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Some Throwing Tips
In this section, I will periodically add some points of emphasis as I see them in our practice. Try to work on 1 or 2 points in each practice session.
ROTATIONAL SHOT TECHNIQUE
Your throw intensity is mainly controlled by how much you bend the knee of the pivot feet: first, the left leg in Phase 1 and then the right leg in Phase 2. The optimal angle for a full-effort throw as far as you can is 75 degrees. This is just above parallel. 90 degrees is actually too low because when you go to parallel, you lose some speed because the knee joint is at a mechanical disadvantage.
However, when you practice and want to step through it slower, you can use a small er knee bend. When you do drills without the shot, you can try it with as little as a 30 degree bend. Slow speed is a 45-degree bend with a shot, and 60 degrees is medium speed.
On "throwing" the shot: throwing the shot puts damaging torque stress on your elbow, and it is not allowed in competition. You need to learn to keep the elbow behind the shot in Phase 3. Think of the arm action as an overhead, behind the neck press. Keep the elbow out from the side.
After the step turn in Phase 2, do not transfer the weight forward. You must keep the weight back on the pivot foot.
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