Two Valuable Hammer Throw Training Tips

• By Grant Young

The journey from being a good hammer thrower to a great one often hinges on subtle coaching nuances and slight shifts in hammer throw workouts that may not always be immediately visible. 

While an athlete might have the physical prowess and a fundamental understanding of the sport, it is often the less obvious elements introduced by a knowledgeable coach that can unlock the athlete's full potential. These small coaching details contribute to refining skills and enhancing performance in ways that can be transformative. 

The impact of tailored feedback during training sessions cannot be understated; it allows athletes to discover and fine-tune their unique throwing styles. Coaches help cultivate an environment where athletes can develop confidence in their abilities and learn to tackle the mental aspects of competition, which can significantly differentiate a good performance from a great one. 

The relationship between coach and athlete plays a pivotal role in nurturing the right mindset. A great coach knows how to inspire their athlete, fostering resilience and a sense of purpose that can elevate competition outcomes. As athletes learn to embrace challenges and visualize success, they often find themselves approaching competitions with a new level of composure and determination. 

The evolution from good to great in hammer throwing illustrates how small but intentional guidance from a coach can shift an athlete's trajectory. These understated yet critical contributions create a ripple effect, influencing not just technique but the overall approach to both training and competition, leading to extraordinary results.

With this in mind, we have pulled two vital hammer throw tips from two proven track and field coaches that could end up becoming key in your quest to unlock the potential that your hammer throwers are destined for. 

Paddy McGrath - Swings

Patrick McGrath is a 1995 graduate of Manhattan College and a former track and field Olympian and current assistant coach at Manhattan College and founder of The New York Hammer Squad. He oversaw the trio of Nina Bjorkman, Lasma Padedze and Alexandra Preckajlo that accounted for two golds, three silvers, one bronze and 54 total points at the 2021 MAAC Outdoor Women's Track & Field Championship.

Following the season, he helped Rudy Winkler to the USA Championship in the hammer throw and a seventh place finish at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

With experience at the international, collegiate and high school levels, McGrath has mentored NCAA, Senior National, Junior, and Youth champions. Ten of his athletes have won high school national titles, and four have claimed New York State championships. McGrath also coached Track and Field News' 2013 High School Boys Athlete of the Year. In 2019, three of his Manhattan throwers qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Regionals. 

In his ‘Athlete Development: How Rudy Winkler Went From Beginner to American Record’ clinic, Coach McGrath details how a consistent dedication to the technical work is needed to be great, and that starts with the swing. 

Coach McGrath noted how he likes to see the ball in front of the thrower as they prepare their swing. For a right-handed thrower, their weight should be on the left while they’re singing on the right side. 

A term that he loves using with his athletes is “brush the hair” when discussing how close he wants the hammer swing to be to their head. Of course, they mustn’t get too close where they run a risk of whacking their head with the hammer. 

Another training strategy that he likes athletes to use is starting the swing with three fingers, moving down to two fingers, and then ultimately finishing with only swinging while using their pinky finger. This is so the athlete learns to let the ball do its own and create and sustain its own momentum, which is crucial for conserving energy. 

Nathan Ott - Catch

Nathan Ott begins his third season guiding Penn State’s throws group in 2024-25. During his coaching career, Ott has coached All-Americans in each and every one of the throws events. In his first two season with the Nittany Lions, Ott has mentored a pair of First Team All-Americans and has seen three school records toppled.

 During the summer of 2023, Ott returned to the World Athletics Championships, this time with a contingent of four professional hammer throwers under his guidance. Brooke Andersen (U.S.A.), Nayoka Clunis (Jamaica), Beatrice Llano (Norway), and Stamatia Scarvelis (Greece) traveled to Budapest with Ott as their coach. Clunis became the first Jamaican hammer thrower ever to make the World Championship final in the event.

In his ‘Hammer Training: Tales of Connection and Engine Work’ clinic, Coach Ott discusses how his “catch” term is a core part of solidifying a hammer throw’s technique. 

Coach Ott explains that the catch is the point where an athlete reestablishes double support in their throw. 

He goes on to note that good catches have weight firmly on the left side (if the athlete is a right-handed thrower). The thrower can’t be collapsing on the right side or aggressively dropping, instead being stable once the right foot touches. 

Because of this good connection, the athlete will immediately become capable of working on an effective implementation which will lead to a good throw. 

A poor catch is when the weight collapses into the right leg, where the athlete isn’t immediately able to explode out of that position. The ball should always be back and the athlete should keep connected with it.