We all know this is the case in America, but that is mostly due to the unique fact that most Americans do not even touch a hammer for the first time before they enroll in a university at age 19. Only one male (Conor McCullough) and one female (Kristin Smith) in the finals at last year's US Championships had started throwing the hammer before college. But surprisingly this is also the case internationally even though the best international throwers begin training for the hammer at a much younger age.

You would think athletics might be different since it looks like it relies more on physical qualities and less on strategy and skill. But talent still remains a complex combination of many factors. Some people chalk it up to natural strength or size, but it is much more than that. Strength is a key factor, and as the cliche goes size cannot be taught, but coordination, potential for improvement, and coachability all play a big factor. Environmental factors such as their family situation even play a role in determining who will be the best rather than who is the best now. Most throwing coaches I know use some form of the Max Jones Quad Test to measure and test talent. In essence this is a test of power where points are scored in four events: a 30-sprint, the overhead shot put throw, standing long jump, and standing triple jump. I was first introduced to this test during my freshman year of college by coach Glenn McAtee. But even he recognizes its shortcomings. As he told me recently "It is not very hammer specific or even throws specific. Rarely as your best throwers also your best quadrathletes. I used that because it allowed all the athletes to compete."

One of this site's readers, masters thrower Terry Noyes, made a keen observation after parsing these numbers. The highest correlating implement for an athlete is almost always the hammer that flies closest to 60 meters. Take a look at the chart below, where the implement with the highest correlation to the competition hammer is highlighted in yellow.

By the end of the year, my wish list from last season was mostly fulfilled. On the eve of the 2012 season I've thought of the top 10 things I'm looking forward to this year. Feel free to share yours in the comments section below.

1 - A woman over 80 meters. This was high on my list last year and Betty Heidler came within two feet of the barrier in the earlier season. There were rumors that she threw over it in training during the summer, but it never materialized at a meet. A few women may be capable of hitting the mark (even my old training buddy Sultana Frizell threw her name in the mix with a 75 meter bomb in March), but Heidler has to be the frontrunner now. Not only has she thrown the furthest, but she is also motivated to improve even more after she only claimed silver at last year's world championships...

When I mentioned these facts in an article I wrote last October, I immediately received emails asking for a copy of his dissertation. While I do not have a copy of the dissertation, I do have a copy of a paper he co-authored that was published back in 2007. In the paper, Murofushi measures ground reaction for and hammer wire tensile force of his throw and the throw of two other Japanese throwers in order to analyze the hammer's acceleration patterns. The set-up was so complex he actually published another article that explained how they developed the devices that were used.