaichuk, by using this technique you can accelerate the ball to an extent which can increase distance by 10m over the older method of throwing. The older way of throwing is to have the low point on the right side in front of the right foot. The older method is usually referred to as the counter-drag technique, while the new method is referred to as the counter-rotation technique.

The Winds

Since the position of the low point in this technique is so crucial, the winds play a key role to the success of the throw. One of the important concepts to keep in mind during the winds is opposition of the hammer's pull and the thrower's bodyweight. The opposition of the throwers body weight and the hammer is what generates most of the force in the winds. The thrower opposes the hammer in the following manner: as the hammer moves to the left, the thrower's body weight moves onto the right leg, and when the hammer is on the right the thrower's body weight is on the left leg. This motion also prepares the athlete for the entry into the first turn. The next important aspect of the winds is to make your left shoulder the axis of your winds. Although body weight is moving opposite the hammer, keeping the winds moving around the left shoulder is key because the shoulder needs to be kept low on the entrance as it will be the axis of your entry, and the axis of rotation for the single support phase of the turns to follow.

Key Aspects of the Winds
1. The throwers body weight should always be opposite the ball.
2. The left shoulder should be the axis of the winds.
3. The left shoulder should be kept lower than the right shoulder when entering into the first turn.

The Entrance

Probably the most crucial part of the throw is the entrance. If the entry into the throw is good, the majority of the time the throw will be good as long as the thrower turns correctly. However, if the start of a throw is incorrect, the result is almost always a bad throw since the thrower will usually not be able to correct the errors as he turns.

The entrance of the throw begins at the end of your second wind. At the end of the second wind the hammer should be on the right side, just past the high point, and the throwers body weight should be on the left with the left shoulder slightly lower than the right. At this point the thrower simultaneously drives the hammer across from the right side to the lefts side by keeping the left shoulder low and shifts weight from the left leg to the right leg as the hammer passes the low point. Once again, the low point should be between the feet.

As the thrower enters the turn the back should be kept straight and vertical: this is known as countering. Allowing the trunk to lean forward on the throw will pull the thrower's center of gravity outside of his base of support resulting in a loss of acceleration and balance. Also, leaning to far back can cause a loss of balance and a loss of acceleration. Although the weight is on the right leg right as the hammer arrives at 90 degrees, ultimately you want to have the angle of your left knee joint and your left hip joint constant during the second half of the double support phase. This is called locking the left side. The mistake many throwers make learning this technique is pushing all weight onto the left leg on the entrance. This error creates two problems: first, with weight on the left leg, the right leg becomes passive reducing the effectiveness of the double support phase (no acceleration). This causes the thrower to pick the right foot up early decreasing the duration force can be applied to the hammer and creating balance problems. Secondly, when weight is on the left leg it is difficult to keep the left shoulder low, reducing the thrower's ability to catch the hammer in the desired power position.

Ideally, the thrower wants maximize the amount of time force can be applied to the hammer by keeping weight on the right leg as long as possible and still keep the left side locked. If the thrower can do this, the result will be a smooth, powerful, and balanced entrance.

Key Aspects of the Entrance

1. At the end of the second wind, the thrower simultaneously drives the hammer across from the right side to the left side by keeping the left shoulder low and shifts weight from the left leg to the right leg as the hammer passes the low point.
2. As the thrower enters, the back should be kept straight and vertical.
3. The thrower is trying to keep weight on the right leg as long as possible while keeping the left side locked.

The Turns

During the turns the thrower accelerates the ball by tangential acceleration and angular acceleration. The angular acceleration is a result of the pushing force generated by the right leg and driving the ball across through the low point by keeping the left shoulder low. The tangential acceleration is a result of the thrower countering against the hammer's centripetal force.

After each turn the thrower tries to catch the hammer in a position that will allow maximum force to be exerted on the hammer: this is called the power position. For the thrower to get in the power position, it is important to do two things during the single support phase. Firstly, the left foot and knee must continue to actively turn even though the right foot is now in the air. The action is similar to stamping out a cigarette using the left foot. Secondly, the thrower must collapse the left knee prior to the placement of the right foot. This dropping action allows the thrower to counteract the upward pull of the hammer at its high point. Once the right foot makes contact with the ground the thrower is in what we refer to as the power position.

