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Learning
to Throw Forehand
There are two main factors to consider when throwing
a disc; forward momentum and centrifugal force (spin). In other words, a well-thrown
disc will have both sufficient wrist "snap" AND force behind it. Wrist snap
is often overlooked by novices, but is essential to throwing the disc successfully.
Two additional important considerations are the angle to the ground at which
the disc is released, and the point in the throw at which the disc is released.
If this all sounds confusing, don't worry too much. With disc in hand, your
physical instincts will kick in and grasp the mechanics fairly quickly.
This grip is in principle very similar to the
corresponding backhand grip. The middle finger of the throwing hand is inside
the rim and the index finger is extended towards the center of the disc for
support.
The
advantage of this method is control. The disadvantage is a corresponding loss
of power, because the spreading of the fingers makes it impossible to cock
the wrist back as far just before release.
There are a couple of different versions of this
grip. The first has the index finger next to the middle finger and hard up
against the rim.
This
grip increases power since the wrist can now be cocked back further and more
snap imparted no the disc. As expected, there is a loss of control as there
is no finger to support the disc. The disc has a tendency to wobble up and
down, and this can reduce distance if the disc and the wrist are not at the
same angle at release.
The second is a slight improvement (not pictured), where the index and middle
fingers are slightly curled, and the disc can balance on these two fingers
prior to the throw. This grip is more like the hybrid grip below in the way
it provides support. It also makes it easier to throw the high forehand.
Like the backhand, the thumb should be used to grip the disc tightly. This
will give better spin and more control in the wind, since the disc has less
tendency to wobble during the wind-up and throw.
This grip is analogous to the hybrid backhand
grip, although it does seem to be more popular and widely used. Instead of
the index finger and middle fingers being parallel, the index finger is slightly
bent.
This
is exaggerated a little in the diagram. The pad of the index finger is pressed
firmly on the rim, as is the pad of the middle finger. The bend in the index
finger can then be used to support the disc, while the wrist can still be
cocked well back for a power throw. The disc can be held out flat and ready
to throw, which makes it a good grip for throwing the high forehand.
The following grip is an interesting way of helping
improve forehand throws in weaker players. Instead of the pads of the fingers
being against the rim, the side of the middle finger is against the rim.
This
grip promotes a palm-up follow through, and helps stop people from turning
their forehands over on release. The down side of this grip is that the snap
puts lateral pressure on the finger joints, and persistent hard throws using
this grip can damage the joints. It is therefore only recommended as a teaching
aid, and not for use by experienced players. [1]
Your stance here will be quite different from
the backhanded throw.
If you're right handed,
stand with your left shoulder forward, your torso turned slightly towards
your target. Left handers stand with their right shoulder forward, torso
turned slightly towards the target.
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Keep your feet shoulder
width apart and your arm behind your rear leg. Flex your knees again, so
that your body's not rigid.
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Bring your arm backwards,
so that the disc is next to your rear leg and you feel your weight shift
slightly back. Your forearm should not be parallel to the ground, but dropped
a bit, so that the disc is at about a 45 degree angle.
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In
this throw, most of your force will actually come from the wrist snap and
weight transfer, as your arm will move only a short distance.
Bring
your arm forward with considerable force. Your elbow will be the pivot point,
and your hand will actually stop with a jerk before it reaches your front
leg.
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The
importance of the release point and wrist snap are magnified with this throw.
As
your arm only travels a short distance, the possible release points are
much closer together. Even a slight variance will greatly affect the flight
direction.
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A
good starting point is to release the disc just after your wrist crosses
your rear leg. The disc angle must be fairly steep when released.
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Snap
your wrist quite firmly as you release. This throw will not be successful
unless the disc has good spin. After the disc leaves your hand, your first
two fingers should remain firmly extended. Following through is not necessary
or desirable in this instance.
The single most common fault is that the disc will turn over hitting the ground.
This fault is caused by one or more of the following:
The angle of release
is wrong
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The disc wobbles too
much
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Turning the wrist over
during the release
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Not enough spin, especially
with unstable discs or into the wind
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Using a circular swing
rather than ``straight'' at the target
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Not enough distance
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The angle
of release is wrong
Usually the edge furthest away from the thrower
is too high. If a beginner thinks he's releasing it level it generally has
the outer tip up.
Lifting
a leg and throwing under it. As well as forcing the release to be lower
this also tends to keep far edge lower. It can also help get more flick
into the throw. This not only works 75% of the time but also gets beginners
psyched as hell; not only did they learn a new throw, but, in their mind,
they learned a "trick" throw as well.
