Safety

Safety is paramount to enjoy your throwing. Unfortunately unsafe situations can frequently be observed at schools and Little Athletics centres, with athletes, parents and even officials completely oblivious to the dangers they are exposing themselves and others to. Below is one such example. The faces are deliberately blurred, but the situation is crystal clear: It is simply dangerous. Many of the waiting athletes and the teacher/official himself are all lined up along the right sector line, with the thrower in the circle about to put the shot. For a disaster to happen all it takes is for the shot to slip out.

Scott Martin

Below are my rules that must be observed by everybody at all times. These are neither official nor definitive, and I take no responsibility for accidents. You should adapt any safety rules to your particular circumstances and exercise common sense.
For instance, should no safety cage be available, throwing the discus potentially becomes an extremely dangerous activity, and extra care must be taken by all.
Coaches must make the safety rules clear to all present, and also consider bystanders, including parents and other spectators.

As an athlete you must always check the "hit area" before throwing any implement. As a coach you must also ensure that nobody is in danger and if necessary prevent an athlete from throwing until it it safe to to so.

Note that the "hit area" stretches beyond the sector lines, and depends on the size and quality of the cage, the capabilities of the athletes, even the weather conditions.

In the discus, only the thrower is allowed inside the cage, and onlookers should stand well away from the cage.

Athletes not throwing must watch the person who is throwing.

In a group situation, implements should be retrieved after everybody has had their turn.

You must never throw an implement toward another person. When implements are retrieved, they are to be carried back, not thrown back.

Athletes are to refrain from juggling or otherwise handling the implement in an unsafe manner. This includes doing imitation movements without releasing the implement. It can slip out unintentionally.

Do not be fooled by the size of a little 500g rubber discus or a 1 or 2kg shot released by a young boy or girl. The implements are hard, and will inflict pain and can cause permanent damage.

A javelin is to be pull out of the ground only after having ensured there is nobody standing in the vicinity, and it must be carried upright until the athlete is getting ready for the next throw by first checking his or her surroundings for people who may be standing too close.