forehand vs backhand

[christoh13]

i primarily throw a forehand shot at around a 350-375' range and have a horrible backhand. been thinking for a few weeks that i should quit working on my forehand because i feel i have capped out my distance and switch to learning backhand. should i quit on my trying to get more d out of my forehand and switch to backhand?

 

[rickztahone]

Don't quite forehand and practice on your backhand more, simple!

 

[davetherocketguy]

I have been in the same boat. I was a 300-325' FH driver and have been working on my BH snap. Recently I have occasionally been able to get my noodle arm to BH out to 275-300 or so. IMHO if you can BH as well as FH your game will be awesome. Think about it, there would not be a single line that is an issue - right to left or left to right. Would not matter because you could hit either just as effectively while BH only players might struggle with some lines.

I've had some RHBH dg'ers ask me to recommend a disc that turns right instead of left all the time. I first recommend getting something flippy or something like a Comet but then also recommend, "just learn how to FH the same disc."

 

[Halcón]

Welcome to the site.

Your game will only improve by developing a serviceable BH. Good luck in improving your skills.

 

[christoh13]

Welcome to the site.

Your game will only improve by developing a serviceable BH. Good luck in improving your skills.

that is what i was thinking as well, thank you for your input.

 

[Jamnjoshua]

I starting playing disc golf 100% backhand. but after several tourney's and after talking to a few pro's in Santa Cruz. I decided it was time to change it up. Jack Traggeser, who owns schoolofdiscgolf.com and is local pro, challenged me to go 1 month with out throwing a single backhand. He said, "im jealous of your flick, but if you want to improve your game get that backhand down." Oh my, it was super frustrating, but my game has improved a ton and my backhand is now fairly constant. I feel its totally worth it to learn how to throw backhand. It also opens many options for shots where before all you had in the bag was flicks. One last thing I noticed is that my upshot game has improved a ton as well, I can finesse a backhand, alot easier than a flick. So my control is better within 130' with a backhand most of the time.

 

[Jamnjoshua]

I starting playing 100% FOREHAND ......

 

[davetherocketguy]

One last thing I noticed is that my upshot game has improved a ton as well, I can finesse a backhand, alot easier than a flick. So my control is better within 130' with a backhand most of the time.

I found this to be true for me as well. :thmbup: It is possible to finesse a flick shot when needed. It isn't easy and usually generates a lot of wobble when not thrown exactly right but it certainly is possible.

 

[Eric troll Biscuits]

as far as distance goes, I've seen a lot of great players at Mt. Airy... one of the most consistent players.(matt n.) predominantly throws forehand... I have seen other players dive as far backhand too. I think the key is if you can flip an overstable disc with ease... Until then its hard to break 350. It doesn't matter which style you go with, just get it there. I notice I can flip a disc easier forehand, but I can not control it well enough to do all the time. Considering how well my backhand is, and rolling is always an option for a forehand player to imitate a back hand throw

 

[DannyThunders]

Theres a guy from Hb around here i play with occasionally who throws rhfh and used to do alot of lhbh upshots and putts, Played with him over the weekend and he now has a decent lhbh drive coming along and is working on it. I say develop both because if you master both youll be able to throw almost any hole alot more comfortably

 

[DavidSauls]

It's a false choice. You should continue working on your forehand while adding backhand.

You may or may not add distance to your forehand, but there's always room to add accuracy and consistency. So keep working on it.

But......adding 50' of distance won't affect your scores as much as developing a serviceable backhand to go with your primary forehand.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

The shots you have in your repertoire, the better off you are. Sometimes you can compensate for not having a BH by throwing a FH turnover or annie, but they have lines that are different enough that one will work on some holes where the other doesn't fit as well. I throw a pretty good RHBH turnover shot, but it's not always a suitable substitute for a RHFH shot.

 

[AaronMonier18]

I'm a forehand dominant player that last year started incorporating backhand into my game. It's great to be able to put spin on the disc both ways. I only feel completely comfortable backhanding mids and putters and need something very broken in for a driver to get it to fly straight. Start small and work your way up. Use the field to hone your skills. Practice accuracy with gaps and plastic you don't care about getting beat up. There are many holes in my game but the only way to improve is with efficient practice. Ultimately, distance potential is so much greater with a backhand. It will be worth taking a step back in your scores to make a leap forward.

 

[eegor]

I played forehand for years. Then, I hurt my shoulder. When I started playing again, it didn't hurt my shoulder as much to throw backhand, so that's what I do most of the time now.

When I do need a forehand shot, I know how to do it and saves some strokes.

By the way, I can throw farther backhand than I ever did forehand. It's worth it to be able to throw both ways.

 

[blackcatsmith]

When I started I drove exclusively forehand, after six months I started practicing backhand drives, then thumbers,tomahawks, and now backhand with my off hand. I rarely will drive forehand off the tee anymore, but I rely on my forehand on most approaches. I disagree with the OPs' premise that it is "Forehand vs. Backhand". The styles compliment each other, not compete with each other.

 

[rynehester]

I did the same thing when I first started playing. I realized that FH was harder on my arm and also I was limited distance. I've been working on my BH for the last couple of months and it has defenetly improved my game and helped my arm. BH doesn't have to be perfect it just needs to be manageable. Go out to a field and just work on being smooth and keeping it low.

 

[bradharris]

David and Bogey nailed it. With any sport, the more skills you can develop, the more complete and successful you will be.

Do not abandon the forehand in order to focus on the backhand. Instead, work on incorporating more backhand throws to your practice routine.

 

[DavidSauls]

.....if you do, what you'll learn is that it's not necessarily your drives that will benefit the most. On most courses, most holes can be played either way, with some advantage to one or the other.

But if you throw into trouble as much as I do, you'll find that getting out often requires one throw or the other, at least to have any reasonable chance.

 

[Dan Ensor]

I started out throwing a forehand like I'd throw a baseball. It was incredibly hard on my arm, and completely unclean. I'm actually kind of happy I put it on the shelf for a while. Now I have a somewhat clean forehand that's not hard on my arm, and I'm starting to get some decent distance with it. I found it very difficult to try to clean up my long throw, but I'm finding it easy to increase distance on my clean throw.

Having both is essential, though. If you have a clean forehand, don't abandon it.

 

[chain_ape7]

Totally agree with Dan Ensor - having both shots will elevate your game. I also started RHFH and worked on a RHBH within the first 3-4 months, and now have a pretty solid thumber and tomahawk to go with it. You need as many different skills as you can develop - they will all come in handy!