There is no doubt that the hammer throw is a rotational event. But recently I can’t help but thinking that there might be other ways to approach the event. A circle, after all, isn’t that different than a line. Zoom in one one far enough and it looks like a straight line. Read more
Earlier in the week we began our training talk with Vésteinn Hafsteinsson. Hafsteinsson runs the Global Throwing team and was best known the personal coach of 2008 Olympic discus champion Gerd Kanter. The first two parts of our chat centered on training and technique. For this final part we look a little at the politics of track and field and a few issues that are keeping the throwing events from growing even further.
You can also join HMMR Media now to gain access to many more great training talks with elite coaches and throwers and a wealth of additional training information.
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Earlier in the week we the first part of a training talk with Vésteinn Hafsteinsson. Hafsteinsson runs the Global Throwing team and was best known the personal coach of 2008 Olympic discus champion Gerd Kanter. In part two our discussion moves from training methodology to discus technique. And continue reading to part three, where we discuss the current state of throwing within track and field.
You can also join HMMR Media now to gain access to many more great training talks with elite coaches and throwers and a wealth of additional training information.
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While it was great to see my coach last week, there were also some other benefits of having a training camp in Växjö. The training facilities were oustanding. And so was the company. Växjö is the training base of coach Vésteinn Hafsteinsson and his Global Throwing team.
After graduating from the University of Alabama in 1986, Hafsteinsson threw professionally for ten more years. His career as an athlete included four Olympics, qualifying for the finals in Barcelona, and a still-standing Icelandic record of 67.64 meters. Since 1996 he has been a full-time coach, guiding such athletes as 2008 Olympic discus champion Gerd Kanter and 2004 shot put silver medalist Joachim Olsen. He has also coached many other elite discus throwers and his group currently includes Märt Israel (4th at the 2011 World Championships), the Arrhenius brothers, Daniel Ståhl (4th at 2013 European Under 23 Championships), and shot putters Kim Christensen (Danish record holder) and Mesud Pezer (2013 European junior champion).
I had a chance to chat quite a bit with Hafsteinsson and I will post our talks in three parts. Part one below discusses his coaching and training methods. Part two and part three cover discus technique and the current state of throwing within track and field. Hafsteinsson is also a great presenter and if you would like to learn more from him, I recommend inviting him for a seminar or workshop.
