Shot put, discus require athletes of all shapes, sizes

When Columbus North senior Kamal Maharjan steps up to throw a discus, a lot of people look surprised. That’s probably because he’s one of the smallest in the group, weighing in at 170 pounds, and standing at 5-feet-7 inches.

While strength plays a major part in throwing a shot put or discus, technique plays a key role as well, and that is why some smaller throwers can out-perform the bigger guys.

“I have relied on my technique more than strength,” Maharjan said. “It helps to have strength, but with really good technique you can out-do a lot of big guys.

“If you mix both strength and technique into throwing, you’re going to throw far. Sometimes you see guys as skinny as I am who throw it far, and you can just tell that the technique is what is getting them to throw long distances.”

Maharjan, who finished wrestling season a month ago, said competing in multiple sports has helped improve his core strength, and that means farther throws in the shot put and discus.

“I just got off wrestling, and that helped with my motivation,” Maharjan said. “Doing other sports has helped me build my core strength up to where it needs to be to throw like I have.”

Of course, pure size and muscle doesn’t hurt.

Columbus East senior Brock Patterson, the Republic’s Defensive Athlete of the Year for football who also throws both shot put and discus, said the Olympians rely on their strength program to get the explosion needed in the field events.

“We stick to explosive weightlifting workouts,” Patterson said. “Olympic lifts help a lot to get both form and the explosion. We have to rely on our hips and legs to get the push we need, so we do multiple exercises to improve the throw.”

Patterson said little things, like extending the arm at the right time or the perfect spin, can improve a throw’s distance.

“Shot put involves more strength than discus,” Patterson said. “We rely on form a little more in discus, but if you don’t have the technique down for either, it’s not going to be a far throw.”

Columbus North coach Lou Sipe said that while having core strength is helpful, form is what can boost distance.

“You have to be explosive enough and strong enough to implement a good throw,” Sipe said. “If you don’t have the technique, you can’t use the weight room strength you’ve been building up to throw far.”

“Sheer power can only get you so far,” Sipe said. “With a little technique, your throw can go a long way.”

Sipe said his athletes’ focus to better themselves in the weight room and inside the throwing ring has them ready for the season.

“We have a good group of coaches that work with the team,” Sipe said. “We have a good strength program we implement, and our guys want to take the time and work on both strength and technique to perform well.”

“A kid who is explosive in the weight room is going to be an incredibly explosive thrower,” Columbus East coach David Miller said. “Coach Jonathan Martin develops the kid’s with their form and has for a long time by doing drills. As the kids get older, their technique gets better.”

“We have real hard workers who have been training well,” Miller said. “What is unique about our guys is that they are built perfectly to throw, and that will pay dividends this season.

“If you look at all the top college athletes, the main thing is their speed,” Miller said. “They are around 200 pounds, but their speed is what is getting them big throws.”