There are many ways to throw a frisbee. Below the more important ways of how to throw a frisbee will be explained, as well as a few trick throws. Some techniques to improve your frisbee throwing are also included.

When throwing a frisbee, the foot associated with your nondominant hand should be your pivot foot. In other words, you should step with the same foot as the hand you throw with. When extending, or taking a large step to throw to get around a mark, step as if you were doing a lunge: your stepping foot and leg should be out and straight with your body, and your pivot foot and leg should be straight with the knee slightly bent. (See the picture to the right.)

The backhand is one of the most widely known throws in frisbee. It is essential to know if you are going to be playing a competitive game of ultimate.

To throw a backhand, place your thumb on the upper margin of the disc. Then, curl the rest of your fingers around the inside of the frisbee. Now, throw! Remember, most of your power comes from the wrist.

Also referred to as a flick, this throw is also essential for a competitive game of ultimate. However, you may impress your non-ultimate-playing friends if you use it when just throwing around.

There are two methods of throwing a forehand. The first method is called the stability grip. You place your thumb the same way you would a backhand. Then, put one finger on the inside of the disc, and the other sticking out into the middle.

The other method is called the power grip. I'm fairly certain most people use this grip. It is simpler than the stability grip. It is exactly the same except that you put the finger that was sticking out into the middle of the frisbee next to the finger that was inside of the disc.

The power in a forehand comes from the snapping motion you get from your wrist and forearm. I have found them to be the easiest to throw when it is windy outside because of the amount of spin you can apply to a throw.

See a person throwing a forehand in the picture above and to the right.

The hammer is a fun throw that is not completely necessary but can be used pretty effectively in competitive games of ultimate. This is another throw to impress your friends with when you are just throwing around.

To throw a hammer, put your fingers in the power position used for a forehand. Then, position the frisbee upside down and at a 45 degree angle above your head. Pull your arm back and throw. During its flight, the frisbee should gradually level out. By the time it reaches your target's hands, it should be completely level and upside down.

See a person throwing a hammer to the right.

A thumber is a general category that refers to many different kinds of throws, all based off of the pivot finger being a the thumb. However, this section will only talk about one type of thumber.

The thumber I will discuss is gripped in the following way: Place your thumb on the inside of he rim of the disc so that the frisbee is resting on the inside of your forearm Put the rest of your fingers on top of the frisbee. I would almost describe it as a backwards backhand. This throw is almost all wrist motion. Good luck making it go very far, I haven't been able to accomplish much with this throw.

The chicken wing is another form of thumber that is basically backwards of the other thumber discussed to the left. I only know one person who can throw this well, but your can definitely impress your friends with this one.

To throw a chicken wing, place your thumb on the inside of the rim so that the frisbee is away from your body and the inside of your arm is facing down. Then, put the rest of your fingers on top of the disc. To throw this one, you have to put everything into your wrist. I can throw it a little bit, but it takes practice.

The biscuit is the exact same grip as a chicken wing, you are just throwing it backwards. Also, when ever you throw one, be sure to call, "Biscuit!" in a higher pitched voice.

An air bounce is a cool backhand throw that drops when you throw it, then rises.

The grip is the same as a backhand, except that you should put your thumb farther back on the disc. When you throw, put pressure on the back of the disc where your thumb is and tilt the disc upward. It is crucial to make sure the disc is facing forward. This is a relatively difficult throw to master, but it is fun all the same.

This is a pretty cool throw. Impress your friends!

The last topic I will cover is how to throw a low release. Low release is when you throw a backhand or forehand from a position low to the ground. This can be useful when playing against a tough mark.

A low release requires touch. Touch is a less pronounced form of an air bounce, as in you will want to put a small amount of pressure on the back of the disc and tilt it upward slightly. When throwing a forehand, the pressure isn't possible, so the tilt is important.

Low release is a harder ultimate skill that takes a while to master.

You can curve the disc when throwing backhand or forehand. The two methods are inside-outside and outside-inside. I will explain it in the form of a right hander. If you are a lefty, just do the opposite. To perform an inside-outside backhand, tilt the disc to the left when throwing. To perform an outside-inside backhand, tilt the disc to the right. To perform an inside-outside forehand, tilt the disc to your right when throwing. To perform an outside-inside forehand, tilt the disc to the left.

This takes a bit of practice, but once you get good at it, you will have a great technique for playing and just throwing around.

Ultimate is a fun sport that utilizes many individual skills. As your throwing skills improve, you will become a better player. However, you don't need to be playing ultimate to have good throwing skills. It is great to just throw around with friends and have fun that way. Have fun with frisbees.