Author: Jake

Episode 44: Joey Hudoklin is Just Getting Warm

  By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Joey Third SideJoey shares a harrowing tale of the winter chill in NYC and how in 1978 it ultimately led him and Richie Smits to a warmer climate in California. Joey describes the Venice Beach scene then, and elaborates on what he meant when he said “we don’t need no stinkin’ conditions.” He shares his epic Rose Bowl experiences in the late 70’s with his partners, Richie and Donnie Rhodes. Find out about the synergy he and Donny had and how they were able to push each other. Jake and Randy also share who in their lives that pushed them in their freestyle play. What is your favorite frisbee word?

Poll: Do You Collect Sky-Stylers?

  By

Prototype Sky-StylerThe Freestyle Player’s Association (FPA) recently announced their second annual auction. This includes mini-discs of the inaugural hall of fame inductees and commemorative Sky-Stylers of the event. Bidding on these items helps support the FPA and in turn helps grow Freestyle Frisbee. 

Looking through the collection, the Sky-Stylers are especially interesting to me. Of course, I have my own collection of Sky-Stylers. I have a disc from every event I’ve been too, and for every year that I’ve been a member of the FPA. I also have several older Sky-Sylers, including one of the original prototypes. 

Am I the only one who collects Sky-Stylers? Let me know by answering this poll:

 

Do You Collect Sky-Stylers?
[poll id=”47″]

Lazzaroni 2017 Will Be Live Streamed

  By

Lazzaroni 2017 LogoLazzaroni 2017 will be streamed live here on FrisbeeGuru. The event is hosted by the Twister Hills club. It takes place on December 16 & 17, indoors in Bolonga, Italy. At least 36 competitors are expected to compete in both Open and Mixed pairs divisions. Also, there might be a surprise, experimental event. The only way to know for sure will be to tune in and find out. In any case, expect the freestyle moves to be heinous!

Special thank to Thanks to Chris Belaj, Manuel Cesari, and the Twister Hills for making this stream possible.

Find out more information on the event’s Facebook Page.

Watch here.

Episode 43: Dan “The Stork” Roddick – The One and Only Inductee in All the Disc Hall of Fames

  By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Stork doing a constroktionStork is humble…but many consider him to be the Father of Frisbee. He shares how his frisbee journey began, which according to his mother’s records, was at five years old. It was then, in 1953, that he found a Pipco Flying Saucer under the Christmas tree. He started out by playing spaceship games with his dad, an astronomer. They didn’t name it then, but it was really a version of today’s Disc Golf. It wasn’t until 20 years later that he saw there was more than just throwing and catching, and he started to see how many times he could touch the frisbee before he caught it. And 15 years later, it was the Jersey Jam, where he finally saw the nail delay in a routine. Stork says the world is full of Muggle’s, AKA the people that don’t know the magic. In contrast, he says the Frisbee tribe draws in a particular type of person who is open to new experiences, interested, and interesting. Is Frisbee the fountain of youth? Have you seen the aliens walking amongst us?

Read more about Stork in this indepth article.

Poll: Which Freestyle Frisbee Training Tools Have You Used?

  By

Training ToolsAs we learned in the poll “How Many Hours of Practice Does it Take to Be Proficient at Freestyle Frisbee?, this sport can take a life-time to master. That’s where training tools come into play. Discs like XDISC that make spinning the disc on one’s finger easier, allowing for exploration of nail delay tricks. The Whiz Ring which makes air brushing easier, allowing for practice in light breeze and no broken blood vessles in the your hand. The Newbie Nail and other fake nail alternatives don’t require glue. And, of course, the Z-Machine removes the need to throw to yourself and can spin the disc faster than anything else. Personally, I am a believer in these tools and have used each one for both my own training and to teach others. In this poll, let’s find out:

Which Freestyle Frisbee Training Tools Have You Used?

[poll id=”46″]

By the way, if you’re interested in buying any of these tools, here are some affiliate links. If you use them, FrisbeeGuru gets a small percentage of the sale.

Z-Machine

Z-Machine – Tell ’em FrisbeeGuru sent you

Going Against the Spin

  By

https://youtu.be/hDJ91UxpVNk 

In this video I explain what an against the spin move is, and then describe how to do one of the easiest against the spin moves, the skid. To understand an against the spin move, it helps to have a little background.

