Forehand Throws and Foot Turns
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Loading ...I was asked last week about foot placement on forehand hucks. I’ve been meaning to write about foot placement for a while now, and for something so seemingly simple there’s actually a decent amount of nuance to it, so this likely won’t be the only post on the topic.
Some general points on stepping and throwing a forehand:
- Definitely turn the hips when you step to throw. When I step forward for a break, my toe always points “out,” (my heel us turned to point in to my midline; the foot as a whole comes to, if not past, perpendicular). The hip turn allows you to step farther (it’s easier to step “forward” than it is to step out to the side); the foot turn further facilitates the hip turn, and gives a better angle for the arm on an IO/low release throw.
- Incidentally, this foot turn is something me and a couple buddies refer to as “the IO foot.” Try it on your backhands too (turning the same way, so you heel is placed farther away and your toe points more upfield)!
- My arm comes in front of my knee in all situations in which I’m throwing an IO break (particularly the low release), and in many low-release situations as well. Very rarely do I get low by squatting or hunching; taking a full step tends to win out over a stationary squat for getting throws past the mark, in my experience.
For hucking, I’m still working out some different techniques.
- You can huck from a stepping-forward position (using the momentum of your step in the throw). I’ve found this to be effective to a point, but ultimately lacking in power (could be my body mechanics or a lack of strength, but throwing this way I struggle to put it past 40 yards in moderate conditions (ie not still, but not a heavy upwind/downwind).
- Lately however I’ve been focusing more on using my shoulder to launch the disc with good success, from standing or stepping positions–and I’ve been finding stepping sideways (or at least, with less forward) gives me more range of motion at the shoulder before release and thus more power on the huck. Grip’s the biggest concern for me there; depending on the day I can only put so much power behind it before my grip can’t keep up. Takes some work for sure, but pending more game-use to test it I think it’s a lot more functional at getting a throw off quickly and powerfully.
I’d like to get some video or other visual aid up here eventually; I’ll see about some photography (or browse some photo sites for examples) to aid this explanation. The IO foot made a huge difference in my throwing, so practice and use it well!
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9 Responses to “Forehand Throws and Foot Turns”
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I'm always dubious about turning and loading the foot out of a "natural" position. (ie. aligned with the leg/knee)
Surely you're not being kind to any of your joints when you do that. You wouldn't/shouldn't be doing it when you do lunges, would you?
I'm not clear if this is actually what you're describing, but it seems fairly common regardless.
I think most of the power for a big flick comes from torque through your joints: hips, shoulders, elbows, and wrists. Hip rotation is affected by your foot placement. If you step too far out in front, you aren't able to generate as much torque through your hips. If you step too far out to the side, the same thing applies. Using your step to get your hips into your throw should help increase forehand distance, in my experience.
Try stepping backward then shifting your weight onto your pivot foot as you throw. Just practicing this a little will help you figure out where your power comes from.
BCR,
I'm no kinestheiologist, but when I turn my foot like that my knee stays in line–I have a lot of trouble torquing my heel without my knee following its line. So, although it doesn't look "natural," in terms of body mechanics I think the loading is not significantly different, perhaps save where you place weight on the stepping foot. (I find weight tends to fall more on my heel/outside of the foot rather than my usual toe position, probably a result of where my center of gravity is relative to my foot).
Hip alignment seems like a valid concern, but with enough practice to develop the necessary range of motion I think this motion is perfectly safe–in practice, you're turning your hips entirely along the same line, so what might sound like an extreme turn merely seems so relative to the direction of the throw–relative to your hips, it's less severe. I might not be able to lunge in that position with as much weight as a "proper" lunge, but I think the same is true of any kind of full-extension throwing position.
Keep in mind that things like throwing a forehand are not "natural" motions or positions either…our bodies adapt to the stresses we place it under. I've been throwing like this for a few years now with very good success, and I don't think I'm a unique case.
Gwen,
I often forget how critical the hips are. I saw video of me making hucks in-game a good while back and was really taken aback at how far forward I was stepping and the contrast with the lack of power on my throws. I'm still struggling to find a happy medium between stepping far enough to beat a mark (or releasing quickly enough, etc) and not overextending so I can still get the sort of power I need.
Anon,
Haven't tried that yet, but I like the sound of it. I'll give it a go next time I wind up tossing. Thanks!
I wouldn't recommend having your foot point outward. I know a couple of players who do it, but I don't notice any extra beneficial effect. It is however pretty dangerous for your knee, as you are placing a lot of strain on your knee in a direction it cannot move (i.e. to the left/right of the knee).
You should definately use your shoulders to rotate through the throw, but you don't need to point your foot differently. I have a pretty low release on my forehand huck and have always had my foot point in the throwing direction.
An important thing you may utilize to increase length in your forehand hucks is to have the inner-wrist bone (the bone that is on the inside of the wrist when your hand is pointing palm upwards), to be forward during the entire throw. Sounds a bit weird, but the idea is to keep this bone as the forward point throughout the motion. This helps create extra spin on the release if you let your motion snap your wrist automatically (i.e. not putting force on your wrist, let it snap because it has to snap). The extra spin helps in getting more length by keeping the disc more stable more easy.
Well, hope it helps
i'm trying to envision the "past perpendicular" footing. do you mean the heal is farther up field than your toe?
on my extreme low release throws my foot is usually pointed diagonally(45°) to the right(righty flick). on some throws i find myself with my just my right heel on the ground(toes pointed upward to the sky) as i extend into near splits- but this makes movement after the throw difficult so i shy away from it.
also, I think being able to vary the depths and directions of your steps(and fakes) helps keep the mark guessing that much more.
I made this comment on another blog, and thought it fit here as well. After doing the things below for a few years, I've found my non-pivot foot naturally does what it needs to in order to maintain my balance and coordination:
Another element to consider is where you're placing your pivot foot. An ex-superfly handler taught me to step back when coming off a dead disc with a marker up in my grill, because it a)automatically opens space, b) opens both force and break sightlines and c) repositions the marker so his only option to maintain pressure is to back off or get real friendly.
After a bit of experimentation with this, I've found it helpful in lots of situations: moving between backhand and breakmark forehand, throwing around a wall/cup, baiting the foul, etc.
A sockeye friend took it a step further and suggested throwing 'the compass' every time you throw – move your non-pivot foot from North to North-northeast to Northeast, all the way around, once throwing flicks and once backhands. If you're ambidextrous (which he is), you'll need to make it 4 times around. And if you want to work on low/med/high, 12…you get the idea. I usually get bored after 2-3 and start throwing hucks instead.
Thanks for the insight, James.
I can see the notion of the foot turn is causing a bit of confusion/anxiety about stress. I think pictoral aid will be a big aid to any more explanation I give; I'll do my best to dig something up this weekend and do a follow-up post.
I encourage you to experiment with the foot turn though. It perhaps will not be immediately better than the way you throw now, but as with any skill in ultimate with a week or two's worth of practice to get the hang of it I think you'll find it useful, if perhaps not to the full extent I've described.
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