The high jump and the shot put

1Why this matters

Athletics has three families of events: running, jumping and throwing. This lesson completes the set with one vertical jump and one throw. You already met the scissors jump in the traditional game of urukiramende; now you will jump it under competition rules. The shot put is the simplest throw to learn, but the shot is heavy, so its safety rules come first.

2High jump: the scissors under competition rules

Recall the scissors: approach from the side at about 30° to 40° to the bar, take off from the foot farther from the bar, swing the near leg over, follow with the take-off leg, and land on your feet on a sand pit or mat. (The Fosbury flop, where the jumper goes over backwards, is only ever practised onto a deep high-jump landing mat.)

• You must take off from one foot.
• A jump is a failure if you knock the bar off, or touch the ground or landing area beyond the bar before clearing it.
• You may start at any height offered, or pass (skip) a height.
• Three failures in a row, at one height or across several, eliminate you.
• The winner clears the greatest height. A tie is decided by counting failures: first at the height where the tie happened, then in the whole competition.

3The shot put: the rules

• The shot is put (pushed) from a circle 2.135 m across, with a curved stop board 10 cm high at the front.
• It must land inside a sector of 34.92°. A shot landing on or outside a sector line is a foul.
• The shot starts close to the neck and must stay close to the neck or chin during the movement. It is released above shoulder height, with one hand. Letting it drop below the shoulder, as if bowling or throwing a ball, is a foul.
• You may touch the inside of the circle and of the stop board, but not their tops, and not the ground outside the circle.
• You leave the circle from its back half, and only after the shot has landed.
• The put is measured from the inside edge of the circle to the nearest mark made by the shot.
• The senior men's shot weighs 7.26 kg and the senior women's 4 kg. Junior and school competitions use lighter shots; check the rules of your competition for your age group.

4The standing put, step by step (right-hander)

1. Grip: rest the shot on the base of your three middle fingers, not in your palm, with your thumb and little finger at the sides.
2. Hold: press the shot into your neck just under your jaw. Your right elbow points out and up, level with the shoulder.
3. Stance: stand sideways at the front of the circle, left shoulder towards the sector, feet wider than your shoulders, weight on your bent right leg. Your left arm points towards the sector.
4. Drive: push up from the right leg and turn your hips towards the sector, then your chest. Your left arm sweeps round and pulls in to your side, which stops your body turning too far.
5. Push: last of all, punch the shot up and out from your neck at about 40°, straightening the arm fully and flicking the fingers.
6. Recover: bring your right foot forward and bend your knees to stay inside the circle. Wait until the shot lands, then leave from the back.

5Throwing safety

• Put only on the teacher's command, all in one direction. Everyone else stands behind the thrower, well to the side.
• Check that the sector is completely empty before every put.
• Never catch or stop a moving shot. Collect shots only when the teacher calls "collect", then walk.
• Roll or carry shots back. Never throw them back.
• Put a shot down gently; do not drop it near anyone's feet.

Worked example: which puts count?

Umutoni's three puts in a class competition:

Her result is 6.42 m, her best valid put. Her two longer efforts do not count. If her second put had been valid, her result would have been 7.05 m, which is 7.05 − 6.42 = 0.63 m further. Controlled, legal technique is worth more than extra power.

Practice

Solution. No. The rules require a take-off from one foot.

Solution. No. Her failures at 1.15 m, 1.15 m and 1.20 m are three in a row, so she is eliminated with 1.10 m.

Solution. 2.135 m; 34.92°.

Solution. It blocks the turn of the upper body, so the rotation of the hips and chest is passed on into the throwing arm, and the thrower does not spin out of the circle.

Solution. Shots are rolled or carried back, never thrown, and only after the teacher calls "collect".