In Video Age, Crouser Can Study, Adapt, Improve His Technique

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Sporting a black 10-gallon cowboy hat at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships press conference, Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser said he was ready to go in Doha, Qatar. 

"I feel like I'm in a really good place," Crouser said. "This has been far and away been my best season."

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At 26, Crouser does not back away from the goal of breaking the world record in the shot put and he designs his own training and molds his technique in a way to make progress year after year. 

Shot put can be a fickle event, demanding precise execution. In 2017, Crouser was the world leader heading into the World Championships in London and ended up placing sixth there. 

With the 2019 season extending much longer than usual, and ending with a global championship, Crouser has had more time to work on his craft. The number of throwers who can throw 22 meters (72-2.25) has grown and the competition could be at an all-time high in terms of depth.

"You are seeing more refined technical models across the board," Crouser said. "Through the 1990s and 2000s, you saw lots of people throwing with lots of different rotational techniques, where now it (has) transitioned to two models. 

"You look at the group of throwers right now, and they're all young. It's the internet age as far as throwing goes. All of us grew up watching YouTube, watching tons of film. As long as I've been competing and interested in track, I've been able to have video feedback."

Crouser said today's top throwers generally fall into two camps – the "speed model" exemplified by New Zealand's Joe Walsh, and his own "long lever," more deliberate rotation. 

Crouser grew up watching East Germany's Ulf Timmermann, the 1988 Olympic champion and the first man to surpass 23 meters. 

"From a technical aspect, one of the cleanest, purest throws in terms of efficiency," Crouser said of Timmermann's Olympic record put.

"I've watched Ulf Timmermann's Olympic record literally thousands of times. Breaking that record in 2016 was a really special moment for me."

Crouser has constructed his own throwing style by adapting discus-throwing influences from Rutger Smith, Wolfgang Schmidt and Mac Wilkins. 

It continues to evolve.

"It's been a collage of techniques to get where I'm at today," Crouser said. "It's constantly changing and evolving, and part of that is because I'm able to look at video and makes changes on the fly."

The men's shot put final is Oct. 5, on Day 9 of the 10-day World Championships. 

Crouser owns three of the top 13 throws in history, all of them from 2019. His lifetime best mark of 74-7.25 (22.74m) was achieved April 20 in Long Beach. It was the farthest throw in the world in nearly 29 years.

The U.S. has secured at least one medal in the men's shot put in the past 13 World Championships and 14 of 16 overall, including eight golds, the last coming from Joe Kovacs in 2015 in Beijing.