SIMPLE GLIDE DRILLS TO FIX COMMON PROBLEMS

BY TIM MILLER ASST. TRACK COACH, ALICE HS

If someone only ever watched college and professional track and field, one would think that the glide is obsolete and not a viable option for most anymore. At the HS level, it is still the preferred method of throwing. There’s a good number of student athletes who rotate, however most are still competing with the linear glide technique. My hope in writing this article is to give a few drills that correct specific problems common to the glide.

Before we get started, a few universal truths:

1. The thrower (and more importantly the shot) should finish moving faster than it starts.

2. If the shot drops away from the neck at any point during the throw, it is losing speed.

3. The speed of the shot put at release is the main determinant of the distance it goes.

4. I’ve heard many coaches tell their athletes to throw the shot higher, but I have never been to a meet where they measured the height of the shot. (The hips moving through the finish correctly will produce the optimal height)

(This writing will assume a right handed thrower)

Error 1: Going flat on the right foot in the standing throw

This error can kill the momentum of a glide faster than almost anything else because it makes conditions difficult to rotate/drive the right hip into the throw. The fix to this in the standing throw (power position/front throw) it’s a very simple answer:

Fix 1: Stay on the ball of your foot!

There isn’t really a drill for this other than coaching them to do their standing throws on the ball of their right foot. This also makes it easier to keep their weight back over their right hip, which will make it easier to avoid standing up too tall, too early.

Error 2: Lifting the shoulders towards the throw before the hips are turning

Standing up too tall brings the shot put off of its ideal path. Often this will show itself by the shot coming off the neck (In reality it’s the thrower coming away from the shot). The upper body doesn’t need to do much other than stay closed until it’s time to deliver the shot.

Fix 2: Pop-under Drill

Start in a wide stance power position with both legs straight and the right foot grounded on the heel only. The right knee and foot will come off the ground and pop-under the chest and shoulders into a normal power position. This can be done in multiple reps or with a throw each time. The key is reaching back with the left arm and not allowing the shoulders to rise with the action of the right foot. This also helps with Error 1.

Error 3: Going flat on the right in the glide

This error is usually caused by improper firing order in the middle of the ring. The shoulders will rise and the heel will go flat in an attempt to create stability and balance. The effect on the shot is that it drops and gets ahead of the right hip, causing the legs to be limited to only creating vertical energy. The shoulders and torso need to stay back over the right thigh so that the hip can lead them into the delivery of the shot.

Fix 3(A): Step Back

Start in the typical power position, and move the left towards the back of the ring. It should be about 6” to a foot past the right in the middle. The left side should be wrapped around the right, with the left arm across the body(about even with the right foot). The action of this drill should start however the athlete typically begins a glide (static or drop-in/dynamic) and be focused on the left leg moving to the toeboard and leaving the shoulders wrapped and the left arm reaching back. The final coaching point here is making sure the athlete stays on their right toes.

Fix 3(B): 2 or 3 Hop Drill

Starting in whichever position the athlete normally starts their glide, they will hop 2 or 3 times without grounding the left leg. Each hop will cover a little bit of ground and it is imperative that they land on their toe each time. With each hop, I cue them to stretch the left arm wrap backwards and leave their shoulders further behind. The final hop is a great time to get them to learn to be more aggressive with the grounding of a slightly bent left leg while still keeping their shoulders back. Because of the 2 or 3 hops, this drill takes longer than a normal throw and gives them more time to get ready to put the left on the ground quickly without disturbing the separation they’ve created between their shoulders and their hips.

Error 4: The left leg is brought past the right knee at the start of the glide/ left leg crosses behind the right leg/ shoulders get tall at the start of the glide Ok.

Error 4 is really 3 errors, but they are all related. This mistake is sometimes accompanied by the right foot being cheated ahead to about 11 o’clock (if the center of the back of the ring is 12 o’clock). This cheating of about 15 or 20 degrees seems logical to get the right foot into a good position in the middle, but it can take a lot away from the amount of momentum created by the drive across the ring. As a coach, this is a time where discretion can be applied. I had a college athlete who threw 52’ this way (and shot was her 2nd event). As you can imagine….I didn’t choose a properly aligned foot as the hill I wanted to die on. As for the left leg, bringing the left knee past the right will create a situation where the shoulders will be more likely to come up early to counter the leg swing, and crossing the left behind the right can open the left side too wide at the toeboard.

Fix 4: Proper “coiling” of the left leg and foot.

This isn’t really a drill, but it’s something I see all the time. First the foot. If the toes of the left leg are pointed down it makes both improper moves more difficult to complete and allows the athlete to put that energy into a more efficient drive across the ring. Now, the left leg. I use the term “coiling” because bringing the left towards the back of the ring in preparation to drive towards the front reminds me of a rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. I will use this to describe and cue the movement, and the imagery tends to resonate with most Texans. “Coil” by bringing the inside of the (medial) left knee to the inside of the right knee. Because the right leg is there, it blocks the left from going too far and allows the shoulders to stay down and back. This sets up a longer path for the shot to the front of the ring, which will result in more balance and speed when the athlete gains confidence in the move.

Final Thoughts: There is definitely a common theme in all of the fixes. The shoulders need to face the back and stay over the right hip while the legs move aggressively towards the toeboard, and to transfer this momentum effectively it is best to stay on the ball of your foot in the middle of the ring. Any of these drills can be used to cement the previous statement. Any of these drills can be adjusted or cued to meet the specific needs of the athletes each coach is working with, so feel free to get creative with how you use them. If you have any questions, email me at mill6360@gmail.com or find me on Instagram: miller_ coaches_throws. Good Luck this Track and Field season!

Read the entire November 2024 Issue of Texas Coach here: https://issuu.com/thscacoaches/docs/nov24upload?fr=sYmEwNDY1NjgzODI