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Kick Brushing 101, the video version

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Jake Gauthier teaches us how to kick brush a frisbee. A kick brush is a air brush with your foot. In other words, you kick the frisbee to keep it in flight, changing it’s direction and adding spin as you kick it. Kick brushing is a great trick because it is hard, unexpected, and can be used to keep the disc flying almost indefinitely. It’s also a great trick to save a drop as your feet can reach farther, and lower than your hands

To kick brush, face the wind. Then give yourself a little throw with the disc nearly vertical. The goal is that the wind blows the disc back to you. As the disc nears your feet, kick it. But, don’t kick it like a soccer ball. Instead, think about the spin of the disc and try to add spin with your kick. If it is spinning clockwise, kick it at 5 o’clock and swing your leg from right to left. For counter clockwise spin kick it at 7 o’clock and swing your leg from left to right.

At first, your goal is to just kick it back up to yourself. As you get better try both feet or try kicking it multiple times in a row. Also, try adding a trick catch after the kick.

Extra credit is you can invent other ways to kick the frisbee to keep it in flight. Let me know what you come up with in the comments.

Kick Brushing 101

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Kick brushing is an integral part of freestyle Frisbee. So invaluable is this tool, that it can push your game into a whole new difficulty level as well as add some fun and inventive saves.

Kick brushing is rather simple to learn in its most basic form. Kick brushing is similar to the air brush. One can learn by tossing a disc on an angle into the wind and kicking it in the same direction as the spin. Ideally if the spin is clockwise you would kick the disc at five o’clock with the outside of your right foot, or the inside of your left. If the disc is spinning counterclockwise then kicking the disc at seven o’clock would be more prudent. Of course there are always exceptions to every rule. Depending on spin and angle you may have to kick it in a different place. Practice some and you will see it’s not that hard to get it to come back up to your hands. Adding spin, changing the angle, the direction, or bumping the disc with control…well that’s another story.

Adding spin:

It is sometimes necessary to add spin to the disc when kick brushing to gain stability of flight, or return to a delay. Adding spin can be tricky. It depends on many factors, such as; angle, wind, current spin, where the disc is relative to you, and much more. First you want to determine what your dominant leg is. (most right handers are right legged). In the beginning your dominant leg will be easiest to add spin with. For clock, however, the right leg will have better ability to add spin, and vice-versa for counter. Next, you want to toss the disc on and angle and kick it with the spin. It is like basic kick brushing, except that you will want medium to light contact with the disc. (If you hit it heavy you will send the disc into the upper stratosphere) When you kick the disc you will want to transfer almost all of the energy into the spin of the disc rather than flight path. Hitting the disc at four or five o’clock and continuing through with power clockwise will give the desired effect when the proper contact is made. Or eight to seven o’clock counter.

Note: When I learned I would throw the disc on a steep angle and try to add only a little spin. Beginning with too much power will not only be frustrating but can injure you and your friends.

Changing the angle:

Changing the angle with a kick brush is in some ways difficult and others not so much. It depends on what it is that you are trying to do. For instance, you can change the angle of a disc that is clock trailing off to your left with relative ease. The easiest way to do this is to use your skills adding spin. The biggest difference is where you kick the disc. Using your right foot, you will want to kick the disc in between five and six o’clock just a little low on the rim. ( Of course in the direction of the spin) Adding a ton of spin at the same time. This will tip the nose up in front of you instead of to the right where it was before. If you were using your left foot it requires a little more finesse. You need to use the inside of your foot with less power. Kicking in the direction if the spin, hit the disc at five o’clock (again just low on the rim) so as to bring the disc up to your hands to regain control. For counter transpose the feet and placement on the disc.

There are other ways to change the angle on the disc to save or for fun. Try throwing the disc with a severe angle, clock, and gently ease the top of your right foot onto the bottom of the rim at roughly four o’clock. You will need a lot of spin for this. The disc should flatten out. Practice some and you will figure out how to get it back up so you can deal with it. You can change the angle like this with any part of either foot. The more places on your foot you can change the angle with, the more adept you will be at saving a bad throw or pass.

