Re:Trouble in the front/mental block - Throwing Events Discussion

I'm having a weird problem in the front. i either fall a couple feet out of the front of the ring or fall back in the front. in both instances im way off balance.

also, i was in the 140's earlier in the year but the last three weeks i've had trouble getting over the 120 mark in practice/meets/etc. my coach says im over-thinking it. either way im interested in what people have to say.

Get your coach to video tape you. This can show you what your doing and where you need to work on. Most of the time going out of the circle is a sign of to much linear motion in the circle verse rotational. This can be fixed by practicing half turns and reversed south-africans. As for your falling back this could be a sign of a week non-throwing side leg. Look at a video of your self and see if you are transfering your weight to the front foot, this is a no no. Also look to see if your shoulders are not level, if they are not level it will cause you to crash into the middle of the circle which will throw you off balance and slow you down.

I have had the same issues in the past and typically addressed them by focusing on my 'block' at the end of the throw. I found that when I really focused on my block I was able to stay in the ring and get my body more into the throw... this obviously transferred into more distance...

Check out this video for a great example of an effective 'block' at the end of the throw:

Jurgen Schult - Discus 62.68

your coach is very right. i had the same problem and the last 2 weeks of my season were hampered due to overthinking it. so my advice to you is to just get into a rythem and do your thing.
Goodluck