Is throwing sidearm sustainable?

[cshell]

I've always been a sidearm thrower and last year I started throwing RHBH because I felt some elbow pain when throwing sidearm.

It's been a pretty hellIish journey getting my form down because it doesn't come real natural to me, but I'm on the verge of getting my form down. However my distance still isn't great, and frankly I enjoy throwing sidearm more.

I see the value of throwing backhand and I want to continue growing that skill, but realistically most regular courses, if they do present challenges are primarily for RHBH throwers anyways, so that isn't a main concern.

RECENTLY...I just got a disc that I love throwing forearm and I'm wondering if throwing sidearm is sustainable and I just need to change my form a bit to get my hips involved more, or if that is going to cause problems long term no matter what, and I should stick with learning RHBH.

Advice from long term sidearm throwers would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[slowplastic]

Post video of your sidearm. Some ways put way more strain on joints than they should. What distances are you reaching sidearm?

And definitely having a workable RHBH is always a good thing. There is a different consistency to it, and you'll learn to apply it more and more which will eventually lead to less reliance on FH only.

 

[DiscLoser1]

I'm approaching 4 years of FH dominant play, and am finally developing a RHBH drive as well.

Early on I often hurt my elbow, from poor form and trying to gain distance. The person who introduced me to the game unwisely told me I needed to FH overstable discs, and this contributed to the poor form. Starting a FH on an anny to get max D is hell on the elbow - that release angle is all wrong. I still use it as needed, but that is not a good way to drive evey hole.

Watching Wysocki and Stokely's FH clinics helped; the slo-mo drives from Big Jerm and Rick on SpinTV from last year's European Open (I think) opened up some more things. Then watching Sexton on all the tourney coverage lit some more light bulbs.

Sexton has a crazy grip that I don't use, but he has a casual two step walk, a dip and a whip. Sustainable for sure.

Much like a RHBH drive is about moving the elbow forward and then whipping the arm at speed, the same applies to the FH. Gotta keep that elbow in close to the body to avoid using any kind of baseball throwing motion, which is what causes damage/pain, then build speed with the arm with a bit of wrist at the end. The only thing that gets sore now is my bicep muscle. That's fine with me.

Disc selection is huge. Of course I have OS discs for wind and when that big fade is needed, but learning to hyzer flip US discs FH was a real breakthrough.

My primary drivers are flippier/beat in Wraiths, Archons, and Valkries. Will also flip Vulcans, Mambas, Leopards. Destroyers of various stabilities go in and out of my bag, but I'm personally most comfortable in the Speed 9-11 range; I find the narrower the edge (ie the higher the speed rating) the more sensitive the release angle, which can lead to some big errors if my release is slightly off.

Sorry for the long post...but the lesson is learning to whip the disc, not throw it, and use release angles to let the proper disc do the work.

Good luck!

 

[slowplastic]

Much like a RHBH drive is about moving the elbow forward and then whipping the arm at speed, the same applies to the FH. Gotta keep that elbow in close to the body to avoid using any kind of baseball throwing motion, which is what causes damage/pain, then build speed with the arm with a bit of wrist at the end. The only thing that gets sore now is my bicep muscle. That's fine with me.

What? Since when does throwing a baseball screw up your elbow (not talking about pitching 100 pitches at 90mph every 5th day of your life like pro pitchers).

You don't need to keep the elbow "in"...you just can't get some crazy torque/lead with it. And you shouldn't just be building up speed with the arm...it should be a body/hips thing.

But whenever I feel like muscling the disc FH to try to gain more distance, I can just watch video of Ricky Wysocki or Jeremy Koling just casually snapping a 400+ foot shot, and realize that I don't need to kill the disc...just figure out how to do it more properly. People trying to hammer on OS discs to fly flex lines to get over 300' with their arm/elbow is going to cause way more damage than the 400+ those guys get.

 

[demon102]

I'd say screw sidearm just cuz it seems like if you mess up on form it's easy to tweek your arm a bit and maybe even seriously injure it. I jacked my arm up a bit during spring using side arm a tiny bit and spent the last 2-3 months working primarily on my LHBH so I can use both back hands and don't need to use side arm. I'm able to use more discs going right then the forehand as I'd torque over understable discs if I didn't hyzerflip them, have more accuracy and I'm not hurting myself.

 

[sidewinder22]

I know a few world class Grandmasters that primarily throw FH. How's that for sustainable? Good mechanics is good mechanics - which should be sustainable, and bad mechanics is bad mechanics - which may not be sustainable(YMMV) no matter which way you throw.

 

[DiscLoser1]

What? Since when does throwing a baseball screw up your elbow (not talking about pitching 100 pitches at 90mph every 5th day of your life like pro pitchers).

You don't need to keep the elbow "in"...you just can't get some crazy torque/lead with it. And you shouldn't just be building up speed with the arm...it should be a body/hips thing.

