Conferences

Throws Masterclass 2011

Featuring Don Babbitt

Don Babbitt, Throws coach for the University of Georgia for the past 14 years, is arguably the best all-round Throws coach in the world, having coached Olympic and World finalists in each of the four throwing disciplines.

Babbitt has coached 35 throwers who have competed in the Olympic Games and/or World Championships and who have won eight medals. These include Shot Put World Champions Adam Nelson (2005) and Reese Hoffa (2007). He is has also served as the personal coach to American record holder Breaux Greer (javelin), as well as Canadian record holder Jason Tunks (discus) and three-time Canadian Olympian Brad Snyder (shot put). In addition, Babbitt has been the long-time coach Andras Haklits, three-time Croatian Olympian and finalist at both the Beijing Olympics and the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. On the Women’s side he has coached among others American Olympian Terri Steer in shot put and South American record holder Jenny Dahlgren in the hammer throw.

An avid writer and clinician as well as an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Babbitt has written over 40 articles and three book chapters for publications on four continents and in five different languages. He has spoken on the throws at clinics throughout the USA and internationally and currently serves as the IAAF Level V Lecturer for the IAAF Throws Academy Course. He also hosts an annual Throws Clinic at the University of Georgia, which has attracted nearly 700 coaches over the past 10 years.

Babbitt also served as throws coach for the U.S.A. track and field team and has also been a National Team coach for Canada, Croatia and Argentina in various major international championships.

Coaching Philosophy

Babbitt has a great deal of experience in his coaching from collegiate level to world class, and appreciates the challenges which athletes in the throws events face. As he sees it finding the right balance and rhythm during the throw is the biggest challenge. “It appears that many people tend to focus on strength development first as a means to get better, but in the big scheme of things this is fairly easy for everyone get to stronger,” explains Babbitt. “The main challenge that I see people struggling with is balance and reproducible technique, much the same way a golfer does.”

When it comes to the step up from development to elite level this is difficult in any event and with most medals won by throwers at around the age of 30, Babbitt emphasises that there is no ‘quick fix’ to this sporting conundrum, “There is no quick solution, but I would say that it is best if one can figure out the path that will work for them as soon as possible. Then work hard at it for a long time, as opposed to jumping around between various training programs in search of ‘the answer’.”

When it comes to this step up and in order to reach the highest levels of performance, Babbitt believes that an athlete needs to very good basic throwing mechanics. “These is usually instilled at an early age of development” explains Babbitt and warns that if an athlete are missing these, “it takes a long time to re-establish good habits.”