I mentioned in my last post that I had published my first article. I have actually published one prior article back in the Summer of 2006. Track Coach, the technical periodical of the US Track and Field Association, published my article on track and field training called Rethinking Your Approach to Training for the Weight Throw (available below). The weight throw, for those of you unfamiliar, is the indoor version of the hammer throw. It is shorter and heavier, but athletes use essentially the same technique to throw the implement.

Many of the issues I raise in the article are related to the reasons why I will not be competing in the weight throw this indoor season. Specifically, I see three main reasons why the weight throw is not an ideal training implement. First, by competing indoors, the competitive season last more than half of the year and detracts from the amount of substantive training each athlete can conduct. Second, while the weight throw does improve strength, it is not the most efficient way to improve strength. Implements of other weights and lengths improve special strength while allowing an athlete to better maintain his or her technique. Finally, the weight throw is not contested at the Olympics. For me, if I want to be an Olympian in the hammer throw, and the best way for me to do that is to focus on the hammer throw.

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