Throwing drills

Image credit: Boon Ping Chua/SportSG

You don’t have to be an ace Ultimate Frisbee player to know the importance of a good throw. Like every other skill, practice makes perfect. The great thing about throwing drills is that you don’t necessarily need someone to train with. What you need is an open area where you can throw freely and the energy to gather your own disc.

But if that sounds tiring, then we recommend partnering up or getting a few friends down for a throwing session as this allows you to experiment your styles, share tips and try out new skills for maximum effect.  

When trying the drills below, try to visualise the various situations you might possibly encounter in the game. Vary your types of throws, range, lengths and passing to condition your muscle memory with the different game situations.  Also take note that a good throw does not depend on arm strength but technique, especially with a good flicking motion of the wrist.

1.    Find a soccer net, markers and a few discs. Set the markers up in a vertical line in various distances at the front of the net. Start from the marker closest to the net and throw all the discs into the net with one type of throw. Repeat for the rest of the markers.

This drill lets you develop consistency of the throw by making you do it repetitively. Focus on the spinning, the speed of your release and stability of the disc.
 
2.    With the same equipment, stand 5 to 10 meters away from the soccer net and put your discs in a pile next to you. Get your throwing hand ready because now you have to throw all the discs as fast as possible into the net. It will also be helpful if you kept a timer around to time yourself.

The purpose of this drill is to improve the speed of your release and your wrist movement. It is a great advantage, if one can act fast and swiftly throw at a high speed while maintaining the quality of the throw.

3.    Take a pile of discs and throw them. Try to make each throw the same so by making sure it keeps it’s spin, distance, altitude and stability consistent. When you reach to the bottom of the stack, you will realise that you should have developed a consistent pull. If not, repeat the drill.

What you’re training here is your pull distance and the accuracy of your pull. It is important to have a consistent pull, so your muscles will remember the action to produce the outcome you want. So practice pulling over and over again, and you will realise how helpful it is when you’re in the game. Pull?

4.    If you play soccer, this drill might sound familiar. Stand by the corner flag of the soccer field and practice throwing your disc into the empty goal. The curve might be a little hard to achieve at first, but you can definitely do it with practice.

Being able to curve a disc is one of the most valuable skill sets of an advanced Ultimate Frisbee player. This drill will help you develop an edge to your throws as it allows you to throw round an opponent to get the disc to your teammate.  

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