Author: Jake

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Poll: How Many Flying Discs Do You Own?

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Small Part of My Disc Collection

A wise person once told me, “what you emphasize in your life will grow.” When I look at the boxes and shelves full of flying discs in my house, I certainly believe this statement to be true. I have discs from events, from being an FPA member, playing stock, a collection of antiques, experimental discs, and more. It’s clear that flying discs are a major focus for me. So now I’m turning to you:

How Many Flying Discs Do You Own?

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Thanks, Lusti, for the poll idea. If anyone else has poll ideas, leave them in the comments below or send me a message on Facebook.

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Episode 30: Mehrdad Hosseinian Learns the Chicken Wing in 2 Minutes Flat

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Mehrdad shares how he first discovered Frisbee in 2001. He was attracted to the disc for several years before discovering Freestyle, but those years had a big influence on his current game. As a spectator in 2005 at the German Championships, he felt somewhat intimidated, but decided to compete in 2006. It was his first trip to the USA however, for the 2013 FPA World Championships in Santa Cruz, that turned a corner for him. Not only did he see some of the Freestyle legends in person and get some memorable advice, but it was afterwards that Paul Kenny asked him to play pairs at the 2015 Worlds, in Karlsruhe, Germany, which, by the way, they won. He credits Paul and his first experience at building a routine  as having a big impact on his confidence and dedication. Find out how Mehrdad learned to throw the Chicken Wing, or learn it from his teacher here. Also, Mehrdad shares some of his underlying wisdom about listening & learning from others. Randy recalls meeting Mehrdad and Harold for the first time in Berlin and speaking the international language of the mob-op jam. Do you speak that language?

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Poll: How Do You Warm Up For a Jam?

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Charles JammingJamming can be quite a workout for the body. It involves running, jumping, bending, changing directions, and extending to the max as players try to push the envelope of their games. So it makes sense for players to engage in some sort of warmup activity before going full speed into the jam. I have observed that people seem to have a different take on exactly how to warm up. So this poll asks:

How Do You Warm Up For a Jam? Select All That Apply.

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In the comments, add some details on how you like to warm up.

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Lori Daniels Demonstrates the Chicken Wing Throw

Video

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The chicken wing throw is similar to a back hand throw. However, instead of throwing across your body and using the pull back to generate spin, this throw curls the arm under the armpit and uses an unwinding motion to generate the spin. Many players, especially women believe this to be the throw that generates the most spin. In this video, Lori Daniels demonstrates how to execute this throw.

Grip the tightly. Then bend at the wrist, the elbow, and the shoulder. Tuck the disc under your armpit. Now step back on the opposite leg and twist your back for a little more windup. Then, unwind like a spring, releasing the disc at the end. The motion will seem to pull or rip the disc out of your hand.

When I first started learning this throw, I found the disc would release from my hand much earlier than I thought. It took many practice throws by myself to gain the ability to predict where it would go. However, I’ve always felt I could generate alot of spin. Now, this is one of my favorite long distance, left handed throws (I’m a righty). Tell use what you think of the chicken wing in the comments below. Can you generate a ton of spin with it?

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Episode 29: Bill Wright- A Chest Roll Feels So Good!

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Coloradicals in 1986Hear who Bill’s favorite people are to play with, both past and present. He also has a lot of admiration for the German & Czech players, who he sees as the future of Freestyle. Randy says keep you eyes on the Rovereto, Italy, guys too! Jake wants to know how he can make his passion (Freestyle) his career…is that what Wright Life has been for Bill? Find out what Bill’s favorite move is.

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Poll: What Are Your Top 3 Music Genres to Jam Too?

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Jake Jam Box

The weather is warm, the breeze is perfect, it’s jam time. You and your cohorts arrive at the field with nails and discs and you’re ready to shred. But wait, there’s still a discussion to be had before the jam can begin. What music will you play to?

The music can dictate how hot the jam will be, how fired up the players will feel, how much fun will be had. Slow music might lead to more relaxed and controlled play. Upbeat music might cause people to play harder and go bigger. Music with changing tempos might bring out more creativity. The jam becomes a dance, and the music can be what drives it. Its such a personal choice and everyone has their opinions. In this poll, let’s find out what type of music you live to jam to.

 

What Are Your Top 3 Music Genres to Jam Too?

