Wide Sweep or Narrow? There is only one correct answer.
It’s Friday and I will be reviewing film all day today for our online members of coaches and throwers.
(If you’re a member, I will have notes for your various throws video submissions later today in our private Facebook group.)
Reviewing all these throwing videos, I have seen some real horror stories regarding the sweep leg in the rotational throws. I have also been told some equally horrifying stories about improper coaching of the sweep leg.
This got me thinking… this would be a good opportunity to shoot you a Quick Tip Friday and ask all the ATN weekly subscribers and members to stage an intervention if you hear about the scissor style, kick, driver, sweep nonsense.
One recent story shared with me was that of a former college thrower/football player who is now a football/track coach.
Now this happens a lot and it’s typically a good thing, BUT this coach made a fatal error…
… He thinks he knows it all.
That does not fit the “I don’t know anything” philosophy we talked about, or the “always be learning” school of thought in the TCR™ system that has been expressed and posted in the video earlier this week.
So, if you have ever wondered about whether to sweep or a “kick the right leg” … wonder no more!
Never Kick. Nobody kicks. It’s a wide sweep.
The wider, the better.
I wrote to you about 50m/50 vs 70m/70 where I talked about not teaching inferior technique.
The leg must be wide. There are a number of reasons why it can be wide and why it ends up being narrow.
Narrow is a result of things falling apart. Teaching it to be narrow is a mistake.
I have seen videos on YouTube of it being taught horribly wrong.
If you are new to throwing, incorrect explanations of technique could possibly seem to make sense because you’re new to the sport and open to anything…
… But in reality, what they are saying makes no sense at all if you study the TCR™ system, and you would quickly realize that it is a garbage explanation.
Now, I know there is no malice on the part of those teaching it wrong, but they owe it to themselves and the throwers they teach to learn how it really works. You know what they say about the road to hell, right?
Sometimes this narrow pendulum style sweep is justified because people claim in teaches kids to move across the circle. Teaching kids to use the entire ring is often is a mistake too.
Anthony Washington won the 1999 World Championships, setting a WC record of 69.08m at the time. (And inside a stadium… that’s a massive throw!)
He is about 6’1 and weighed 235lbs, perhaps the greatest thrower pound for pound in this history of the sport.
Point is, his block leg landed about 16-18” from the front of the ring. He used about a 6 ½ foot circle. (I’ll save that for next week)
He set a championship record at the time… and not to mention, he was lightning fast!
Don’t get hung up on that “whole ring” thing either. When you teach kids to move across the ring the wrong way, your teaching 50/50 or worse technique.
There is only one way to sweep. If you see someone not teaching a wide sweep leg, please attempt to start a throws coaching intervention – Lol
The longer a coach insists on teaching the narrow kicking type sweep, the more damage to the thrower’s immediate and long-term development.
So, vow to save a thrower from bad coaching. There is no narrow sweep; only wide.
Learn the TCR™, learn to how to filter potentially confusing info you find on the Internet, and master how to fast track your coaching and throwing success.
Happy Quick Tip Friday!
– Coach Johnson
P.S. Here’s a quick throws coaching video about the wide sweep:
