This study was conducted to investigate the kinematic characteristics of javelin throw for further comprehension of the techniques and mechanics of the javelin throw. Forty-nine male javelin throwers were videotaped, using two 200 fps high-speed video cameras in three athletic competitions.
The results revealed the significant positive correlation between the initial velocity of javelin and the throw distance (r = 0.797, p < 0.001). The throwers showing the higher initial velocity of javelin showed the higher forward rotation angular velocity of trunk at the moment of javelin release (r = 0.484, p < 0.001). The elbow joint angle and shoulder abduction angle at the moment of javelin release showed the significant negative correlations with the initial velocity of javelin (r = -0.437, p < 0.01 and r = -0.454, p < 0.01, respectively). The velocity calculated by taking the shoulder velocity from the grip velocity at the moment of javelin release showed the significant positive correlation with the initial velocity of javelin (r = 0.819, p < 0.001). These results suggested that both extension and internal rotation of the shoulder contributed to the enhanced relative arm velocity for the elite throwers, while the internal rotation of the shoulder for the novice throwers limitedly contributed to it.
