Week 2 – Isolating Wrist for Spin

Activity: Wide release throwing
Focus: Isolating wrist in the throwing motion to generate spin and power on your throw

Description:
From a regular and comfortable pivot, extend your arm away from your trunk, you can increase the distance away from your body when you get more comfortable with the exercise, building towards throwing with a straight arm.
From this position without a back swing, try to use your wrist in isolation to drive the disc forward, focussing on generting spin not distance.

Hints: Make sure you are holding the disc firmly and your wrist is pulled back to allow you to generate as much snap on the throw as possible from the wrist.

Progression: As you feel comfortable with this exercise you can build into adding wide and/or low release pivots into the throw, pausing before you throw the disc so that you are not throwing with momentum and cheating the exercise

Catching Drills

Two Hand Catches

No matter where the throw goes, make sure you get two hands to it for the catch. Try to get your body behind it whenever possible. Practice catching with both hands on top. Throwers, make the receiver work for these.

One Hand Catches

Catch with your right hand for 10 throws in a row, regardless of where the thrower sends the disc. Then do your left hand. As a thrower, start easy, then make it more difficult for them.

The aim is not to encourage lazy one-handed catching, but to ensure we have practiced, so that when we are at full stretch, catching with one hand is not uncomfortable.

Late Eye Pickups

Throw to a partner that is standing either eyes-closed or facing away from you. About a third of the way through the flight of the disc, say ‘Now’ so that your partner can find the disc quickly and catch it. Give progressively less time to find the disc each throw. Vary throw shapes.

Ups

Receiver runs away from the thrower, looking back over their shoulder. Thrower puts a high disc up out to the side they are looking over. Receiver attacks the disc and goes up for a high, one-handed catch. Repeat on other side, with other hand. Vary the shape and width of the throw.

Practice catching high discs at the highest point that you can. Make mistakes, jump early and learn your boundaries.