I've been playing for a couple months. Used to play baseball so I decided to concentrate on the sidearm throw. I have only been successful throwing this style on one occasion. I have no clue what I was doing right that day. My problem is understanding the shoulder, elbow, and wrist creating the lever. All kinds of info on grips, but I can't find an explanation on the lever. Any advice would be appreciated. I don't have much more hair to pull out.
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Sidearm Lever
- Thread starter JayChum
- Start date
LeBryson James
Double Eagle Member
Sarah Hokom explains it very well in this video!
She comes up at around 16 minutes.
She comes up at around 16 minutes.
You may be trying to put too much arm into the throw and not enough wrist. Try practicing throwing with as minimal back swing as possible and use your wrist, then increase back swing to go where you're comfortable. You want a bent elbow and keep that elbow close to your body so your forearm and wrist does the work. Snapping the wrist is where you get both spin and speed. Step into the throw, not run. Follow through like you would throwing a ball. The main "lever" in this throw is the forearm. The secondary "lever" is the hand because it doesn't move too much relative to the forearm. The fulcrum is the elbow although it moves throught the throw. The secondary fulcrum is the wrist because it doesn't move too much relative to the elbow.
Think about "pushing" the disc rather than throwing like a ball. With a ball your shoulder is a fulcrum too. Not too much in forehand disc throw. Try to keep the plane of the disc on line to your release point as long as possible for cleaner faster releases. This is a common problem. Again practice slowly with the disc flat and "push" it, then increasing backswing (reach) and "push" it faster.
Think about "pushing" the disc rather than throwing like a ball. With a ball your shoulder is a fulcrum too. Not too much in forehand disc throw. Try to keep the plane of the disc on line to your release point as long as possible for cleaner faster releases. This is a common problem. Again practice slowly with the disc flat and "push" it, then increasing backswing (reach) and "push" it faster.
With my sidearm mechanics my shoulder initiates the movement, but my elbow leads into the throw. My fore arm and wrist then follow.
Also try to throw slow. A lot of beginning side-arm players have too much arm speed relevant to the amount of spin they can get on the disc. Your distance will suffer at first, but getting clean releases throwing slow will help you build up clean distance in the long run.
Also try to throw slow. A lot of beginning side-arm players have too much arm speed relevant to the amount of spin they can get on the disc. Your distance will suffer at first, but getting clean releases throwing slow will help you build up clean distance in the long run.
NOStheBOSS
Double Eagle Member
Palm to the sky. A lot of people have trouble with forehand because they roll their wrist (including me)
I've kept my palm up and side of my arm towards throw. It's creating the fulcrum that has me frustrated. I'm just whipping my arm around. (the wrong way) Like I said, for an hour and a half I had the throw right. Really Right in fact. Low flat straight throws. That was a couple weeks ago. Hasn't happened since. I go play at least several times a week, and I'm better than I was when I started, but I feel like I'm getting better at bad form. The disc isn't rolling off my fingers at all.
What discs are you throwing?
jimcramer24
Newbie
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2010
- Messages
- 28
I found this video to be really helpful when learning forehand:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ewCoZ8BwM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ewCoZ8BwM
Tiny
Double Eagle Member
Maybe learn how to use your offhand for backhand. So it imitates your baseball swing?
Brodysseus
* Ace Member *
This. I break my wrist like I'm throwing a baseball (my natural sport too), which cause it to roll and flip the disc.
You mentioned a lot of good points, but I think the most pertinent one is the one in bold. If you snap it right, you should be able to get at least 150 ft with VERY VERY little arm swing.
kerplunk
Double Eagle Member
It might sound counter-intuitive, but try using less follow-through, i.e. don't let your arm cross your body. This should help with forcing you to get power and snap from your forearm. I think. Forehand came very natural to me when I started throwing it, which I attribute to playing squash and raquetball. The FH in these games is more similar to a DG forehand than any other sports motions I have seen, I am surprised they aren't ever mentioned in forehand discussions.
KGroff25
Birdie Member
Keep your elbow pinned to your hip, your forearm perpendicular to your body, and your palm facing the sky. Then push hard with your back leg just like you would when you're swinging for a line drive, which makes you fire your hips through, which makes you fire your forearm through, which makes you snap your wrist and eject the disc.
Your body becomes a whole series of levers, just be sure to have them all back, cocked, and loaded to get triggered by the previous lever. If you do it in order you build up a ton of force with minimal movement. If you don't do it in order the energy isn't efficiently transfered through your body. Ie: If you fire your arm through before your hips then the force from your hips and legs doesn't get into the throw.
In the end it should feel like you're pushing hard with your legs and hips and your forearm and wrist just fire through on their own because they don't have a choice. So you're forearm basically just becomes a lever that gets rocketed through by your hips. That Sarah Hokom video is a perfect example. Watch her thighs flex and propel everything through.
Your body becomes a whole series of levers, just be sure to have them all back, cocked, and loaded to get triggered by the previous lever. If you do it in order you build up a ton of force with minimal movement. If you don't do it in order the energy isn't efficiently transfered through your body. Ie: If you fire your arm through before your hips then the force from your hips and legs doesn't get into the throw.
In the end it should feel like you're pushing hard with your legs and hips and your forearm and wrist just fire through on their own because they don't have a choice. So you're forearm basically just becomes a lever that gets rocketed through by your hips. That Sarah Hokom video is a perfect example. Watch her thighs flex and propel everything through.
periodicalcicada
Newbie
I had a lot of trouble developing my sidearm. In the end I had to start short. Concentrate on short approach shots, and keep the wrist faster than the arm. Gradually lengthen the distance, and back off when you end up with too much flutter.
Nasty Nate
Double Eagle Member
I am watching this video and am liking it very much, but I am wondering about some different information I have received.
I recently went to a putting clinic that Paul McBeth did here and his putting information was a bit different from Nikko's in this video. Paul DOES put his finger on the rim of the disc, as you can see in these ads on this and Innova's website. Although Mr. Feldberg says not to do that in this video. Also I'm not sure if Paul said anything about opening your hand instead of trying to move your wrist a bit. I thought it was just a slight snap of the wrist, but maybe I don't recall that part of the lecture. McBeth said to generate momentum by bringing your weight to your back foot and then shifting it forward while putting. I don't think anything was said about lifting your back leg to counter-balance. I am interested in trying Nikko's methods to see how I can improve my technique.
Also, Dave Feldberg says when throwing powergrip backhand to flatten your thumb against the top of the disc. I recently watched a Nate Doss video where he says not to do that. I know that everyone is different and has their own strengths and styles, but I am just wondering if this stuff really makes a huge difference.
It's wet outside today so I'll have to wait to try these techniques for myself.
I recently went to a putting clinic that Paul McBeth did here and his putting information was a bit different from Nikko's in this video. Paul DOES put his finger on the rim of the disc, as you can see in these ads on this and Innova's website. Although Mr. Feldberg says not to do that in this video. Also I'm not sure if Paul said anything about opening your hand instead of trying to move your wrist a bit. I thought it was just a slight snap of the wrist, but maybe I don't recall that part of the lecture. McBeth said to generate momentum by bringing your weight to your back foot and then shifting it forward while putting. I don't think anything was said about lifting your back leg to counter-balance. I am interested in trying Nikko's methods to see how I can improve my technique.
Also, Dave Feldberg says when throwing powergrip backhand to flatten your thumb against the top of the disc. I recently watched a Nate Doss video where he says not to do that. I know that everyone is different and has their own strengths and styles, but I am just wondering if this stuff really makes a huge difference.
It's wet outside today so I'll have to wait to try these techniques for myself.
