Basic Throws
This section will hopefully be useful for those who are new to the sport and are having difficulty with the throw favoured by most Ultimate players for its "accuracy and control" (Channel 4 programme on Worlds 1994): The side arm! Also it should be useful for those people who have been thrown in the deep end and are having to teach people themselves.
The best way to get the hang of the throws is lots and lots of practice and learning not to get disheartened, it'll come eventually. As well as the following descriptions of the basic throws I will also include some less approved throws. If you feel more should be included then e-mail the details of it to studentultimate.com
1) The Backhand - The one everybody knows, but not as easy as it looks.
Grip - People hold this in all sorts of ways! Its important that you choose the style most comfortable for you. You hold the disc with the thumb on top of the disc and fingers underneath (some people have their index finger along the edge of the disc for greater control) as shown in the following pictures
Top
of Disc
Underside
of Disc
Throw - As with most throws in Ultimate, the power comes from the wrist. What I tend to say is that the wrist action is just like flicking someone with a towel, stupid but accurate! The body position and arm movement for the backhand is very similar to that of the backhand in Tennis, keep this in mind when first trying out the throw.
2) Side Arm or Forehand - The statement at the top about the sidearm being favoured for it's accuracy is not far wrong. Once you have got the hang of it, it is extremely useful.
Grip - As with the backhand the grip used differs between players. However, as a rule it is held with the thumb on the top and two fingers under the edge of the disc with the little finger and ring finger tucked into the palm. The following pictures show the top and bottom of the disc with the side arm grip.
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of disc
Underside
of disc
Throw - As the name suggests the body position and throw are similar to the forehand in Tennis. You stand facing the way you want to throw with your arm and disc out to your side. The differences come as the power for the throw comes from the flick of the wrist rather than the arm.
One rule to remember when starting to learn the throw is that the edge of the disc furthest away from your hand and body should be pointing down to the grown. This feels awkward but corrects the problem of the disc rolling to the left and hitting the floor! The natural movement through the throw brings the disc up flat when released.
The best way to nail this throw is just to get out and practice it. Watch how other people do it and see how flexible and useful the throw is. It'll come if you try it enough!
3) The Hammer - This is another fairly common throw but some players don't like it! It is basically an over head throw that can be used to get out of trouble or for any other normal pass when a backhand would do! The hammer is just more fun.
Grip - The grip is the same that is used for the sidearm and the wrist action is the same so it is better to get the hang of that first. The difference is where you hold and release the disc.
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of disc
The
Throw
- This is a lot like throwing a stone at the beach and the body position
is similar to a serve in tennis. Basically all I can say is give it
a go. One tip is, if you're right handed, the disc will move from left
to right during flight so compensate with your aim as necessary. (Opposite
if you left handed)
First look at where you are aiming and then look up to where you want the
flight of the disc. Looking up will bring your head back and alter your
body position so the disc will be released early.
4) The Thumber - This is an even less approved throw than the hammer and in a game environment is pretty useless (although some would say otherwise). It's flight is much the same as the hammer, landing upside down, however you use your thumb for the throw and the arc is right to left.
Grip - It's a bit different to the others as it uses the thumb instead of the fingers. You have the thumb under the disc and the fingers on top.
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of Disc
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of Disc
This throw is not best used outside of training sessions but give it a go, it looks good!
5) The Overhand - The flight of this is very similar to the side arm but it is much more difficult to control and "air bounces" which may look good but in windy conditions is disastrous. I'll not lie to you, in games it is useless but it looks good so do it anyway!
Grip - The grip is similar to the thumber except the side of the thumb is against the rim instead of the front of the thumb and more of the fingers are touching the top of the disc.
Top
of disc
Underside
of Disc
The throw is performed with the disc being released horizontally instead of vertically like the thumber.
