A Fast Arm An Advantage Or A Shortcoming

Provided Courtesy Of Grigory Ruderman ( The Thrower Sept 2000 )

INTRODUCTION

There is no doubt that most throwing coaches have heard the term “fast arm”, used to describe the throwing capacity of one or another athlete. Can this term be actually used to describe the action in throwing events? it is the base for the discussion in the following text in order to eliminate some misunderstandings.

As we all know, technique in throwing events assumes a logical sequence in a chain of actions which are aimed to achieve a maximal result. Throwers are therefore basically motivated to employ a technique that will lead to the best possible flight distance of an implement. The main component that influences that flight distance is the capacity of an athlete to develop the best possible release velocity of an implement. In practical terms this is achieved by using ‘whip’ principle in the final delivery action.

THE WHIP PRINCIPLE

To explain this principle simply, take a look at the elasticity system of a whip. When the end of a whip is stretched and then suddenly released, the top end accelerates. This happens because bending the top end of the whip practically loads the whole system. The elastic fibres are shortened in the middle and bottom end of the whip and the velocity of the top end is considerably increased. Because of the rigid bottom the velocity of the nozzle increases constantly to reach its maximum approximately in a vertical position.

The stretching of all types of elastic systems can be likewise achieved by increasing the momentum of the base and then checking it suddenly. As the result the energy of the large parts is transferred to the smaller parts to add to their velocity. In the elastic system of “thrower-implement” this principle takes place in an increased movement of the legs and pelvis around two perpendicularly moving axes, followed by a sudden checking of the support base. The more rigid is the stoppage, the faster is the reaction in the thrower’s musculature. The effectiveness of this procedure is responsible for the release velocity, which in turn decides the distance of a throw.

Consequently, the whole development of throwing technique should be directed toward the realisation of the above outlined principle. Whether training work takes place with or without equipment, all exercises employed should be designed to create tension in the upper body that is transferable to the arm and the implement. There is no place for isolation of the upper body from the legs or arms in the chosen exercise programme.
Whenever it can visually be discovered that the body forestalls the legs, or the arm is ahead of the legs (“fast arm”) in technique development, it is obvious that:

- There is a lack of understanding of the contemporary throwing technique.
- The above-described principles are not applied.
- The athlete is simply not capable of correct performance because lack of legs speed.

While it is possible to correct technical errors in established movement habits, improvement of leg speed is rather more complicated. It can be improved when lack of speed is simply resulting from muscular weakness, but the task becomes virtually impossible when we are dealing with genealogical shortcomings. As the development of speed in the nervous system is restricted, slower athletes take up the so-called “fast arm” action and fail to learn the correct throwing technique. Their slower leg work creates a definite shortcoming in comparison to athletes whose final delivery of the implement follows fast leg work which is correctly transferred through the body to the throwing arm.

THE CONCEPT OF LEGS ACTION

As can be seen from the whip principle, the arm action only completes a chain of movements, which are dependent on each other. The main producers of energy for the throw are the athlete’s legs. They are responsible for the creation of the base for the actual throw through a sudden checking action which allows to transfer energy to the body and the throwing arm in a whip like movement. The only responsibility of the arm is to change the potential energy established by the legs into kinematic energy and apply it to the implement.

The contemporary throwing technique is therefore based on the concept of transferring the energy created by legs through the body to the throwing arm. This concept should in training be applied to the performance of all specific exercises, even including strength development. it is particularly important to stress in the execution of strength development exercises the creation of tension in the muscles responsible for the preliminary movement.
The latest research information available from weight lifting studies has indicated in the barbell snatch that using an early arm action can even slow down the movement. There is little doubt that this legality is even more valid in throwing events where movements are faster and the transfer of explosive power is more efficient. This again stresses the fact that the arm must not be the energy source in throwing events but is used only to transfer it to an implement.

The above outlined concepts make it clear that the development of explosive legs power, combined with the development of strength and elasticity in the accompany muscle groups, must have priority in the strength training of throwers. However, it must be added that when we talk about elasticity in strength development it covers both muscular and ligaments elasticity. This is important because lack of ligament elasticity is frequently the main cause of injuries.