The Complete Handbook of Throwing Hammers

Finally a book that treats the hammer like the precise piece of equipment it is. I've been coaching high school throws for six years and I've always just guessed at wire length and cage distance. The chapter on understanding the physics made me rethink the drills we do. The business chapter is a bonus—I'm seriously considering starting a rental service for local meets next spring. This is going on my shelf next to my rulebook.

Good, solid reference material. The spec breakdown by age group in Chapter 2 will save me a lot of time on my phone at meets. I docked a star because I wish it had more photos or diagrams—the discussion of swivel and cage installation is a bit dry, and I had to read some sentences twice to picture what it was describing. Still, it's far more organized than the pile of manufacturer PDFs I was working with before.

I'm an equipment manager for a mid-sized university program, and this handbook covers the nuts and bolts I needed. The maintenance chapter alone is worth the price, with clear steps on identifying a failing swivel before it becomes a hazard. The installment guide for the cage is very practical. It's not a glamorous read, but it's a useful one.

Pretty helpful. The book is solid on the technical side and the chapter on choosing the right hammer was reassuring since I just bought my first personal one. My only issue is the future trends section felt a little thin. Still, the FAQ and glossary at the end are genuinely useful, and I've already used the inspection list before practice this week.

It's a comprehensive manual, no doubt, and I'd recommend it to a new coach. But I found the writing a bit too dry for me to sit down and read cover to cover—it reads more like an assembly manual than a book. The comparison table in the specs chapter was good, but I felt the setup section spent too long on cage installation that most people will have a facility director handle. I got what I needed out of it, though.

As a club thrower, I've wasted money on cheap equipment and bad advice from forums. This handbook set me straight. The part about how the hammer's release angle and velocity actually interact changed how I train, and the chapter on reselling helped me get a good price on my old 6kg hammer to fund my new one. It's the reference I plan to keep for as long as I throw.

Found this book very clear and well-structured. I run a small athletics equipment shop, and the chapter on brands and business opportunities was particularly relevant—it gave me a realistic idea of the margins and volume involved in hammer sales and maintenance services. It's written for the serious buyer, so it's not a quick read, but it answers the questions I didn't know I had. Really appreciated the safety-focused sections.