Throw a Frisbee Forehand

The forehand, also known as the flick, the two-finger, or the side arm, is one of the two most common ways to throw a Frisbee. To throw a forehand, you'll have to "flick" your wrist forward while keeping the Frisbee parallel to the ground as it moves toward your opponent. This throw, similar to the forehand in tennis, can be a bit tricky to master, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to throw a disc with superior distance and accuracy. If you want to know how to throw a Frisbee forehand, see Step 1 to get started.

Steps

Throwing a Regular Forehand

  1. Grip the disc correctly. To properly grip the disc for the forehand, you'll need to use your thumb, index finger, and middle finger while keeping the other fingers out of the way. These three fingers alone should be enough to hold the weight of the disc and to give you the power and control you need. Here's how to grip the disc:[1]
    • You'll need to stick your thumb out, thumbs up style, and make a peace sign with your index and middle finger, making sure your palm is facing the sky. These are the three fingers you'll need.
    • Now, hold the disc with your left (or non-dominant) hand, logo side up, and place it over your "peace sign" fingers, while folding your thumb over the top of the disc.
    • Then, fold your ring and pinkie fingers into your hand as if you were making a loose fist, just touching your palm, to keep them out of the way.
    • Fold your middle finger toward your palm, pushing it against the inside of the rim. Your index finger should stay straight, pointed toward the center of the Frisbee, supporting some of its weight.
    • Squeeze the disc, pushing your thumb down and your middle finger tight against the rim.
      • For a variation, instead of the "split fingers" grip, you can move your index and middle fingers together for the power grip, which will give you more power but less control.
  2. Get in the proper stance. Once you've got the grip down, you've got to step out, with your feet slightly more than shoulder width apart, pointing toward the receiver. Your knees should be slightly bent to help you maintain your balance and to gather power.[2]
  3. Bring the disc back. Now, bring the disc back with your dominant hand while shifting your weight toward your throwing foot, so that about 80% of your weight is on your throwing foot, while 20% of your weight is on your other foot. Your arm should be close to parallel to the ground.
  4. Move the disc back behind your elbow. Keep bringing it back until your elbow is in front of the disc, pointing toward the receiver. Bend your wrist back as far as you can. When you snap it forward, it will generate the momentum you need to spin the disc.
  5. Keep the disc at a slight downward angle while moving it forward. The disc should be angled about 10 degrees downward parallel to the ground. Your throwing hand and arm should be parallel to the ground, with your other arm slightly behind you. You should increase the bend in your throwing foot a bit, too.
  6. Throw the disc. Now, flick your wrist as you move your throwing arm from the outside to the inside of your body (the opposite motion of throwing a backhand). The power should come from the shoulder, passing naturally through the elbow and into the wrist, allowing the disc to spin. When you throw the disc, make sure that you rotate your body, using your throwing side first, and then your shoulders. Use your non-throwing hand to balance your body after it rotates, to create balance as you move it out and behind you a bit.
    • You may be tempted to flip your wrist because of throwing balls or playing other sports. But for throwing a disc, you should keep your palm facing up toward the sky so the disc will come off flat instead of flipping over, which is a common problem many first-time forehand throwers have.[3]
    • If you've ever skipped rocks, you can think of the wrist movement as being similar. In a sense, you are skipping the rocks by throwing a forehand, if this helps.
  7. Follow through. After you release the disc, make sure to point after its flight path with your hand, keeping it level, with your palm up. Keep your pinkie and your ring finger slightly bent up and your hand level. Continue to look at the receiver to make sure that your disc is headed on the right path.[2]

Throwing Other Forehands

  1. Throw the high release flick. This is the same as a regular forehand, except you throw it above your shoulder, flicking your wrist and raising your arm on release. This is good for getting around other people.
  2. Throw the low release flick. This is essentially a very low forehand. Lunge to the side you're throwing on, sinking down as low as you can. Release the disc just inches from the ground, trying to get it under a defender's arms. Your elbow should just barely make it past your knee when you throw the disc. This is effective at all ranges, but a little bit tricky to master.
  3. Throw the "pizza flip." This is used mostly for faking. Here, you start to do a regular forehand throw, but at the last minute, you rotate the disc counter-clockwise, under your throwing arm, by using just your middle finger to hold the disc. Then, you release the disc toward your dominant side, which will be perpendicular to the standard way you will throw the disc using a forehand.



Tips

  • There is a big learning curve with this throw. It will feel very awkward at first, but with practice, it will become natural
  • As you become more comfortable with the throw, move your index finger to your middle finger to generate more power. Even though it's easier to learn the 'v', as you gain experience, the extra stability it offers won't be needed.
  • Try to keep the disk level at release. This will increase accuracy.
  • At first, try to not move the throwing arm at all. Later, and with more practice, you can introduce more arm movement to make the throw more comfortable.
  • A tighter grip will allow you to throw it farther, although it's easier to learn with a somewhat loose grip.
  • Practice makes perfect.
  • Also practice throwing two targets between 30 to 60 degrees to the right, i.e. 2 to 4 o'clock (for right-handed throwers). This is more common during a game of Ultimate Frisbee than throwing to targets directly across from you.

Warnings

  • The disk is very hard in winter due to the cold temperature, and thus may be painful to throw and catch during this season.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.ultimatehandbook.com/uh/training_forehand.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://afda.com/p/teaching-beginners-how-to-throw-forehand
  3. ↑ http://www.ultimaterob.com/2012/10/23/how-to-throw-a-flatter-more-consistent-flick/

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