![]() We’re probably safer for it, but who are we to fight the laws of physics? In this year’s Olympics, you’ll only see the javelin thrown by athletes who run straight ahead down a long runway. In the 1950s, the International Association of Athletics Federations decided not to tempt fate and banned the erratic spin throw from future competitions. These renegade spinners put up impressive distances, but didn’t necessarily have great control over direction-sometimes the javelin would come out sideways, menacing spectators. While the spears have pretty much always been chucked overhand, in the 1950s some converted discus throwers started tossing the javelin after completing a 360-degree turn. The evolution of javelin technique has been a bit more haphazard and controversial. Translation: If an object is heavy or far away from the rotational axis, it’s harder to get it moving than if it’s light or close to the rotational axis.) ![]() (The moment of inertia is equal to the object’s distance from the rotational axis squared times the mass of the object. The farther the object is from the axis of rotation, the larger its “moment of inertia,” and the more resistant the weight will be to rotation. As a thrower spins, his body acts as an axis of rotation. The different ways the objects are held-the shot must be in the crook of the neck at all times, while the hammer and discus can be swung freely-and the mass of the objects are the biggest influences on technique. By the 1950s, concrete surfaces and smooth-bottomed shoes grew universal-it’s tough to spin with spikes on-allowing for more and faster twirling.īut even though the shot, discus, and hammer have all moved toward circles, spins, and concrete, their techniques won’t ever be precisely the same. ![]() ![]() As modern athletes figured out that spinning fast meant longer throws, all the throwing disciplines, with the exception of javelin, moved to spin-friendly circles. ![]()
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