SHOT PUT

Contents

• WHAT IS SHOT PUT?

• HISTORY

• EQUIPMENT

• RING

WHAT IS SHOT PUT?

Shot put is a track and field event in which the athlete will “put” (but more like of throwing) a shot – a heavy metal ball, the farthest that he can without leaving the circle that is 7 feet wide. To win this, the athlete should put the shot farther among its competitors. In order for the put to be measured, the shot must not drop below the line of the athlete’s shoulders at any stage of the put and must land inside a designated 35-degree sector. The athlete, meanwhile, must not touch the top of the toe-board during their put or leave the circle before the ball has landed, and then only from the rear half of the circle. The most successful athletes must use a great deal of coordination and balance to get as much power and momentum into the "put" as possible, without leaving the boundaries of the starting circle. Both the glide throw and the spin throw are used at high levels, but it's a good idea to practice the basic technique for your first attempt. The first to use a shot (cannon ball) instead of a stone competitively were British military sports groups. Although the weight varied in early events from 3.63 to 10.9 kg (8 to 24 pounds), a standard, regulation-weight 7.26-kg (16-pound) shot was adopted for men in the first modern Olympic Games (1896) and in international competition. The event was added to the women’s Olympic program in 1948. The weight of the shot used for women’s competition is 4 kg (8.8 pounds); lighter weights are also used in school, collegiate, and veteran competitions.

HISTORY

The Ancient Greeks threw stones as a sport and soldiers are recorded as throwing cannon balls in the Middle Ages but a version of the modern form of the discipline can be traced to the Highland Games in Scotland during the 19th century where competitors threw a rounded cube, stone or metal weight from behind a line. This sport was known to have started by the Ancient Greeks, but the very first event of it on record was in Scottish Highlands during the first century. In the Middle Ages, there were known competitions for soldiers throwing cannonballs. During the throw or put as it is called, there are different styles that you can use to get the maximum distance. The glide style involves rotating 180 degrees towards the putting direction and there’s the spin style in which the thrower faces the rear, then spins to the throwing direction but giving the upper body a hard twist to get the highest possible throwing momentum. With time, shot put competitions were included in big events like British Amateur Championships and last 1896, shot put for men became an official event for Olympics. Eventually, shot put competitions for women were also included from 1948.

EQUIPMENT

The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (pushing rather than throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the shot—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's competition began in 1948. The shot is made of different kinds of materials depending on its intended use. Materials used include sand, iron, cast iron, solid steel, stainless steel, brass, and synthetic materials like polyvinyl. Some metals are more dense than others making the size of the shot vary. For example, different materials are used to make indoor and outdoor shot - because damage to surroundings must be taken into account - so the latter are smaller. There are various size and weight standards for the implement that depend on the age and gender of the competitors as well as the national customs of the governing body.

Ring

The inside diameter of a shot put throwing circle is 7 feet, with a stopboard 4 inches high at the front of the ring; the rim is at least 1/4 inch in thickness, 2 3/4 inches to 3 inches deep and painted white. The circle's interior is made of asphalt, concrete or any other suitable material that is firm and not slippery.  고스톱