But whenever I feel like muscling the disc FH to try to gain more distance, I can just watch video of Ricky Wysocki or Jeremy Koling just casually snapping a 400+ foot shot, and realize that I don't need to kill the disc...just figure out how to do it more properly. People trying to hammer on OS discs to fly flex lines to get over 300' with their arm/elbow is going to cause way more damage than the 400+ those guys get.

Go throw FH with baseball mechanics and let me know how that feels for you.

The rest of your post just said exactly what I was trying to say, sorry if my explanation wasn't clear enough for you.

 

[slowplastic]

I have pretty poor baseball throw mechanics actually haha

 

[slowplastic]

I want to give this guy a Destroyer and put him side by side with Nate Sexton...see how he does.

 

[discgolfer25]

I want to give this guy a Destroyer and put him side by side with Nate Sexton...see how he does.

I'm a college pitcher who throws submarine and obviously in disc golf, my natural throwing style is forehand

 

[Tee1]

I'm 42 years old and have been playing eight years driving mostly FH off the tee. I throw BH on 90% of my approaches and I'm good out to about 300'. When I need more distance I throw FH because it goes much further than by BH and it just comes natural. I've yet to have any aches or pains from flicks. As long as your form is good I believe you can flick till you die.

 

[pauldst]

I'm approaching 4 years of FH dominant play, and am finally developing a RHBH drive as well.

Early on I often hurt my elbow, from poor form and trying to gain distance....

Watching ... slo-mo drives ... opened up some more things. Then watching Sexton on all the tourney coverage lit some more light bulbs.
...
Much like a RHBH drive is about moving the elbow forward and then whipping the arm at speed, the same applies to the FH. Gotta keep that elbow in close to the body...The only thing that gets sore now is my bicep muscle....
Disc selection is huge. Of course I have OS discs for wind and when that big fade is needed, but learning to hyzer flip US discs FH was a real breakthrough.
...but the lesson is learning to whip the disc, not throw it, and use release angles to let the proper disc do the work....

I almost could have written this ^^^ post. I can't say that FH has been dominant for tha last 4 years, but it has been a major, even critical, part of my driving, both for distance and hitting lines that go right. Over the 4 years, every time I have found my FH going wrong, whether arm and elbow pain or accuracy and distance, I realized that I had stopped keeping my elbow in close to my body. In the last few rounds I have started hyzer flipping FH and shaved some more points off my score (the other recent gain has been from spending a lot of time working on my BH).

... watch video of Ricky Wysocki or Jeremy Koling just casually snapping a 400+ foot shot, and realize that I don't need to kill the disc...just figure out how to do it more properly. People trying to hammer on OS discs to fly flex lines to get over 300' with their arm/elbow is going to cause way more damage than the 400+ those guys get.

Early on, I could FH US discs. Then I "grew" out of that. But watching video of pros taught me that I needed to quit trying to muscle it. That has made throwing easier on my arm and let me start flicking US again. Flick is a good word to disc FH throwing because, I think, you just want to "casually" flick the disc out there. Same with BH, even putting your body into the throw, like a whip it should flow smoothly, without jerking, into the snap at the end.

 

[DGSniper]

I'd say screw sidearm just cuz it seems like if you mess up on form it's easy to tweek your arm a bit and maybe even seriously injure it. I jacked my arm up a bit during spring using side arm a tiny bit and spent the last 2-3 months working primarily on my LHBH so I can use both back hands and don't need to use side arm. I'm able to use more discs going right then the forehand as I'd torque over understable discs if I didn't hyzerflip them, have more accuracy and I'm not hurting myself.

This sounds like an exhausting effort. I get the reason for it and its probably smart, but how much does this affect your game playing LHBH?

 

[AggieDiscer]

The best thing that will help increase the longevity of your forehand is to your muscle strength of your throwing arm. You should be regularly lifting weights to build up your forearm muscle groups as well as your bicep and tricep muscles. This will take the strain off of your elbows by putting more of the load into your muscles. Also clean form is a must.

 

[slowplastic]

lol wut

Pretty sure Avery could crush Ricky's torso with his strength, yet Ricky can FH farther than Avery.

 

[mfcastillo17]

Yes. It is sustainable. Didn't read the whole thread other than the OP but if you throw with proper mechanics, you can throw sidearm all day. If you have some time, check my in the bag video linked in my sig. There are a couple of slo mo sidearms towards the end of the video that show me throwing with proper mechanics.

 

[CreemCheese]

During the live stream of the BHMO today, Terry and Uli were talking about a pro, forget who, taking time off after throwing a lot of forehands.

 

[donnyv]

Keep the FH and develop the BH. Once you have them down you'll balance out. Hardest part is choosing which throw you wanna try between them. Your game will keep you in the hunt if you can hit the easy putts

 

[AggieDiscer]

lol wut

Pretty sure Avery could crush Ricky's torso with his strength, yet Ricky can FH farther than Avery.

Talking about longevity, not distance. Avery is less prone to an elbow injury. Might want to bust out a dictionary.

 

[HeavyCritters]

lol wut

Pretty sure Avery could crush Ricky's torso with his strength, yet Ricky can FH farther than Avery.

Please stop posting.