The old time method was to drag a 50′ garden hose, and as you got better, add sand to the hose. It was stable, not too heavy, and the dragging length acted as a bit of a guide. Tom Petranoff did many many many of these, 5 x 50m-100m. Be sure to hold the arm high and don’t lean forward. Reach with the feet in front.

Others have used an overturned frisbee with a hole punched in the rim for a 20′-30′ rope, and weights (5-25 lbs) are duct-taped to the frisbee. Not as stable/guiding as the hose but ok.

The surface available obviously makes a big difference. You’ll want enough friction/resistance to hold your arm back but not so much that it forces you to lean forward.

Holding the arm up is a big deal – the rope/hose tends to drag it down.

Most track surfaces are highly abrasive and even frisbees will wear out quickly. The hose is the first choice.

Some coaches will run along with the athlete, holding a rope or bungee cord at the correct angle and providing just the right resistance. This also allows the coach to make form suggestions as they run along. Added benefit – the coach gets in shape!

This is best done after a throwing workout or on a day for drills only. If the thrower is new to dragging, it should be done as a warmup for a throwing session – but only 2 or 3x 50m.

A lot of progress in both speed and load can be attained with this drill, but it takes time. For college training, it should be part of the Fall workouts, 3x week, starting with just a few but working up to 5 x 80m by December. Once this capacity has been established, a maintenance program for the rest of the year will do. Twice a week, 4 x 60 – 80m is usually not too hard but keeps up the skill and training.

High school throwers have less time. Twice a week, 3 x 50m is about all that can be expected. It’s still enough to make a difference.