PED 321-KinesiologyExercise AnalysisMegan OwenDecember 2, 2011

Throwing of a shot put is a very complex movement which requires the use of many

muscles and body systems. The purpose of the movement is to throw the shot put as far as

possible within an area while staying in the given boundaries. Many things go into successfully

throwing the shot put. Coh, Supej, Stuhec, and Smajlovi stated, “the distance thrown is defined

primarily by the path over which force is applied to the shot which is manifested in the release

velocity, the angle of release, and the height of release” (2007). This movement can be divided

into three phases: the preparatory phase, the throwing phase, and the follow-through phase.

The preparatory phase includes the steps taken to get the velocity needed to successfully throw

the shot put, the throwing phase is what needs to happen to release the shot put, and the

follow-through phase includes the steps taken to lower the arm, regain balance, and bring the

thrower back to a normal standing position. This skill is a combination movement classified as

an action to give motion. A combination movement contains simultaneous movement in which

“all of the movement is directed along a straight line”, and sequential movement which

involves the “use of the segments in an orderly sequence so that the subsequent segments are

accelerated at the appropriate time to create the highest possible speed” (Hamilton, Weimar, &

Luttgens 2008). Shot put is a combination movement because it “involves the sequential use of

the lower extremities and trunk followed by the simultaneous use of the upper extremity to

safely move the relatively large weight of the shot” (Hamilton et. al 2008). This analysis will

cover the throwing phase and include all the joints and muscles that are used to perform this

part of the action.

The three main joints used during the throwing phase of the shot put are the shoulder

girdle, the elbow, and the wrist. At the beginning of this phase, the shoulder is hyper-extended,

the elbow is flexed, and the wrist is hyper-extended. The athlete has the shot put resting on the

palmer side of the hand with his/her fingers grasping it. It is placed beside the chin on the side

of their throwing arm. The elbow is pulled close to the body to help transmit all the power to

the shot put.

In this starting position, the shoulder is moved posteriorly to about a 160 degree angle;

a movement in the sagittal plane along bilateral axis, the elbow is pulled posteriorly and fully

flexed to about 160 degrees; a movement in the sagittal plane along the bilateral axis, and the

wrist is hyper-extended to about 80 degrees; a movement in the sagittal plane along the

bilateral axis.

Many muscles in the upper extremities are used to get the body into this starting

position of the throwing phase. The muscles responsible for hyper-extension the shoulder

include the posterior deltoid muscle performing a concentric contraction, the latissimus dorsi

performing concentric contraction, the triceps brachii contracting concentrically, and the teres

major contacting concentrically. By the biceps brachii, brachialis, and the brachioradialis

contracting concentrically the elbow is brought into flexion, and the wrist is brought into hyper-

extension by the concentric contraction of the extensor carpi radialis longus and brevis,

extensor digitorum, and the extensor carpi ulnaris.

At the end of the movement, the shoulder girdle is protracted, the elbow extended, and

the wrist flexed. At this point, the shot put is out of the hands of the athlete, the arm is fully

extended and the wrist is in resting position. The angles of this finishing position include the

shoulder in about a 145 degree angle, the elbow fully extended into a 180 degree angle, and

the wrist in a 180 degree angle. The movement of the shoulder from hyper-extension into

flexion is a movement in the sagittal plane along the bilateral axis, the movement of the elbow

from extension into flexion is an action in the sagittal plane along the bilateral axis, and the

flexing of the wrist is in the sagittal plane along the bilateral axis.

The muscles needed to move the shoulder from hyper-extension into flexion are the

deltoid, pectoralis major, biceps brachii, and the coracobrachialis. These muscles all are

contracting eccentrically. The triceps brachii long head, medial head, and lateral head, and the

anconeus are responsible for the extension of the elbow. All three heads of the triceps contract

eccentrically along with the anconeus.

Within the movement of throwing the shot put, there are some neurological

considerations to be mindful of. The nervous system can initiate, modify, and coordinate

muscular action (Hamilton et. al 2008). A reflex that is active during this motion is the stretch

reflex. The stretch reflex is stimulated by the stretch on the muscle which stimulates the muscle

spindle; this results in the reflex contraction of the stretched muscle and its synergist muscles

and relaxation of it antagonist muscles. This reflex happens during the forceful extension of the

arm. It also is an important factor of keeping the athlete balanced before, during, and after the

throw.

