ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1590350
This article is part of the Research TopicAssessment and Monitoring of Human Movement Volume IIView all articles
A Kinematic Analysis of the Hammer Throw Technique in Elite Female Athletes: A Comparative Study Between Chinese and International Competitors
Provisionally accepted
- 1China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
- 2Capital Institute of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing, Beijing, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Purpose: This study aimed to examine the kinematic features of the hammer throw technique among elite female athletes worldwide, which is essential for advancing the development of women's hammer throw in China. By examining the technical differences between Chinese female hammer throwers and their international counterparts, this research offers data support to help Chinese athletes further refine and optimise their throwing techniques, thereby strengthening the scientific basis of training in this discipline. Results: The study found that the average release velocity of Chinese athletes was lower than that of world-class athletes, with Zheng Wang recording the highest release velocity among the Chinese throwers. There was minimal difference in the average release angle between Chinese and international athletes. Apart from Zheng Wang, most Chinese athletes showed irregular timing in their average rotational phases, which negatively impacted the release phase. Notably, the average preliminary swing speed of Chinese athletes was markedly higher than that of international athletes, indicating a technical tendency towards active acceleration during the initial rotation phase. Additionally, the average trajectory length per turn among top Chinese athletes was generally longer than that of elite international athletes. Conclusion: The international elite female hammer throwers exhibit superior release-related indices and more effective double-support mechanics compared with their Chinese counterparts. These results highlight the central role of double-support coordination, trunk–pelvis coupling, and phase-specific timing in optimizing release velocity and overall performance. Targeted technical interventions focusing on these elements may help close the performance gap and advance elite-level outcomes.
Keywords: Kinematic, Hammer Throw Technique, female athletes, Throwing technique, Chinese and International Competitors
Received: 09 Mar 2025; Accepted: 21 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ding, Liu and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yiling Ding, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.