1. PED 321-Kinesiology
Exercise Analysis
Megan Owen
December 2, 2011
Throwing of a shot put is a very complex movement which requires the use of many
muscles and body systems. The purpose of the movement is to throw the shot put as far as
possible within an area while staying in the given boundaries. Many things go into successfully
throwing the shot put. Coh, Supej, Stuhec, and Smajlovi stated, “the distance thrown is defined
primarily by the path over which force is applied to the shot which is manifested in the release
velocity, the angle of release, and the height of release” (2007). This movement can be divided
into three phases: the preparatory phase, the throwing phase, and the follow-through phase.
The preparatory phase includes the steps taken to get the velocity needed to successfully throw
the shot put, the throwing phase is what needs to happen to release the shot put, and the
follow-through phase includes the steps taken to lower the arm, regain balance, and bring the
thrower back to a normal standing position. This skill is a combination movement classified as
an action to give motion. A combination movement contains simultaneous movement in which
“all of the movement is directed along a straight line”, and sequential movement which
involves the “use of the segments in an orderly sequence so that the subsequent segments are
accelerated at the appropriate time to create the highest possible speed” (Hamilton, Weimar, &
Luttgens 2008). Shot put is a combination movement because it “involves the sequential use of
the lower extremities and trunk followed by the simultaneous use of the upper extremity to
safely move the relatively large weight of the shot” (Hamilton et. al 2008). This analysis will

2. cover the throwing phase and include all the joints and muscles that are used to perform this
part of the action.
The three main joints used during the throwing phase of the shot put are the shoulder
girdle, the elbow, and the wrist. At the beginning of this phase, the shoulder is hyper-extended,
the elbow is flexed, and the wrist is hyper-extended. The athlete has the shot put resting on the
palmer side of the hand with his/her fingers grasping it. It is placed beside the chin on the side
of their throwing arm. The elbow is pulled close to the body to help transmit all the power to
the shot put.
In this starting position, the shoulder is moved posteriorly to about a 160 degree angle;
a movement in the sagittal plane along bilateral axis, the elbow is pulled posteriorly and fully
flexed to about 160 degrees; a movement in the sagittal plane along the bilateral axis, and the
wrist is hyper-extended to about 80 degrees; a movement in the sagittal plane along the
bilateral axis.
Many muscles in the upper extremities are used to get the body into this starting
position of the throwing phase. The muscles responsible for hyper-extension the shoulder
include the posterior deltoid muscle performing a concentric contraction, the latissimus dorsi
performing concentric contraction, the triceps brachii contracting concentrically, and the teres
major contacting concentrically. By the biceps brachii, brachialis, and the brachioradialis
contracting concentrically the elbow is brought into flexion, and the wrist is brought into hyper-
extension by the concentric contraction of the extensor carpi radialis longus and brevis,
extensor digitorum, and the extensor carpi ulnaris.

3. At the end of the movement, the shoulder girdle is protracted, the elbow extended, and
the wrist flexed. At this point, the shot put is out of the hands of the athlete, the arm is fully
extended and the wrist is in resting position. The angles of this finishing position include the
shoulder in about a 145 degree angle, the elbow fully extended into a 180 degree angle, and
the wrist in a 180 degree angle. The movement of the shoulder from hyper-extension into
flexion is a movement in the sagittal plane along the bilateral axis, the movement of the elbow
from extension into flexion is an action in the sagittal plane along the bilateral axis, and the
flexing of the wrist is in the sagittal plane along the bilateral axis.
The muscles needed to move the shoulder from hyper-extension into flexion are the
deltoid, pectoralis major, biceps brachii, and the coracobrachialis. These muscles all are
contracting eccentrically. The triceps brachii long head, medial head, and lateral head, and the
anconeus are responsible for the extension of the elbow. All three heads of the triceps contract
eccentrically along with the anconeus.

4. Within the movement of throwing the shot put, there are some neurological
considerations to be mindful of. The nervous systemcan initiate, modify, and coordinate
muscular action (Hamilton et. al 2008). A reflex that is active during this motion is the stretch
reflex. The stretch reflex is stimulated by the stretch on the muscle which stimulates the muscle
spindle; this results in the reflex contraction of the stretched muscle and its synergist muscles
and relaxation of it antagonist muscles. This reflex happens during the forceful extension of the
arm. It also is an important factor of keeping the athlete balanced before, during, and after the
throw.
Though the muscles of the arm are important to the successfulness of the throw, the
abdominals are also critical. The muscles of the abdomen include internal and external oblique,
the transverse abdominis, and the rectus abdominis. The contraction of these muscles helps
provide the power to throw the shot and also help maintain balance before, during, and after
the throwing of the shot put. Without the use of the abdominal muscles, the throw would not
be possible. The athlete is not standing still during this activity; there is a complex movement in
the preparatory phase to help the body get momentum. Without the use of the abdominals,
the athlete would fall down before even releasing the shot.
To avoid injury during this sport, the athlete must be properly trained. This training
includes the teaching of how to perform the whole skill properly along with muscle and
flexibility training. The lack of any of this can lead to unwanted injuries. The importance of
teaching the athlete how to properly perform the skill is so the athlete can do the motion
without wasting energy so he/she can use as much energy as possible to throw the shot put as
far as possible. Proper muscle and flexibility training allow the athlete to condition the body to

