HMMR Podcast

This week on the podcast we're going all in on the shot put. The World Indoor Championships took place over the weekend and we break down the results, compare different starting techniques for the rotational shot put, discuss recent trends in the event, how to make competitions more fun for athletes and fans.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2022/03/hmmr-podcast-episode-269-the-shot-put-episode/

» Support the show: join HMMR PLUS to get full access to our coaching resources.

More notes:

• This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus. Become a member for full access to our videos, articles, and podcast archives. This month's site theme is throwing, so keep an eye out for more on the topic in the coming weeks and visit our throws page to see our top archived content on the topic.
• Some recent articles on the site have looked at finding and developing your own technique: 6 ways to start in the shot put, 3 lessons to help find your throw, as well as a great archived piece from Nick about Technical models, good technique, and finding your style. You can also learn more abotu the background of Andy Bloom's style in last month's Episode 267: The simple throw.
• For more about rotational technique watch our video lessons on the topic including Lesson 17: Rotational throwing progressions (with Nick Garcia) and Lesson 25: Rotational shot put master class (with Don Babbitt).
• For some more analysis of recent throwing listen to Episode 255: Olympic throws debrief with Shaun Pickering and Episode 256: Throwing trends with Don Babbitt.
• For an update on Chase Ealey's training situation and recent move to the UK, read this article by Dan McQuaid. To learn more about Auriol Dongmo's journey to world champion, read the recent IAAF profile of her.

When Åsmund Martinsen began working with a young Andreas Thorkildsen in 2001, they set about making the “most athletic Javelin thrower in the world” in order to develop a special talent. They developed a program based on the balance of strength, speed, flexibility and gymnastics, to create a “superathlete” that happened to throw the Javelin, and remain healthy enough to contest for all major titles over a long career. On this week's podcast Martinsen breaks down the training of two-time Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen with guest interviewer Shaun Pickering.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2022/03/hmmr-podcast-episode-268-training-athleticism-for-throwers-with-asmund-martinsen/

» Support the show: join HMMR PLUS to get full access to our coaching resources.

More notes:

• This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus. Become a member for full access to our videos, articles, and podcast archives. This month's site theme is throwing, so keep an eye out for more on the topic in the coming weeks and visit our throws page to see our top archived content on the topic.
• For more from Martinsen, check out these presentation slides.
• Interviewer Shaun Pickering was himself a guest on HMMR Podcast 255 where we broke down the 2020 Olympic action. He's got plenty more great interviews like this one up on Throws Talk.
• For more on specific strength training, check out the HMMR Classroom, including Lesson 9: Specific strength exercises for throwing and our brand new Lesson 31: Advanced specific strength concepts.
• We've had lots of javelin throwers and coaches on the podcast and the GAINcast. Check out javelin coach Mike Barber on GAINcast 175, European javelin champion Steve Backley on GAINcast 156, Olympic medalist Goldie Sayers on GAINcast 106, New Zealand javelin coach Debbie Strange on GAINcast 237, and American champion Dana Lyon on HMMR Podcast 193.
• Thorkildsen had a long and consistent career. We ran some numbers a few years ago to see when javelin throwers hit their peak, which shows some interesting developmental trends.

The 2000 Olympic Trials remains one of the most historic shot put competitions in the history of the sport. In the fifth round underdog Andy Bloom stepped into the ring, bent over into his iconic starting position, and unleashed a massive throw to secure his spot on the Olympic team. That wasn't just luck; Bloom had spent his whole career developing a simple technique that he could execute under pressure. On this week's podcast Bloom looks back at his career, break down his own technique, and discusses his thoughts on throwing and training.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2022/02/hmmr-podcast-episode-267-the-simple-throw-with-andy-bloom/

» Support the show: join HMMR PLUS to get full access to our coaching resources.

