Editing Shot put (section)

==History==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-44941-0006, Plihan.jpg|right|thumb|[[Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovak]] shot putter [[Jaroslav Plíhal|Plíhal]] at the 1957 East German Indoor Athletics Championships]]
[[File:Shotput.jpg|thumb|right|Shot putter at the University of Nebraska,(1942), showing the circle and stop board]]

[[Homer]] mentions competitions of rock throwing by soldiers during the [[Trojan War|siege of Troy]] but there is no record of any weights being thrown in Greek competitions. The first evidence for [[Stone put|stone-]] or weight-throwing events were in the [[Scottish Highlands]], and date back to approximately the first century.<ref name="White2009">{{cite book|author=Colin White|title=Projectile Dynamics in Sport: Principles and Applications|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mm8zoQ-GYuAC&pg=PA131|access-date=6 July 2011|date=31 December 2009|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-47331-6|pages=131–}}</ref> In the 16th century [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]] was noted for his prowess in court competitions of weight and [[hammer throw]]ing.<ref name="iaafhammer">{{cite web|url=http://www.iaaf.org/disciplines/throws/hammer-throw#topfive=0|title=Hammer Throw|publisher=IAAF|access-date=12 September 2015}}</ref>

The first events resembling the modern shot put likely occurred in the [[Middle Ages]] when soldiers held competitions in which they hurled [[Round shot|cannonballs]]. Shot put competitions were first recorded in early 19th century [[Scotland]], and were a part of the British Amateur Championships beginning in 1866.<ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9444.html Shot Put – Introduction]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.</ref>

Competitors take their throw from inside a marked circle {{convert|2.135|m|0}} in [[diameter]], with a "toe board" or "stop board" {{convert|10|cm|in|0}} high at the front of the circle. The distance thrown is measured from the inside of the [[circumference]] of the circle to the nearest mark made on the ground by the falling shot, with distances rounded down to the nearest centimetre under [[International Association of Athletics Federations|IAAF]] and [[World Masters Athletics|WMA]] rules.

===Legal throws===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-44941-0005, Jiri Skobla.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Czechoslovak shot putter [[Jiří Skobla]] showing the correct technique for keeping the shot near the neck]]

The following rules (indoor and outdoor) must be adhered to for a legal throw:
* Upon calling the athlete's name, the athlete may choose any part of the throwing circle to enter inside. They have one minute to commence the throwing motion; otherwise it counts as a forfeit for the current round.
* The athlete may not wear [[gloves]]; IAAF rules permit the [[taping]] of individual fingers.
* The athlete must rest the shot close to the [[neck]], and keep it tight to the neck throughout the motion.
* The shot must be released above the height of the [[shoulder]], using only one hand.
* The athlete may touch the inside surface of the circle or toe board, but must not touch the top or outside of the circle or toe board, or the ground beyond the circle. Limbs may, however, extend over the lines of the circle in the air.
* The shot must land in the ''throwing sector'', which is a [[circular sector]] of 34.92° centered on the throwing circle. The throwing sector has been narrowed multiple times over the years to improve safety, most recently in 2004 from 40°. The current throwing sector angle (34.92°) was chosen because it provides a sector whose bounds are easy to measure and lay out on a field (10 metres out from the center of the ring, 6 metres across).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pntf.org/officials/ivars/Throwing_Event_Sector_Angles_Rev_F1.pdf |title=Laying Out Sector Angles for the Track and Field Throwing Events |author=<!--Not stated--> |access-date=2022-03-19 |website=USA Track & Field Pacific Northwest |quote=The shot, discus, hammer & weight throw sector is 34.92º. This angle was chosen due to its simple geometry.}}</ref>
* The athlete must leave the throwing circle from the back half.
[[Foul (sports)|Foul]] throws occur when an athlete:
* Does not pause within the circle before beginning the putting motion.
* Does not complete the putting movement initiated within thirty seconds of having their name called.
* Allows the shot to drop below their shoulder or outside the vertical plane of their shoulder during the put.
At any time if the shot loses contact with the neck then it is technically an illegal put.
* During the putting motion, touches with any part of the body (including shoes):
** the top or ends of the toe board
** the top of the iron ring
** anywhere outside the circle.
* Puts a shot which either falls outside the throwing sector or touches a sector line on the initial impact.
* Leaves the circle before the shot has landed.
* Does not leave from the rear half of the circle.

===Regulation misconceptions===
The following are either obsolete or non-existent, but commonly believed rules for professional competition:{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}
* The athlete must enter the circle from the back (no rule books contain such a clause).
* The athlete entering the circle, then exiting and re-entering it before starting the throw results in a foul (all rule books allow athletes to leave a circle before starting a throw, but this still counts within the 30 second time limit; the allowable method of exiting the circle varies by rule book).
* Loose clothing, shoelaces, or long hair touching outside the circle during a throw, or an athlete bringing a towel into the circle and then throwing it out before the put, results in a foul.