Changing the direction:

Changing the direction of a discs flight path takes practice but is maybe more simple than changing the angle or adding spin. There are only a couple of things to consider. Mostly all you have to do is recognize the amount of spin and the direction in which the disc is traveling. The amount of spin will determine how hard you have to kick it, and how much of the angle you can change. The only thing I can say about this is practice some while jamming. It is solely experience that will help in determining how hard to kick or how much angle play you have. The direction is simple….where is it going? If you can determine where it is going you can decide where to hit the disc to make it go where you want it to. The best way I can think to practice this is: Get a friend to stand a bit away from you on your left. Have him/her throw the disc with the nose pointed up over to you. (your friend should be parallel to you and in the same line) Make sure that the throw is going to go a little past you, to your right, and that it is near your feet. When the disc gets near your foot stick it out and hit the edge around four o’clock. The disc should abruptly change direction and now be flying in front of you. As to the rest of it, practice. Try it and see what happens…having the aforementioned skills will greatly help you in your endeavor to change direction.

Bumping:

Bumping the disc is mostly reserved for a disc with high spin. It is easy really. Take a disc with high spin that is angling down toward your foot and lightly bump the disc at six o’clock with a not so gripping part of your shoe and it should come right up with almost the same amount of spin it had. You can change the direction with this method as well by hitting the disc at four or seven. Four will send it left and seven right. (this is clock of course…..can you tell which spin I use most?)

Matt Gauthier

Kick Brushing 210

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Kick brushing, much like all of freestyle, is an art form. After getting the basics you are ready move on to harder and more exciting kicks. It is my recommendation that even if you have not mastered the basics you should try trick kicks. In my experience I have found that trying things beyond your ability often solidifies the ability you have and accelerates your growth as a freestyler.

Outside Heel kick:

The outside heel kick is rather simple IF you hit the disc correctly. To perform this kick set the disc on an angle to your right or left side. (clock) Most commonly, this kick is done with the right foot. You will want to set the disc about shoulder height. Rotate your knee so that it points down toward the ground. This will bring your foot up towards your head. The outside of your foot is now facing forward. With the outside of your right foot touch the disc on the outside rim at four o’clock. With your left do the same thing only hit the disc at seven o’clock. Now, if you are brave you can change the angle. Hit the disc on the bottom of the rim at four and it will change. Experiment with it and you will be able to change the angle a little or a lot. Some people change the angle off the throw. It is best to attempt this with high angle.

Leg Over Kick:

The leg over kick is all about timing. It, in essence is just a regular kick. If you set a disc on a high angle in front of you, let it come down toward your foot like a regular kick brush. Moments before you are about to kick the disc jump up and kick your opposite leg over the disc then kick the disc with the intended foot. That’s it, nothing special here excepting the timing. That itself is rather hard.

Sole brush:

The sole brush is done with the sole of your foot. Hence, Sole brush. This one can be hard. It requires a bit of flexibility. Set the disc into the wind about head height directly in front of you. With your toe pointed, swing your foot up in the air, in the direction of the spin. Hit the disc just below the ball of your foot on the rim at about five o’clock ( for clock). The disc should end up in front of you.

Behind The Leg Kick:

The behind the leg kick can be done two different ways that I know of. One is with the sole of your foot, and the other is the top of your foot. With clock spin it is easiest to do this kick with your right foot. Set the disc to your left on an angle. Let it drift down towards the ground and kick with the top of your foot, behind your left leg at six o’ clock or so. The disc will either go up and to the right or straight forward. It depends on where you hit it. I find that depending upon the wind it is sometimes easier to jump then kick. Be careful not to kick your leg out from under you.
If you want to kick it with the sole of your foot, set the disc the same as aforementioned. Instead of just kicking behind your leg you can twist to the right swinging you right foot down with your toe pointed toward the ground. Hit it at five or six and there you have it. You don’t have to spin, yet I find it easier.

