No one is born naturally good at the hammer throw.
But with hours, weeks and years of practice, Julia Ratcliffe has mastered the very unnatural motion and transformed herself into a world-class hammer thrower.
The 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist says while strength obviously plays a crucial part in perfecting the hammer throw, a hefty share of precision is also required to get it right.
Surprisingly, a good throw feels effortless, because you are using motion and the weight of your body to create the force, rather than using your big muscle groups and really straining, says Ratcliffe.
To achieve that easiness, she says, you have to spend hours rewiring your body and mind.
Theres a misconception that hammer throw is all about muscle strength. Rather its about mastering force through technique. You need velocity when letting go. You create velocity through good body position. Theres a lot of physics involved.
Every thrower has a different technique, and it can take years of trial and error to figure out what works best for each body. At 1.69m high, Ratcliffe is shorter than most international throwers, and so shes worked out she has to get her body lower to the ground as she turns inside the throwing circle.
When you are throwing the ball, its constantly moving away from you, and so you have to get your body into positions to oppose it; you have to be strong enough to do that, she says.
Ratcliffe spends a lot of time in the gym building strength, but theres a fine art to getting the balance right. Too much muscle is bad. Flexibility is crucial.
Mental strength has its place in the sport too. A sports psychologist reinforces messages like: Dont limit yourself; Dont be afraid of failure live on the edge of your potential.
You need to have calm and be in control, and also be able to push yourself; be comfortable with the uncomfortable, she says.
At the Olympic Games, athletes have three throws to catapult them into the top eight. Each throw lasts roughly three seconds so Ratcliffes four years of intense training will be focused on just nine seconds.
But with the event stretching out over one and a half hours, hammer throwers also become engaged in a challenging mental game. Ratcliffe combats the pressure by being as friendly as possible with her rivals.
Ill often find the toughest competitor, and just get to know them. Theres no point in being tense with everyone that just makes the experience less fun.
Ratcliffe, who turned 21 just a fortnight before winning her Commonwealth silver in Glasgow, is grateful for the experiences her sport has given her so far, and hopes to be able to give back and influence others to make positive change.
If I can help someone else have those experiences its just a really good feeling to be able to share them and have that legacy of New Zealand sport live on.