Use Pivot Planes For Better Breaking
(No Ratings Yet. Click to Rate!)
Loading ...Do you think about your step when you’re throwing?
Not just the mechanics of it (more on that in a later post), but WHERE you step to.
Cara Crouch’s post for the Huddle’s Team USA issue alludes to “throw[ing] from a plane that is not parallel to [the mark's]” for better throwing, and I thought it was important enough to flesh out a bit more.
There are two extremes to your pivot planes; In practice, your pivot* will of course wind up somewhere between the two. The planes are relative to your intended throwing direction, e.g. the dump, upfield:
- Horizontal–this is the default you see from novice to early-intermediate throwers. Side-to-side motion; staying in this plane allows success in some situations, but marks tend to work primarily in this plane too, so it turns beating the mark into a pivot speed/reach contest. Some can win this contest consistently.
- Vertical–this is where the magic happens when a thrower has the disc in her hands. As I said above, marks are primarily horizontally concerned; if you catch a mark too close to you in the vertical plane, it generally becomes a simple feat to step forward, through the mark (or “past” it if you prefer), and make break throws to all sorts of places on the field. Conversely, if a mark is too far off, you gain a wider range of options working in the horizontal plane (I’ve already discussed this a bit talking about adjustments on the mark).
The best break throwers I’ve seen, if perhaps not reliant upon using the vertical plane to create breaks, are at least familiar and comfortable with it. I think this evolved at first as a response to the hack-tastic mark; step through the mark, draw a foul, get a free chance to try the break! But even without the foul factor**, it’s well worth mastering in its own right, a pivotal rung on the ladder climbing from novice to stud.
*Yes, yes, great throwers don’t pivot–when I say “pivot plane” I really mean “step to throw.” Only one of those alliterates nicely for a title.
**Correct me if I’m wrong, but the “nightclub” mark (goal: get in the thrower’s pants) seems to be on the wane.