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History: 1998 – Current; The Euro Wave

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FPA 1998 Disc

In 1997, a beach ultimate event in Italy added freestyle to the event drawing players from the USA as well as from throughout Europe. The Americans in attendance at the 1998 Paganello event were Larry Imperiale, Paul Kenney, Rodney Sanchez, Alan Caplain, John and Rohre Titcomb, as well as Bethany Porter Sanchez. The veteran Europeans were Thomas Finborud,

Sune Wentzel, Clay Collera and Reto Zimmerman. From that point forward, freestyle would be profoundly changed. The numerous young Europeans attending the event were now ‘turned-on’ to the exciting sport of freestyle. In 2000, Tom Leitner attended his first Paganello tournament. By 2002, he had moved to Rome, Italy and taken on the role of mentor to the 100’s of new freestylers from virtually every country in Europe. Freestyle interest in the US was waning with only a handful of new players emerging from what was once a hotbed of activity. Even with this low level of growth in the USA, a crop of new players emerged just as talented as their compatriot predecessors. Those new players were Arthur Coddington, Dave Lewis, Paul Kenny and Matt and Jake Gauthier. All of these individuals were active in the previous era, but their peak years were in the decades to follow.

 

In 2002, Nike launched a large European-based promotional campaign that featured freestyle as a central component. This assisted in gaining new players from throughout Europe. The new players merged with the remaining European Freestylers eclipsing the number of players in the USA. The old guard of Euro Jammers featured the aforementioned Clay Collera, Sune Wentzel and Reto Zimmerman along with Joakim Arvskar. The new crop of Euro Jammers featured Fabio Sanna, Claudio Cigna, Matteo Gaddoni as well as a new wave of great Women’s players such as Sylvia Caruso, Judith Haas, Eleonora Imazio and Bianca Strunz.

FPAW 2003 Disc

The Hosting of the FPA World Freestyle Championships in Europe sparked a rapid growth and development of freestyle worldwide. 2003 was an important year for freestyle; it became a worldwide culture and a model for all disc sports to emulate. The explosion of talent from Europe over this time also gave reference to the foundations of play that were laid by such notables as Jan Ekman, Mikael Hjartso and Valentino De Chiara.

Freestyle continues worldwide growth and development as a sport. And with the recent acceptance of the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) it may even be headed for Olympic competition in the future.

Last Article | Next Article

Thanks to the Freestyle Players Association (FPA) for sharing this information with FrisbeeGuru.com.

The entire document is stored on FreestyleDisc.org, as is the FPA’s Hall of Fame.

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Episode 28: More From One of the Original Bayou Blasters, Deaton Mitchell

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  • Get some advice from Deaton on how to improve your game.
  • Find out which players Deaton would play with in a beach jam if he could only choose 3.
  • When Deaton talks about what he likes now about freestyle; he’s excited by the new angles he sees some of the new players doing and always encourages more consecutivity.
  • He does however plead with people to avoid the “the” while exploring this new world.
  • Do you know the origins of the move, “A Grown Man Cry”?

Poll: Which Type of Fake Nails Do You Prefer?

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Bailey user her nails for a Rim DelayThis Poll idea comes from Florian Hess, a member of the Karsruhe team who won the Co-Op world title two years in a row (2016-17). One of the main skills that makes Freestyle Frisbee unique from other disc sports is the nail delay; the act of spinning the disc on one’s fingernail. To enhance this skill, most players wear fake nails. As such a number of nail “suppliers” have sprung up. That is to say, several players make fake nails and sell of give them to other players. Still, other players make their own nails. This poll asks the question, which nails do you prefer? Let us know in the comments why. See below for a more detailed description of each nail.

 

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Heinnails (made by Matt Gauthier) and Yarnails (Made by Dan Yarnell) are made from dental acrylic. They are very hard and durable. Hein Nails come from molds so there are different, consistent sizes. Yarnails are made individually and so have more variation but also more art…colors and designs.

Lou Sommeral makes Bonenails, which are carved from bones. They are very nice, and look really cool. Lou dies them and the bone has natural pores.

Manicured nails, where people go into a nail salon and get fake nails that are extra thick. These stay on all the time so there’s no need for glue before jamming.

Alinails and Toby nails are made by Ali and Toby. I don’t know how they do it. Maybe they can comment.

I’ve not heard of Shellworthnails but my guess is they are made from sea shells.

Krazygluenails would be ones made from Krazy Glue tubes. Players cut them out from the tube. Many years ago, this was the primary nail in use.

Self made would be any that you make yourself. Let us know how you do it.

Other are any that don’t fit the categories above. Let us know what we missed.