Low, slow, go...UP

[Alan H]

Heavy weight for distance, first time EVER in practice last night.....30 feet.

And this implement is easily a pound, maybe two over-weight.

Low, slow, go...UP

1. Bend the knees before you begin...get DOWN and stay DOWN until the second turn

2. Cast the weight slow..slow..**SLOW**... make it move, and no more. Cast pretty level, about head-high, aiming a little off to my left (I'm right-handed) not straight ahead. Did I say "slow"? This is the most important thing. Move the weight as slowly as you can, just get it moving in a circle. SLOW, I said SLOW.

No, not even THAT slow...go SLOWER. People told me "slow in the back" a hundred times, but I didn't "GET IT" until about a week before the Dunsmuir Games. Really going SLOW has totally changed my weight for distance throws.

quick feet...stovepipe turn, don't move forward in the trig...but I've already got that.

3. Once the weight starts coming around, just as I'm beginning to go to turn #2..GO.. GOGOGOGOGO!!!! Torque that thing! CRANK IT.

4. Now, stand up, throw UP...no line drives here, throw UP! Look up, chest up...UP, Up, UP. Throw as HIGH as you can, and PULL.


You throw UP at the end because you've started the whole thing on the level, with a level cast. If you just accelerate the weight in the same plane, you'll throw a line drive and give away 3-4-5-6 feet.

My LWFD throws last night and the 4-5 I did this morning when I parked the truck are ALL over 42 feet, now. Most are probably close to 45. My PR before I figured this out was 40 and change.

Low, slow, go... UP

I am SO looking forward to Sunday.

[Spc. Scott]

That's awesome Alan!

I hope you tear it up on Sunday. And I ain't talk about your back. ;)

[Detroitpete]

Alan,

Because of my bum knee and transformer-robo cop-like brace, I've never been able to do the series of spins most do for WFD. I learned with help to adjust to a 1 1/2 (Think old school spin shot-put) that made me go slow and stay low--exactly like you describe. At first I thought it was limiting me, but then I found if I tried to speed up, my arm would rise too early and I'd throw flatter and shorter.

If I get that low long pull at the end and my hips are blocking hard--I know its a good toss. The other thing I have to watch is if my thumb is pointing up or out.

[Detroitpete]

Oh--forgot a great practice tip on the release, Instead of just throwing for practice, I learned to stand at the trig facing downrange hold the weight then twist back--put the weight behind me, about centered between my legs, 2 1/2 to 3 feet back. Now I just practice twisting, pulling from the ground up--finishing like stones with head back, chest high, hip blocking and left arm leading/arching.

This has helped me get to pretty much the same place during a throw--I think it builds muscle-memory (?) at gives me a marker of where I am during the throw. When yer old and small like me--ya need all the tricks you can put in your toolbox

[Alan H]

Oh--forgot a great practice tip on the release, Instead of just throwing for practice, I learned to stand at the trig facing downrange hold the weight then twist back--put the weight behind me, about centered between my legs, 2 1/2 to 3 feet back. Now I just practice twisting, pulling from the ground up--finishing like stones with head back, chest high, hip blocking and left arm leading/arching.

This has helped me get to pretty much the same place during a throw--I think it builds muscle-memory (?) at gives me a marker of where I am during the throw. When yer old and small like me--ya need all the tricks you can put in your toolbox

One of the things we did with Josh Grace was get into a position much like what you describe, only Josh was sitting braced on the ground right behind us, holding on to the weight.

pull, pull......balanced between our pulling and Josh holding. Then, he'd say "go" and release the weight, and we'd accelerate into the second turn, and release.