Throwing in the Wind

Hello Ultimate Frisbee Players!

First things first, I would like to wish you a Happy Chinese New Year! The year of the Goat has arrived and may your ultimate career be filled with awesome team mates and scrimmages coming your way! Feast away, but in moderation or else it's x rounds around the field for you!

Today I am going to talk about throwing in the wind! Windy conditions is a nightmare for any Ultimate Frisbee players as throws often go haywire, under the mercy of the wind. Moreover, tournament venues around the world are usually very windy, like these poor guys over here:

Hence, here are some tips to improve your throws in the wind! but before that,

Upwind vs Downwind vs Cross-wind

It is important to know about this as different wind conditions require you to throw your disc in a way that is unique to each condition at times! Up wind is when the wind is blowing against you, like you are UP against the wind, with it slapping your face with its windy gusts. Down wind is when the wind is blowing DOWN on you, when you feel it slapping your back. Cross wind is when the wind is blowing ACROSS, when you feel only one side of your face is being slapped by the wind.

A good way to find out what wind you are facing is grab a few blades of grass and throw them in front of you:

Here are the signs to take note of:

- grass goes away from you = down wind

- grass goes towards you = up wind

- grass goes sideways = cross wind

With that out of the way, here are some tips to improve your throws in these windy conditions!

1. A strong wrist snap

A strong wrist snap would allow the disc to drive through the wind. The theory is that wind dissipate the energy in the disc which would result in the disc going haywire as there is no more spin to sustain the flight path of the disc. A stronger snap would give more time for the spin to be dissipated away by the wind, resulting in the disc being able to stay on its flight path for a little longer, completing your throw in the process

2. Release lower for up wind & cross wind, Higher for down wind

With more wind going against you, it is important to release low as the wind would blow it up eventually as wind might work on the under side of the disc. As for down wind, the wind is acting on the disc, hence the descent would be a lot faster.

3. More inside out

While using inside-out, it reduces the chances of the under side being exposed and it would be able to cut through the wind more effectively. That being said, do not use angle the disc too much during a cross wind situation, as the disc would act on one side of the disc, resulting in a very blady disc.

4. Never expose the underside of the disc to the wind

Try your utmost best to throw without exposing the underside of the disc, or else the wind would act on the exposed bottom and chances are you would see a wayward throw like when you are back when you were beginning to throw!

Windy conditions is not all that bad all the time, it can help benefit the game as well! for example, when in down wind situations, a huck can go further with the assistance of the wind blowing with it. Hence, more adventurous hucks can be executed to change the tide of the game

Throwing in the wind could be very technical and scientific, but practise makes perfect! Throwing more in windy conditions also give you the confidence and technical ability to adapt to it! Singapore may not have frequent windy days but head out to throw when you notice one!

Here's a good video on how to throw in the wind: