Training Talk With Sergej Litvinov Jr.
Published on 16 March 2011 in Training Talk | 11 Comments |Like many hammer throwers, Sergej is refreshingly outspoken and shared some ideas about why hammer throw technique is not as good as it once was and how the hammer throw can win back fans. He also shared some thoughts on training and technique. I first met Sergej in 2004 when I visited Minsk for a 10 day training camp. It was then that I first began to understand how vastly different the Russian approach to training is and have kept studying it since. While every coach has different points of focus, it is reassuring to read that the main elements of his training match mine. Now I just need to find that extra 10 meters.
The Current State of Throwing
Martin: You’ve said before that most of the current world class hammer throwers do not have good technique. Why do you think technique was better twenty years ago?
Sergej: Twenty years ago people tried to bring new things to hammer throw technique to make it better. Now the people think more about the strength and other ways to throw far. This is the easy and not the perfect way and sometimes its works for winning some titles. But our generation has to bring that back to our sport; we need the progress.
Martin: What is the most common problem among the throwers? Of the current throwers, who do you think has better technique?
Sergej: Ivan Tikhon, and this is not because we train together. He is the best example to show a great technique. Many people always look at the body when the thrower turns and this is wrong. Because Ivan’s hammer orbit is great, the hammer speed (not the body speed) is great. Koji was a great technician until 2006. Devyatovski is a great technician. The most common problem of other throwers is the orbit.
Martin: What are some other reasons the hammer results are five meters less than your father’s time?
Sergej: This is not really true: Ivan has thrown 86.73m, Devyatovskiy 84.90m, Murofushi 84.88m, and Anus over 84m. But this is not as many people and the results are not as often as they were in the 1980s. The problem is the technique. Most top throwers now could throw well over 86 meters if they had a similar technique like my dad or Sedykh.
How to Win Back Fans
Martin: What do you think needs to happen to get the hammer back to better results and more fans?
Sergej: The fans who comes to the stadium are the best judges of technique because they see the thrower with a child’s eye. They see that the thrower who throws with the bad orbit, the thrower who falls on their right leg, or the thrower that throws out the sector looks worse. If a thrower throws technically good the fans see it and they like it because its seems straight and beautiful. Our sport is just beautiful if we do it beautifully. Nobody wants to see an immobile bodybuilder who tries to throw a metal thing with violence.
Training Tips
Martin: I’ve been thinking a lot about training intensities lately. Do you normally train at a high or medium intensity for weight lifting?
Sergej: We do medium intensity. I am categorically against the use of high intensity lifting for the hammer throw. This method is based on fear and any decision which is based on fear is wrong.
Martin: I like your video of the special strength exercise. Do you have more exercises like this? Do you do any jumps or running in training?
Sergej: We have some exercises but those exercises are not important. We do not jump and do not run because we have no time for this. The throwing sesion costs too much time and throwing is more important than running.
Martin: So then many throws do you take each week? What intensity is the typical throw?
Sergej: This is a broad question. In the winter and spring we take between 250 and 300 throws a week. In Spring, one month before the competitions being, we take just 40 to 60 a week. Then in Summer when the competitions season starts we do only 25 to 40 a week. The intensity in the winter is low. When I take 50 throws in a training session I may take just three maximal throws and after that I throw with a slow entry results 8 to 10 meters less, but it is important to keep the rhythm. In the summer it is important to keep the middle, if i can throw in competition 79m my throws in training must be not over 76m. It’s better to throw 73-74m. Ivan Tikhon can throw the whole month 73-74m and then toss 82-83m in a competition. My father calls it “download the power.”
Martin: To work on technique, do you do any imitations (i.e. drills), or only throws?
Sergej: Only throws. I did imitations when I first began throwing, but now I focus on working with the hammer.
11 Responses to “Training Talk With Sergej Litvinov Jr.”
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Name: Mémorial Kops, Ludivig & Reuter
Date: 19 May 2012
Location: Ettelbruck, Luxembourg
Great article but it does leave me with some questions. My biggest being what’s wrong with the orbits of people who aren’t doing it correctly and how do you fix it?
It is hard to explain in writing since it is a very visual concept. I think Kibwe does a good job of describing it on his most recent post, thanks to a video with Tikhon. You can view that here.
I think the basic concept is that the hammer should be on the same plane every turn. The only difference is that the ball will get a little steeper. Any time that path is altered, you are doing something wrong. You are pulling the hammer or reduce the radius in some other way. My throw starts doing this in the first turn and you can tell it just by watching the rhythm. Like Litvinov says, you don’t need to be an expert. Fans with no experience of the event can see when the orbi (and consequently rhythm) are affected.
For me, I have the most success when I start to feel the hammer turning me around, rather than me turning the hammer. If the hammer is doing the work, then it will find its own orbit. If I am doing the work, that means I have already destroyed its orbit.
Hey Martin, Dr. B. doesn’t advocate low intensity throws does he? You guys generally throw high intensity throughout the workout, right?
Bondarchuk rarely comments on our intensity. He just turns says how many attempts, but I think intensity is a little less important since we typically take only 150 throws per week. When you are taking 250 throws, you have to be taking easier throws.
Bill,
This is easy, if you can do 50 throws in a sesion in a high intensity and keep the right technique than you can do it. But i don’t know this man who can.
Jeff,
I will try to do a few examples today.
I agree….
The practice is about maximizing good position and orbit with rhythm and relative speed so a baseline distance can be maintained. Not too many hard throws with any given hammer.
A question for Sergej; In the winter and early spring, do you throw more light hammers than normal and heavy?
Thank you!
Hammerpop
In Winter and early Spring I throw only the light hammers. Now i throw the 6.7kg and the 5.8kg. I don’t Throw heavy hammers, i think this is individual. Some throwers needs sometimes the heavy hammer but this is dangerous, it can the destroid the feelings.
2Jeff
I want to do a example video for the right orbit and bad orbit i need just a litle bit time.
Thank you Sergej…
As you approach peaking are you training with only 7.6k?
Now just the 6.700kg and the 5.800kg and in May and until the end of Summer i guess i will throw just the 7.26kg
[...] – Hammer throwers: the next generation. Sergej Litvinov Jr. is leading the next generation of throwers. At age 25, he just improved his personal best to [...]
Thanks again Sergej…
Best to you this season.