Teaching Beginners How To Throw Forehand.
|
| This article is intended for experienced players teaching beginners how
| to throw their first forehand (sidearm) throws. The most important
| thing is that the learning experience be fun. If progress is
| slow some bad habits can be tolerated if they lead to immediate results
| (eg. throwing from too close to the body).
|
| People are different and learn differently. Tips one player sees
| as the golden ray of enlightenment will be completely worthless to to
| another. Sometimes there's a tendency to give constant instruction and
| adjustment. This works for some people, but it frustrates others.
| Take your cue from the person you are teaching.
|
| Additionally, heap on tons of praise - especially every time they throw
| it flat or with lots of spin - regardless of where the disc goes. Once
| they get that, the accuracy will eventually come. But they don't know
| that, yet; they're looking at where the throw is going. So lots of
| positive reinforcement for "mere" spin and throws that don't turn over.
| An important milestone is when the beginner can throw skip curves
| (ie. curve to the right for a right handed thrower).
|
| GRIP
|
| Show them what your grip looks like, with the disc and without. The
| middle finger is straight and flat against the inside rim. The outside
| rim of the disc makes contact with the web between thumb and index
| finger. The grip should be firm and probably uncomfortable for a
| beginner's unmolded hands. The top of the disc may bend slightly under
| pressure of the thumb.
|
| Fig 1. The Forearm Grip
| (See ``SKILL AND DRILLS'', The Ultimate Handbook for New Players, by UPA)
|
| For advanced throwers, the index finger may be together with the middle
| finger so that the middle finger can extend straight out in line with
| the palm of the hand, getting more wind-up and therefore, more spin.
| Beginners may need to keep the index and middle fingers separated to
| gain more control of the disc. The pad of the middle finger must still
| be against the rim of the disc.
|
| STANCE
| Assume a stance with the balls of the feet a shoulder width apart.
| Initially it appears easier to learn to throw side on and/or with the
| elbow close to the hip. This may be a crutch later when you have to
| look up-field and extend around a marker.
|
| The thrower must have the disc cocked, ready to impart spin before
| throwing. It can either start wound as far back as it can go or the
| thrower can cock the disc by a small whip of the fingers immediately
| before the throw.
|
| SWING
| The main trick is to keep the outer tip of the disc down.
| For the more advanced beginner the following points may help.
| The motion of the disc while in the hand should not be so much as an
| arc-like swing, but a whiplash. With increasing speed, motion towards
| the target starts from the shoulder, to the elbow then wrist and
| finally the fingers. Stepping forward with the non-pivot foot may help.
| The pivot should be on the opposite side as the throwing hand.
|
| [
| With arc-like swings, the time of release heavily influences the
| direction of the throw. By using the arm in a whiplash motion rather
| than a swing, it should be possible to move the centre of the disc to
| the target in more of a straight line, rather than an arc, so the
| direction in the horizontal plane is easier to master.
| ]
|
| RELEASE
| Until now, there has been little spin in the disc. The whiplash effect
| of the swing should culminate in a ``snap'' imparting maximum spin to
| the disc. The flight plate of the disc should be spinning within one
| plane. [Ie. if the spin axis is not perpendicular to the flight plate,
| the disc will wobble.] Unless an air-bounce is intended, the direction
| the disc is launched should lie within this plane.
|
| The time of release is when it all must come to together. The last
| motions imparted to the disc are the ones it takes with it to combat
| the wind and gravity. Yet this instant happens so quickly and
| beginners have so many things to concentrate on, that it's hard to tell
| what went on.
|
| FOLLOW-THROUGH
| Any action by the thrower after letting go of the disc cannot influence
| the flight of the disc. Nevertheless, some specific follow-through
| tips are suggested in the next section as an aid to correct specific
| problems in a throw.
|
| COMMON FAULTS
| The single most common fault is that the disc will turn over hitting
| the ground by your feet and roll off past you, where upon you must run
| after it cheerily shouting back ``No worries, I need the exercise''.
