By Gayatri Manu

So you’ve flung a Frisbee around after a picnic and now you think you want to give Ultimate Frisbee a shot? Huh. We went to the experts for some coaching.

Ultimate Frisbee is one of the world’s largest growing sports and if you’re wondering what’s so Ultimate about throwing a spinning disc across a green field, let Maitreyi Ananth tell you. Ananth is a member of the Ultimate Frisbee players of ‘First Ever Team India Women’ (as they like to call themselves) who are about to make their first professional appearance in London, on June 18^th, for the World Ultimate and Guts Championship, 2016. Ultimate Frisbee has played in 19 cities in India, by more than 40 clubs. UF has a few moves that MUST be mastered in order to play a decent game, says Ananth.

First some rules. As simple as it might look, keeping the Frisbee spinning parallel to the ground requires you to pay attention to the movement of your wrist.  A household item that you can practise this move on is a doorknob (and don’t mind your mother when she says you’re damaging the locks around the house; Ultimate Frisbee is recognised as a sport by the International Olympics Committee.)

You can’t run with the Frisbee – you can only move one foot while you’re throwing it, and the other must be kept stationary. For right-handed people, this would be our non-dominant leg; keep your left foot stationary. This becomes your pivot foot and must be pointed in the direction that you want to throw.

Now check out your Ultimate Frisbee Tutorial via Ananth. The moves are demonstrated by her teammate Sneha Patil who is also prepping for London.

Move#1 Flick/Forehand

Make a gun shape with your forefinger and middle finger, and place it under the rim of the Frisbee. Lock your arm in place, because the momentum and disc spin is determined by the movement of your wrist. Decide your target and attempt to hit it at least 80 times, before you manage to execute the perfect forehand throw. The disk should be thrown at mid-torso height, and must travel a distance of at least 10 feet.

(Fair warning: It would take an amateur at least 4 months of practice before she can make a confident, un-wobbly forehand throw)

Move#2 Backhand

Backhand is the most efficient way of passing the disk since it can cover both short and long distances. You put four fingers on the rim, and your thumb on top.  If your right hand is the dominant hand, twist to your left, bend your wrist and elbow in front of the disc, and release the disc in a steady motion.

As you get better, you will need to use less extension and release, and can begin practising core-exercises that would improve your throwing technique.

Move#3 Hammer 

The Hammer technique lifts the Frisbee over the heads of the defendants and allows it to land in the grip of the intended teammate. Throw the disc like you would throw an axe or a hammer. Your grip on the Frisbee should be similar to that used in the Forehand throw; two fingers under the rim of the disc and the thumb on top. The top of the disc should be facing the left side so that it lands upside down. Pull the disc above your head with this slight tilt, and once it’s above your forehead, release.

Move#4 Blade 

The Blade technique is similar to the Hammer technique in the way it allows the Frisbee to lift itself above the defender’s head. Your grip should be similar to that used in the Forehand throw or Hammer throw, but it is essential not to keep the disc tilted.

Move#5 Inside-Out 

Before they made a Pixar film about a hockey loving girl and her emotions, this title in the Frisbee playing world was used to denote a basic move that is very similar to the Backhand. It requires the player to angle the disc towards the ground while releasing it.

Here’s Inside-Out using forehand:

And Inside-Out using backhand:

Move#6 Outside-In 

Similar to Inside-Out, this throw requires the player to angle the disc towards the sky while releasing it. The angle at which you’re throwing the Frisbee is important because it allows for different outcomes in the way it flies. Perfecting these throws would allow you to ascertain which angle would make the disc fall right into the receiver’s hand.

This is the Outside-In using forehand:

And the Outside-In using backhand: