this post was submitted on 09 Aug 2024
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Today I Learned

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[–] JASN_DE 133 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

To be fair: an athlete holding the spear by the end and hurling it... somewhere by accelerating it through rotating the body like a hammer thrower does sound slightly dangerous.

Also, the farthest throw was actually 104.8 meters.

[–] AbouBenAdhem 70 points 2 months ago (3 children)

But... weren’t javelins originally designed to be dangerous?

[–] JASN_DE 97 points 2 months ago

True, but even the earliest commanders usually frowned on spears coming their way which were meant for the enemy.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 2 months ago (2 children)

You were also supposed to be able to hit your target.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago

I'm not picky, any target is fine. Boar, pheasant, peasant, doesn't matter.

[–] AbouBenAdhem 6 points 2 months ago

Yeah... but it might have been a good tactic for the really shitty javelin-throwers, so they could make up in range what they lacked in accuracy.

[–] StaticFalconar 13 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Much like guns, so the Olympic sports of shooting has very little with most guns the average gun owner would have.

[–] Plopp 13 points 2 months ago

This is true. That's why you rarely see hunters use the hammer throw spinning technique used in Olympic shooting.

[–] [email protected] 70 points 2 months ago (2 children)

the technique:

using the technique holding the end of the javelin. Officials were so afraid of the out of control nature of the technique that the practice was banned through these rule specifications.

[–] SquirrelX 57 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I've spent some time reading the Wikipedia article looking for the relevant part, I guess I was 10 mins early (didn't get the chance to see your comment before that). Here's the (probably) corresponding video, the first video result when searching for the freestyle javelin technique, in case it helps anyone: https://youtu.be/52rvqtiBoow?si=RiLjhJG2ttv-0s1W

[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 months ago

found another one that includes some history 🙂

https://youtu.be/UEc29dH1Tj4?si=VPm5JcP0LVTWzPWg

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

i was just curious about how many techniques could there be?! apparently lots!

sharp things really bother me, so watching that video was kinda painful

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Interesante, gracias

[–] someguy3 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The back end or the front end?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago (1 children)

back.

it apparently requires some finesse like throwing an american football.. there is a spiral technique employed for accuracy.

imagine throwing a football by pushing its long end.

[–] Blue_Morpho 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Look at the videos posted above. They don't hold it on the end like the OP claims. They hold it on the grip but spin and release like throwing a discus.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago

the correct technique is what i mention above, holding it in the middle and spiraling it. like a football.

i mention throwing the football by its end as an example of why you lose all control of the stick using that technique, and hence, why its illegal.

[–] EvacuateSoul 55 points 2 months ago (2 children)
[–] Waldowal 34 points 2 months ago (2 children)

The javelin was officially redesigned in 1986 to limit its distance to keep it in the field, and to ensure it doesn't land flat. They are likely only counting post-redesign throws.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 months ago

It was in 1956 though, why would they count post-redesign throws?

It's just a badly quoted fact.

[–] Kbobabob 8 points 2 months ago

Still the throw listed in the title is less than the one listed here. If it was broken before the change then it's not the longest throw of the old generation as the title says.

[–] suction 7 points 2 months ago

Doesn’t count if not American.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

...invented by American thrower Bud Held and developed and manufactured by his brother Dick...

Are we... are we just ignoring the fact that the guy making these was named "dick held"?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I find it more impressive that someone decided to name their sons dick and butt

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[–] AngryCommieKender 3 points 2 months ago

Leave Richard and Mary-Jane alone! The Held brothers don't deserve the ridicule!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

I'm not, I'm also imagining an alternate timeline where their last name was Holder instead of Held

[–] [email protected] 43 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] Crashumbc 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Ah the eighties! Most of these kids have never seen RotN... It's pretty offensive so hasn't been shown in decades.

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[–] z00s 30 points 2 months ago

According to Wiki, the modern javelin event has an "unlimited runup". I, for one, would like to test that wording of the rules

[–] expatriado 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)

iirc, they also moved the center of gravity so it couldn't fly as far

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago (2 children)

People are too fast these days, I vote for Olympic runners having to wear weights

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago (3 children)

How about:

If they manage to become too fast again, we can maybe hold the event in a pool filled with 1m of water.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

I'd love to see water sprints of various depths.

[–] cornshark 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Excellent, I hear France already has one

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

Ooh, pool depth diss!

[–] Plopp 4 points 2 months ago

Instead of a parachute at the end of the line, hook them up to generators and let them power the lights in the cafeteria.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Javelin needs to be safe and stick within a reasonable field size to be an Olympic event. If runners were so fast they were tearing up the track and tossing debris into the audience, we would slow them down.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

I say we bring back team sports - two or more groups throwing javelins at each other.

It can be payed either turn based or in real time.

... now that I think about it, with hammers & some body armour would be ~~even better~~ not as good but still fun.

[–] Etterra 5 points 2 months ago (2 children)

All sports would be better if they were full contact - especially golf. Hear me out.

Everybody goes at the same time; you get points for speed instead of number of shots. You can an use your clubs to attack other players, so pads and a helmet are needed. You play in the summer. You're caddy also brings water and Gatorade. Heat stroke/exhaustion is a DQ.

[–] z00s 2 points 2 months ago

I agree, and it appears that I am not the only one

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_boxing

[–] wjrii 2 points 2 months ago

Not exactly on point, but disturbingly close:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Golf

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

If we throw out the idea that the Games were meant to mark a cessation in hostilities, then let's not go halfway.

Get the SCA in there with their plastic armour and rattan swords and let's have 1:1 and M:M combat. I want chariot races. I want simulated boarding actions from 'ships'. I want a new colosseum built every 4 years and events 24/7 to a roaring crowd punctuated only by the sound of pneumatic t-shirt cannons. When they're done, use them for death-row criminals in actual gear to fight for PPV for victim compensation. MORTAL COMBAAAAAAAT

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Full on gladiator combat games is absolutely on my late stage capitalism bingo card. UFC is a baby step on that path.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I vote for 200M exclusion circles where the Javelin throwers stand in the middle so they can throw using any method with no outside risk

[–] ivanafterall 10 points 2 months ago

One thrower inside the circle, another thrower outside the circle. Last man standing. Now I'm paying attention.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Uwe Hohn (East Germany) 1984, 104.8m throw:

Petra Felke (East Germany) 1988, 80.0m throw:

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

The Revenge of the Nerds technique?

Yeah, lots of movies from that era are problematic now. I'm not going to apologize for them, trivialize the problematic parts, or forget about them. All of those characters were gross parodies of stereotypes and that type of humor is no longer palatable to many people. But, this particular scene felt relatively devoid of any actual malice.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (7 children)

You left your SI in the link

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