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Stand
closer and downwind so that you don't have to throw it harder.
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The
disc wobbles too much
Keeping the disc flat
during the swing. Avoid wind-ups where the disc is not in the horizontal
plane.
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Pull the disc rather
than push it onto its flight path. Pulling the disc keeps the flight plate
of the disc trailing behind the axis of the motion.
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Turning
the wrist over during the release
Practice
a palm facing up follow through. (Not a recommended technique for advanced
throwers because it puts too much sideways force on the finger joints )
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The
disc does not spin enough
Using a motion similar
to flicking a towel
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Start with the disc
cocked (or ``wound up'') as back as it can go. Check your grip.
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Using more wrist rather
than arm
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Focus on the ``catapult''
feeling that one gets in the middle finger
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Pulling the disc forward
with the fingers on the inside rim
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Using a circular swing
rather than ``straight'' at the target
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Lead the throw with
the elbow
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Follow through by pointing
throwing hand at the target
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Not
enough distance
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worry about it if you’re a beginner. Just more practice is required to get those
finger muscles strengthened and the flick automatic. Most beginners try to throw
the disc rather than flick it. Thus, if they concentrate on proper release angle
(arm and disk) and imparting spin on the disc, a flick of the wrist, they tend
to get the basics down quickly. Once the basics are there, the distance will |
Not
enough accuracy
Check that the grip
is not finger tips only and the swing is not circular, but in line to the
target.
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Can't remember all of
the tips at once.
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Return to basics. Remind
yourself what it was like to learn, try throwing opposite handed for a while.
[2]
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Remember the pivot foot! First you step out so
that your right foot is in front and to the right of your left foot (i.e.
the line made by your feet is at a 45 degree angle to the direction you want
the disc to go). Now put ALL your weight on your right foot... The only reason
your left foot is still on the ground is because it's your pivot foot... it's
good if only the big toe on your left foot is touching the ground.
One mistake that people make is keeping their elbow pinned into their waist
and flinging the disc forward. This is BAD. You want to start with your elbow
near shoulder height and the disc into your body.
Differences:
Notice at the top the
elbow is pinched in, while at the bottom the elbow is out away from the
body.
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At the top, she is leaning
back, while at the bottom her weight is far forward and to the side.
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At the bottom, her follow-through
is far below the release point. This causes the back of the disc to drop
down slightly, which allows you to throw with more touch. Note that you
can actually see a tiny bit of the underside of the disc... This affects
the flight by slowing it down as it travels and causes it to hang. This
is good because you can throw the disc to a part of the field and have it
almost stop completely. It will then just hang there for a second or two
for someone to run on to.
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One thing she's doing
wrong in both pictures is that her arm never fully extends. When you snap
down with your elbow, it whips your hand around, so that with very little
effort you can generate a tremendous amount of speed (like snapping a towel).
But you can only take advantage of this by fully extending your arm at the
exact moment you flick the disc off your middle finger. Note also that follow-through
should be palm-up and down and across your body.
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So
when you're trying to practice this, these are the main points to remember.
Righties pivot on their
left foot.
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Don't step too far out,
as you need to get your entire weight over your one leg.
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Lean far forward and
to the side.
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Start with your elbow
about shoulder height and disc into the body.
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The snap starts with
your elbow shooting down, whipping your hand around.
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Your arm should be FULLY
extended at the exact moment of release.
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Follow through DOWN,
with your palm facing up.
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You should hold the
disc so that your wrist is never bent... i.e., so that the back of your
hand is in the same plane as the back of your forearm.[2]
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References
[1] Frisbee Australia
http://www.afda.com/skills/grips.htm
[2] Compiled by Maurice Cinquini with input from: bo186@cleveland.Freenet.Edu
(Retsu Takahashi) markh@sag4.ssl.berkeley.edu (Mark Hurwitz) lind@ils.nwu.edu
(Jeff Lind) | jims@bnr.ca (Jim Spallin) mwaa+@andrew.cmu.edu (Matthew S. Weiss)
trills@matai.vuw.ac.nz (Judi Lapsley) pastore@humu.NOSC.Mil (Thomas J. Pastore)
ferguson@cs.rochester.edu (George Ferguson) 70540.1522@compuserve.com (Eric
Simon) fau@po.CWRU.Edu (Francis A. Uy) donc@ISI.EDU http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~willemsn/ultimate/teaching_forehand
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