More notes:

• This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus. Become a member for full access to our videos, articles, and podcast archives. This month's site theme is throwing, so keep an eye out for more on the topic in the coming weeks and visit our throws page to see our top archived content on the topic.
• For more resources on the rotational shot put, members can watch Nick Garcia's Video Lesson 17: Rotational throwing progressions and Don Babbitt's Video Lesson 25: Rotational shot put master class.
• Video highlights from the 2000 Olympic Trials can be found online, including Bloom's best throw at the meet.
• Bloom explained the Nickerson Drill in the episode. You can find a video of the drill on YouTube.
• You can also learn more from Bloom in this late 1990s interview with him from the now defunct Long & Strong Throwers Journal. You can learn more about what he is up to now in this recent article from the Albany Times Union.

The hammer throw is a unique sport. Most types of throwing require an athlete to apply force to an implement, but in the hammer throw you have to work together with the implement. That changes the whole dynamic of how you think about accelerating. On this week's episode we nerd out a little and get into technical detail with one of the best of all time as Olympic medalist Lance Deal explains how he thought about accelerating in the hammer throw.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2022/02/hmmr-podcast-episode-266-use-the-ball-with-lance-deal/

» Support the show: join HMMR PLUS to get full access to our coaching resources.

More notes:

• This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus. Become a member for full access to our videos, articles, and podcast archives. This month's site theme is throwing, so keep an eye out for more on the topic in the coming weeks and visit our throws page to see our top archived content on the topic.
• We've had many discussions with Sergej Litvinov Jr. over the years about accelerating the hammer. He has shared his thoughts on how the ball moves, accelerating the hammer, and understanding the orbit.
• HMMR Classroom Video Lesson 10 also explores the core elements of hammer throw technique and how to train them.

We often share our training methods and programming. But behind every plan is a philosophy. A philosophy is the set of beliefs that act as a guiding principle for our decisions. On this week's podcast we share our own training and coaching philosophies, with examples of how that translates from theory to practice.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2022/01/hmmr-podcast-episode-265-philosophy-101/

» Support the show: join HMMR PLUS to get full access to our coaching resources.

More notes:

• This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus. Become a member for full access to our videos, articles, and podcast archives.
• GAIN 2022 will take place from June 14 to 18 in Houston Texas. You can learn more about GAIN 2022 on GAINcast 235 and send in your application on the GAIN website.
• For more lessons from master coaches and their training philosophies, check out HMMR Classroom Video Lesson 14.
• The cumulative training effect was discussed in more detail on GAINcast 208.

We’re kicking off the year with our annual combined episode of the HMMR Podcast and GAINcast to discuss the state of training for sports. A lot has changed over the past year, so we sit down to discuss some of the biggest issues facing sports, the hot topics on our mind, and what we’re looking forward to in 2022.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2022/01/hmmr-podcast-episode-264-new-years-special-with-vern-gambetta/

» Support the show: join HMMR PLUS to get full access to our coaching resources.

More notes:

• This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus. Become a member for full access to our videos, articles, and podcast archives. The current site theme is sports science. Check back throughout the month for more content on the topic, and visit our sports science archive for more content on the topic.
• We recorded similar episodes to kick off 2021 (Episode 239), 2019 (Episode 188), 2018 (Episode 135), and 2017 (Episode 83).
• You can learn more about leg circuits in the HMMR Classroom Video Lesson 13: Leg circuits. The upcoming GAIN Master Class event on January 27th will also focus on the topic.
• We discussed Nick's progressions and the 1x20 method in more detail on GAINcast 209.
• The aerodynamics of throwing were also discussed on GAINcast 229 with Kevin McGill.

The end of the year is upon so, so we asked our team of HMMR Media contributors to reflect on the year behind us. Joining us on the episode are James Marshall, Chris McCormick, Domhnaill Fox, Andy Stone, Patrick McHugh, and Vern Gambetta. They all share what they’ve been learning, plus the mistakes they made in 2021.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2021/12/hmmr-podcast-episode-263-year-end-extravaganza/

» Support the show: join HMMR PLUS to get full access to our coaching resources.

