The aim is to carry the javelin so as to allow the muscles of the right shoulder, arm and wrist to relax and also to allow an easy running action.
- Stand with right foot forward
- Carry the javelin above the shoulders or head
- Right elbow points forward
- Palm of the right hand points at the sky so as to provide a platform for the javelin to sit in
- Javelin points in the direction of the run up - point slightly down
Travel and Truck position
The travel to the throw line in javelin is also known as the Transition Phase. The aim of the transition phase is to place the right foot ahead of the athlete's centre of gravity so as to produce the characteristic lean back. This must be achieved by advancing the right foot forward and not by leaning back.
- Right foot remains close to the ground to maintain forward momentum
- Right heel makes contact with the ground
- As the right foot is advanced forward the left foot is advanced ahead of the vertical axis so as to be in place ready for a quick plant after the right foot has landed - the trunk is inclined backward at an angle of about 115° to the forward horizontal direction
- The transition phase ends when the right foot makes contact with the ground and the left leg is forward in the air.
The pre delivery stride is just before the throwing action. The pre delivery stride requires:
- The left leg reaches forward
- Shoulders & hips now in line with the direction of throw
- The athlete waits for the ground to come up and meet the left foot
- Trunk is upright
- Head facing direction of throw
- Shoulders and javelin parallel
- Throwing hand above the level of the shoulder
Throwing action
- Following contact of the left foot with the ground the left side must brace against a thrusting right leg action
- Right leg drives upwards and forwards bringing the hips at 90° to the direction of throw
- Hip thrust is followed with the shoulders and chest turning square to the front and lining up with the hips and brining the elbow of the throwing arm forward
- The throwing shoulder is brought over the left leg
- The left leg should lift as the athlete rides over it and the throwing arm now comes into play
- Arm strikes fast with the elbow high and close to the mid line
Release
The release angle (angle between the horizontal and the javelin) for the javelin has to take into consideration aerodynamic lift and drag.
Overall Efficiency
In terms of efficiency, there is no need to have a javelin thrower running up to the line as fast as they can, and then releasing. The ideal technique shows that the power at the execution of the throw is where the explosive strength takes place in one short efficient burst. So while running in to the throw, a moderate pace is required for momentum, but not too fast that you cannot use a good technique.
In detail, the Throwing Action (Muscles, Joints, Systems required)
The right and left foot are positioned with heals on the floor facing in the direction of the throw, and they carry out Plantaflexion to enable a push off from the ground using the lower muscles of the legs. This is brought about by the ankle joint which is a condyloid joint, and the agonist muscle which is contracting is the gastrocnemius, and the relaxing antagonist muscle is the Tibialis Anterior.
The right and left leg are slightly bent, and carry out extension at the knee joint, however, the extension in the left leg is slightly delayed from the extension of the right leg to enable a forward and upward motion, rather than just upward. This extension is brought about by the knee joint which is a Hinge Joint, and the agonist muscle which is contracting is the Quadriceps (which consists of the rectus femoris and the 3 vastus muscles) and the relaxing antagonist muscle is the Biceps Femoris.
The trunk of the body is leaning back slightly, and it carries out flexion so that the centre of gravity of the body moves towards the throw direction. This is brought about by the hip joint which is a ball and socket joint, and the contracting agonist muscle used are the abdominals, and the relaxing antagonist muscle is the Sacrospinalis located in your back.
The right arm is positioned to the right side of the body at head height, and carries out Horizontal Flexion to enable the movement of the javelin across the body. This is brought about by the shoulder joint which is a Ball and Socket joint, and the contracting agonist muscle which is used is the anterior deltoid, and the pectoralis minor, and the relaxing antagonist muscle is the posterior deltoid.
