Carolyn and Stacy talk about the high expectations when they started playing and how the thought of playing professionally was always on their minds.
Although early competitions didn’t necessarily lend themselves to connecting with other women that were playing, they recall some memorable female players and their routines.
Stacy talks about playing with Amy Schiller, “The California Girls.”
Carolyn shares that as early female pioneers of the sport, they would sometimes feel isolated, and she and Stacy share some interesting thoughts on why that was and offer ideas on how to engage women so they’ll stick with it.
Is Mixed Pairs a strategy?
There is no question that people want to see women play!
Randy recommends a new and easy way to judge…Do you remember the Gong Show?
Freestyle Frisbee is all about personal expression. Every player has their own style, their own take on the game. This personal expression even extends to how we slick our discs. Some people like the entire disc soaked in slick, and then lightly wiped off. Others spray a small amount on the underside and use it as more of a cleaner than a lubricant. When I was a newer player, I was getting a disc ready for a jam. One of my heros was waiting for me. As I began to spray, I was instructed not to spray the outer rim. Yes, we all have our preferences. So now it’s time to share yours.
When you slick your disc, which parts do you slick?
[poll id=”38″]
Please share your favorite slicking technique in the comments.
The osis movement is one of the more difficult movements to wrap your head around. In this video Matt demonstrates the most basic osis behind the back (BTB) catch. So, what is an osis? It’s anytime your body rotation is moving in the same direction as the disc. As Matt demonstrates, a BTB is either static or you twist towards the disc to make the catch. For the osis, you must rotate away from the disc as you catch it. This makes for a very small catch window as your hand can only stay in the right place to catch for so long…your rotation will pull your hand away. It’s really all about timing. Also, as Matt points out, osis is a blind catch in a way. You have to watch for as long as you can over the opposite shoulder and then, at the last second, snap your head around to make the catch. Of course, unlike other blind catches, with the osis it’s ok to turn and face the disc as you catch it, watching in into your hand.
One cool thing about osis is it can be added to most catches. A flamingo can become a flamgosis, gitis becomes gitosis, chair becomes chosis, and bad attitude can be a bad attitosis. All these catches are extremely difficult and can be quite beautiful to watch because they require precision timing and body mechanics. What’s your favorite version of the osis?
By the way, I’ve heard Chipper “Bro” Bell call it a reverse pull when you do an osis pull.
Jake asks the brothers the age old question…is freestyle a sport or an art?
Jens shares his thoughts about the difficulties of judging routines when they are so incredibly different.
Erwin talks about whether he thinks they were judged unfairly at times because people may not have seen them as technical players.
Although it could be tough at times and they didn’t always like the results, they always felt good about remaining true to themselves and doing the routine they set out to do.
Find out if there was any behind the scenes brother rivalry and when and why they stopped playing.
This is part 2 in a poll series about people’s fastest throws. Last week I asked about clock throws. Of course, any frisbee throw that comes out clock must be thrown with the opposite hand for it to be counter. For example, a backhand with the right hand is clock, while a backhand with the left hand is counter. Given people’s handedness, my guess is there will be very different answers for counter than there were for clock. This week’s poll:
Which of Your Throws Has the Most Counter Clockwise Spin?
A drop is anytime the disc unintentionally lands on the ground. That definition seems obvious but the drop has a deeper importance. Freestyle Frisbee is all about mastery of the flying disc. Players try to push themselves and the disc to the limits of what is physically possible, always looking for a new trick. There is a certain high that comes from seemingly defying gravity and doing the impossible through one’s own will. A drop is a cruel reminder that the control we all seek might just be an illusion.
Example: That drop was caused by a sudden gust of gravity.
A while back, I asked the question, which of your throws has the most spin? The answers were pretty much what I expected, a good cross section of throws with backhand being the leader. Now I want to dive a little deeper. This will be a two part poll with this one focussed on clock and next weeks focused on counter. Since roughly 90% of human beings are right handed I’m guessing that the results will be quite different between the two spins. My hope is the results can help new players decide which throws to focus on when they are learning. This weeks poll:
Which of your throws has the most clockwise spin?
[poll id=”36″]
If you answered other, please let me know what I missed in the comments.
Ryan Young demonstrates how to cuff the disc to flatten it while on a brushing run. Often times, especially when in high speed wind, the disc will become too steep during a brushing run. This can cause the pace of the run to suddenly change, which creates break in the flow of the jam. It also can cause a loss of control as you run into or past the disc. In more severe wind, the disc can blow behind you and roll away. By using the skill Ryan is demonstrating you can maintain control and even avoid any break in the flow of the jam.
OK, so let’s break it down. There are three steps; brush to add spin, cuff to flatten, and brush to continue the run.
Let’s say you’re on a run and the disc becomes to steep. On challenge may be that it is spinning quite slowly. Of course, cuffs use a lot of spin. So, Ryan suggests first doing a quick brush to add spin. This is step one. I often do this before a cuff as well and not just for this circumstance. With practice, the brush-to-cuff becomes a single move instead of two. The key to success here is to change the height of the disc as little as possible. Think “stun it”.
Now it’s time to cuff it flat. With clock spin, touch it lightly at 3 o’clock with the back of your hand. With counter, touch it at 9 o’clock. If your hand is wet, all the better…the wetness reduces friction. However, this is not required. As you touch, slowly lift and left the disc glide. As you lift your hand the disc will flatten out. Ryan suggests slowly moving your hand towards 6 o’clock. Just remember, soft touch and let the disc glide.
Once the disc is at the desired angle, it’s time to brush it again and continue the run. Exactly which brush you use will depend the situation after the cuff. But, as Ryan suggests, this brush must happen quickly. The key here is to use this brush to maintain/regain control. It’s not about adding spin or perfect placement. Just get it back into the air where you can deal with it. And, be ready to brush with either hand, especially in a strong wind, because the disc could now be quite high in the air. Or, in lower wind it might be falling really fast so even a kick brush or kick tip may be in order. Ryan suggests trying to connect the cuff to the next brush. This is a great suggestion as the cuff-to-brush will eventually become a single move. My latest adaptation is to let the cuff turn into a guide so I can, with a single contact, flatten the disc and then push it forward gently to give myself enough time for next trick…no third brush required.
This brush–cuff-brush skill, though not sexy, will greatly enhance your ability to maintain control over disc that’s become too steep and is starting to get away. We’d love to hear your strategies for maintaining disc control. Let us know in the comments.
Hear how Hall of Famer, Joey Hudoklin, discovered Freestyle. As a kid growing up in Greenwich Village, he mostly concentrated on mainstream sports like baseball & basketball. Then one summer day in 1975, he ventured to Washington Square with some friends and a frisbee appeared. Seeing the overhand wrist flip caught his eye and got him hooked. Later trips to the Bandshell in Central Park allowed him to witness the inception of some of the moves we have all come to use and love. Find out who truly inspired Joey in the beginning. Also hear Joey’s thoughts on playing in high people-traffic areas. Jake shares his thoughts as well, which are a little different.
