RHBH index finger position

[DharmaHuk]

Hi guys,
I've been playing consistently for about two years now & am still unable to get any rip or snap from my RHBH throws.
This leads to my main question:
When using a power grip, should the pad of the index finger be pressed against the inside rim of the disc, or against the bottom flight plate on the side of the inside rim?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Horsman]

Hi guys,
I've been playing consistently for about two years now & am still unable to get any rip or snap from my RHBH throws.
This leads to my main question:
When using a power grip, should the pad of the index finger be pressed against the inside rim of the disc, or against the bottom flight plate on the side of the inside rim?
Thanks in advance!

Hard to say. My index finger is in neither of those positions. For me I just have the last joint of my index finger on the disc where the inner rim and outer wing come together. Not sure if there is a definite place to put it though.

 

[ray1970]

Everyone is probably different but my power grip (and I use that term loosely) has the pads of my fingers mostly against the inside of the rim.

That being said, I seldom use a power grip but use sort of a modified fan grip for more control and the pad on my index finger is more pressed against the flight plate than the inside of the rim.

Honestly, I don't see a huge distance difference between the two grips (maybe 20'…. maybe.) and I'd rather have the control that I get from the fan grip than twenty more feet and possibly miss my mark.

Just play with different grips and see what suits your game best.

 

[Horsman]

I should have said that I use a 3 finger fork grip, so a modified power grip

 

[Riverdog]

I use a modified power grip and as with Ray power is in name only. Pinky finger tucked into palm outside of disc, three fingers on the rim with pretty much pads on rim and thumb on top of flight plate.


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[Riverdog]

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[Blobfish]

Almost all of my RHBH throws come off of my index finger pad which is where I have a callus. So for me, whether it's power grip or modified fan grip, when it snaps off, I think it pivots off of that point on my finger being the last point of contact and it's on the inside of the rim. But it's equally important to have good pressure from your thumb on the other side. Can you snap off a putter?

 

[gooberau]

Re snap:

I had a small clinic with a 960 rated player and he told me to get "snap" you need a very loose, hinged wrist. On top of that he told me I was gripping the disc too tightly. He described the pressure required between the thumb and the fingers on the bottom of the flight plate was about enough to squeeze a toothpaste tube without the toothpaste coming out(!).

The result … about 20' of distance pretty much instantly.

 

[DharmaHuk]

Thank you to all of you!
@blobfish , I can sort of snap a putter but every time I grip any disc with the typical power grip (or at least with a grip having all four finger pads pressed into the inside rim) I get nothing except an unpredictable distance and angle no matter what factors I manipulate. The only time I've gotten consistent snap was when I'd place my index finger pad on the bottom flight plate along the side of the inner rim but I have a feeling this is costing a lot of spin, distance, etc.

I recently tried out Horsman's grip suggestion where the index's last joint is curled around the edge of the rim but touching neither the bottom plate or the inner rim. This helped but I'm wondering if this is still creating a pivot point off the index? or does the pivot point then move to the middle finger?

I feel like I'm missing something obvious to most people but I remain eluded by it and every picture or post I read (I've scoured countless) I can't seem to find any info about where exactly the pad or tip of the index finger goes.

 

[DharmaHuk]

This is interesting because I've heard so many times that I should be squeezing the disc super hard and that if my arm speed is good enough it should inevitably rip out of my hand during my throw. But I've never been able to achieve this. Maybe I need to loosen my grip and discard the whole "grip it as tight as you can" thing.

 

[Horsman]

Thank you to all of you!
@blobfish , I can sort of snap a putter but every time I grip any disc with the typical power grip (or at least with a grip having all four finger pads pressed into the inside rim) I get nothing except an unpredictable distance and angle no matter what factors I manipulate. The only time I've gotten consistent snap was when I'd place my index finger pad on the bottom flight plate along the side of the inner rim but I have a feeling this is costing a lot of spin, distance, etc.

I recently tried out Horsman's grip suggestion where the index's last joint is curled around the edge of the rim but touching neither the bottom plate or the inner rim. This helped but I'm wondering if this is still creating a pivot point off the index? or does the pivot point then move to the middle finger?

I feel like I'm missing something obvious to most people but I remain eluded by it and every picture or post I read (I've scoured countless) I can't seem to find any info about where exactly the pad or tip of the index finger goes.

I dont know that I personally would say that my technique is a good technique for holding the disc, its just what works for me. I also have bigger hands which is why I use a 3 finger grip. I dont generate a lot of snap with my throw either. Hand placement on the disc for me has always been about just finding a comfortable position to hold the disc in and then making that work for you.

 

[Horsman]

This is interesting because I've heard so many times that I should be squeezing the disc super hard and that if my arm speed is good enough it should inevitably rip out of my hand during my throw. But I've never been able to achieve this. Maybe I need to loosen my grip and discard the whole "grip it as tight as you can" thing.

Yea, I dont and wouldnt suggest you grip it as tight as you can. I always thought that you wanted a slightly more firm grip over a slightly loose grip.

 

[Blobfish]

Thank you to all of you!
@blobfish , I can sort of snap a putter but every time I grip any disc with the typical power grip (or at least with a grip having all four finger pads pressed into the inside rim) I get nothing except an unpredictable distance and angle no matter what factors I manipulate. The only time I've gotten consistent snap was when I'd place my index finger pad on the bottom flight plate along the side of the inner rim but I have a feeling this is costing a lot of spin, distance, etc.

Actually, this is correct in a way, and to illustrate, I'll recommend throwing an ultimate disc. Ultimate converts to disc golf have tremendous snap right out of the gate because maximizing the spin increases flight stability which in turn increases the distance the disc flies.
Caveat: yes, they do use a similar power grip for their long distances

However, you will notice that if you fan grip an ultrastar, you can still easily generate snap and get a feel for how it differs from just flinging it. And so it will go with low speed discs (low rotational inertia). As the disc speeds increase (more mass out on the edge and thus higher rotational inertia), the torque needed to provide the same angular acceleration increases, so folks start to try weird things to compensate (at the expense of good form). I'd suggest starting with an ultimate disc or a putter and trying to snap it off and get a feel for it and move your way up in disc speeds until your throws no longer get that same feel.