Sidearm: Toe vs Heal Rotation

[DiscinFiend]

I've been wondering what is the best way to throw sidearm. It occurred to me that many people preach "rotate on the heel" for throwing backhand, but what about sidearm? Is it better to rotate on your heel or toe when throwing a forehand throw? Which is better & why?

 

[jnskender]

Honestly the more your feet are planted the better. The only thing I focus on is the motion of my arm. On a sidearm, the distance comes from the snap of your arm and not from your body.

 

[5QU166Y]

I don't think my plant foot rotates...

 

[DiscinFiend]

I don't think my plant foot rotates...

Mine does...maybe I'm doing it wrong. But doesn't your plant foot naturally move with the momentum of your throw?

 

[sidewinder22]

My foot doesn't really pivot on FH unless the tee is loose/slick in which case it varies from heel, toe, and flat footed, depends on the shot/balance. The momentum goes to the hip instead of spinning out the foot.

 

[jongoff09]

I had to see video of my throw to know this, but I plant my foot pointing at the target and don't really pivot on it at all.

 

[Stardoggy]

I have a small pivot, from heel to toe and around on the follow through.

 

[bradharris]

When you throw backhand, a large amount of power comes from the rotation of your body, thus, plant foot rotation is important.

With sidearm, the power comes much more from proper weight shift, there's much less rotation to the throw. So your plant foot may pivot a little bit, but it's not worth even thinking about toe vs heel.

 

[Onyx]

I think it really depends on the timing of your movement. I feel like this question is getting more at the rotation of your hips. There really is no way to rotate them w/o turning your front foot.

Watch these two Sarah Hokom videoes. As she "runs up" her front foot is perpendicular to the target. At release, however, her front foot is facing the target.

http://youtu.be/lUOq09T2q54

and

http://youtu.be/6-qwjJBPVsw

I would try not to get in the habit of putting your feet in cement and focusing solely on the whipping action coming from your shoulder, elbow and wrist. Many injuries come down that line.

 

[Widdershins]

I've been wondering what is the best way to throw sidearm. It occurred to me that many people preach "rotate on the heel" for throwing backhand, but what about sidearm? Is it better to rotate on your heel or toe when throwing a forehand throw? Which is better & why?

I'm not sure I have ever seen any forehand thrower rotate (commonly) on his heel. It would be very difficult to even do it except maybe on an extreme anhyzer or roller.

Forehanders release much lower to the ground than backhanders and their weight shift is more forward, leaning over the knee.

If a backhander has their plant foot slip it can mess up the accuracy of the shot. If a forehander has their plant foot slip out, they face plant. So a plant foot on a forehand is a needed base of stability (for the body, not the disc).

In my area veteran players use sheet metal screws in the bottoms of boots for winter play. Screws wear out from grinding against cement tee pads and need to be replaced a few times each season. The wear patterns on my screws show on my forehand plant foot that I rotate off the inner edge of the ball of my foot. The toe, heel and outer edge of the plant foot get little wear. I realize this is just me, not everybody who throws forehand, but in terms of rotation I would think my form is pretty typical.

 

[mreynolds24]

You should plant your last step more open to get away from rotating when throwing a FH. This opens up the hips allowing for your opposite shoulder to swing through, and then whipping your throwing arm through. What I typically try to mimic is a baseball player throwing across an infield. I grew up playing baseball, so this analogy worked best for me, as it is more or less the exact same thing. But, if it's more or less a routine ground ball, the lead foot is pointed toward the target, or at an angle just inside of that. It allows for a better weight transfer, and opens your body up to allow your arm a clear path at the target instead of throwing across your body.

 

[fritothedog]

On side arm I step forward, no rotation in the foot. At least, no purposeful rotation in the foot...

 

[turkey67]

My foot doesn't really pivot on FH unless the tee is loose/slick in which case it varies from heel, toe, and flat footed, depends on the shot/balance. The momentum goes to the hip instead of spinning out the foot.

Mine is identical.

 

[DiscinFiend]

I noticed that Big Jerm does a slight x-step which is similar to a backhand x-step, but Sarah Hokom & Ricky Wysocki do the x-step the opposite way...which is better & why?

 

[mreynolds24]

I noticed that Big Jerm does a slight x-step which is similar to a backhand x-step, but Sarah Hokom & Ricky Wysocki do the x-step the opposite way...which is better & why?

Whichever feels more comfortable to you. I have my lead foot out front, bringing my trailing foot behind. But, if that doesn't feel right to you, do it the other way. Shouldn't make a whole lot of difference.

 

[kerplunk]

The rotation should be in the toe, and as others have said there should be less than with BH. I do rotate some on my toe after the shot, but this is more about taking some of the follow-through momentum off of my arm and absorbing it with my body. I think. If this is correct it seems like it might help prevent arm injury.

When I slip throwing RHFH (it happens more often than I'd like to admit) my right foot slips forward resulting in a forward half-roll that has me laying on the back of my neck while watching my disc. Not super graceful, but the shots often don't end up that bad.