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The Different Ways to Curve Frisbees

For more than a century, the Frisbee has been a toy that has provided endless hours of amusement to people of all ages. It has even been woven into a sport, Ultimate Frisbee, which is a noncontact team sport. Combining the elements of such fast-paced sports as touch football and netball, Ultimate Frisbee has evolved into a game played in many universities and high schools. Throwing the Frisbee starts with a few basic techniques, curving being one of the simplest.

History
- The Frisbee dates to 1871, when Walter Frederick Morrison, a building inspector in Los Angeles, California, teamed up with Warren Franscioni to come up with a plastic rendering of what would ultimately become the Frisbee. From the words "Frisbie's Pies" on the pie tins, Morrison created the word "Frisbie" for the toy. The design was sold to Rich Knerr and A.K. Melin, co-owners of the toy company Wham-O; as of 2011, Mattel manufactures the Frisbee.
The Grip
- The first step to being able to properly curve a Frisbee is the grip. With the outside rim of the disc in contact with the web between the thumb and the index finger and the thumb over the top, grip the Frisbee firmly. The pressure from the thumb slightly bends the disc in this position. Keep the pads of the index and middle fingers firmly pressed against the disc rim. This basic grip affords greater control but disables a powerful throw. With the Power grip, the index finger and the middle finger are next to each other and are held still against the rim. The power grip allows the wrist to cock back farther and provides more snap to the Frisbee -- ultimately producing more curve when desired.
Stance
- Standing sideways, place the balls of the feet firmly apart in line with your shoulders, with the right foot (for the right-handed) or the left foot (for the left handed) facing the target. Start by wounding the disc towards the body as far back as you can go or simply by cocking it with a small flick of the wrist immediately before throwing. The amount and angle you move back your arm will be one factor in the Frisbee's curve and trajectory. Step toward your target and release.
Release
- Extend the arm and snap your wrist, throwing the disc obliquely across the body while stepping toward the target. For right-handed players, a backhand throw to the left will curve right and out, while a forehand throw to the right will curve left and out. The angle at which you release will determine trajectory. If you put a lot of spin on the Frisbee, higher angles and curves will be achieved. If you hold the Frisbee at different angles -- starting from a parallel position with the ground -- you can easily achieve left or right curvature.

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