 In today's video we are going to talk about how to hold the shot. Now seems like a basic video, there's been videos out there, but one of the things we want to look at is a couple of things. We want to look at the connection of how we're holding the shot and this is going to trump everything. This is going to trump what we call the chain reaction, right? If we don't hold and position the hand and arm properly in the shot, it really doesn't matter what you're going to do because you're not going to be able to deliver the shot, right? So one of the first things that we're trying to do is we always talk about we want to get that shot kind of up here on the knuckles. We want to get the thumb and we want to get the fingers behind. Now this gets into rim weight. A lot of people like small shots because they feel like they can put their hand around it. You really don't want a small shot. You want a shot that allows you to get your fingers behind the ball so that we can get this flick. So in today's video what we're going to do is talk predominantly about the glide shot put position in the arm carry. It's a super important thing. Now the arm carry in the rotational shot is going to be kind of up here. Now I know I just said we're going to talk predominantly about the glide but what we're trying to do is we're going to find that comfort spot where that shot's going to be up here and you're going to notice the crease of my elbow is going to be down. But in the glide shot we're pulling the shot typically under the chin and we're going to see the elbow coming out, right? So we're down here. So one of the key things that we want to look at is that when we're in a full throw and you're going to see me and I'm starting at the back of the ring, one of the things we talk about is creating alignment. So we want to practice, you're going to see most elite shot putters and you're going to see what we call as they set alignment. So one of our favorite is Valerie Adams, David Storal looking at classic gliders like Warner Gunther. So you're going to see how they get the shot, they get it up here and they find that spot and they're bringing the shot down and you're going to see this hand position here and then what they're going to do is bring it under. You're going to see that the elbow is away and again where's the crease of the elbow. We're in this position. So the deal is why we don't want to see our arm like this or like this. Sometimes you see kids doing this or you'll see gliders, right? Well, you'll see your gliders holding the shot like this. So you're going to notice when I try to come out of this position and I'm here and my elbows here, that's going to cause the shot to come out. OK, so one of the things you want to be focused on again is you're going to see how we've got this shot sitting in here and how we have the fingers sitting like this. Now you're going to notice that the ball is going to be sitting here. Sometimes the pinky, the pinky is sitting a little bit to help some stabilization, but you're more elite guys, they're going to get that finger closer so that they can get more of this type of thing. And so you're going to be able to put more force. That flick is worth an extra foot to maybe as much as three feet. The second thing we talked about is once we get that right, we want to be able to understand that where it's going to go in the neck. This is going to be somewhat thrower centric, right? Some guys are going to like it a little lower. If you look at the Glide legend, Ulf Temmerman, he was down here, you're going to notice where the elbow is though. So now what you're going to notice is when I hit that and you're seeing where the elbow position is. So if I'm gliding and I bring that shot down and you see me here and you're going to see where that elbow is at. Now I'm in this position because as I hit the glide and this opens, now I'm going to be in this position to pull in that nice linear strike position. So basically what we wanted to help you guys understand is that there's a lot of little nuance details to holding a shot. It really is the first thing and what do kids want to do? They want to get in right away. And why does that shot come out? Because if you learn the rules of the shot put, the elbow has to be up. It can't come off the neck. You can't throw it. Well, that's going to be because of how you position the elbow and how you're holding it in your hand. And we talk about pre-blocks. We do pre-blocks in the rotational throws and we really focus on more of an up and over in the glide because we have to drive that hip all the way through and over. What we'll be doing is going through that. We're going to start out just like we did with our discus and our rotational shot. We're going to be focusing on the glide today. And again, the glide is going to be that block. We have a higher angle of release. We're going to be talking about how we open the block arm differently and how we pull down, how we want to try to stay on that line and feel that extension so we're getting that nice high up delivery. So when we go to our kneeling throws, and again, I'm going to get my trusty towel and I'm going to set up and we're going to set up and I'm going to throw slightly this direction because of my camera. What we want to be paying attention to is we set alignment and then we scale and separate. So we create separation differently in the glide. A lot of times just kids keep their shoulders and hips together. But if you notice your elite throwers, they're all going to get the shoulder again back behind the hip. That's always the key to the throw. What we're going to do is, again, we're going to put our clock on the 12 to 6 this way because I'm throwing in this direction. So you're going to see me again, set up the alignment. I'm going to scale, separate, get it here. And what I'm going to do is I'm going to be able to kind of reach over at this point and then I'm going to come through and you're going to see me kind of work that way. What we're going to be focusing on is as we come down, we're going to be feeling this position, this kind of open. Now I'm going to, boom. You're going to see that kind of motion into the throw. What you're going to find is it's going to be uncomfortable. So what we're going to start with is a non-reverse so that we feel this type of position. We're going to feel this and we're going to push here, right? And you're going to see how that leg should want to come through because you're driving the hip through. So if you feel a little bit of that, that's going to be a good thing. That's the first stage towards your reverse. What's up guys? It's Coach Johnson. Hopefully you've been enjoying our glide training videos. So we are going to post up a few more things, some new clips and technique. Hopefully you enjoy it.