First, the athlete steps into the ring holding the hammer, the head resting on the ground outside the circle. He secures a firm grasp on the handle, leaning over so as to keep the head as far away from his body as possible. The second picture shows the hammer just as it is being lifted from the ground to be whirled around the head. It is plain to see that the arms are holding the instrument as far from the body as possible. As the heavy ball gains in velocity, it stretches out so that the arms and the handle form a straight horizontal line from the shoulders. The fourth and fifth pictures demonstrate the attitude of the performer at various stages of the first two whirls of the hammer. The motion at the start is slow, and becomes gradually faster and faster, so that the top speed shall be reached just about as the athlete is ready to turn. It is the usual custom to throw the hammer three times around the head before turning. The sixth picture shows this turn. When this act is performed the hammer should be kept well behind, and the thrower should try to move his feet around as fast as he can, and never under any consideration should he allow the hammer to get ahead of the motion of his body; he must keep it following on behind, or else the hammer will throw him, instead of his throwing the hammer. The reason given for jumping around on the last turn is that a man, when proficient in this trick, can gain about twenty-five feet on his throw. It is the Irish method of throwing a hammer, and has been in use over there for several hundred years. The Scottish way of throwing, still in use in Scotland, is to stand still. This used to be the method in vogue in this country, but within the last ten years the A. A. U. adopted the Irish method, and two years ago the Inter-collegiate Association followed suit. A man who has become accustomed to throw from a standstill has some trouble in getting accustomed to the turn, but as soon as he has caught the knack of the twist he will greatly prefer it over the old method. The seventh picture shows the moment just previous to the final heave when the hammer is to be let go. This should not be done with a jerk, but the stick should be allowed to slip from the hands at the proper moment, otherwise any jerking will destroy the momentum obtained. The last picture shows the attitude of the thrower after the hammer has left his hands, the weight of his body being thrown backward so as to prevent him from stepping out of the circle.