The Topeka state journal., 1900-02-26

palm of the hand is downward and the
fingers are clasped around the bottom
of the discus. The arm is then out
stretched and the athlete poses exactly
the same as in throwing the hammer.
OLD STYLE.
AS in the old style of hammer throw
ing, a complete turn of the body is
made before the missile leaves the
hand. 1t is then delivered much the
same as in the scaling of a card, and
the best results are to be obtained by
scaling the discus as straight before
you as possible. OF course. in this
statement I have described my own
method, but, as in almost every game
of this kind, methods vary in accord
ance with the individual opinions of the
players. Each man feels the uncertainty
of his aim and hopes to devise a meth
cd that, if practiced thoroughly. will
enable him to overcome this disadvan-
tage.
It is impossible for us to tell lust how
the ancient throwers of the discus went
to work to achieve the wonderful re-
suits that have been accorded them. If
the critics are correct, however, the an
cient Greeks relied upon strength rath-
er than speed, whereas, the modern
discobolus has learned to trust in the
speed of his swing rather than il the
strength of his arm. In my opinion, it
would be much easier to make a good
throw with a heavy discus iEsthe mod
ern method than it would be if we fol-
lowed the ancient way of playing the
game, as the weight is of little import
ance to the athlete who swings his
whole body properly.
1t is only fair to the Greek to say
however, that the weight of his discus
is not known. During the excavations
carried on 1t Olympia some years ago,
about a dozen specimens of the discus
of ancient times were found. To the
CONSERVATION of students, they were of
widely different weight and size. They
varied in weight from one and one
al. Ill 4
kilos and were of various dimensions
They were made of bronze, lepticuIar
in shape. and were for the most part
uninscribed.
OF course, it might be possible for US
to explain the different weights by ref
erence to the games of boys of different
ages, and yet it must be admitted that
the question as to whether there was
any established weight or any fixed
mode of delivery still remains unset
tied.
CHANGE IN METHOD.
Another point Of apparent difference
between the ancient and modern discus
thrOWers lies in the method of grasp
ing the discus. According to the best
authorities, the Greek player grasped
his discus firmly with his fingers, and
the statues that have been left GER
tainly show him with the first two
joints turned about the edge of the
missile. The modern athlete, on the
other hand. merely rests the discus on
the joints OF the fingers.
AS 1 have already said. so little is
known of the actual technique of the
ancient game that it is almost impos-
sible to make any accurate comparison
between the two methods of throwing
the weight. The only records of the
work of ancient discus throWers are too
vague to offer much assistance in such
a study. a few classic authors speak
of the game, but their descriptions are
not technical and the works of art that
A--&s
thrower are SO constructed that one is
compelled to ask what it is that the
player expects to do next.
J. FRED. POWERS.