Hammer Throw and Shot Put

When mentioning that we were going to learn about an event called the hammer throw, I could see the puzzled looks on the children's faces.  The students soon learned from the video that the hammer throw is not a hammer at all, but rather a heavy medal ball hanging from a sturdy wire with a handle. Both male and female athletes twirl around within a circle and release the hammer into the air, where it travels out into the field.  Strength, speed, balance, and timing are all key components to success in this event.  We used a cloth comet as our hammer and a hula hoop as the ring that athletes stand in for the throw.  At first we tried the comet using two hands, like the real hammer throw, but were not especially successful so we changed to one hand.  Either way, it was fun to watch the students attempt this event.  

Click here for a few more pictures of hammer throw and shot put.

The United States won the Olympic gold medal in the women's shot put so we watched that particular winning throw on video.  Students learned that the shot put is not an actual throw but, rather, a "put" or "shove" of the medal ball through the air.  We also talked about the position of the shot put close to the ear and under the chin and practiced placing our "nerf shot put" in the correct position. Although we did not do the kick back or glide, kindergarten students did start their throw facing backwards and jumped to turn and reverse the feet.  I was impressed with how well students did on this skill.