A thrower in the correct power position should have the following characteristics. The majority of the thrower's body weight should be on the left leg. The thrower should also be countering the ball, so the spine of the thrower is straight. Lastly, and probably most important, is the thrower must have the left shoulder lower than the right. Keeping the left shoulder low allows the thrower to drive the hammer through the low point to the left increasing angular acceleration. Crucial to the success of the athlete's power position is the timing of the placement of the right foot: the ball is at it's highest point when the athlete right foot places. As stated before, the hammer is accelerated by the force generated by the thrower, as well as gravity pulling the hammer down. The sooner the athlete can get his foot onto the ground after the ball passes the low point, the more help in accelerating the hammer he will get from gravity.

To accelerate the hammer, the thrower simultaneously drives the ball across through the low point by keeping the left shoulder low and actively pushing with the right leg. As the thrower is driving the hammer across through the low point to the left, weight begins to shift from the left leg to the right leg. As mentioned earlier, when weight is kept on the right leg the thrower can apply force to the hammer for a longer period of time.

When entering the single support phase of a turn, the left side should remain locked, allowing the thrower to turn around the axis of rotation. If the left side does not remain locked the thrower gets pulled out of their axis of rotation when the hammer is at its highest point. The result is the thrower falling onto his right foot at placement: this is called getting "heavy right". During the single support phase two things must occur: the left foot must continue to actively turn and the left leg must collapse. Both of these actions shorten the duration of the single support phase, thus reducing the amount of time the thrower is unable to accelerate the hammer. The less time a thrower spends in the single support phase means more time can be spent accelerating the ball in the double support phase.

Key Points of the Turns
Power Position

1. The majority of the thrower's body weight should be on the left leg.
2. The thrower should be countering the ball: the spine is straight.
3. The left shoulder should be lower than the right shoulder.

Double Support Phase

1. The ball is driven across through the low point by keeping the left shoulder low.
2. Weight shifts from the left leg to the right leg as the hammer passes the low point.
3. Left side remains locked.
Single Support Phase

1. Left foot and left knee continue to actively turn
2. The left leg collapses prior to placement of the right foot.
The Release

A well executed release can be the difference between a good throw and a great throw. Many athletes can have a technically perfect throw destroyed by a poor release. According to Zaichuck, the release accounts for thirty percent of the final distance of the throw, highlighting the importance of a well executed release.

One of the best ways to understand the release is to think of it like an entrance to another turn. Many beginners think the release is something totally different than the rest of the throw and deserves some sort of a special effort. Usually this type of thinking leads to a poor release instead of a well executed one. The thrower increases his chances of a good release if he continues to accelerate the ball in the same way as he did during the previous turns.

In the Russian technique, one of the most important aspects of the release is keeping the left shoulder low throughout. Allowing the left shoulder to rise reduces tension between the thrower and the hammer causing a loss of force. It is important to teach throwers to keep the left shoulder lower than the right during the entire release. Many throwers have difficulty believing the hammer will have a high enough trajectory if the thrower keeps the left shoulder low, but one only needs to look at Sergei Litvinov's trajectory to see this is not the case.

At the release, the hammer will have achieved maximum force. The thrower must be strong enough to counter this force, or tension will be lost resulting in decreased distance. Keeping the back straight and vertical is a good means to prevent the loss of force.

The final part of the release is the lift with the legs. In the turns leading up to the release, the thrower is trying to keep the left side locked (keeping the angle of the hip and knee joints constant). However, on the release the thrower wants to use the legs to provide lift, sending the hammer upwards on its trajectory.

Keys to the Release

1. Keep the left shoulder lower than the right throughout the release.
2. Counter the hammer's by keeping the back straight and vertical.
. 3. Lift with the legs once the hammer head passes the low point.


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