Best Kept Secrets in Disc Golf: Spin & Throw Form
In January 2020, after 33 years in the game and with extreme hubris I claimed I finally understood the backhand throw in disc golf. I could not have been wronger. Since that time I have moved away from the Straight Pull and Smash form I have so strongly promoted for so many years. I now call that form “Poke & Pull“.
Almost a decade ago I invented the Mobius Line Pulling Machine to allow me to develop proper Poke & Pull form. It worked perfectly, and my disc golf game improved by leaps and bounds as my accuracy went through the roof. Here is the device: https://imgur.com/gallery/gGdPC But I could never throw very far, even when I was much younger and much stronger. Today I am 57, and weaker than I’ve ever been as an adult, and yet I am throwing discs faster than I ever have in the past, and I am not "throwing hard", and I am no longer risking a shoulder injury. (Throwing hard is bad!)
Introducing Spin & Throw Form Basically, Spin and Throw is a locked-shoulder power-throwing form, which does not use any shoulder movement at all, outside the actual throwing motion.
Spin & Throw form is unique in that it accurately describes what the very top disc golfers are actually doing in their power shots. Poke’n’Pull form does not. Mr. Bradley Williams (below) is responsible for almost singlehandedly developing the Spin & Throw teaching techniques and exercises.
One of the most important disc golf form playlists. Video #1.
The above videos explain from the ground up, what Spin & Throw is, how it works, how easy it is, and how incredibly powerful it is. And why! Bradley uses simple words, simple exercises, and simple movements to build up a complete backhand power form which is distinct from what has been taught in the past. And there is no doubt in my mind that Spin & Throw is the future of disc golf distance throwing, and teaching it is much MUCH simpler than teaching the old Poke & Pull form, too!
Spin & Throw relies on familiar body movements, and initially looks similar to the way little kids throw discs for the first time, but with the elbow and shoulder joint actions reversed. Kids tend to throw with a stiff elbow and a moving shoulder. All that’s needed is to lock the shoulder and work the elbow.
Please – try it for yourself Spin & Throw has literally transformed my power shot into a properly powerful form, allowing me to throw over the top of baskets I had previously thought I would never be able to reach. It is a genuine disc golfing revolution. Working Spin & Throw into your game
In order to develop my Spin & Throw technique I have spent several months having weekly throw and catch sessions with good buddy JT, using a lightweight (155g) Condor. Throw and catch sessions mean a lot of throws in a short time span.
Standing 50 metres apart, and using just a one-step throw allowed me to quickly get a handle on the basic movements, and gradually refine them until I could add a slow(!) x-step.
The Condor is perfect for disc golf training because it has the rim of a Roc midrange disc, but it is 241mm in diameter. This fact forces a player to concentrate on creating proper spin on a disc, as this is what stabilises a disc in flight, and a Condor will always hyzer out early with inadequate spin. Read our full review of the amazing Condor – it truly is one of the best kept secrets in disc golf, even though it was released in 1991! Condor rapidly teaches you to separate airspeed from spin speed - something virtually no other golf disc can easily do.
Check it out: Best Kept Secrets in Disc Golf: The Innova Condor
Simple seldom equals Easy Especially for those of us not blessed with oodles of athletic prowess. It has taken me quite a while to begin incorporating S&T form into my actual golf game – and there are a few reasons for that;
Spin & Throw produces a radically different release point to Poke & Pull.
Spin & Throw produces more spin speed so discs flying at the same speed tend to fly with more stability and fade is delayed.
Conversely, discs tend to flip up and turn more due to the added airspeed, so I have to apply much more hyzer angle and disc up when using full power.
It is difficult for an old dog to learn new tricks.
The good news is that my driving power continues to improve as my timing gets better, even at age 57, and I am already handily exceeding the power I was once able to deploy using Poke & Pull, but without almost rupturing myself.
Spin & Throw does not make Poke & Pull obsolete Full power is not required on every disc golf shot, and it is still my strong belief that for most normal humans, Poke & Pull is by far the most accurate form, especially if the thrower is able to keep their eyes on the Line Of Play throughout the throwing motion. We’ve talked about this before, over here: Just the Tip: Eyes-on equals accuracy. And so it is only full-power drives which will see you use Spin & Throw form, while accurate upshots and touch drives will still require you to Poke & Pull.
Spin & Throw is sustainable into your old age
Poke & Pull puts great stress on your shoulder, which is a highly complex non-joint held together with scraggy old bits of rope, in my case. I have already needed arthroscopic shoulder surgery to relieve the bursitis caused by calcium building up in my supra spinatus tendon. I do not wish that pain on any disc golfer, and I do not want to damage my shoulder again under any circumstances. Because Spin & Throw locks your shoulder throughout the throwing motion there is much less stress and strain on it in full power shots. This means you’ll be able to use it for life.
Click the heart icon, leave a comment, and be in to win
If you give Spin & Throw a go, please let us know how you’re going with it in the comments. Are you throwing with more power but with less effort? How are your discs behaving? We’ll pick out a comment on the 15th of June, and send the winner an RPM Atomic Kotuku which will stand up to the most aggressive and unrestrained Spin & Throw form.
Kia tika te rere – Enjoy the flight!
