Jim Fuchs: A Thrower Who Redefined the Game
If you have ever watched the shot put during the Olympics, a World Championship, or the NCAAs, you will typically see shot putters do one of two movements. They will either spin or glide across the ring to generate the speed and power needed for their throw.
Have you ever wondered where this technique came from?
The history behind the development of the glide is a rather interesting one. Generally, everything about track comes down to speed, power, and form. From throws to jumps, the goal is to make a body or object move with more speed and more power, which is achieved through proper form.
The need for form, power, and speed is particularly evident in shot put. Extremely strong men and women assemble and pirouette or glide across a circle in order to accelerate a heavy metal ball into the air and have it fly for several meters. Throwers will spin or glide with the shot in order to generate significant momentum to throw the shot a considerable distance.
These techniques were developed over time by athletes who sought a way to leverage their brawn and brain to improve their performance.
One of these game changers is Jim Fuchs.
Fuchs was an American athlete who competed in the discus throw and shot put. In college he competed at Yale in football and track & field. However, after a leg injury, his coaches shifted his focus to shot put and discus. After suffering from a leg injury, he was unable to continue to throw in the traditional style.
Jim Fuchs competing using the glide technique
So, he developed a new shot put technique, where he gilded sideways across the ring. This technique allowed him to shot put smoothly and without pain.
In addition, to allowing him to perform with injury, the new technique result in a dramatic increase in distance in his throws. This manner of doing shot that has since been widely adapted by other competitors.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he was able to use this technique to set world records and dominate in the sport. In the end of this collegiate career, Fuchs won several NCAA championships. Then, he moved on to represent the U.S. on the international stage. He won bronze medals in shot put in the 1948 London Summer Olympics and the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics. [3] He set his first world record in June 1949 at Oslo, Norway with a throw off 17.79 meters [58’ 4.50”]. In April 1950, he extended it to 17.82m [58’ 5.5”] in Los Angeles. That August he broke his own record again with a distance of 17.95 meters [58’10.75”].
After his retirement, he went on to become a successful businessman in the communications and human resources fields. He passed away in late 2010. Nonetheless, he forever lives on in the very movements that athletes around the world make as they compete in shot-put.