|
| This fault is caused by one or more of the following:
| - The angle of release is wrong
| - The disc wobbles too much
| - Turning the wrist over during the release
| - Not enough spin, esp. with unstable discs or into the wind (change places)
|
| (1) The angle of release is wrong.
| Usually the edge furthest away from the thrower is too high.
| If a beginner thinks he's releasing it level it generally has the
| outer tip up. Try:
| (a) Lifting a leg and throwing under it.
| As well as forcing the release to be lower this also tends to keep
| edge furthest away from the thrower lower. It can also help get
| more flick into the throw. This not only works 75% of the time but
| also gets beginners psyched as hell; not only did they learn a new
| throw, but, in their mind, they learned a "trick" throw as well.
| (b) Stand closer and downwind so that they don't have to throw it harder.
|
| (2) The disc does not spin enough. Try:
| (a) Using a motion similar to flicking a towel.
| (b) Start with the disc cocked (or ``wound up'') as back as it can go.
| Check the grip. Maybe the fingers are not extended, but at right
| angles to the palm, so the disc is not cocked just before throwing.
| (c) Using more wrist rather than arm (stand closer too?)
| (d) Focus on the ``catapult'' feeling that one gets in the middle finger.
| (e) Pulling the disc forward with the fingers on the inside rim.
|
| (3) The disc wobbles too much. (This is a hard one to correct.)
| (a) Keep the disc flat during the swing.
| Discourage wind-ups where the disc is not in the horizontal plane.
| (b) Pull the disc rather than push it onto its flight path.
| Pulling the disc keeps the flight plate of the disc trailing behind
| the axis of the motion.
|
| Note that more spin may lessen the visible wobble, but
| by itself does not fix the source of the fault.
|
| [
| Wobbling makes a disc turn over. This is probably due to the
| increased air resistance pushing the centre of lift on the disc
| forward? Due to precession, a centre of lift forward of the
| centre of the gravity with turn a disc over to the roll curve
| side. However, those words have never helped anyone.
| Scientific principles are not easily transformed into the
| quick, precise and yet fluid motion required.
| ]
|
| 4) Turning the wrist over during the release
| (a) Encourage a palm facing up follow through.
| (Not a recommended technique for advanced throwers because it
| puts too much sideways force on the finger joints)
|
| 5) Using a circular swing rather than ``straight'' at the target.
| (a) Lead the throw with the elbow.
| (b) Follow through by pointing throwing hand at the target.
|
| 6) Not enough distance
| Don't worry about it with beginners. Just more practice is required
| to get those those finger muscles strengthen and the flick automatic.
|
| Most beginners try to throw the disc rather than flick it. Thus, if
| they concentrate on proper release angle (arm and disk) and imparting
| spin on the disc, a flick of the wrist, they tend to get the basics
| down quickly. When teaching someone, stand close to them (3 to 5
| metres, 10 to 15 feet) to reduce their tendency to "throw" the disc
| rather than flick it. Once the basics are there, the distance will
| follow.
|
| 7) Not enough accuracy.
| Check that the grip is not finger tips only and the swing is
| not circular, but in line to the target.
|
| 8) Can't remember all of the tips at once.
| Return the basics. To remind yourself what it was like to learn,
| try throwing opposite handed for a while.
|
| The most effective way of instructing often comes down to experienced
| players working exclusively on throwing one-on-one before or after
| practice with a new player. We are still a young sport and good
| coaching techniques are yet to be discovered. Just let them work it
| out and have you as a role model.
|
| Compiled by Maurice Cinquini with input from:
| bo186@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Retsu Takahashi)
| markh@sag4.ssl.berkeley.edu (Mark Hurwitz)
| lind@ils.nwu.edu (Jeff Lind)
| jims@bnr.ca (Jim Spallin)
| mwaa+@andrew.cmu.edu (Matthew S. Weiss)
| trills@matai.vuw.ac.nz (Judi Lapsley)
| pastore@humu.NOSC.Mil (Thomas J. Pastore)
| ferguson@cs.rochester.edu (George Ferguson)
| 70540.1522@compuserve.com (Eric Simon)
| fau@po.CWRU.Edu (Francis A. Uy)
| donc@ISI.EDU