Neeraj Chopra's secret sauce: practice, practice, practice, and a new follow through technique

If you ever wondered what impact Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal in javelin at the Tokyo Olympics had on the sports scene in India, all you need to know is that for the first time ever three Indians javelin throwers—Chopra, D.P. Manu and Kishore Kumar Jena—have qualified for the World Athletics Championship finals. The three will be picking up their javelins and run out to hurl them again in the finals in Budapest on Sunday.

That’s not all. There are others already knocking on the door, said Kashinath Naik, the Indian Army coach who has trained two of India’s three finalists—Chopra and Manu. “Neeraj’s win in the Olympics caused a huge upheaval in Indian athletics. His win inspired many to take up javelin throw as a sport. Earlier, nations like Finland and Germany used to have three-four finalists in javelin at championships like these. But this time, there are three Indians competing in a world championship final… this is a historic moment. There could have been four at the World Championships in Budapest if Rohit Yadav had not picked up an injury. Then there is another 19-year-old athlete from Ahmadnagar in Maharashtra training with me in Pune and he is already throwing 82 metres. There are many who have taken to javelin enthusiastically,” said Naik, who won a bronze medal in javelin at the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010.

Chopra trained under Naik in 2016 and Manu has been under Naik’s wings since 2019 when he used to throw 65 metres. In the last four years, Manu has progressed a lot and is now capable of throwing 85 metres. Naik is confident that Manu will follow Chopra and make it to the Paris Olympics next year. “Manu is just 23 and that is young for this sport. He will gain a lot more strength and maturity and will develop a much longer throw. I expect him to be throwing 86 metres or more if he makes the cut for the Olympics,” said Naik. Chopra has already qualified for the Olympics, thanks to his throw crossing the automatic qualification mark of 85.5 metres.

Deconstructing the throw

Javelin throw is highly technical, and it has three distinct parts: the run-up, the power position and the follow through. The sport requires converting every movement of the body into speed that is transferred to the javelin when it is released from the throwing hand.

The power position is the most critical thing in this entire chain of events. “Without a good power position, the run-up and everything else that the thrower does is going to be futile. In the power position the whole movement starts from the legs, then the javelin moves to the chest, past it to the shoulder and then it is released, which is the throw. The run-up that a javelin thrower takes preceding the throw is converted into speed in this power position thereby improving the distance that a javelin travels,” explained Naik.

Those who have greater arm speed stand to benefit in this sport. Athletes who might have played volleyball, such as Jena, or played as a fast bowler when they were kids usually show better arm speed and are likely to succeed in javelin, added the coach, who has also been a part of the Indian contingent’s javelin coaching team.

The power position is the final position the thrower assumes before releasing the throw. In this position the front leg is locked, usually the left leg for right-handed throwers, and the entire body weight is on the back leg. Here, the only task that the left leg has is to block the power from dissipating in other directions. The fully loaded back leg in the meantime becomes arched like a bow under tension. From here the thrower transfers all this power that has built up in the back leg through the back and shoulder onto the javelin as it is released. “This motion is very much like an arrow being shot from a bow. The power position converts the tension that builds up in the rear leg into the momentum that carries the javelin over long distances,” said Naik.

Another element that determines how far a javelin travels is the angle at which it is released. The ideal angle for gaining maximum distance is 33-37 degrees. Anything lower and the javelin wouldn't attain enough flight to travel a good distance, rendering all the power and momentum a thrower generates useless. Anything greater than 37 degrees will lead to the javelin gaining more height than distance, which is not the goal here. One thing to bear in mind is that on any given day, despite best conditions and form, a javelin thrower has to factor in a 5-metre margin. “A throw can be shorter or longer by 4-5 metres on any given day due to multiple factors, some of which are often not in the athlete’s control,” added Naik.

The final part of the javelin throw is the follow through. At the Tokyo Olympics, Chopra used to tumble to the floor after releasing the javelin. Others simply take a step or two further and come to a complete halt just before the “foul line” by using their feet to nullify the momentum. Both ways are fine, but using your feet is generally better as one runs the risk of picking up an impact injury when they fall to the floor with such high momentum. Naik said Chopra has modified his technique a bit and doesn’t topple over in his follow through so often anymore. But Manu, who didn’t use to fall to the floor after his throws, has just started doing it.

Neeraj Chopra’s secret

There are plenty of javelin throwers out there who have crossed the 90-metre mark, including Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who has also qualified for the finals in Budapest. That indicates good technique and plenty of power. What sets Chopra apart from his competition is his extraordinary confidence and dedication. Chopra has been consistently throwing in the 87 metres range since 2017.

“Chopra was already very confident when he came to train with me in 2016. And that confidence has only grown over the years. When a person consistently manages 100 throws near the 90-metre mark over seven years, their confidence is bound to be very high. Neeraj has that. He also has great arm speed. That helps. Another thing about Neeraj is he is dedicated to and consistent in his training. Many athletes often take it easy once they have won a medal or a competition, but not Neeraj. He has trained across the world,” noted Naik.

In javelin, an athlete’s peak performances come between 27 and 30 years of age. It is by that age that an adult develops maximal strength and fitness. While Chopra is nearing that, Manu is still just 23 years old. Naik is confident that after Chopra, Manu is the future and can represent India for years to come.

Also read: How far will Neeraj Chopra's javelin go this year?