Author: Jake

Nuances of Spinning a Frisbee on Your Finger Nail

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In this video I talk about the basics of a flat nail delay and a rim delay.

In Freestyle Frisbee, a Delay is when the Frisbee is kept spinning on one’s finger nail. This can be done either in the center of the Frisbee on in the rim of the Frisbee.

Most people want to learn the Center Delay immediately. However, it can take many hours of practice to get it down.

The way I learned was by starting with the Rim Delay. This kept me from getting frustrated by not mastering the Center Delay right away. I learned to pass the disc under my legs and behind my back, all with a rim delay.

Over time, I began to understand how the disc progressed naturally in a circle and how to control it better. And then, one day I could keep it in the center.

So, don’t overlook the rim delay as you’re learning new tricks.

How Perform a Figure Four Set by Lisa Hunrichs

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Lisa Hunrichs, multiple time world champion teaches us how to perform a Figure Four set.

In Freestyle Frisbee a set is when the Frisbee is under control and then set up into the air to lead into another trick. A Figure Four position is when an arm goes under the inside of the same side leg. I.E. the right arm goes under the inside right leg or the left are goes under the inside of the left leg. The arm and leg together cross a little like a 4.

A Figure Four set can be done either from a rim delay or a flat nail delay but the body mechanics change slightly for each. A Figure Four set is a great visually and leads well into other tricks.

Portland team wins at the American Freestyle Open Frisbee Championships

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Matt and Lisa at AFO 2014The American Freestyle Open (AFO) Frisbee Championships took place in Austin, Tx on the weekend of November 14 – 16. The competition attracted some of the world’s best mixed pairs Freestyle Frisbee teams. Among them was the team of Lisa Hunrichs and Matt Gauthier from Portland, Oregon. Lisa and Matt are the current mixed pairs world champions, having won in Medellin Colombia back in July. Also on the roster were the wife and husband team of Amy and Dave Schiller.

A Freestyle Frisbee competition is similar to doubles figure skating. Teams choose music and then perform their best acrobatic tricks with a Frisbee for four minutes. Judges will award a score in three categories: Execution, Difficulty, and Artistic Impression with a perfect score being 73.

Amy and Dave have been performing in Freestyle competitions for over 20 years together and it shows. They know each other so well that they know when to stay close, when to back off, and they do it all with extreme grace and poise. They took the stage at AFO, ready the dethrone the current champs, and performed a beautiful routine. Their final score was 51.4. Video Replay is here.

Lisa and Matt were not deterred. They have been competing together for for 10 years and have multiple world championship titles as a team. While they may not have the grace of Amy and Dave, they certainly make up for it in the complexity of their tricks and in choreography. They combine technical disc work with humor and perfect musical timing that always grabs the crowds attention. After a near repeat performance from their world championship win the judges awarded them the win with a score of 53.1. Video Replay is here.

Tell us if you think the judges got it right in the comments below.

Dan Yarnell interviewed by John Houck

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Dan Yarnell was one of the top players when I started playing. He won his first FPA Worlds in 1999 with Steve Hanes. He also had a killer routine with Randy Silvey a few years later. I remember being (and still am) amazed by is unique spinning kicks and some crazy upside down passes. In this interview Dan talks about how he got started and what it takes to get to the top of the game.

Matt Gauthier explains how to do an Inverted Chest Roll

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Matt Gauthier explains how to do an Inverted Chest Roll.

A Chest Roll is when the frisbee rolls from one hand, down the arm, across the chest, and out the other arm and to the other hand. A Chest Roll is performed when facing the wind so that they wind will push the disc onto the chest.

An Inverted Chest Roll is performed with the back to the wind. However, the underside of the disc is still towards the wind. Bend backwards as far as possible to provide as much surface area as possible and to get the head out of the way. Then, do a chest roll.

The Chest Roll by Ryan Young

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Ryan Young teaches us how to do a chest roll. A chest roll is where the frisbee rolls from one hand, down your arm, across your chest and then out onto the other arm and hand.

To practice, face the wind. Toss the disc on a steep angle so the wind will blow it back to you. Consider which direction the disc is spinning and toss it so it is close to the hand that will propel it across your chest. That is, left hand for clockwise spin and right hand for counter clockwise spin.

Next, hit the disc to give it momentum to traverse your arm, chest, arm and other hand. Try not to move your shoulders forward as the disc progresses. When the disc reaches your far hand either catch it or push upwards to propel it back in the air to try a second chest roll or other tricks.

The Scarecrow Catch

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The ScareCrow is one of the more challenging trick catches in freestyle frisbee as it is blind. The position to catch a scare crow is with the arm extended straight and the thumb down. Bend over and twist at the waist so that as you twist you lose sight of the disc. Your arm swings around and you catch it just as you lose sight.

To practice, give yourself a light toss about head height over one shoulder. Toss is either flat of with a slight nose pointing behind you. Then watch the disc, bend and twist and try to find it with the hand opposite of the should you tossed the disc over.

The secret is to watch the disc as long as possible. Turn your head and your eyes toward the disc so that you lose sight only at the last possible moment.

