A three-dimensional analysis of shot putting in elite male Italian athletes.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the shot put biomechanics in the best male Italian shot put throwers (ISP) and to compare their technical characteristics with those of world class athletes (WC) described in previous investigations. Methods: The best six Italian shot putters of the year 2016 (age 20.2 ± 3.6 yrs, PB 18.44 ± 1.26 m) were recorded using three video cameras FULL HD (60 frames/s, 1920x1080 pixel) while competing at the Italian Athletics Championships. For each athlete, the best attempt was considered for 3D analysis, performed using SIMI Motion (Simi Reality Motion Systems GmbH, Unterschleissheim, Germany). A selection of relevant technical parameters wasexamined. Results: We observed some meaningful differences between ISP and WC. In particular, ISP showed shorter shot trajectories during the double support phase (DSP) compared to WC (1.29 ± 0.23 cm vs 1.61 ± 0.14 cm, respectively) and overall a lower release velocity (12.25 ± 1.04 m/s vs. 13.73 ± 0.26 m/s, respectively). In addition, at the start of DSP, WC showed a more flexed right knee than ISP (120 to 140 vs 94 to 117, respectively) and the throwing arm parallel to the ground, unlike ISP that showed an angle of 33 ± 18 between the arm and the ground. Conclusions: The analysis underlined some technical errors of ISP compared to WC throwers. The inferior performance of ISP compared to WC may be related to a lower release velocity, that previous research1,2 identified as the most important parameter for performance. The reduction of release velocity could be linked to shorter shot trajectories during DSP. At the start of DSP, ISP showed a different right arm and knee position as compared to WC, and probably this difference explained the shorter trajectory, the lower release velocity of the shot and, therefore, the lower level performance of ISP. Coaches should be aware that body position at DSP has to be improved in order to extend the shot trajectory and improve release velocity. References 1. Gutierrez-Davila M et al. (2009) Biomechanical analysis of the shot put at the 12th IAAF World Indoor Championship. New Studies in Athletics 24: 3-45 2. Goss-Sampson MA, Chapman M (2003) Temporal and kinematic analysis of the rotational shot put technique. Journal of Sports Sciences 21: 237-238