SHOT PUT

The shot put is an athletics (track and field) event involving "putting" (throwing in a pushing motion) a heavy metal all (called the shot) as far as possi le! It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the throwing motion.

Competitions and rules

"ompetitors take their throw from inside a circle # feet ($!%&' meters) in diameter( with a toe oard appro)imately %* cm (+") high at the front of the circle! The distance thrown is measured from the inside of the circumference of the circle to where the shot lands at its nearest distur ance of the soil! ,n some games there are also ig and cooler fields!

Rules

Upon calling the athlete-s name( he.she has /* seconds to egin the throwing movement! 0thlete can enter the ring from any side! The athlete must rest the shot close to the neck and keep it tight to the neck while throwing! 0thlete is allowed to touch the inside edge of the circle ut must not touch the outside of the circle! Shot put must land in legal sector in the throwing area! 0thlete must e)it( while in control from the rear half of the circle!

Foul throws occur when an athlete1

2oes not e)it from the rear half of the circle! Touches the top of the toe oard with either a ody part or even a piece of material such as your shoelace( the top of the iron ring or outside the circle after having entered the circle( efore the implement lands! Throws a shot which falls outside the throwing sector! 0llows the shot to drop elow his shoulder or outside the vertical plane of his shoulder during the put! 2oes not pause or demonstrate control after entering.e)iting the circle! 2oes not egin the throwing movement within /* seconds of having ones name called!

Competition
3ach competition has a set num er of rounds of throws! Typically there are & rounds of preliminaries to determine seats for the final! The competitor with the farthest legal put is declared the winner! ,n men-s competition( the shot weighs #!$/ kilograms (%/ pounds)! The women-s shot weighs + kg (4!4 pounds)! 0merican high schools usually use %$ pound ('!++ kg) shots for oys and + kg shots for girls5 these are sometimes used as practice shots as well! The weight of the all differs depending on the age group! 6en over the age of '* or under %7 use a / kg shot (%&!$ pounds) in international competition! Shot put competitions have een held at the Summer Olympic 8ames since their inception( and is also included as an event in athletic world championships! The shot put originates from Highland games -stone put- where Scottish people put a rounded cu e( stone( or metal form of considera le weight from ehind a given line!9citation needed:

Putting styles
Two putting styles are in current general use y shot put competitors1 the glide and the spin! The origin of the glide dates to %7'%( when Parry O-;rien of the United States invented a techni<ue that involves the putter facing ackwards( rotating %4* degrees across the circle( and then tossing the shot! =ith this techni<ue( a right> hand thrower egins facing the rear of the circle and kicks to the front with the left leg while pushing off forcefully with the right! The key is to move <uickly across the circle with as little air under the feet as possi le( hence the name "glide"! 0s the thrower crosses the circle( the hips twist toward the front( followed y the shoulders and strikes in a putting motion with their arm! The spin was invented in the United States in %7#/! ?rom this( in %7#/( ;rian Oldfield populari@ed the spin techni<ue which involves rotating like a discus thrower and using rotational momentum for power! Oldfield set the record of #' feet ($$!4/ m) in %7#'5 it was unofficial( however( ecause he was a professional at a time when the ,00? had an amateur>only policy( ut undisputed and over & feet etter than the official world record at the time! Oldfield-s record in the && years since has een ettered y only %* %.+ inches! ,n the spin( a right>handed thrower faces the rear( and egins to spin on the all of the left foot! The thrower comes around and faces the front of the circle and drives the right foot into the middle of the circle! ?inally( the thrower reaches for the front of the circle with the left foot( twists his hips and shoulders like in the glide( and puts the shot! =ith all putting styles( the goal is to release the shot with ma)imum forward velocity at an angle of appro)imately forty degrees! "urrently( most top male shot putters use the spin( ut the glide remains popular( especially at the amateur

level and among women( since the techni<ue reeds higher consistency for the athlete as opposed to the rotational techni<ue! ,t is worth noting that the world record y a male putter (Aandy ;arnes #'- %* %.+" $&!%$m) was completed with the spin techni<ue( while the close second> est all>time distance (Ulf Timmermann #'- 4" $&!*/m) was completed with the glide techni<ue! 6easuring which techni<ue can provide the most potential is difficult( as many of the est throws recorded with each techni<ue come from athletes under a thick cloud of doping suspicion and violations! ,n some opinions the decision to glide or spin should e ased on the thrower-s si@e and power( with short throwers enefiting from the spin and taller throwers enefiting from the glide( ut for many throwers selecting the right techni<ue differs on an individual asis( with almost all throwers first developing the glide techni<ue!