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My throwers all glide. How important is getting the back foot to 90 degrees in the power position? I know Feurbach(sp?) teaches that it's important, but alot of the European gliders like Timmerman don't seem to pay any attention to it and land it pointing at 12:00 as opposed to 9:00. I've read some articles that mention the Feurbach vs European technique, but this is the only difference I can see when I watch video. What am I missing? Which do you think is best and why?

Thanks,
CoachMK

The purpose of the glide is to provide maximum functional speed for the delivery. Most technical errors in shot putting stem from incorrectly initiating the glide by overemphasizing horizontal drive and velocity across the circle. The increase in velocity to the center of the circle is insignificant compared to the adverse effect on release parameters of height, angle, and velocity.
Immediately following extension, the thrower quickly recovers and rotates the right leg and foot 90 degrees to the throwing direction. The left foot contacts the circle slightly after the right foot and the toe is approximately aligned with the right heel. Placement will be on the ball of the foot, under the body, and near the center of the circle with the shot remaining behind the right foot. This alignment enhances accelerated hip rotation for a quicker strike at delivery. With a well-executed glide, the shot starts an upward trajectory which continues through delivery.

Thanks for the reply George. I guess my real question is how do I get my throwers to consistently hit the "reverse C" position at release? The foot placement and shot placement of my better throwers is pretty much as you describe. The thing that varies is the direction the rear foot is pointing when it touches down. I see "Timmerman" style and "Feurbach" style throwers both hitting the reverse C position in delivery, so I'm thinking that the direction of the rear foot at touch down isn't that important. The important thing seems to be driving the right hip forward out of the power position, but I haven't found the right teaching methodology to get them to do this consistently. They do it fairly well from standing throws but lose it when they glide. Maybe your point about rushing out of the back is the problem. They may just be out of control and should be less explosive out of the back of the ring. What do you think?

CoachMK