THROWING

~Possibly the most important aspect of the game.

The disc must go on. Boy that was weak. Anyways, you can’t play Ultimate without knowing how to throw the disc. There are several ways to do this, some better than others.

I’ll start with the basics, and then go on to some special-sit or trick throws.

THROWING TIPS FOR PLAYERS

· KEEP THE DISC FLAT AT ALL TIMES when learning the basics. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT. Avoid slanting the disc except for deep hucks (really long throws), which will usually flatten out.

· Try to pass always (if possible) about stomach, hip, or chest height. Try to throw straight, never high.

· It’s ALL in the wrist. This is the key to all throws; the flick’s the thing. Don’t tell the Raiders, CV hasn’t figured this out yet.

· Practice is ESSENTIAL. New players must acquire a ‘feel’ for the disc, for its heft, control, and flight mechanics. I cannot stress enough: DO NOT USE A THROW IN A GAME UNTIL YOU HAVE PRACTICED IT AND ARE CONFIDANT excepting dire circumstances. Throwing away the disc is bad. If you are defended too tightly, huck it as far as possible ONLY AT THE LAST MINUTE to gain some yardage and the possibility of a save.

THE BASIC THROWS:

1. THE BASIC BACKHAND

This is the one everyone learns in der kindergarten, ja? It’s so well-known, but if you don’t know it I cant explain it here. Instead, I am going to give you tips to perfect at least the basics.

1) KEEP THE DISC FLAT

2) Stand sideways to the target

3) Make all movements on the horizontal plane, that is never swing or especially tilt the disc up or down. See tips, above

4) Try different grips. If it slips to the side or turns over, try putting one finger along the outside rim, especially for short passes. For hucks, put all fingers inside the rims, you will probably get used to this grip with more practice and use it all the time.

2. THE BASIC FOREHAND

This is the throw that separates beginners from the initiates of ultimate. If you can only throw backhand, an experienced opponent will rape you. Er, figuratively speaking. I mean he (or she) will take advantage of your weakness.

The Forehand is thrown from the opposite side of the body, i.e. the same side as the throwing hand.

Like so

The thrower faces the target, unlike the basic backhand. The grip and the swing are the hardest parts of the forehand. Grip the disc with thumb on top, the next two fingers lying along the inside rim, and the last 2 tucked in. Like so. Kind of.

Keeping the disc flat, the thrower cocks his wrist back. The disc should be about even with the hip, the arm extending out to the side, and the elbow out from the body at least a few inches. The throw is made using the flick of the wrist, thus the forehand is sometimes called the ‘flick,’ while the backhand is the ‘swing.’

REMEMBER: KEEP THE DISC FLAT.

With the forehand, the power MUST COME FROM THE WRIST. You will eventually swing the arm for power and control, but you MUST LEARN TO THROW THE FORHAND USING ONLY THE WRIST. Do you like MY USE OF CAPS?

Remember to make only horizontal motions until you master the basics!!!!!!

The beginner may try throwing with the two fingers in a V shape instead of both along the rim- it’s never worked for me, but many good players use it. A warning- this grip loses a great deal of power.

3. THE HAMMER

The hammer is also known variously as a tomato, hatchet, or tomahawk. This throw is not a basic but still a common throw that must be included in every ultimate player’s repertoire. This throw is used to drop to a receiver from above, and is extremely effective for throwing over the head of a hyperactive defender.

The thrower holds the disc in a basic forehand grip, but the disc is brought up over the shoulder, pretty much behind the head. When the throw begins, the disc is whipped over the head and released pretty much diagonal (with the underside up!) For shorter throws, the disc is held more and more horizontal, while for a huck it should be a little off from pure vertical. The disc will rise fast with the sharp angle, hit the peak, then on the downward side it will start leveling out side slipping rapidly downwards and sideways. The disc should level to full horizontal at the level of the catcher, or earlier for a nice downward sink. NOTE: THE HAMMER WILL END UP UPSIDE-DOWN!! IT’S SUPPOSED TO!

Here’s a bad diagram by me showing kinda the path of an endzone huck, hammer-for-the-score: classy!

Figure 1 The thrower on the left is right-handed, the right thrower is left-handed.

The hammer is a hard throw to adapt to and to catch, but can be used to great effect. Use judiciously. Another perk is, the hammer is an extremely precise throw if you practice it; I can put a hammer at pretty much any point on the football field at will. I have been known to sink baskets while standing under the other hoop on a basketball court :-O

Also: for a short hammer, i.e. getting rid of it over your defender or a nice sharp pass, you can throw it almost perfectly flat- but upside down.

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES:

These basic throws ARE MUST KNOW MATERIEL. You must know them. Once you have mastered the basic straight pass, there are many variations that can be employed, but you must already have a feel for the mechanics of the disc and its flight.

VARIATIONS:

1) TIPS

ONCE YOU KNOW THE BASICS PERFECTLY experiment with your throws. Changing the speed, the angle, and the spin on the disc will all result in different effects.

2) THE HOOK

The hook is a nice curving throw employed either with forehand or backhand. Basically, you release the disc a little higher, and tilt the outside edge up or down. The backhand hook is great for a slow curve around a defender for some yardage; the forehand hook is awesome for a fast huck out of bounds that curves back onto the sideline.

3) Vary speeds.

Control of the disc is essential: what is your purpose? You can give a nice slow pass for a receiver running past, a high, shallow hook for a longer pass; a huck with a slow drop in the ‘zone, or a stunning ‘thread the needle’ bullet pass for a five-yard score through the CV Defense.

4) The floater.

This throw is useful especially when the games has been concentrated at or behind the midfield. If a team member makes a sudden sprint for the ‘zone and shakes his man, put it up. You can put it deep and make it drop slowly, especially in the endzone. If you or he isn’t going to make it to the endzone, try and give him a more parabolic toss he can chase down- but don’t put it too far ahead of him.

~SHANE RUBENFELD- CAPTAIN, CORVALLIS HIGH SPARTANS 2001-2002

ROCK ON SENIORS ’02!!!!!!!!