Javelin Technique: The Full Approach

The Full Approach is essential to add speed into your throw and achieve greater distances.

TECHNICAL ASPECT

In the technical aspect of the crossovers, the most important thing is to understand what you are trying to accomplish, and how to establish rhythm and relaxation.

Be sure to always have a set approach, count your steps, and use javelins or a measuring tape to get your mark.

Pro tip: when I teach my right handed throwers to count their steps, we only count the left steps, to set up all the important pieces of the throw. Running steps, drawback step, crossovers, penultimate, block.

Running steps: During this phase, also known as the carry position, it is important to start slow and start building your speed. Too many young throwers come out of the back of the runway very fast, and end up slowing down like crazy at the end. Try to keep your chest tall, stay on the balls of your feet, and get your knees up. By getting your knees up, it will be an easier transition into the crossovers, whereas if you are “steppy” or “quad dominant” with your running steps, there will be a drastic change in your posture once you enter into your crossover phase.

(Quad dominant means low knees, leaning forward, where your quads are leading the run in a full horizontal motion, and not get any vertical energy)

Drawback phase: During this phase it is essential to emphasize the drawback on your last left running step. (as a right handed thrower) You want to use this step to accelerate the javelin back into the drawback position to accelerate you into the crossovers. (right leg sweeping through) This helps your rhythm exponentially due to not having the javelin out of place during your crossover phase.

Crossover phase: You want to be sure to supinate your wrist and keep the javelin glued to your eyebrow during this phase. As a right handed thrower we want to establish an active left leg, with a passive right leg, through the crossovers which will set up a soft right foot and strong block at the conclusion of the penultimate. Be sure to stay on the balls of your feet, actively pull down with the left foot, and sweep through with the right foot, (right heel over the left toes) to establish a smooth, rhythmic bounding feel. Be sure to keep your knees up during this phase without being robotic. Although you want to establish an active left, passive right

to get you down the runway, you should not be accelerating and trying to build speed during your crossovers. The speed you have from your carry and drawback phase should be transferred into your crossovers and maintain that speed. DO NOT try to speed up at the end, this will cause you to throw off your rhythm and blow right through your block.

Penultimate phase: While setting up the active pull down with the left leg, and the passive sweep of the right foot / heel during the crossovers, the same applies here. Going into your penultimate you want to actively slap the ground with your left foot, propelling you forward and having a big knee drive across your body with your right knee in order to get an extended reach (your penultimate should cover a lot of ground, more than your other crossovers). Once you establish this active left passive right, it will allow you to land softly on your back foot, and hit a strong block with your left.

To gain a better understanding of how to implement these principles in a practice, check out this video below for the Top 10 Best approach drills to improve your full run up in the javelin throw.

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