John Powell Discus Throw Practice 1984

This was filmed by John and provided by Dan John

John would start the throw by staggering his stance with the right foot nearer to the midline of circle. He would do 2 low back swings and then begin the throw. He would also cheat the left by having most of his weight on the left foot during the wind up. He would also start with his left shoulder tilted down to help set up the orbit.

He would initiate the first turn with the left foot twisting around and pushing off the right foot. His feet and legs twisted to the left together creating a narrower leg sweep and leaving the right foot on the ground for longer. His goal was to have 2 feet on the ground as long as possible during the throw.

As he dropped into the SA position he would keep his left arm low and begin his sprint across the circle. He would call this running through the ring. He was well known for keeping his feet very low across the circle as well.

I use the word ‘dropped’ for a reason. He thought of the discus path in similar terms as the hammer. He would drop the discus down low (not his shoulder though) and then drive the discus hard way up over his head with the push of the left leg. Throwing the discus up and out. This would create the “Pendulum Elliptical”. As his left foot would start to come down the discus started accelerating way faster. This would create the sling effect he wanted. He referred to it like a comet.

As mentioned he though of this as sprint. Specifically a left to left sprint. He wanted to get the left foot down as quickly as possible. Often time this would lead to him blocking off the throw. Though this wasn’t usually an issue as it aided in the block with how hard he would turn the right leg and hip into the finish.

He would use the entire right half of his body as the level/whip that would rip though the finish. Essentially adding his shoulder length to his right arm length.

Discus Throw Information by Dan John
https://web.archive.org/web/201801041...

A Contrarian Approach to the Discus Throw by Dan John
https://web.archive.org/web/201612130...

Discus technical Article by Dan John and Ralph Maughan:
   • My Commentaries On Ralph Maughan's Cl...  

My Website:
https://gudegym.com/

Pick Up A Technical Analysis:
https://gudegym.com/product/video-tec...

Get Online Coaching:
https://gudegym.com/store/

Articles:
https://gudegym.com/articles/

Socials:
  / travisthrows  
  / thegudegym