Does the blade have to stick to make a legal throw?

Concordia Thrower's training gets a little diverse due to Mac's short attention span.

The Power of Conservation of Rotary Momentum

Acceleration by Shortening the Right Leg

This is a key part of throwing far.  You must accelerate the rotation of the hips in the middle of the circle and minimize the loss of any rotary momentum during delivery.  Shortening the right leg is how it is done.  Note the skater's long left leg merely shortens and the rotations increase in speed.