Harper's Round Table, February 18, 1896

by Various

In addition to these things he should, of course, constantly work at putting the shot—in the gymnasium in winter, and on the field in the open-weather months. Let me say right here to the beginner, always use a 16-lb. shot. Shun a 12-lb. shot as you would a shuttle-cock. If you feel you are not strong enough to use the regulation weight, do not under any consideration go into training for the event. Wait until you are strong enough. There is plenty of time. The shot is an event that only strong and well-developed young men should indulge in—and if you feel you are not strong enough to handle sixteen pounds, you had better devote your energies to some other branch of athletics. The man who works with a 12-lb. shot is like the boy who prepared for entering the cavalry by riding assiduously on merry-go-rounds. In other words, practice with a lighter weight is a waste of time; you will have to learn all over again when you take up the regulation 16-lb. shot.

The shot is put from a seven-foot circle, along four feet of the circumference of which is placed a board four inches high. This is the so-called front of the circle, and the put is measured from this board to the nearest mark made in the ground by the shot. A fair put is one that has been made without any part of the competitor's body having touched in front of the circle or on the board before the measurement is made. A put is counted a foul if the competitor steps over the front half of the circle or on the board before the measurement of his put has been made—and the foul counts as a trial. Therefore be sure to remain in the circle until the field judge has measured and registered your put.

The careful athlete will always spare his right arm as much as he can. For instance, when he picks up the shot he will hold it in his left hand, and he will do the same while he steps into the circle and gets his footing. After this has been secured he will roll the shot over into his right palm—as shown in illustration No. 3 on the opposite page—and then he is ready to start.

Assuming as easy a position as possible, let the shot be well balanced in the right hand. Do not grip it tightly. In starting off, as shown in the fourth illustration, place the whole weight of the body upon the right leg, holding your left arm forward as a balance. Then take a quick hop with the right leg, all the time keeping the shot as near the shoulder as possible. Upon alighting after the hop, touch your left foot to the ground—and it ought to fall very close to the board rim. This is the position shown in the sixth illustration. The seventh shows the next movement, which is the transposition of the feet.

The correct attitude for getting across the circle on this hop is crouching. Then, as soon as your left foot touches ground, you bring it swiftly backward, throwing the entire right side of the body forward; and you turn half around, so that the right shoulder will be in the exact direction in which the shot is to be put. After the impetus upward has been given by the legs and body, shoot the arm outward with all the force at your command, the motion being just such a one as you would make with the clinched fist against the sparring-bag. This motion—the change of feet, the lift, the turn, the thrust—is a very rapid one, but the photographs illustrate it very well in the last two pictures of the series. Furthermore, this movement must be perfectly uniform from beginning to end, with no jerks and hitches; but it takes long practice to acquire a perfect smoothness.

The shot must be allowed to leave the hand easily, and the forward effort of the put must be so regulated that the equilibrium of the performer will be maintained. The perfect performer allows his body to bend forward just to that point where, should he go half an inch further, he would be forced to step out of the ring.

The beginner should practise with the shot for a good period every-day. He should work until he begins to feel tired, but after he has become master of the event—say in a year or so—he need practise but two or three times a week, and he will find that his form and powers are thus best retained.

In England the university athletes put the shot from a ten-foot square instead of a seven-foot circle. This gives them a certain advantage over American athletes, for they get a longer run, and thus more speed, and hence a greater momentum at the end. Hickok can put the shot from two to three feet farther from a ten-foot square than he can from a seven-foot circle, and with practice he believes that he could do even better. If an unlimited run, or series of hops, were allowed, the record for putting the shot would certainly be much greater than it is at present; but there is no doubt that the average form of athletes who take part in this event would be very much lower than it is now with the present scientific restrictions.

The first important indoor games of the season were held on Saturday, February 8th, in the Eighth Battalion Armory by the Barnard School. There were ten events on the programme, all of which were open, and a cup was offered to the visiting school winning the greatest number of points. This trophy went to Berkeley, who took two firsts and one second, and still, no doubt, retained something up her sleeve.

The Barnard team captured six firsts and two seconds, and showed that there is plenty of strong material in the school from which to develop a promising team for out-door work in the spring. All the events were interesting to watch, there being no handicaps, and the junior races were especially good, being rather more "for blood," perhaps, than the others, and being always a better field for surprises, as new material of an unknown quantity is continually appearing there.