Javelin Launch
The javelin launch is an athletics test in which, as the name suggests, men and women throw a Javelin, which is usually made of steel, behind the boundary that marks a curved line, at the end of a launch pad, towards a marked area, with the aim of reaching as far as possible.
The javelin launch is part of the athletics program of the modern era Olympic Games since 1908. The javelin launch was already for the Greeks in the 5th century BC one of the most important sports competitions. Its main athletes came from the Peltasts, a light infantry specialized in skirmishes that carried a wicker shield and several jabalines. With the Romans the javelin launch spread to other Mediterranean countries and from there spread throughout the planet.
In Spain the launch of Javelin developed with the Almogavars, shock troops and guerrillas present in all the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula along the reconquest and especially known for the active role played in the Mediterranean by those coming from the crown of Aragon between the XII and XV centuries. In 1908, when one of the first modern Olympics was held, the classical Greek javelin was recovered, which was made of wood or bamboo and had a leather ribbon in its centre of gravity that functioned as a propeller that provided strength and precision.
At the next Olympic Games, it was decided to dispense with the tie in the Javelins. In 1986 the design of the javelin was profoundly modified, advancing its centre of gravity to facilitate its penetration into the ground. The rules of this sport arose naturally among those who practiced it, until it began to be regulated by federations. Currently, the tournaments and competitions are fully regulated and there is both an International Federation of Athletics (IAAF), A European (EAA) and a Spanish One, The Real Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA), which include the launch of Javelin among their Sports.
The javelin launch is carried out from a launch corridor that is 4 meters wide and has a length never less than 33.50 meters. Where conditions permit, the minimum length should be 36.50 metres. It is marked with two parallel white lines 50 millimeters wide, 4 meters apart from each other. The launch takes place from behind an arch (front limit of the race track) with a maximum radius of 8 meters. The Arch is a curved line of white, wood or metal, or painted on the ground.
The drop zone of the artifact, as it is known, has an angle of 29º, a length of 100 meters and must be of ash, grass or other material in which the javelin leaves traces. The launch is everything in the javelin. It is a question of internalizing an initial starting position, of making a good race by carrying the javelin, transferring the speed of the race in the last steps to the gesture of throwing and doing it with an optimized release of tension, playing with the balance of the javelin and releasing it to the air at a very precise angle.
The javelin should be held by the gagging and thrown over the shoulder. For the launch to be valid, javelin cannot touch any part of the athlete’s body nor can it be launched in rotation. It has to be pulled straight and the metal tip of Steel must be the first thing that touches the ground. The whole process takes place in a few seconds. Let’s see it all in more detail, analyzing the time of Javelin launch, step by step.
The javelin is governed by the principles of physics more elemental: the power, the strength, the resistance to the air and by the nature of the materials they are made of javelins. In general, athletes participating in javelin throwing competitions are usually high and with great physical power, in addition, they possess great skill, agility, speed and, of course, strength.
Launchers often have an exceptional shoulder, in the sense that they can bend and relax with surprising ease. They also have a very well-trained and flexible elbow. As in the rest of the skills, athletics, throwers javelin make use of a singular fibers explosive, which will also help in the acceleration of the race with a few meters to carry it out. The rules of javelin throwing make it especially fast and explosive. It is very complete from the point of view of psychomotor and practicing it a lot of muscle groups are worked, from arms to legs, going through the back, abdominal and lumbar. The javelin launch is a highly recommended sport, which we encourage you to practice from Elk Sport.