Piggy in the middle Javelin Drill

September 21, 2023

One problem with developing throwers, and even an area that could be improved for many high level throwers, is that the speed from the penultimate step into the delivery/block step is far too slow. During a consultation I had with 2016 Olympic champion Thomas Rohler, he believed this is a key aspect of performance that enables a thrower to convert momentum into distance

I wanted to come up with a game based activity for improving delivery step velocity in Javelin that would be simple to play for athletes on any level that had 2 criteria-

  1. Contains an overhead throw
  2. Requires dynamic movement and throwing in motion- the quicker the better

Using the traditional piggy in the middle set up:

  • 3 athletes total
  • the piggy is the athlete in the middle trying to intercept throws from the other two
  • in this drill, the piggy can and become a thrower by either preventing a completed throw, either by catching or intercepting and retaining the implement, or by tagging a thrower who is in possession of the implement
  • The thrower tagged or responsible for the incomplete throw will become the new piggy
  • This last mechanic is critical to ensuring the athletes are moving at a high enough speed into their crossover and delivery steps
  • Athletes can utilize their regular throwing mechanics at whatever stage of learning they are at but I would remind throwers who are working on using their segments to try to continue doing so where possible.

Possible Modifications:

  • No drops allowed to require improved accuracy
  • Change implement: Tennis ball/ vortex
  • Release the implement within a time limit counted by coach if athlete is running too much
  • Add a minimum distance requirement so that throws are further and more explosive
  • Add more athletes- can become similar to ultimate frisbee/invasion game- trying to get to a try line or targeting a certain number of completions to score a point

I have observed that the athletes I have tested this drill on (both beginner and intermediate to advanced) both achieved the drill criteria of throwing at speed.