Articles

Training Methods

• Szombathely 2003 Hammer Report (115kb, PDF Format), by Harold Connolly. A report to the USATF about training methods discussed at the 2003 IAAF International Hammer Throwing Seminar and a overview of the successful Szombathley Hammer Throw Training Center Program. This report also includes some recommendations for the USATF on the future of hammer throwing in the US.
• Hammer Throw Q&A With Pál Németh (87kb, PDF Format). Ten questions asked to Pál Németh, former director of the Szombathely (Hungary) Hammer Training Center, about training youth to throw the hammer. During his long career, Németh became one of the world’s most successful coaches and earned the nickname “the Hammer Pope.”
• Simplifying Bondarchuk (external link), by G. Martin Bingisser. After years of training with the world’s most successful hammer throw coach, Bingisser lays out the fundamental principles of coach Anatoli Bondarchuk’s training methodology.
• Evolution of Improvement in the System of Periodization (101kb, PDF format), by Boris Zaitchouk. This articles provides the outline of a 1998 presentation by Boris Zaitchouk on training periodization. Zaitchouk was the world’s first 80m hammer thrower and has coached many great athletes since.
• A Visit to Hungary, by Boldi Kocsor, Nate Rolfe, and Martin Bingisser. The journal of three young hammers throwers on their experiences while visiting the Szombathley (Hungary) Hammer Training Center in 2004.
• Range Throwing, by Jud Logan. Four-time Olympian Jud Logan discusses the benefits of throwing at varying intensity levels in training.
• The Tibor Gecsek Hammer Throw Clinic (155kb, PDF Format), by Jay Harvard. Former European champion Tibor Gecsek gave a clinic in Georgia in 2003. This article provides a summary of the topics discussed: Gecsek’s training plan, technical cues, and Q&A.
• The Paradoxical Nature of the Hammer Throw (31kb, PDF Format), by Greg Gassner. A former national-class hammer thrower has written a piece which applies to almost all events. When an error becomes so repetitive as to create a growing problem, the coach searches for a way to enable to athlete to succeed. Sometimes that way is paradoxical.
• Training for Core Strength, by Adam Nelson. Two-time Olympic shot put silver medalist Adam Nelson discusses how to effective train the core muscles.
• An Interview With Alexandros Papadimitriou. An interview with the 2002 European Championships bronze medalist where he discusses his development and training.

Hammer Throw Technique

• Hammer Throw Technique, by Harold Connolly. A concise look at general aspects of hammer throwing technique.
• Right Foot Liftoff, 180 Degrees Dilemma, by Harold Connolly. There is some debate on how and when to properly lift the right foot off the ground, which Harold Connolly addresses in this article.

Sports Psychology and Stories

• The Psychology of Hammer Throwing: Lance Deal, by Niall Cannon. This paper details how world-class hammer throwers employ psychological principles to assist them in competition. The author looks at how Lance Deal, the current American-record holder and first American to medal in the hammer throw in over forty years, used mental strategies to prevent himself from squandering his Olympic experience.
• The Psychology of Hammer Throwing: Jud Logan, by Niall Cannon. This second paper looks at the mental preparation of Jud Logan, a former American-record holder who took fourth place in the 1992 Olympics at Barcelona..
• Restoration of Respect for American Hammer Throwing in the Olympics by Bill Green. Bill Green, a 1984 Olympic finalist, discusses how he worked for five and a half years with coach Art Venegas to bring U.S. hammer throwing back to a respectable level of performance in the Olympic Games.

Miscellaneous

• America’s Forgotten Event: The Hammer, by Lane Dowell. An in-depth look at the current situation hammer throwing in America and how states like Washington are taking steps to resuscitate the event.