More notes:

• This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus. Become a member for full access to our videos, articles, and podcast archives. The current site theme is sports science. Check back throughout the month for more content on the topic, and visit our sports science archive for more content on the topic.
• Today's episode had contributions from HMMR Media authors James Marshall, Chris McCormick, Vern Gambetta, Patrick McHugh, Andy Stone, and Donie Fox.
• For more on basic rolling, check out the GAIN Rugby Workshop from James Marshall and Andy Stone. It also contains some great wrestling progressions as well. Our friends at Ultimate Instability also have some great inflatable mats that can make gymnastics more fun in any space.
• We had a similar episode to close of 2019. You can listen to that on Episode 212. You can listen to Episode 205 for our own reflections on our coaching in 2019. Before the we also debriefed on our seasons in Episode 169, Episode 117 Episode 110 and Episode 71.

It's an age old debate: who are the best of all time in your sport. When it comes to the throwing events we have some objective numbers to rely on, but there are also many subjective factors as well. On this week's episode we list the top 10 of all time in our sports: the men's shot put and hammer throw.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2021/12/hmmr-podcast-episode-262-the-lists/

» Support the show: join HMMR PLUS to get full access to our coaching resources.

More notes:

• This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus. Become a member for full access to our videos, articles, and podcast archives. The current site theme is sports science. Check back throughout the month for more content on the topic, and visit our sports science archive for more content on the topic.
• In HMMR Classroom Video Lesson 25, coach Don Babbitt breaks down and compares the technique of some of the world's top spinners like Brian Oldfield, Dave Laut, Randy Barnes, John Godina, Adam Nelson, Christian Cantwell, Reese Hoffa, Joe Kovacs, and Ryan Crouser. That's just one part of the 3+ hour master class he put together. Become a member to check it out.
• Unfortunately many of the throwers on our rankings have passed away over the past decade. We've memorialized Yuriy Sedykh, Sergey Litvinov, Jüri Tamm and Harold Connolly on the site previously.

It's the holiday season. That means it's time for us to share what we are thankful for, as well as let off some steam. On this week's episode we talk about some of our recent ideas on training, how to do more with less, a few timely rants, and organizational ideas for technical training.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2021/11/hmmr-podcast-episode-261-thanksgiving-hodgepodge/

» Support the show: join HMMR PLUS to get full access to our coaching resources.

More notes:

• This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus. Become a member for full access to our videos, articles, and podcast archives. The current site theme is team speed. Check back throughout the month for more content on the topic, and visit our speed archives for more content about getting faster.
• Vern Gambetta's speed program is available for members here.
• We referenced the work of Lachlan Penfold, who was a guest on Episode 238, Episode 62, GAINcast 184, and GAINcast 131. You can also learn more from him in GAIN Video 4: Lessons from the Sydney Roosters (with Lachlan Penfold) in the HMMR Classroom.
• Some more rants can be found in the following episodes: Episode 228, Episode 203, Episode 164, Episode 103, Episode 80, and Episode 60.

Just a short time ago, high school strength and conditioning coach was not a job. Now, across the US, more schools are hiring strength coaches. What makes a good program and how can coaches make the biggest impact at the youth level? On this week's episode NHSSCA co-founder Gary Schofield joins us to look at these topics and more.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2021/11/hmmr-podcast-episode-260-building-a-program-with-gary-schofield/

» Support the show: join HMMR PLUS to get full access to our coaching resources.

More notes:

• This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus. Become a member for full access to our videos, articles, and podcast archives. The current site theme is team speed. Check back throughout the month for more content on the topic, and visit our speed archives for more content about getting faster.
• You can follow Schofield on Twitter (@CoachSchofield) and Instagram (@Coa.chSco).
• You can learn more about the NHSSCA and become a member on their webpage. You can also follow them on Twitter (@NHSSCA) and Instagram (@NHSSCA).
• We've covered youth development before on Episode 198 with Jeremy Frisch, speed for high schoolers on Episode 77 with Joe McNab, as well as many episodes looking at Nick's program, which you can learn about in the HMMR Classroom.
• Team speed and game speed are topics covered more this month on HMMR media. James Marshall's article in particular looks at training team speed in the youth setting. Our GAINcast 227 with Dean Benton looks at the topic at the professional level.