Imagine whipping a hammer – a 4 kilogram steel ball attached by a nearly 4 foot long wire to a handle – around your head before letting it fly.  To me this sounds like a recipe for humiliation if not serious injury.  But for Britney Henry, it’s something she is able to do with perfect “timing, balance, power, and speed.”  The end result looks something like this:

Even though I have never attempted a hammer throw, it is obvious from the video above that hammer throw is an incredibly technical combination of athletic skill and coordination.  Many readers can probably relate their own experiences with an Olympic lift, an action that when done correctly looks simple but involves numerous nuanced movements.  With respect to the hammer throw, Britney Henry has spent the past decade refining and perfecting those movements.