5. the stresses that are going to be put upon it. The lack of this training can lead to injury because
the body will have internal and external stresses that it is not used to having.
For each movement, there is a desired outcome. The underlying objective of throwing
the shot put is projection for maximum range and maximum effort for maximum force. This
action uses maximum range because the goal is to throw the shot as far as possible; the athlete
has to apply maximum force to the shot to be able to reach this goal.
In this movement, the shot put is the projectile. With all projectiles there is a projected
path which has been shown to be the most successful if followed. This path is called a parabola.
The projectile, in this case the shot put, can be projected more many different reasons. The
reason in this case is for distance (Hamilton et. al 2008). Once the projectile is released, many
things act upon it. These include gravity as a constant, a vector, and possibly air resistance. The
vector specifies both the magnitude and direction (Hamilton et. al 2008). These objects cause
the projectile to fall.
There are many mechanical principles that can cause error while throwing the shot put.
These include the speed of movement, balance, direction, timing, and the pressure of the air
(Hamilton et. al 2008). As mentioned before, the preparatory phase of this movement involves
some specific movements to execute the action successfully. By not performing these correctly,
you could lose speed of the movement which would cause the shot put to not go as far. The
athlete needs to have a good sense of direction so the projectile can be released in the given
bounds so a foul is not called. Being able to release the shot at the right time will allow the
projectile to follow the projected path. If it is not released on time or with the correct angle, the
shot is not able to follow the path of best success. Also, since the shot put is usually an outdoor

6. activity, the weather can adversely affect how far the shot travels. If it is windy or there is high
air pressure, changes need to be made by the athlete to still be able to throw the shot put as
far.
If the athlete is not able to throw the shot as far as he/she should be able to, there are
many things to look at in which error may have occurred. The speed of the movement is very
important to the distance the shot is thrown. This speed is reached in the preparatory phase.
The athlete may need to evaluate the steps in which he/she is taking in this phase and make
sure that it is being performed correctly. If it is, the athlete may just need to practice the
motion to be able to do it correctly and as fast as possible while still maintaining a sense of
direction and balance.
Another source of error could be that the athlete is not conditioned enough and,
therefore, does not have the strength to throw the heavy projectile. This can be fixed by having
the athlete condition more and incorporate exercises the isolates the muscles that are used
during this motion. Also, if the athlete’s muscles are tight, stretching will help allowing for the
given area to move in the full range of motion.
The sport of shot put has many different things that combine to the successfulness of
the motion. Many joints and muscles are used throughout the motion and many body systems
are incorporated. All these parts being included in the motion allow for many places for error or
injury to occur. By being knowledgeable about the sport and being able to successful analysis
the motion, you can help the athlete perform the action using as much power as possible
helping them be successful in the sport. This knowledge will also help the athlete prevent error
and injury while participating in the sport they love.

7. Skill being analyzed: Throwing a shot put
Phase being analyzed: Throwing phase
Name ofJoint Starting
Position
ObservedJoint
Action
SegmentBeing
Moved
Force For
Movement
Main Muscle
Group Active
Kind Of
Contraction
Shoulder Hyper-
extension
Flexion Upper
Extremity
Muscle Latissimusdorsi Concentric
Elbow Flexion Extension LowerArm Muscle Triceps Eccentric
Wrist Hyper-
Extension
Flexion Wrist Muscle Flexors Concentric

8. Works Cited
Arm: muscles of the upper arm. [Art]. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/119224/Muscles-of-the-upper-arm.
Coh, M., Supej, M., Stuhec, S., & Smajlovi, N. (2007). Biodynamic Analysis of the
Rotational Shot Put Technique. Track Coach, (181), 5769-5775.
Functional Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles. (2011). www.getbodysmart.com.
Hamilton, N., Weimar, W., & Luttgens, K. (2008). Kinesiology: Scientific Basis of Human
Motion. 11th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.