Interestingly, a spinning disc on a nail delay (center or rim) will naturally gyrate in the same direction as the disc is spinning. Consequently, the easiest manner in which to manipulate the disc is to make movements that follow this spin pattern. For example, a with the spin crank on the rim is a fairly good move to learn early on since the disc will naturally move in the direction of the crank.

It is possible to force the disc to gyrate against its natural direction. This is the crux of an against the spin move. It’s nail delay trick where the disc is forced against its spin. Since it requires such precision, many consider an against the spin move to be a restriction by itself.

The skid is one of the more basic against the spin moves that uses the rim delay. To practice a skid, throw yourself a steep backhand. For counter, throw left and skid right, for clock throw right and skid left. Throw it at about shoulder height, so the disc is about 45 degrees to the ground and to your body, with the top of the disc in view. Now, invert the skidding hand. Reach around and hook the rim with your nail. Meet the disc so your nail travels almost the same speed as the disc is falling so as to apply very little pressure. Now, swing your arm down and back up behind your back. As you swing back up, accelerate your arm speed and turn your body towards the disc. It will pop out from behind your back on the opposite side of your skid hand.

Stay tuned for more tutorials on against the spin tricks. If there are any in particular you’d like to know more about, let me know in the comments below. Also, you can see all other tutorials on again the spin here.

Episode 42: Carolyn Hubbard and Stacy McCarthy Return to Share Good Memories

  By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

  • Carolyn and Stacy RollJake asks about the secret to throwing well. Stacy says practice is the only thing that makes you better. There are lots of shared chuckles about the chicken wing throw.
  • When asked about their favorite memories, one in particular stands out; When they made it to the finals of the US Open, in the Open Division with Steve Hubbard. Grace Jones, Slave to the Rhythm, was the song of choice. It was a magical experience.
  • They also share how The Grateful Dead played into their frisbee experience.
  • Stacy went on to play longer than Carolyn, and did some cool things internationally with Amy Schiller.
  • They explain why they stopped playing. It was for similar reasons; they pursued careers and had children.
  • How cool would it be if Carolyn and Stacy had a come back?!

Poll: What Do You Do When the Weather Turns Bad?

  By

Winter JamHere in Portland, winter is starting to set in. It’s cold, rainy, and the sun goes down by 4:00p. This weather pattern really puts a cramp in our usual jam routine. It seems each year we make a different adjustment, but we never stop the jam. Many years ago, we’d jam in covered basketball courts and wear extra warm clothes. Then we became members of a local gym and played inside. Now we are back outdoors, but on artificial grass. In this poll, tell us your strategy for jamming in the winter.

 

What Do You Do When the Weather Turns Bad?
[poll id=”45″]

Word of the Day – Poach

  By

Randy poaches by picking Ryan upPoach (verb)

  1. The act of taking a disc that is intended for another player. Most often this happens in a mob-op during a pass. As the disc travels across a jam to it’s intended target another player steps in front and makes a play on the disc. Often the intended target player will not have time to react and will make the form of a catch, though the disc is no longer coming. Also, the person poaching will often cause a drop or break in flow because they had to move out of position to get the disc. Basic lane awareness can help reduce poaching. Note that if a player attempts a hoop but accidentally touches the disc, causing a drop, this is not considered poaching. Rather, a failed hoop or leg over is called Defense, or “nice D”.

Example: Hey, you poached my lane. I had a gitis lined up.

Episode 41: Matteo Gaddoni – The Man of Multiple Frisbee Disciplines and World Championships

  By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Matteo GaddoniIn this episode we talk to Matteo Gaddoni, winner of Open Pairs at FPAW 2009 & 2010 with Tom Leitner and Arthur Coddington respectively. Learn more about Matteo at his blog, http://www.gaddoz.com/

Hear how Matteo first started playing frisbee with friends in his hometown of Forli, Italy. In 2002 he started to figure out what Freestyle was, and his newly acquired access to the internet (albeit pre-YouTube) opened his eyes to the possibilities. He soon hooked up with Clay Collera from Rimini, where he saw his first nail delay in person. Clay continued to mentor him on how to do tricks and build his skills but it was Mark Regalbuti and others in New York that taught him about flow. However, Matteo has many people that have brought him inspiration over the years. Both Jake and Randy remember seeing Matteo play for the first time in 2003 at FPA Worlds in Rimini; the “man in the hat” made a big impression on both of them.

Just so you know, Shootin’ the Frizbreeze is syndicated on Stitcher, iTunes, and other podcast syndicators that you may use. Please subscribe and leave a comment, which makes it easier for more people to find us.