ATTENTION: HERE IS A POST WRITTEN BY A GUEST (IE NOT MY USUALLY TIME WASTING NONSENSE)

I asked Simon to write something up a while ago on the subject of throwing in windy conditions. He is a very good thrower/handler who always seems to have the perfect throw for any situation on the field.  He also didn't disappoint in his analysis of one of the most difficult spots for throwers. I'd like to do this sort of thing more in the future, so if you have an idea for a post, just tell me and then write it or just write it and then tell me.

Pissing in the wind...

There is little more humbling in Ultimate than watching a well-conceived throw get smacked to the dust or catapulted two fields over under strong wind conditions. These experiences attenuate our ambition for future throws and allow for the relative success of ZoneD in applying pressure to throwers on windy days. I was asked to expound on the breakdown in throwing mechanics in strong wind and whether the difficulties are physical or mental. To be concise, the challenge is most certainly both physical and mental, and the answer to this challenge can only be more practice throwing (with ambition!) in strong wind. I would like to take the opportunity to expand a bit on why certain windy conditions cause problems and to share some of my insights on good throwing strategies during tournament play during zephyrs and hurricanes.

Disc Flight

The are numerous discussions in print and online regarding the physics of disc flight. Although fluid dynamics and airfoil theory are rich areas of science and engineering, I won't trouble myself to establish a firm theoretical foundation for disc flight. Suffice it to say that, especially in windy conditions, the disc must be imparted with significant angular momentum (spin) and precise preparation for linear momentum (angle of attack, both to Earth plane and wind vector) at release to counter the forces of air drag and gravity and thereby satisfy the desired flight path to target. The spin is crucial as it reinforces the disc's center of gravity and resists the wind's power to turn it over. Preparing the disc for release is especially troublesome in wind because buffeting and turbulence can interfere with our ability to grasp and orient the disc properly during pivoting, extending and flicking. Disc preparation is a feat of calculation that is performed with real-time adjustments as we execute a throw in wind, and although our brains have unreal capacities for calculus, we cannot unfortunately see the force and direction of approaching winds. The physical and mental aspects of the throw are amplified at this exact moment of release, and so I encourage anyone practicing, perhaps on the beach where there are strong prevailing winds, to contemplate how we make these real-time adjustments.

General Guidelines

1. Low release: Most windy conditions are characterized by a quiet layer of air nearer to the ground. Because the wind strength is diminished by friction as it slides along the ground, preparing the disc for flight and getting the most out of your flick is easiest when the throw is made from and through this boundary layer. For these reasons it is also advisable to hold the disc with both hands for as long as possible while pivoting and extending to throw – it will make the process of disc preparation more efficient and less prone to bungling.

2. Spin: High angular momentum of the disc is paramount, especially in upwind throws, where the leading edge is being hammered by frictional forces: when the disc spin decreases to a critical amount, the flight path is no longer tenable as the disc precesses and heads south. Getting lots of spin on the disc is one of the basic challenges of throwing, so if practice doesn’t make perfect here, it is advisable (and shameless!) to get a little coaching. A strong grip is critical for high spin, especially for the forehand. A strong spin *with* a low release and you are golden under most conditions.

3. Practice! Obvious, but one must take it as a personal challenge to figure out what strategies *work* for them. Toward this end, I recommend throwing in a location with strong prevailing winds, like the beach, in preference over conditions when/where winds are blustery (i.e., speed and direction highly variable). Constant, strong wind conditions will give you the chance to practice the difficult stuff over and over again so you can test your varying approaches. Also, it is *important* to rotate your angle of attack on the wind direction. A best case scenario might be a two or three person box drill, where the thrower leads a 10-25 yard backhand to a cutter running counter-clockwise, that receiver then returns the favor, again going CCW, so that there are lots of throws and many different angles. Repeat as necessary.

4. Downwind: Huck away, my friend! as long as your target is a quarter mile downfield… I find downwind to be one of the most troubling situations, not only because high speed of travel make timing throws to space dicey, but also because the wind inherently stabilizes the flat path of the disc (if thrown right) and therefore makes “touch” throws to space a bit more easily defendable. I will often do whatever I can to get a little crosswind vector on the throw. If I must throw directly downwind it is best if the cutter is coming straight toward me to he/she can just take a bullet in the gut; for touch throws I find the high release to be a much more reliable option directly downwind. Practice your overheads downwind, too: this is a great red zone/half field option to have. Just remember that spin and release angle will be crucial here because the wind can be very different at 20 feet above your head…

Quick observations:

• Backhand with wind coming L-to-R: I love throwing an outside-in airbounce here (I’m a righty), one of my favorite throws as it has a tendency not to turn into a spinnaker (and wants to glide toward the target, picking up a little L-to-R action toward the end which is good for getting around the cutter’s defender or the cup.
• Forehand with wind coming L-to-R: a tricky one for me, but one can get *very* good accuracy a decent length if the disc is snapped well, kept low and release outside-in – do not go inside-out here!
• Backhand with wind coming R-to-L: best situation for the strong backhand thrower, similar to above, one should stay away from the big inside out, it will spinnaker on you. A spinny high-release IO fares better than a low release, at least in my experience. For the outside in you can generally just have at it if you remember to give tons of spin.
• Forehand with wind coming R-to-L: I don’t try this throw if I don’t have to! I’m not the best forehand thrower to begin with, but generally this condition makes preparing the disc very difficult as it tends to want to pop up or buffet in your hand as you extend to throw. Also, without the airbounce to help you on the forehand side, figuring the flight path is a tight squeeze. (I played one college season at UVM with a guy named Gene Wu who is the only fella I’ve ever seen who had a bona fide forehand airbounce: *beautiful*. I gave up working on it…) My weaknesses exposed, I encourage anyone out there to offer up hints on this forehand situation (or on anything I’ve posited above!).

No hints or fancy tips are any replacement for the encouragement to *practice* in strong, prevailing wind and to engage this natural aspect of the game with equal quantities of ambition and respect. Keep pushing your skills by attempting the seemingly “impossible” when you practice, but when it comes to game time remind yourself of what is the improbable! I look forward to any comments or discussions this post precipitates…  -- Simon