Thumber Tips

[sidewinder22]

Now looka here sister, I grip thumbers a little different. I extend the index and middle finger out on the bottom of the flight plate as if I were kinda throwing a baseball(or my inverted FH grip), which gives me a more comfortable grip and more angle control over the disc. Just make sure your thumb is comfortable and has good control/pressure and the disc can pivot. I think 300' OH might be pushing it for you though. OH shots can be rough on the shoulder especially when not done properly. I used to pitch and try to limit my OH shots to only when its the best option. I don't even practice them anymore, but I'm totally comfortable with them and they are very predictable shots.

Coda throws a nice thumber, its labeled as tomahawk, but I think its a thumber, looks like flight plate is outside his body. Anyways tommy and thumber are very similar in technique. Look how vertical his shoulders are and his foot pivot:

[biscoe]

^^^ shouldn't you be teaching the chicken wing instead of the thumber?

[sidewinder22]

Originally Posted by biscoe

^^^ shouldn't you be teaching the chicken wing instead of the thumber?

Now looka here son, Tom Edwards should teach the chicken wing, he taught it to me, but my tender chicken wing doesn't that fly well. It still boggles my mind when he throws a winger 350' down some narrow fairway.

[jtbingster]

Originally Posted by battsypants

I'll have to disagree with you on this one. Just like any other grip in the game, there is no one universal "right" way to do it. Lots of peeps use all sorts of different grips. If it works than why change it up? I use the exact grip as the OP and have no problem throwing Flicks out close to 300. Go with what feels comfortable.

That's true, and I wasn't taking into account the fact that she has small hands, but I like that grip the best because you are gripping the disc tighter when you are using your knuckle than when you're just using the pads of your fingers. I don't have any problem with sticking 1 or 2 fingers out along the flight plate to add more control, though.

My $.02.

[E-man]

I've always used a grip similar to the OPs. That's just how someone showed me. It works for me, but I'm gonna try that other grip (pistol) and see what happens. I just tried to grip a disc like that right now and it feels wierd, but probably cause I've thrown w/ that other grip for a while.

[jcf5083]

Originally Posted by U_NICED_ME

1) Am I even gripping it right?
2) Am I supposed to be throwing it really high?
3) Does Incr Height=Incr Distance?
4) Why does my disc turn left sometimes?
5) Headwind secrets?
6) Do I need to get an estimate on my distance to the point the disc rolls and turns? And how far it floats after that turn?
7 Do I just stick with one disc or do I use many more for different situations?

1) Yes. I straighten out my index and middle finger but that is just preference.
2) Fairly high. You should throw a couple of times in a field to find the best throwing height.
3) To a certain point, just like throwing a baseball.
4) When you throw a thumber, it will first turn left and then spike right. If it is going left, you are throwing it too low.
5) Don't throw OH. Trust me this is my main shot and it just doesn't work unless you plan on skipping it 30' out of the box (By throwing it low).
6) It doesn't really matter, you can keep angling the disc differently to make it roll more/go farther and not roll.
7) I stick with one, as do other people I've seen throw OH. I also keep a beat-to-hell disc when I want a controlled thumber <100'

[captain jack]

I have a pretty reliable thumber that I use regularily.
I just tried that pistol grip pictured on the first page,and it made me laugh.
My hand wont even do that.
Even if I could get my thumb all the way up on the rim like that, since both my thumbs have been dislocated, I'm sure my thumb would separate when I threw the disc, and probably fly farther than the shot.

I guess it doesnt help that I use a Gazelle or Eagle X for thumbers, but my grip is comfortable with the thumb hooked into the rim.
My index finger parallels my thumb on the other side of the flight plate, so the pressure from the tip of my thumb press's against the first joint down from the fingernail on the other side.
This allows me to align the disc by feel, then its clamped down prior to launch.
The outside rim cradles into the webbing below the thumb, and sits on the first joint on my middle finger up front. All of this helps with alignment for me. Once I know the disc is always going to start at the same resting position, its easy to adjust the hyzer angle on release to change the roll rate as required.

Grip is subjective though. Whats not is the follow through. As stated before, never stop the motion of your arm suddenly when executing a thumber, you will do serious damage to your shoulder.
Always follow through like a windmill, letting the energy release from your arm gradually. This is the single most important thing if you want to pull this shot out a whole bunch of times in a round.

[BrotherDave]

I use a different Thumber grip as well. I keep my index finger on the top half of the flight plate, pointing straight out, with all my other fingers curled under into a fist with the thumb on the rim as usual. I should point out that my thumber is more about accuracy than it is distance and I like to release it with a 3/4 pitcher style rather than vertically. The more I need it to barrel roll, the less overstable disc I use.

[U_NICED_ME]

Thanks everyone for some great tips!!! Sorry, to just now be getting back to this thread. Those of you that didn't see some of the technique Karl posted, I'm reposting it below and SW22 supplied a good video.

I'm going to spend a little more time playing around with grips. It makes me feel better that there isn't one right way to do it! My hand just isn't big enough for the image in the beginning of the thread. I might also try out a new Champ Eagle as well, just because the rim is much smaller and may suit my hand better.

Again, thanks to everyone! I appreciate your input. I am also going to take the advice of easing into this. Hopefully by next year at this time, I will have this shot as part of my skillset! I am starting to see it used a lot by the girls that have my number, so to speak, on wooded courses!

Originally Posted by Karl

While Brian may THROW excellent thumbers, remember he is also VERY strong. That translates being able to hold the disc WELL using VERY little actual skin contact on the disc. He likes that "hook thumber" grip. You may not.

As a few others have stated here, there is NO "right" way to hold the disc when throwing a thumber. But whatever way you DO end up throwing it, it must do several things.

1. "Feel natural"
2. Allow for a clean release
3. Be on the same line as a line from your elbow to your wrist extended
4. Allow for the disc to be showing its underside to your ear at release

Eventually you WILL find a comfortable, efficient grip.

But now let's concentrate on the actual throwing motion.
Be VERY conscious of keeping your elbow (of the throwing arm) as high as possible at release. And lead with it. Think of hammering a nail in a wall about 7' up. And the edge of the disc is the business end of the hammer. If you a) don't have your elbow higher than your shoulder and b) don't warm up properly, you'll run the risk of injury, etc.
And go into things slowly. If you haven't done a LOT of overhand-type throwing (over the last year...or even in your entire life), use the "1-yr plan". Incorporate at least a dozen or so HALF-EFFORT (or less!!) overhand throws in every practice session you do for this year (yeah, I know - boring) working up to 4/5th-effort by the end of the summer, BUT by this time next year - at a minimum - you'll have 1) a "seasoned" arm for overhands and 2) will have added 50' onto whatever you're throwing now.

Karl

Ps: If you have the past 3 years of the PDGA's magazines (2 different publishers), take a look at the 2 articles in there (about overhands). Just make sure to use common sense in matching up the diagrams / pictures with the wording - as BOTH magazines butchered the articles and mis-printed the matching-up of the pic / word numbers.

[kerplunk]

This is a great thread for thumber tips! Just wanted to bump to keep it alive, I was searching for thumber tips and didn't want to make another post for fear of being prerubed.