Another tip I forgot to mention in the video is to open your hand as wide as you can. I sometimes will stretch my first finger and thumb to get the opening as wide as possible. This way there’s less chance of the disc hitting your thumb as you come around.

Nice AFO writeup by Time Warner cable

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I ran across this on facebook and wanted to catalog it here. A few Time Warner news gatherers were in the gym on the last day of AFO 2014. They we taking photos, videos and interviewed quite a few of the players. The link below is the article that resulted. I love it when freestyle frisbee gets in the news. But what’s especially nice about this article is how it captures the joy of the players and invites new people into the sport. That is what Freestyle Frisbee is all about.

http://austin.twcnews.com/content/news/306176/austin-hosts-freestyle-frisbee-competition/

AFO Live Stream – Thanks for all the help

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IconI want to take a couple of minutes to say thank you to all those who helped make the live stream from AFO possible. Although I do a tremendous amount of work prior to and during the event, I could not do it on my own. So, I want to be sure the credit for spreading the jam in this way is spread around.

First of all, this is the first time I have asked for funding help. The FPA awarded me a Spread the Jam Grant to help cover the cost of software. This made a huge difference in the quality of the stream I was able to produce. Thanks, Freestyle Players Association.

I also asked for help funding a new camera and other miscellaneous equipment. The money also ended up covering some of the extra data usage cost. I feel a little weird asking for money, but its just not sustainable for me to fund everything myself. I really appreciate those who pitched in: Randy Silvey, Rodney Sanchez, Berlin Jammers, Judy Robbins, Mark Davis, Paul Kenny, Boguslaw Bul, Larry Imperiale, John Titcomb, Greg Marter, and Graf Mordi.

While cost is one aspect of this project, doing the actual work is what really makes it happen. This year we had 3 cameras, a commentator, and a technical director. To make things work it took a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 people working together to make it happen.

Commentating was none-other-than John Houck who is one of the legends in the sport. John volunteered most of his weekend to hang out with our viewers, keeping them engaged and entertained by calling the action between rounds, telling stories, and conducting interviews. Prior to AFO, I thought that adding commentary would be something special to the live stream. But, John because of who he is, coupled with his humorous anecdotes, added more than I could have imagined.

There is a long list of people who took a turn on the camera: Tita Ugalde, Mary Zurn, Larry Imperiale, Alan Elliott, Enrique Ortiz, Lori Daniels, Lisa Hunrichs, Amy Schiller, Doug Korns, and possibly other people… as I lost track at some point.  Operating the camera is one of those tasks that can boring and tedious, yet it integral to bringing a quality broadcast. I’m so pleased that so many people were willing to jump in and help. And, WoW, looking at the recordings, everyone did a great job.

Also, a special call-out to Tita Ugalde who came specifically to help with the live stream and sat at the most important camera position for all of Saturday and Sunday. The steady routine footage and view of the interviews were courtesy of Tita’s camera work.

Another big thanks goes to those who helped setup and takedown. If you haven’t seen it before, the live stream gear is a rat’s nest of wires and boxes going every which way. The first day took nearly 90 minutes to setup, with help.  I know I can’t remember everyone who helped, but here are a few that stand out: Matt Gauthier, Ryan Young, James Wiseman, Enrique Ortiz, Doug Korns, John Titcomb, Gerry Geare, Rodney Sanchez, and Lori Daniels. Sorry if I am forgetting to name any other of my Rat’s Nest Assistants; it’s a  whirlwind getting everything going and in the flurry of activity – every bit was very helpful.

Last, but certainly not least, I want to specifically say thanks to Doug Korns. When I was not able to act as technical director (run the computer and coordinate between all other volunteers) Doug stepped into this role. Doug also helped out at FPA 2014, so I knew what he was capable of.  On Day 1, we sat together and went over the software and the process. From then on, Doug took over anytime I needed to get ready to compete. In fact, on Sunday, Doug was fully in charge in the Technical Director’s Chair. I set-up the equipment and walked away. Doug did the rest.

An important aspect to recognize about the Technical Director role is that it requires 100% focus nearly the whole time you are there: watch all cameras and choose the best camera angle to display on the stream.  Between rounds, the Tech Dir is typing in players’ names (while trying to correctly spell the names), as well as choosing when to turn the camera on and off, starting and stopping the recordings of each routine, tune the audio (so the audience hears the right source), tell everyone else when to talk, where to point the camera, to stop zooming so close, etc.   And, if something goes wrong, the Tech Dir has to fix it while still keeping things moving on the broadcast.  This is a tough job, and Doug’s willingness to take this on shows how much he loves and wants to give back to the sport and our community. THANK YOU DOUG!

At this event I also tried to do more promotion than I have in the past. To that end, I want to thank Crazy John Brooks for his advice and encouragement and for connecting me with the PDGA. Also, thank you to Lori Daniels for similar encouragement and for making the connection to WFDF. And, thank you to the PDGA and WFDF for promoting the live stream. It’s really awesome to be a part of different disc disciplines partnering together towards our shared common goal: To play Frisbee and share our joy with the world!