ToughASIA

Just when you think you're tough enough

Obstacle Race

How to skewer the Spear Thrown in Spartan Race?

Sharpen and hone your spear throw. (Spartan Magazine)
Sharpen and hone your spear throw. (Spartan Magazine)

The spear-throw is the most disheartening Spartan obstacle we know. How could such a lightweight piece of wood drag more people to the ground panting in push-up position than any other obstacle?

SGX Coach Todd M. Cambio, CSCS, shares insights that will turn you into an unstoppable spear-throwing machine.

“I want you to picture throwing a football (rugby ball). More precisely, the top [part] of the football-throwing motion. This particular throwing motion is most similar to throwing a spear,” says Todd. “

Once you have mastered this movement pattern, find a meterlong spear and attach it to 15 meters of light rope for easy retrieval. Find a barrier, about waist-height and 10 meters away from your target, and stand behind it.

After that, says Todd, practice takes six simple steps.

  • Erase any doubt.
  • Put the slack of the rope over the barrier.
  • Grasp the spear roughly at its midpoint so that it is balanced in your hand. Hold it around ear-height. Relax your grip.
  • Once you have the spear balanced, take two steps back.
  • Step forward with the leg opposite to your spear-throwing arm. At the same time, throw the spear. “I suggest aiming a little high,” says Todd.
  • On the follow-through, your hand should point toward the target; this is crucial. Think about the follow through on throwing a dart.

Rinse, lather, and repeat until you “find your groove,” as Todd says, and start to like the idea of wearing a loin cloth.

Don’t have a spear? “Start throwing the football around,” says Todd.

Source: Spartan Magazine