Being Quick on the Catch-Throw Turnaround
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Loading ...One of the things that I feel like is a great strength for me as a player is the ability to quickly move from catching the disc to throwing it again–and not just a swilly upside-down backhand or a rushed toss, but legitimately stepping out and throwing a backhand or a forehand.
It’s a key skill for playing well in flow, I think (more important is your sense of timing and positioning to get the disc in the first place; perhaps more on that some other time). The longer you take to throw after you catch, the less yardage gained on the in cut or the smaller window of opportunity to throw to the deep cut.
So how does one improve turnaround time? In my mind, it’s all about how you catch. I don’t know how commonplace this is amongst all ultimate players, but from some conversations with guys on the team, especially the young guns, it’s often overlooked.
I catch almost exclusively with my left hand. On throws that I two-hand, lobster style with both on the rim, the right hand is usually like a guiding hand on a basketball shot–there to ensure it goes where I want. If the disc naturally spins to a stop into my right hand I’ll simply pull it out with the left hand. On pancake catches my left hand is almost always on top, so I can pull the disc with my left hand so that my right hand, already underneath in proper orientation to grab the disc, can grab the rim ready to throw.
Think about it. What’s the main limiting factor in going from catching to throwing again? If you catch with your throwing hand, you need to take the disc out of the throwing hand and then re-insert it in proper throwing position–or, manage some one-handed maneuver to do the same (which tends to be even slower). But if you catch with your off hand, you’ve already eliminated the “remove disc from throwing hand” step and can simply place the disc in your throwing hand, which should already be ready to go. The other option to improve turnaround is to do the upside-down lobster catch, where both hands are on the rim in the proper throwing orientation already. Those situations are fewer and farther between, though.
With a bit of focused practice catching and working on the transition, (you can do this anytime and anywhere–just throw the disc to yourself and work on really going-to for the catch with your off hand) you can quickly gain comfort with this kind of catching and throwing. I know a lot of guys who aren’t ambi-catchers–they catch with their dominant (throwing) hand only. It’s limiting! Learning little things like this can result in a significantly positive change on field.
It’s to the point for me now where I catch the disc and can immediately go into stepping to make the next throw–between my catching the disc and my being fully extended the disc goes from ‘caught’ to ‘ready to throw,’ and there’s no time lost in transition (the step is the limiting factor). I actually need to work on right-handed catching more now, as my instinct is to always go with the left and I need to re-learn which situations require right hand just (like layouts for a Callahan against one of the best teams in the country).
Great post. This is something that I have thought about with clap catching (which hand to place on top), but never thought about with claw catching.
I have to disagree with your points on clap catching though. I don’t think that placing your offhand on top will result in getting all throws off more quickly. I’m right handed, and I catch with my right hand on top. I think this gives me faster access to backhands, but slower access to flicks since I need to move my hand from the top of the disc to the bottom.
I think that the issue is where your palm is for each throw; for flicks it is under the plane of the disc and facing up, for backhands it is on top of the disc facing down. If I catch with my right hand under the disc it is closest to a flick grip, but if I catch with my right hand on top it is closest to a backhand grip.
Maybe someday the best throwers will adjust which hand is on top to accommodate their next throw. Maybe the best throwers already do this? Or, maybe the difference is so small that it is dominated by other factors in the game?
this is definitely something i’ve consciously worked on for both claw and clap.
I catch lefty if it is an option. But I always have (hoooray, baseball!). That is, even when claw-catching with two hands, my left hand is the hand that I fully expect to hold the disc at the end of the catch as I then get my right hand adjusted and ready to throw.
I figure that the sequence of a catch (given that the catch does not require anything more), should be:
Extend both arms directly out in front.
Clamp down.
After secured, let go with right hand and start bringing the disc into throwing position with left hand.
Adjust right hand to flick/backhand grip as necessary to give first, quick (regardless of distance) option.
The other key to being able to do this is maintaining balance with footwork/strength. What good is having the disc ready to throw if you’re still falling over or if you’re not ready to explode into your throwing motion?
Of course, you can be balanced while falling over, and your explosive throwing motion could just be your arm/wrist and a bit of your torso, but you still must be balanced, in a different sense, to complete the throw.
Jackson,
Interesting thoughts on the clap catching. You might be on to something there–I assumed throwing hand on bottom is best, probably due to the majority of my in-game turnarounds being to the flick side, also likely influenced by my being more comfortable with the left hand on top. I could definitely see how right-on-top would aid the backhand a bit, I’ll have to experiment and see if it’s significantly enough better to work into game play.
Dusty,
Agreed on the footwork. It’s happened to me more than once that my hands get a little tied up in the transition–in some cases I holster the continue, esp when there’s nothing to actually continue to, but there’ve been others where a less-than-perfect throw goes off (in terms of my grip) but gets to the target with ease thanks to good footwork/establishing momentum in the direction I want the disc to go.
One of my favorite game-simulation activities is to incorporate the quick-turnaround throwing with active throwing–one’s almost always in motion, and it’s great for working on quick recognition and throwing (assuming you have a moving target/more than one target and have to adjust your throws on the fly).
90% of getting the swing off is footwork and positioning. Even in the club game, if you position yourself well and have a moderately fast release, you can move the ball no matter how you need to catch the Frisbee. Any handler who is not doing strength and power workouts throughout the year is losing so much of his potential…