The left arm is extended in the direction of throw, and carries out Horizontal Extension to enable the body to become balanced. This is brought about by the shoulder joint which is a Ball and Socket joint, and the contacting muscle which is used is the posterior deltoid, and the relaxing antagonist muscle is the anterior deltoid
While right arm is extended in the direction of the throw, and before the half way point of the Horizontal Flexion, the arm carries out Flexion. This is brought about by the elbow joint which is a Hinge Joint. The contracting agonist muscle is the Bicep Brachii, and the relaxing antagonist muscle is the Tricep Brachii.
After the half way point of the Horizontal Flexion of the shoulder joint, the arm carries out extension. This is brought about, again, by the elbow joint which is a Hinge Joint. The contracting agonist muscle is the Tricep Brachii, and the relaxing antagonist muscle is the Bicep Brachii.
The energy system required to carry out a javelin throw is most likely to be the ATP- CP or the alactic acid system. Phosphocreatine is a high energy phosphate compound that is found in the muscles sarcoplasm. Potential energy is stored in the bonds on the compound and when the enzyme creatine kinase breaks down the phosphocreatine to phosphate, a high level of energy is released, ideal for explosive strength.
Acquisition of Skill
The skill of throwing the javelin is very much a gross one because the performer needs to use large muscle groups to carry out the throw, and the skill is also relatively closed near the end on the open/closed continuum. This is due to the performance being repeated numerous times in exactly the same way. However, factors such as the weather or audience differences such as social facilitation can have effect. The javelin throw is also seen as a serial skill. This is because the throw has discrete elements which are put together to make a sequence of movements, such as the carry, change over, and cross over in the javelin.
In terms of Attention styles, I believe that a javelin thrower would need to have the ability to have a Narrow, and an internal attention style. The narrow concept represents a focus onto just one cue as the skill is relatively closed skill with very little in terms of variation between throws. The Internal attention refers to an inward focus onto thoughts and feelings, and a javelin thrower may use imagery techniques during preparation, which can be in the form of thinking what the throw should look like.
Personality can play a large role in throwing. As I have just mentioned, a javelin thrower needs to have Internal and narrow attention styles to perform to their potential, therefore, the ideal personality types would be Stable (which is calm, even tempered, with control) and also Extroverted (which is sociable, outgoing and lively). Many people would disagree or question why Extrovert and not introvert, but I believe that when in a competition situation, it is a norm to talk, and socialise with the other competitors, and help them with feedback on their throws. Not only the social side, but the ability to express aggression when throwing and not caring what other people think about a throw, helps the performer concentrate on their performance and not what other people think. This links in with audience effects in social facilitation. Introverted people may be shy, therefore worry about the judgemental factor given from the audience watching the throw, whereas an extreme extrovert will be outgoing and able to block out the factors of social inhibition. This can also be related to the need to avoid failure, which would probably be closely related to the shy introverted types, whereas I believe performers with an extrovert personality have the need to achieve and express themselves.
Governing Body
In January 1999, UK Athletics became the Official Governing Body for athletics in the United Kingdom.
UK Athletics adopts a Regional Structure which splits up the UK into separate areas.
- AAA of England - Amateur Athletics Association.
- NIAA - Northern Island Athletics Association.
- SAF - Scottish Athletics Federation.
- AAW - Athletics Association of Wales
However, because England is such a large region on its own, UK Athletics have split England into a further 3 regions which consist of the following:
- NOEAA - North of England Athletics Association
- MCAA - Midland Counties Athletics Association
- SEAA - South of England Athletics Association
Grass Root Schemes
UK Athletics is in partnership with Norwich Union to introduce the nationwide grass root scheme 'star:track'.
Norwich Union star:track gives local children between 8 and 15 years old the chance to “come and try” athletics. They need no previous experience in the sport with the aim of the scheme being enjoyment and giving the children a grounding in the basic skills of running, jumping and throwing. Around 22,000 children are expected to take part in Norwich Union star:track this year.
