Assessment Task 4
Discus
1. Discus is a complex sport that requires skill and a lot of training. The discus is held in the dominant hand putting the first knuckles of your fingers around the edge. Your hand must be spread wide but not strained. You must orient your wrist so your index finger is directly in line with your forearm. You must then align yourself with the target area, either at your left shoulder or behind you. Most professionals face away from the target, which requires another 90 degrees of spin and can be a more difficult manoeuvre but optimizes throwing speed on a properly executed throw. Just before your right leg is planted, your left leg should rise off the ground with the momentum of your …show more content…
The fingers extend when releasing the discus in order to get distance. The elbow, which is a hinge joint, allows bending when coming back across the body after hyperextension behind the body. It is then in a pronation position when extended forward. The muscular system also plays a major role in throwing a discus. The entire muscular system is required to enable to discus throw. The tibialis anterior, located near the tibia, allows the feet to produce the action of dorsiflexion, inversion and eversion. For the knee to be able to flex, the gastrocnemius and the hamstrings perform a concentric movement whilst the quadriceps and tibialis anterior create the eccentric movement because they lengthen. The erector spinae allows for the back to extend when the individual swings their arms back and forth around their body in preparation of releasing the discus. This allows for the muscle length to increase so that muscle is completing an eccentric contraction. Because the body is moving from side to side, the external obliques flex as the trunk rotates. Whilst the athlete is moving to the left, the left hand side …show more content…
Biomechanical principles deal with the scientific basis of human movement. Analysis of the way the body moves during the sport has led to improved and advances performance using newly developed techniques and modified or changed sports equipment. The first aspect of biomechanics that has an influence on discus is motion. Angular motion and momentum are the most influential in discus. Angular motion is motion in a curved or circular path. Discus is the best example of angular motion, as the thrower is moving in a circular path in preparation for the release of the discus. Linear and angular motion are combined in most movement activities. Momentum is the amount of motion possessed by a moving object. A moving object has a certain mass and velocity and the two of these together equals the momentum. The greater the momentum of the body, the greater the tendency to resist changes in motion. External forces can have an influence on momentum, as can internal forces. The greater the mass, the greater the momentum. When professional athletes spin in circles will preparing to throw the discus, they are aiming to gain momentum in order for the disk to go a further distance. Balance and stability also occur in discus. Dynamic balance is balance in motion. While the discus thrower is beginning their throw, they must keep dynamic balance in order for their throw to go as preferred. There are many factors that influence stability. These include mass, base of support, centre of