The free leg should be used to balance the preliminary movements and positions of the thrower during the initial single support phase.
The CM should be displaced/ unseated to initiate the glide across the circle. The trunk should be actively, or passively as in the case of the T Start, lowered until the lower abdomen and the upper thigh are in contact.ī.
Requires a greater level of timing and skill to gain technical consistencyĪ. Offers greater stability and consistency of performance Gliders generally tuck the ball under the chin, forward of the point of the jaw below the ear. In the “O’Brien style” or the “O’Brien glide”, the putter faces the back of the circle, beginning with a crouching position, and proceeds with kicking his leading leg to the front of the circle, while the other leg follows in a “gliding” motion. It was in 1951 that Parry O’Brien altered the glide technique, and this enhanced its effectiveness to a great extent. Until 1951, the movement in the shot-put circle was characterised by the thrower standing sideways, and only a quick shuffle and hop of the legs would constitute the dominant throwing technique.
Hence the effective use of either of the techniques to put the full force of the body on the shot in the power position is the primary objective. The use of any technique would prove ineffective unless it ultimately aids the thrower in attaining the ideal power position. Also, it is quite incorrect to proclaim one technique to have a sound edge over the other, because in shot put, it is the power position which is most critical.