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Highland Games Basics: 1-2 Drill When I was a freshman in college I had a great throws coach who quickly identified a few problems in my shot put approach; like most all 18 year olds, I had bad habits as well as things I did naturally that needed work. I think that’s an important aspect of throwing we often overlook – what we call “bad habits” may just be natural dispositions toward throwing that event. Some of us are made to be big putters while others are made to chuck massive hammer craters. To me, that’s the beauty of the...

Before you can master the two turn in the weights for distance, you must be proficient in the one turn. Now, I’m not saying you can only throw the one turn for a long period of time before event attempting the two turn; I’m saying don’t abandon the usefulness of a one turn. For me, this drill serves multiple purposes at each of my practices: warm up, initiating the drive to the front of the box and dialing in my finish. Start this drill with your feet in the position where you land after the entry of your first turn....

A large number of throwers build their practice schedule very simply; they go out on Saturday and throw all nine events. For about five hours they exhaust themselves in an attempt to get through all the events in one afternoon and a goal to “throw a full games.” Simply put, this is a rough reciple for really honing your technique for each event. I structure my throws sessions like below, as I’ve found this to work for me. That’s key — find what works for you. This is an “ideal” week, but with a full-time job and five kids, “ideal” is many...

It seems one of the most hated (and loved) events in the Heavy Events is the one that isn't necessarily a part of the historical Heavy Events: the Sheaf Toss. You see, it's originally a North American addition to the games. The genesis of this event is unclear, whether it was because we North American farm boys can really chuck a bale of hay or that we wanted to get the upper hand on the Scots in an event they were unfamiliar with. Who knows? But, if you've jumped into this sport, then you know the love/hate relationship many athletes have with...

When I first started throwing, I struggled greatly with the caber, and that’s no exaggeration. Just ask some of my fellow HASA members and they’ll tell you.. So, I did what any newbie would do - I turned to YouTube. Through my rigorous research, one man kept coming up as a dude who crushed monster cabers; legend was that there wasn't a caber this guy couldn't turn. Mike Smith is this man's name, and I quickly decided that if I want to be even pedestrian at this event (it took me five games before I even turned my first one),...