When the sport began
The origin of the javelin throw is usually attributed to the ancient Greek Olympics. The cord grip had a sling, which was two loops of the cord. The thrower put the tips of his first two fingers in the loose loops; one on either side of the javelin. During the release of the javelin, at the follow through, you could still be pulling the javelin through the two fingers attached by the sling even when the hand was no longer touching the javelin. The javelin was thrown for distance in the ancient Olympics. The javelin throw was revived in the modern Olympics (starting in 1896), but without the sling.
Exercise Physiology
Aerobic capacity is not very important because throwing the javelin does not rely on the use of the aerobic system, therefore oxygen to the muscles is not vital.
Strength plays a key role in throwing the javelin. Without it, it would not be possible to exert enough force to throw good distances. Elastic Strength is the strength particularly involved with throwing the javelin. This is because the body needs to move at a fast quick speed (the muscles need to contact quickly) to enable a high force on the javelin. This type of strength does not just occur in the arm, but also the legs which are needed for running on the run up, and the lower torso so that the hips can be rotated quickly and efficiently. In fact, most of the muscles in the body need to move quickly to enable the technique to take place. E.g. Quick flexion of the arm, quick rotation of the pelvis, and a quick extension at the knee join.
Flexibility is important to throwing the javelin, especially in the shoulders and the arms. Having a good flexibility in javelin means that you have a large range of movement which can be used to gain momentum before the javelin is released. When running with the javelin, the shoulder joint is 1800 to the body, but during the beginning of the throw, the angle needs to increase as the torso reduces the angle by rotating, while the javelin is to be kept parallel with the direction of motion. This requires high flexibility in the shoulder joint.
Speed is a very important factor in javelin throwing. Speed in the legs can build up momentum in the run up so that the throw can go further. Speed is also needed in the legs when pushing off the ground as this combines with strength to create power that can be applied to the javelin once thrown. The arm also needs speed so that the javelin can be pulled through quickly, giving a momentum to also combine with strength to create power.
Agility is important to throwing the javelin. The body needs to change direction 900 at the torso. Speed is needed (as above) which needs balance so that the force of throwing the javelin travels through the point. This enables a greater distance thrown. Coordination is needed to be combined as when doing the technique at speed, all the limbs of the body need to be in different positions which at times can be difficult.
Balance is very important in throwing the javelin. Many times during the phase of throwing, much of the body's weight is on one foot then transferred to the other. This requires balance because without it, the technique may not work effectively or there is a chance of falling over.
Coordination is vital to throwing the javelin. There are a range of different movements needed to carry out the overall task of actually throwing.
Throwing the javelin requires a lot of power. Gaining momentum and actually throwing the javelin requires both speed and strength, therefore it is power. This is enabling a high force to be given to the javelin so that it can go as far as possible.
Use major weakness to improve (Realistic goal, timescale, practise points, and how to evaluate)
One weakness of the performer that I previously mentioned was the speed of the Initial throwing arm appeared to be slow. A great way to improve on this is to increase Explosive Strength, and this can be done by weight training. The weight training should consist of arm exercises which consist of 3 sets of 8 reps at a moderate pace, and at approximately 70% of the maximum weight the performer is able to lift. Exercises could include Bicep Curls, Tricep Curls, Bench Press, and Shoulder Press.
A goal can be created by increasing the weight in each exercise every 5 sessions, and the performer working their way up to what was originally their 80% maximum lift at the beginning, which will once reached, be 70% of their maximum lift.
The timescale required will be a meso-cylce of about 8 – 12 weeks, and which will be out of season, such as winter. Preferably to maximise progression, 3 sessions a week appear to be the right number, and this should include micro-cycles that increase in difficulty which ensures progression. E.g. increasing the resistance in weights.
Because at the start of the initial throw of the javelin, the performer seems to be low down, stopping an efficient push off from the ground, they could practise standing throws and being very conscious of how low they are positioned.
A good way of evaluating is to measure the performers throw from a standing throw using only their arms, before the weight training started, and at the end of all the sessions, measure how far they can throw standing once again. An increase in distance shows more speed in the arm.