When I think about throwing long, it helps me to visualize a spring in action. I try to activate four parts of my body that act as springs: legs, hips, shoulders, elbow, and wrist. As I wind up for the throw, I think about compressing these springs in turn and as I throw, I think about releasing each of the springs. The legs are an important part of the step; I step out as far as I can to still feel completely balanced throughout the throw. Step evenly with your legs, rotate your torso through your legs and hips, drive your shoulder, lead your wrist with your elbow, and finally snap your wrist. This works for both the forehand and backhand.
When I am shooting for maximum distance, I try to throw the disc so it has three stages of flight (credit for the “three stages of flight” terminology to Tiina Booth and NUTC):
1. Disc starts with some inside-out (more i/o with more headwind),
2. Flattens out, and then,
3. Finishes its flight path by spinning in (still mostly flat) towards
your receiver.
A few details related to each throw:
Forehand. I think the most important thing to keep in mind when throwing a long forehand is to focus on throwing hard, not far. Thinking about this focuses me on keeping my form compact and makes me think about snapping the disc quickly and hard.
When you watch a baseball pitcher, there is a moment in time where they have not yet released the pitch, but their arm is moving forwards and you see their elbow leading their wrist through the throwing motion. (A quick Google Image Search brings this.) This same leading with the elbow motion is what I think about when I am about to release a disc because it helps me get all the possible snap out of my wrist.
A few ways to practice wrist snap for the forehand: Throw fast and flat (not high arcing) blades with a partner. If you don’t have a partner, often indoor tracks or gyms have these tall, heavy curtains that you can pull out and throw blades upwards on. Also fun to try to catch the rebound.
Backhand. Visualize yourself inside a hula hoop that is suspended in the air about chest height. As you bend at the waist, the angle of the hula hoop changes with respect to the ground, but stays the same with respect to your upper body. You can vary the angle of inside-out on the throw by bending at the waist. When executing my throwing motion, I try to think about keeping the disc in the plane of the hula hoop. Air resistance (including wind) will make the disc flatten out.
Two things especially useful for pulling are to think about bringing the disc behind you as far as you can during your windup and on curling it into your wrist.
As with the forehand, focus on throwing hard, not far.
Back to Issue