Throwing Uphill

[befree1231]

So I'm pretty new and terrible and have been working on my form and making significant progress. However, I'm still having trouble on drives that need to go uphill. It's clearly an angle issue cause I usually end up throwing too high and they fall out of the sky or too low and they end up being worm burners and don't crest the hill. Anyone got any tips for throwing on non level lines?

 

[Broken Shoulder]

Uphill you want to choose a disc with less stability typically and don't try to mash on it and get your form all wonky.
Just takes practice, and a lot is likely mental at this point.

 

[eric40817]

agreed. depending how far you need to go, understable for uphill drives.

 

[nb2210]

For both uphill and downhill drives I try to focus on throwing at angle, close to that of the hill. Essentially the same plane like you would a flat shot

 

[TheBeardedFatGuy]

Sloping ground can mess with your mind. I wouldn't advise changing your throw angle or pitch much because, slope or no slope, the direction of gravity is still straight down. What I mean is, say you're facing a rising slope that would require you to angle your throw up 45 degrees to remain 'flat' to the plane of the slope. Because you're throwing 45 degrees to the direction of gravity, your disc is going to stall and fall out left (RHBH). The other thing to remember is the desirable s-curve will change considerably if the disc meets the ground too soon (rising slope) or too late (dropping slope). In the case of rising slope your flight is more likely to end in the high speed right turn phase of the disc (i.e. farther to the right than you probably wanted). In the case of a dropping slope, more air time means more time for the disc to fade before reaching the ground, so it will probably end up farther to the left than you intended. When throwing upslope, it is useful to choose a 'skippy' disc with a flat beadless bottom because it is hitting ground that rises to meet it and is therefore more likely to stick an stop unless your disc likes to add skip distance.

 

[DiscFifty]

I had a tough uphill shot at a tournament over the weekend. Threw a light understable disc and had the farthest drive on the card.

 

[Bart Bird]

Two thoughts:

1) Use a high Glide disc. They generate more lift, particularly when thrown at a high angle of attack (like uphill shots).

2) Lowering disc weight will also assist in giving you a little extra zip to get the disc up and over.

Good luck!

 

[Keller]

My favorite uphill driver is a 154gr Air Escape.

As for tips? Try not to tense up, it's no different than any other drive really, it's not like you have to rocket it into space. Try practicing from a standstill with neutral to understable discs and be smooth.

 

[zmannz1984]

For straight or fade left shots, I try to throw something that will turn a good bit (high glide and low stability) on a line about even with the angle of the ground. Adjust hyzer angle so it rises and turns in line with the hill . This will make it fly as if you threw a straight line drive on flat ground, and will usually hit the ground and fade forward or just stop.

Alternatively, if I need to throw anhyzer uphill, I will usually throw something overstable on an exaggerated anhyzer angle because the disc will climb as it fights out of the anhyzer. If I throw an understable disc for an uphill turnover it usually stays on a lower line and hits the ground too early.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I tend to use molds with more glide + lighter weights going up hill. With my noodle arm, that gets me further up the hill than other combinations.

I particularly like a low weight mid with lots of glide when my lie is on an uphill slope that's steep enough to make it difficult to really "step into" your throw. The combo of slower mold + lighter weight makes it easier to get the disc up to speed when trying to get distance from a lie that forces you to "stand and deliver." My weapon of choice in such situations: 150 Z-Storm.

I have a 150 D-Crank for distance drives where I can take a decent X-step on level ground before the hill comes into play.

 

[BrotherDave]

I'll add that if you can avoid throwing uphill, do it. If a hole has graded fairway I will always try to put my lies on the high ground to avoid slogging uphill. Always take the high road if you can.

 

[sloppydisc]

Thumber, thumber and thumber. Build arm strength and hit the line.

 

[JedV]

Like others have said, throw with the slope of the hill... You may need to work on your nose angles. Throwing nose down, up the hill is my strategy. It allows the disc fly as intended instead of stalling out with the upward angle from the hill.