Freestyle Disc Throws | Flamingo

Ron January 30, 2012

The Flamingo throw really looks like it’s got a ton of stuff going on. It doesn’t, it’s an illusion. That’s not to say it’s easy, but it is rather simple. It’s just a sidearm throw delivered from behind the throwing leg. Everything else is just flavor and sauce.

What Is It?

The Flamingo throw gets it’s name from the human freestyle disc trick catch of the same name. For a Flamingo catch, the player stands on one leg and leans over, and reaches behind the standing leg with the same arm to make the catch. Google Images is helpful here So this is the position you will be throwing from.

It can be a stretch for many athletes, it’s pretty aggressive. It also takes pretty decent balance. But anyone who’s fairly flexible should be able to do it.

The Mechanics

Using a sidearm grip, (Catch Low, Peace Sign), place the throwing hand behind the throwing leg as you step to the throwing hand side a bit. The step to the throwing side allows your the to more efficiently slip down behind the leg to get into position for the throw.

The step madee to the throwing hand side should ‘toe out’ a bit, putting the heel closer to being in line with target. In the video, I’m quite aggressive with my ‘toe-ing out’, as I’m trying to get my heel directly at the target making the throw as simple as expressive as possible.

The hand drops down and around the calf or kneepit, and you pop the throw off using the Body as Flick.

There is a limited stroke on the throw, it’s not very powerful, especially when working on the two footed lower criteria from the video. When you start to work the throw with the full expression of movement, the balance gets easier and the heel turn and torquing of the body increase the power quite noticeably.

Tricks to the Trick

Keep the loose grip concepts of Rock In Rock Out and There is No Flick in mind. If the momentum of the hand’s movement sets the wing of the disc and the wrist is loose, this throw will pop and spinSpins and Twists are tricks where the dog spins 360 degrees in a clockwise or counter clockwise fashion. Spin is clockwise and Twist is counter clockwise so it is important to have a More like crazy. If the disc is held tight and the loose grip principles are not applied this throw can be quite difficult to master.

Categories: Advanced Disc Releases, Throwing

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What Is It?

The Mechanics

Tricks to the Trick

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