Though the muscles of the arm are important to the successfulness of the throw, the

abdominals are also critical. The muscles of the abdomen include internal and external oblique,

the transverse abdominis, and the rectus abdominis. The contraction of these muscles helps

provide the power to throw the shot and also help maintain balance before, during, and after

the throwing of the shot put. Without the use of the abdominal muscles, the throw would not

be possible. The athlete is not standing still during this activity; there is a complex movement in

the preparatory phase to help the body get momentum. Without the use of the abdominals,

the athlete would fall down before even releasing the shot.

To avoid injury during this sport, the athlete must be properly trained. This training

includes the teaching of how to perform the whole skill properly along with muscle and

flexibility training. The lack of any of this can lead to unwanted injuries. The importance of

teaching the athlete how to properly perform the skill is so the athlete can do the motion

without wasting energy so he/she can use as much energy as possible to throw the shot put as

far as possible. Proper muscle and flexibility training allow the athlete to condition the body to

the stresses that are going to be put upon it. The lack of this training can lead to injury because

the body will have internal and external stresses that it is not used to having.

For each movement, there is a desired outcome. The underlying objective of throwing

the shot put is projection for maximum range and maximum effort for maximum force. This

action uses maximum range because the goal is to throw the shot as far as possible; the athlete

has to apply maximum force to the shot to be able to reach this goal.

In this movement, the shot put is the projectile. With all projectiles there is a projected

path which has been shown to be the most successful if followed. This path is called a parabola.

The projectile, in this case the shot put, can be projected more many different reasons. The

reason in this case is for distance (Hamilton et. al 2008). Once the projectile is released, many

things act upon it. These include gravity as a constant, a vector, and possibly air resistance. The

vector specifies both the magnitude and direction (Hamilton et. al 2008). These objects cause

the projectile to fall.

There are many mechanical principles that can cause error while throwing the shot put.

These include the speed of movement, balance, direction, timing, and the pressure of the air

(Hamilton et. al 2008). As mentioned before, the preparatory phase of this movement involves

some specific movements to execute the action successfully. By not performing these correctly,

you could lose speed of the movement which would cause the shot put to not go as far. The

athlete needs to have a good sense of direction so the projectile can be released in the given

bounds so a foul is not called. Being able to release the shot at the right time will allow the

projectile to follow the projected path. If it is not released on time or with the correct angle, the

shot is not able to follow the path of best success. Also, since the shot put is usually an outdoor

activity, the weather can adversely affect how far the shot travels. If it is windy or there is high

air pressure, changes need to be made by the athlete to still be able to throw the shot put as

far.

If the athlete is not able to throw the shot as far as he/she should be able to, there are

many things to look at in which error may have occurred. The speed of the movement is very

important to the distance the shot is thrown. This speed is reached in the preparatory phase.

The athlete may need to evaluate the steps in which he/she is taking in this phase and make

sure that it is being performed correctly. If it is, the athlete may just need to practice the

motion to be able to do it correctly and as fast as possible while still maintaining a sense of

direction and balance.

Another source of error could be that the athlete is not conditioned enough and,

therefore, does not have the strength to throw the heavy projectile. This can be fixed by having

the athlete condition more and incorporate exercises the isolates the muscles that are used

during this motion. Also, if the athlete’s muscles are tight, stretching will help allowing for the

given area to move in the full range of motion.

The sport of shot put has many different things that combine to the successfulness of

the motion. Many joints and muscles are used throughout the motion and many body systems

are incorporated. All these parts being included in the motion allow for many places for error or

injury to occur. By being knowledgeable about the sport and being able to successful analysis

the motion, you can help the athlete perform the action using as much power as possible

helping them be successful in the sport. This knowledge will also help the athlete prevent error

and injury while participating in the sport they love.

Skill being analyzed: Throwing a shot putName of Joint Starting

PositionObserved Joint Action

Segment Being Moved

Force For Movement

Main Muscle Group Active

Kind Of Contraction

Shoulder Hyper-extension

Flexion Upper Extremity

Muscle Latissimus dorsi Concentric

Elbow Flexion Extension Lower Arm Muscle Triceps Eccentric

Wrist Hyper-Extension

Flexion Wrist Muscle Flexors Concentric

Phase being analyzed: Throwing phase

Works Cited

Arm: muscles of the upper arm. [Art]. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/119224/Muscles-of-the-upper-arm.

Coh, M., Supej, M., Stuhec, S., & Smajlovi, N. (2007). Biodynamic Analysis of the Rotational Shot Put Technique. Track Coach, (181), 5769-5775.

Functional Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles. (2011). www.getbodysmart.com.

Hamilton, N., Weimar, W., & Luttgens, K. (2008). Kinesiology: Scientific Basis of Human Motion. 11th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.