The complete discus throw should have a distinct rhythm-building from slow to fast. The thrower should start in the back of the ring with a nice, relaxed swing of the discus to start the rhythm. The swing should not be too fast or dramatic. As the thrower "unwinds", the legs should bent and the center of mass should be shifted over the ball of the left foot (right-handed throwers). The shoulders should be kept parallel to the ground with the left arm extended straight out in front of the body.

As the center of mass moves over the left foot, the thrower should drive off the foot immediately. This movement is referred to as "drop and go". As the left foot pushes, the right foot sweeps around underneath the left arm and the thrower rotates out of the back of the ring. The combination of the left leg drive and the right leg sweep gives the thrower a good linear impulse across the ring. Hip-shoulder separation is also established at this point.  As the right leg sweeps underneath the arm to get ahead of the upper body, the head should look straight away from the chest as the discus is swung and then turned to look at the left arm as the thrower comes out of the back of the ring.

Once linear drive has been established across the ring, the thrower should actually be airborne. At this point, the right leg will be tucked in, beneath the upper body, and the knees brought together to increase the speed of the left foot coming back to the ground. After the initial drive out of the back, the right leg will be the first to contact the ground at the center of the ring. The left leg should touch down as soon after the right as possible to crate the longest pull possible on the discus.

As the thrower reaches the stand-throw position, the shoulders should remain parallel to the ground with no dipping whatsoever. The right foot should also keep pivoting, and should continue to do so until the discus is released.

When the athlete is pulling the discus around to the release point, the right foot must keep pivoting in order to maintain the hip-shoulder separation attained at the initial turn. If separation is not maintained an arm throw will result - and much power is lost. The discus throw is actually a sling, aided by a stretch-reflex reaction prior to release. The left side of the body should remain firm, with the left leg (the block leg) blocking as the right side rotates through release. At release, the head should be thrown back allowing the chest and hip to rise and give lift to the discus. After the discus is released, a reverse can be added to avoid fouling.