Every returning hammer specialist gained 4.4 to 5.5 meters.
One season with a D1 throws squad. All five returning hammer specialists averaged a five-meter gain (over 16 feet), and every one of them set a lifetime PR. The numbers below are public record. Now I'm taking 6 remote athletes.
The Hammer Story
2025 outdoor season best vs. 2026 outdoor season best. Every returning athlete whose primary discipline is hammer, one year of my programming. Verified on TFRRS. (The squad's shot/discus specialist also threw hammer as a third event and added 0.84m, a lifetime PR.)
| Event | Athlete | 2025 Best | 2026 Best | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hammer | 54.15m177'8" | 59.65m195'8" | +5.50m+18'0" | |
| Hammer | 43.72m143'5" | 49.16m161'3" | +5.44m+17'10" | |
| Hammer | 41.15m135'0" | 46.39m152'2" | +5.24m+17'2" | |
| Hammer | 42.00m137'10" | 46.62m152'11" | +4.62m+15'2" | |
| Hammer | 48.70m159'9" | 53.14m174'4" | +4.44m+14'7" |
It wasn't just hammer. Across shot and discus, returning throwers added another 7.86m combined, including a Big West discus runner-up (+1.99m). Four of the throwers qualified for the NCAA West First Round, among them a sophomore who qualified in both shot and discus.
All marks are outdoor season bests pulled from TFRRS (tfrrs.org), comparing each returning athlete's 2025 and 2026 seasons. Names withheld for athlete privacy. Full transparency: across all 18 event-season comparisons on the squad, 13 improved and 5 declined (mostly secondary events, the largest a 1.13m dip in javelin). Athletes did the work; my job was the plan. Improvement in sport is always multi-factor and I won't pretend otherwise. But five hammer throwers gaining five meters in the same year is not luck. It's a system.
Send Me One Throw. I'll Break It Down.
Not ready to commit, fair. Send one video of your throw and I'll send back a personal breakdown: the three things costing you distance and the one cue to fix first. Real human reply within 48 hours, no autoresponder. It's the closest thing to a free session you'll get from a D1 coach.
Prefer instant? Run the self-serve Deficit Finder for a quick read on where your transfer is breaking down. No signup.
How It Works
No generic templates. Your training is built on Dr. Anatoliy Bondarchuk's Transfer of Training research: the same system behind the tables above.
Monthly Programming
A full training plan built around your event, your level, and your meet calendar. Exercise selection driven by correlation data, not gym-bro tradition. Implement weights sequenced heavy-to-light the way the research says they should be.
Film Review, 48-Hour Turnaround
Upload a session, get it back within 48 hours. Frame-by-frame technical breakdown with specific cues and the one fix that matters this week, not twelve things to think about in the ring.
Async Q&A
Stuck on a cue, unsure about an adjustment, meet-week nerves: message me and I reply within 24 hours on weekdays. No waiting for next month's call.
Everything In One Place
Training, film, and progress tracking delivered through the Podium Throws platform. You see exactly what to do today and how your numbers trend over the season.
Founding Athlete Offer
I'm opening 6 spots at the founding rate. It stays your rate for as long as you train with me, even after the price goes up.
You Get
- → Individualized monthly program (Bondarchuk method)
- → Film review on every session you upload, back within 48 hours
- → Async Q&A, weekday replies within 24 hours
- → Podium Throws Elite included ($50/mo value)
- → Founding rate locked for life
How To Claim It
- → Email toncamedia@gmail.com with your event and current PB
- → Or DM @tonysommers.coach on Instagram
- → 15-minute call to confirm fit, no pitch theater
- → First program delivered within 7 days
Train With Me In Person
Limited in-person spots for San Diego County throwers. Same system, hands-on in the ring.
Group Sessions
- → Small group, max 6 throwers per session
- → Shot put, discus, and hammer blocks
- → Every rep filmed and reviewed on the spot
Private Sessions
- → One-on-one technical work, your event only
- → Session film breakdown included
- → Best paired with the monthly online program
Sessions at San Diego County facilities. Email or DM for the current schedule and locations.
Who This Is For
Good Fit
- + High school throwers chasing college marks
- + College throwers without a dedicated throws coach
- + Post-collegiate and masters throwers still competing
- + Athletes who will film their throws and follow a plan
Bad Fit
- − Looking for a hype man, not a coach
- − Won't film training or report numbers
- − Want a magic fix instead of a system
- − Program-hoppers who change plans every 3 weeks
Coach Your Own Squad With The Same System
Everything behind the results above runs on the Podium Throws app: Bondarchuk implement-sequencing validation, session building, and performance tracking for shot, disc, hammer, and javelin. Coaches start free, no card required.
Who's Coaching You
I'm Tony Sommers. I coached the throws squad at a Division I program through the 2026 season, where the results above happened. Before that: M.S. in Movement Science from the University of Michigan, and years in the ring myself.
I still compete. I'm a left-handed hammer thrower chasing 75 meters, which means every method I prescribe gets tested on me first. I also lecture in kinesiology at the university level, so I can explain the why behind every exercise, not just hand you sets and reps.
My system is built on Bondarchuk's Transfer of Training: exercises ranked by how much they actually correlate with throwing far, periodized so you peak when it counts. It's the difference between training hard and training in the right direction.
- // D1 throws coach, 2025-26
- // M.S. Movement Science, Michigan
- // Kinesiology lecturer, CSUSM
- // Builder, Podium Throws
- // Active hammer thrower
Six Spots. Then the Price Goes Up.
If you throw shot, disc, or hammer and you're serious about next season, the off-season starts now.
Claim a Founding Spot