Breakthrough

Every thrower has that instance where something just seems to click. You realize that you need to do "this" instead of "that." It can happen at any time, where it be a practice or a meet. Some times you don't even realize that you've fixed something until you see the implement fly a lift differently than it used to. Other times it's very noticeable because your form could be completely different.

I had a major breakthrough yesterday while at practice. My main hindrance for weight throw is that I under-rotate and pull the crap out of the ball at the finish instead of having it in front of me and pushing it.

Don't do the above! This particular bad habit has had very detrimental effects on my lower back. By finishing behind myself, I can cause permanent damage to the muscles next to my lower spine. I formed this bad habit over the last year and a half, but I'm finally starting to break it!

I've been working at this problem for a while now, but while practicing yesterday it just seemed to click and I was getting the ball around me. There are things that I have had to change to reach this point, such as: I am now slightly off-center to the left of the back of the ring and I have had to change my high and low points.

The above figures demonstrate what your orbit should look like for hammer. If I was to show my orbit sequence, my low point would be straight off to the side by my right hip and my high point would be off to the right, and I would throw directly into the cage. Now that I've changed some things up, my orbit is finally in a place where I can get some lift at the end of my throws instead of throwing eye-shot range.

Breakthroughs like this are immensely helpful to one's throws. They can happen at any time, but you need to put in the work. You can't just hope that one day you're problems will be fixed; you need to put in the practice hours and the reps in the weight room.

"Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can do what others can't" - Jerry Rice

Inhale Confidence, Exhale Doubt

This past Friday, I had a home meet called the Cardinal Opener. Something things went better than others. When one event doesn't go the way you want it to, you can't let it effect your next event. And that's what I tried to accomplish.

The women started the meet by throwing shot put, while the men were at the cage throwing weight. I was in the third flight of three, so I was waiting around for a while and cheering on my teammates as their flights happened. Finally my flight comes around, and I just can't get a good one out there. The throws aren't terrible for me, but I know I can do better.

Definitely not my best work, but everyone has those days. I was opening up way too early, something I've struggled with since I started throwing. Bad habits are pretty gosh dang hard to break.

But my main point is, you have to move on from the bad throws. You've got to push past them, and make the best of your next event. And that's exactly what I did.

When I got to weight throw, I knew what I wanted to do and I went for it. My coaches and I had been working on various starting positions for me to help me get around more(I've been struggling with under-rotating for a while now), and practicing the new start gave me the boost that I needed to PR(personal record).

As of now, I am currently leading my conference in the weight throw for the first time in my career. And by almost a meter!

So, even if you didn't quite throw what you wanted to in one event, don't let it carry over to the next. Try to start fresh, and bring a better mindset to the next throw/event/practice/meet. You want to make sure you're not hindering yourself by getting into your head too much. I know that this is one of my biggest struggles, and I'm working hard to overcome it.

"Inhale confidence, exhale doubt."

About Me

Hello my fellow throwers!

Let's get these introductions out of the way, shall we. My name is Kayla Etherton, and I've been throwing competitively for about seven years now. Wow. That's longer than I thought. Now I feel old... Anyway! I started throwing in the eighth grade(my last year of middle school/junior high for those of you with different school systems). In seventh grade, I decided that I was a volleyball player. I was very wrong, but my coach was also an assistant girl's track coach. He saw that I had great striking power, and figured I might give throwing a go. Turns out, I love throwing! I fell in love almost instantly. I mean, who doesn't want to throw heavy objects for fun! Am I right? Here's a picture of little ol' me throwing at my first sectionals:

Ooh, look at that shuffle glide. Middle school was interesting to say the least. Those were some rough times. But considering I had a softball coach(yeesh!) teaching me how to throw, I think I did okay. 

Now let's fast forward to today. I am a junior at North Central College*, I am on the women's track and field team, and I have become one of its top throwers. The picture below was taken at Grand Valley State University, where just a few of my NCC thrower family, myself(far left), and a few others from our team were invited to participate in a multiple division(DI, DII, DIII) track meet a little bit ago.

This will be my outlet to express my experiences and knowledge as a thrower. I'll officially begin posting within the week. So until then, throw far, eat well, and feel free to mention any of your throwing experiences in the comments!

*My thoughts and ideas are separate from those of North Central College, and they are no way liable for anything I may say or do