Category: Learn to Jam

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Face the Wind

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The Wind“Face the Wind.” That’s what my mentor Mike Esterbrook used to tell me over and over when I was a new player. He’d throw me some Zs and I’d take the disc on my nail. Then I’d rim set it under my leg and the disc would quickly fall to the grass. “Face the Wind.”

It took me a while to understand why this is so important. But it can make all the difference between a hein combo and a
early drop. It’s one of those things that makes freestyle look easy while beginners are lost as to why they can’t replicate the big moves. Here’s why you should always face the wind when you have the disc.

First is the concept of a wind shadow. Predictability is one of the most important aspects to completing a trick. One must time the flight of the disc. If the wind is changing under the disc, the flight will be unpredictable. A wind shadow is what happens when something, or someone blocks the wind from the disc. When this happens, the disc falls quickly to the ground. It’s nearly impossible to recover from a wind shadow.

Now imagine your back is to the wind. You set the disc high into the air. It floats nicely down as you prepare for a trick catch. But wait, your body will create a wind shadow. As soon as the disc is in front of you, you are blocking the wind and the disc will fall faster, which will break your timing. Point 3 as we competitor’s like to joke…that’s a drop. If you are facing the wind, you will never wind shadow yourself. Now just get your partner to move out of the way and you are ready.

The second reason to face the wind may be even more important. Part of what makes freestyle frisbee tricks work is the horizontal flight of the disc. That is, it doesn’t just go up and down, it goes side to side. This is what allows it to travel under your leg or pass behind your back for the restricted trick. Without horizontal flight, many restrictions will involve you moving over or around the disc. With horizontal flight you can hold a pose and let the disc do the work as it passes through the restriction.

OK, so if you are doing solo tricks, how do you get that horizontal flight? Well, if you are facing the wind, you can set the disc out, and the wind will blow it back. That’s right, tricks that are seemingly up and down, very often have some form of an out and back aspect. Even many passes are done this way. Like the roll across set.

So what if there is no wind? Well then you make your own wind by running in a specific direction. Your movement through the air causes a relative wind for the disc. This is why you see players chasing after the disc while on an air brushing run.

With face the wind always in mind I eventually developed a new sense. That is, where is the wind coming from. I feel is on my skin and I watch for clues and somehow I always have a sense for where the wind is coming from. Even when jamming indoors. There’s no wind, but I still have an idea of where the wind is. Or more accurately for which direction we are playing. I watch for clues from the other players in the jam. I see which way they are going to create wind and I go the same direction. When we run to close to the wall, we reset and go back the other way.

If you are new to freestyle frisbee then here an experiment for you. Go out to the field with a slick disc. Face the wind and try a simple set to a catch. Then put your back to the wind and try again. You’ll immediately see for yourself what a difference this makes. Then, close your eyes and think, where is the wind. Keep that thought, open your eyes, face the wind and try again. If anyone tries this, please let me know what you learn in the comments below.

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Ryan Gives Some Hints for Catching a Scarecrow

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Ryan Young gives some hints for catching the elusive scarecrow catch. This is one of the harder trick catches to master, yet so one the most useful.

Ryan gives us 4 tips. First, your need a consistent set. To really practice the scarecrow you must first practice giving yourself the exact same set every time, whether that is from a throw or a set from a delay. Making a consistent set is actually a very useful skill in and of itself, but it turns out that catching a scarecrow is very different from one angled set to the next.

Second, when you go for the catch, really turn you hand over. This will line up your grip with the disc.

Third, step into the catch with the opposite leg. So if you’re catching right handed, step with your left foot. This will help with the body and shoulder twist so the hand grip lines up.

Forth, practice each angle separately. As mentioned earlier, the angle changes how you catch the scarecrow. To truly master this catch you want to be able to catch it on any angle. Try steep. Try Flat. Try with the nose going toward your back. Each of these is a skill all it’s own.

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Ryan Young Demonstrates Simple Under the Leg Sets

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Ryan Young demonstrates Under the Leg (UTL) sets, also called Leg Over set. Once you have gained control over the center delay, this is the next step in improving control and in beginning to do tricks with the center delay. UTL sets are probably the most used restricted set in freestyle frisbee.

Start with a center delay. Bring the disc low while keeping your upper body upright. Then left one leg and move it over the disc. Now, set the disc into the air by lifting the delay hand quickly. Put your leg back down and regain the disc on a nail delay.

Ryan also shows us all possible combinations of hands and legs. A great challenge for new players is to try to learn each one. And then ask yourself, is this really all of them? How else might I restrict my movement to gain more control over the frisbee? If you come up with another option, let me know if the comments.

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Rim Delay

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The Rim Delay is one of the 8 fundamental moves in freestyle Frisbee. A large portion of freestyle disc skills and moves depend on knowing this key base skill. Start by throwing yourself spin and letting the disc land on your nail. Then let the disc drift to the rim. Let the disc spin on your nail in the rim until it runs out of spin. Try this on both hands. Next learn to set the disc. Get a Rim Delay as mentioned above, wait for the nose to be up and pointed away from you and push the disc off of your nail. Then progress to with the spin Crank. Get a Rim Delay and follow it around with your hand allowing the disc to travel under your arm.

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How to Cove

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Matt Gauthier explains how to Cove the disc. Cove is an intermediate difficulty move that is against the spin. To learn Cove you should begin by trying to crank the disc on a high angle. Once you understand the nuance of that high angle crank you can progress to the cove. Set the disc from your right hand to your left hand behind the back, then let the disc drift with the spin until it hits the crank angle and pull it through. Watch to learn more.

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Paul Kenny Explains the Whip Over – Part 3 – The Receive

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In this part 3 of a 3 part series, Paul explains the receive part of the whip over.

For clock, as the disc reaches your right hand try to make contact on the outer edge, not the low point. As the disc contacts, push upward and slowly rotate toward the high point. The disc will center. Spiral your fingernail in toward the center to gain control of the nail delay.

See Part 2 and Part 1.

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Paul Kenny Discusses the Whip Over – Part 2 – The Give

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In this part 2 of a 3 part series, Paul describe the send component of the whip over in detail.

First is the full motion. With the disc hanging in a rim delay on your left hand (for clock, wight for counter) make a down, up, down motion as Paul demonstrates.

Second is the against the spin portion. This takes place on second down motion. So, go down, up, then as you push down again, slide your nail against the spin. For clock this would be from 10 o’clock to 9 o’clock. This against the spin motion is what causes the disc to turn over. On this motion you would also apply angular force to propell the disc from your left hand to your right hand.

In part 3 Paul discusses the receive.

See part 1 here.

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Paul Kenny Explains the Whip Over – Part 1

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In this, part 1 or a 3 part series, Paul describes a basic turnover called the Whip Over. There are two elements to it, the give and the receive.

With clock, the give starts on the left hand. Rim delay steep so the top of the disc faces the right hand. Then quickly lower your left hand and then raise it and pull the disc across your body. It should turn over as you shoot it to your right hand.

The receive takes place on the right hand. Just center delay the disc as it comes in. Sounds easy, right? Part 2 and Part 3 go into more detail on the send and the receive portions of this move.