Coach expects N.Z. hammer standards to soar

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32304, 23 May 1970, Page 9

Coach expects N.Z. hammer standards to soar

VOBODY in New Zealand knows more about the art of throwing the hammer than Mr J. R. Brown, of Christchurch. His incredible record of 21 wins in the Canterbury championship is never likely to be matched and, although the New Zealand title he so richly deserved always escaped him, he was runner-up on four occasions.

Now Mr Brown is regarded as the leading hammer throwing coach in the country. In this sphere he is already rivaling his success as a competitor. Earlier this year two Christchurch athletes under his guidance, W. J. Nicoll, and his son, Perry, won the New Zealand senior and junior titles, respectively. They also broke the senior and junior national records, and Nicholl climaxed the season by being chosen to represent the Dominion in the hammer at the forthcoming Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. Mr Brown is certainly setting the pace in this facet of athletics.

Other prominent throwers who have met with success under the Technical coach’s methods are G. Grant—third in the New Zealand championship behind D. Gilliland (Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay) —and B. Harland, who won the Canterbury championship last year. “Bernie (Harland) is the one to watch in the next few years,” Mr Brown said. “He has only been throwing for four seasons and periods of military training have frequently upset his preparation.” “Warwick Nicholl has an extremely good competitive temperament, but his technique is definitely not right at the moment.

“We’re working on it, but it’s too dangerous to try to change him too radically at this stage.” Mr Brown added, referring to Nicholl’s intensive weight-training and throwing build-up over the next eight weeks. Mr Brown felt that M. Cheater (Auckland), Nicholl’s great throwing rival

who missed games selection but who will be at Edinburgh as a spectator while on a two-year visit to Great Britain, was treated unkindly by the selectors. “When you consider that some of those selected have stilj to pass fitness tests or have not yet done the qualifying times, I think Cheater

was rather unlucky. He broke the standard several times.” Cheater (192 ft 3in) beat Nicholl (191 ft 2in) at the Kaiapoi Track and Field Classic, which was also a Commonwealth Games trial, and he bettered this distance when Nicholl set his present national record of 195 ft 2in at the Hastings Highland Games. However, Mr Brown felt that Cheater allowed himself to get “too keyed up” at the New Zealand championships, no-throwing with five of his attempts and gaining only a lowly 167 ft 9in for fourth placing with his solitary valid throw. Mr Brown, who won his last Canterbury title just two years ago at the age of 51, considers there has been outstanding changes in New Zealand hammer throwing techniques in the last few years.

“I was coaching in the old style, but now I follow the European techniques. “The boys are really picking it up now and in threeto four years they will all be over 200 ft.” “With the old New Zealand style, you used your arms to put the power in,” Mr Brown explained. “Now the boys try to use the feet and the hips to obtain extra swing—something like a golf strike, but still with terrific power coming from the arms and shoulders.” “Overseas they really string on the hammer at the high point and this is what our boys must learn to do.” Beginning coaching more than two decades ago while still to reach a peak as a competitor himself, Mr Brown was a member of the New Zealand team at the Auckland Commonwealth Games in 1950, together with two of his pupils, M. Carr and A. Fuller. Another pupil, D. Leech, represented New Zealand at the Perth Commonwealth Games in 1962. Mr Brown’s best distance in competition was 151 ft lin in an inter-provincial contest against Wellington in 1950 and on that occasion he had the misfortune to be beaten by Carr by Jin on the last throw.

Such a performance pales when compared with today’s

standards of almost 200 ft, but it must be remembered that that was 20 years ago. But even New Zealand’s best does not compare favourably with the rest of the world, where tremendous improvement has been made.

A. Bondarchuk (U.S.S.R.), aged 29, recently ended the R. Klin (U.S.S.R.)-G. Zsivotsky (Hungary) era with a world record throw of 247 ft 7 4 in, more than 50ft better than Nicholl’s New Zealand record.

However, with the availability of the latest German techniques to make the break-through, Mr Brown believes that several of New Zealand’s best are capable of major improvements. “A thrower can go on much longer because its a combination of technique, balance and power that counts.

“The strength required is not like the explosive power of a sprinter, who can only hope to stay at the top for about five years. “The use pf centrifugal force enables the thrower to take longer to build up power for the throw.” A good example of the active longevitey of hammer throwers is H. Connolly (U.S.A.), a veteran of several Olympic Games who is now 38 and in virtual semiretirement. He threw a distance of 232 ft sin late last year, which was the world’s seventh-best effort for 1969.