Found a good one.

This may not be breaking news for some of you but I have found a link to a solid article by the great Anatoly Bondarchuk.

Here it is:

http://www.hammerthrow.co.uk/bondarchuck_implements.pdf

Enjoy

I am fairly familiar with Russian hammer training and this approach works very well with throwing strength, speed, and technique. What needs to be noted is that all the variations of implement weight, length, and order is to achieve better technique / longer throws. I have thrown weights from 25lbs to 8 lbs on long, short, and standard length wires to work on different concepts in the throw. Changing the order and number of throws as Bondarchuk explains also can be used to work on the same concepts. Using light weight or short wire for speed, standard weight standard wire for competition timing, and heavy weight at various lengths for strength. By throwing the various implements you are trying to stimulate motor learning as well as technique. There is a method to the madness though and it is to develop the technique to throw far, which the Russians have done for a long time. This article is prior to Sedykh’s world record and Litvinov’s second longest throw in history. I think they worked out a methodology by that time.J

I would imagine that this could be applied to the Highland games hammer throw by throwing heavy / light hammers of various lengths to achieve the desired stimulus response as well as technique development. I have played with this all ready but don’t have enough equipment to put it all to the test. This is great stuff.

As a side note Bondarchuk’s remarks about Tamm are interesting. I was once told he used him as a training guinea pig for Sedykh and Litvinov. Tamm would try all the different training concepts first then they would use what worked on the other two. He was the bronze medallist because they could count on a third place distance from him based on his training consistency.

Well put Roy, maybe that’s why I found it ironic. I still have a small nub off of my tailbone as well as some back fuzz still remainingJ

It was all for a good cause, an Olympic silver medal and a wealth of experience.