How else can we use this information?

The information presented throughout this blog allows us to consider whether the information for shot put can be applied to different sports or situations. In the instance of shoulder-hip rotation and angle of release, it is evident that these shot put concepts can apply to a wide range of different sporting contexts.

The concepts regarding a greater shoulder-hip separation of approximately 50^o to 70^o during the transition phase and a neutral should-hip rotation just prior to the moment of release, could be applied to a variety of sporting contexts such as a baseball pitch (figure 1), throwing a javelin (figure 2) and bowling in cricket (figure 3) just to name a few. The reason why shot put concepts can be applied to these sporting situations is because they all involve a focus on maximising release velocities, through shoulder-hip separation.

Figure 1: Baseball pitch (Hinchliffe, 2011)

Figure 2: Javelin throw (HKAAA, 2015).

Figure 3: Cricket bowl (Wheeler, 2015).

Another concept that has been made clear throughout this blog, that could be applied to a variety of different sporting contexts, is the concept of the angle of release for projectiles. The key idea regarding the optimal release angle for shot put, was that it is greatly dependent on the individual athlete characteristics, such as height and strength (Lenz & Rappl, 2010). It is this very understanding, as well as the understanding that 45^o is not the optimal angle of release for many athletes, that can be applied to all sporting contexts that involve the trajectory of an object, such as a soccer throw-in (figure 4) or long jump take off (figure 5), just to name a few. 

Figure 4: Soccer throw-in trajectory (My-youth-soccer-guide.com, 2008)

Figure 5: Long jump trajectory (Dacey, 2012)

References:

Blazevich, A. J. (2012). Sports biomechanics: the basics: optimising human performance. 2nd Ed. London, A&C Black.
 
Dacey, J. (2012). Snapshots of sporting success. Retrieved from http://blog.physicsworld.com/2012/07/05/snapshots-of-sporting-success/ 

Hinchliffe, D. (2011). Ask the readers: give your pace bowling coaching advice. Retrieved from http://www.pitchvision.com/ask-the-readers-give-your-pace-bowling-coaching-advice

 

Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association – HKAAA. (2015). Hong Kong Inter-City Athletics Championships 2013 - HUI Wai Hei broke Men's Javelin Throw Record again. Retrieved from https://www.hkaaa.com/page.php?pid=1050&mid=65&type=news&lang=eng

Lenz, A., & Rappl, F. (2010). The optimal angle of Release in Shot Put. arXiv reprint arXiv:1007.3689.

My-youth-soccer-guide.com (2008). Soccer law 15: the throw in. Retrieved from http://www.my-youth-soccer-guide.com/soccer-law-15.html

Wheeler, L. (2015). Why hip/shoulder separation doesn’t always increase your pitching velocity. Retrieved from http://baseballthinktank.com/hip-shoulder-separation-drills/