How do you throw a flying disc? What techniques are involved in flying disc?
There are many different ways to throw a flying disc, meaning it is up to the thrower to decide what they want to achieve with their throw and how best to go about it.
The three most common throws in Ultimate are the backhand, forehand and hammer throw.
Backhand
The backhand throw is the most common throw.
With your dominant hand, you put four fingers in the cup of the disc and place the thumb on top.
You then stand up straight, twist to your non-dominant side and stretch your arm and hand with the disc back before launching that arm with a slight elbow bend back across the body and steadily release the disc.
To get the disc to spin as it travels, you must bend your wrist and then snap it quickly.
The backhand can be used for short, medium and long passes.
Forehand
The forehand pass or flick is seen as a more efficient throw.
With your dominant hand, you put two fingers under the disc and the thumb on top. Then, keeping the disc parallel with the ground, you bend your elbow and flick the wrist as if you were trying to skim a rock.
The idea is that as you bring your arm through, the wrist also bends back and snaps forward as you release the disc, giving it a “flick” feel. As with the backhand, the spin is generated at the bend of the wrist.
The hammer throw
Unlike the other two throws, the hammer throw begins with the disc on a vertical plane rather than a horizontal one.
Often used to send the disc over the defence, the throw begins with the disc at just over head height.
Hold the disc with two fingers on the inner side of the disc and the thumb on the outside (as with the flick/forehand).
As you raise the disc above your head, the top of the disc should be facing towards your head. Tilt the disc towards that direction, pull back the disc, bend the elbow and release it forwards.
The disc should start out tilted, then shift to vertical and then turn upside-down.
There are multiple other throws that are used in Ultimate, including a high release backhand, low release backhand and a chicken wing.