Inside kick brush:

The inside kick brush is dependant mostly on angle. First you will want your back to the wind. Next set the disc, from a rim delay, on a steep angle with the nose pointed towards the wind. . (Maybe sixty degrees, it depends on the wind) The set should be near the side of your body that you wish to kick with. Then give it a kick at six or so in the direction of the spin. Watch your face, a bad hit can result in a fat lip. You don’t usually have to hit it very hard a light tap will do the trick. I find that pointing your toe will help in gaining control. If you would like to practice on your own without a rim set you can try a two handed throw set. It works well.

There are many more trick kick brushes that can be learned. Practice and experiment. Much like all freestyle there are more ways to do it than have been invented.
Also, watch film there is tons to be learned in the playback.

How’d you get so good at Rolling?

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Larry does a chest roll in the snow.Written by Larry W. Imperiale

Background

Crushed…My first big prelims in Vancouver 78, and I lost a half-point on the variety check-off sheet because I didn’t do a brush and another half-point for not doing a roll. I figured I better work on this, and by Fall 1979 I had basic brushes and rolls down, thanks to Corey Basso and Skippy Jammer. But it wasn’t until I became a bench-warmer for Stanford Ultimate that I jumped to the next level with these skills by brushing and rolling on the sidelines.

Roll/Brush Fundamentals

1. Play by yourself often, practicing rolls and brushes where you have room to run and hopefully some, but not necessarily nice, wind. Visit San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and other good wind-spots on nice wind-days as often as possible.

2. Face the wind. Know where you are in relation to the wind at all times. Learn to feel it like a sailor.

3. As Skippy says. remember that the object of a roll is not to get it from one hand to the other (bounce, bounce), but to roll it along the body as if it’s on Velcro, pulling it along your arms by moving your body in the opposite direction of the roll with “touch-Zs,” turbo rolls excepted.

4. Step into and follow-through on all brushes and kicks, as you would in tennis, volleyball or baseball.

5. Decrease the margin of error by wearing size twelve shoes for better surface-area for kicking. I’m a size 11.

6. Seriously, try brushing the disc steeper at times, a skill I learned watching Dave Marini and JJ (John Jewel) in 1978.

7. Step into the disc when brushing so if it goes too far you can get to it, always being ready for the missed hit….be on your toes and ready to sprint.

8. Don’t plan too much. The best part of this game is to take advantage of the hand dealt to you. If you plan to do a roll off of a set but it’s there for a kick or a scarecrow catch instead, go for what’s there. Don’t force it…go with the flow.

9. When you’re indoors, compensate for no wind by running faster to make your own wind, and by setting rolls and brushes steeper.

10. The force of the brush should be inversely proportional to the Zs on the disc. For example, you’re middle-jammer in a 3-person MAC-line (Midair Attitude Correction). The disc comes to you with a slight angle and high Z’s – just meet it with your hand or body part…it’s riskier to swing at it or brush it hard when it’s not needed. On the other hand, hit it harder if it has low Zs. Learn how to adjust the disk with a cuff as needed for better options in MAC-lines..

11. Cuff often when you’re sweaty and you have a steep, high Z disk.

12. The meek will not inherit the kick. Be aggressive. Pretend you’re the batter in 6th-grade kickball.

13. Play the spontaneous wind game with your friends, but also learn when to give space to your partner for individual moves. Go on “brush runs” with your partners. . Be like Magic Johnson and make the players around you better…Set up your partners with good, easy brush/roll/kick sets and watch great, difficult things happen that you won’t remember after you do them… this is a good sign. Communicate frequently before and after you jam to enhance these opportunities. Also talk during spontaneous times (e.g. all-mine, all-yours, coming, etc…).