Throwing

Throwing is the nature of the game.  A great thrower wields more power over the game than any other great attribute.  The flight of a disc is a beautiful thing, take it out of ultimate and suddenly our game looks pretty stupid.

I love Frisbee because of throwing, I hate throwing because of throwing.  There is nothing better than beholding a great doing their thing.  There is nothing worse than watching college kids spend 45 minutes trying to complete 10 passes in a row.  The existence of this dichotomy, embedded right into the very fabric of the game, begs the question of “how do we create great throwers?”  The answer is a very resolute, “I don’t know.”  However, that doesn’t excuse us from not exploring.

Great throwers always blame themselves:

I imagine that great throwers blame themselves for every incompletion.  When they put one into space and the receiver drops it they blame themselves for not throwing it soft enough, with a tighter rotation, at a better height, a better angle, or any other tweak that could have made it easier for the receiver to catch it.

When a receiver is having a day of the dropsies I imagine a great thrower just tries to lodge the disc in between the receiver’s ribs.  Wedge it in them so that they almost certainly can’t drop it.

I think that a great thrower has so much pride in their disc skills that they demand the most from themselves and refuse to allow anyone else to take the burden for them.

Great throwers attack:

The offense has the innate advantage because they get to move first and the defense is forced to be reactive of the offense.  Even if the defense attempts to play in a dictating way they will by definition have to give something up to the offensive player.  The advantage is always there.  So riddle me this, when a poor thrower has the disc why is it that the defense suddenly becomes the predators and he their prey.  Imagine a young weak thrower on your team, what does he/she look like when they have the ball?  A deer in the headlight?  A helpless little child?  How is it possible that they look so weak when they hold all the power in their hands?

A great thrower is never prey, he is the predator. 

Great throwers don’t see they know:

Jay Cutler had the mechanics, accuracy, and strength of a great thrower, but he struggles, why?  The common knock that analysts put on Jay is that he waits to throw what he sees verse throwing what he knows.  Instead of knowing that his receiver about to break and throwing it early he waits to see that they are open and then delivers.

I hate throwers who “show a throw” instead of holding in triple threat.  In my arguments with these “throw showers” they always point out that they want to be ready to throw at any moment.  As if they are staring at a red screen and the moment it flicks to green they need to pull the trigger.  I’m pretty sure the red screen slowly fades to green and as long as you are familiar with the transition you will have ample time to set up and deliver your throw, no “moment’s notice” necessary.

I think that great throwers know what’s happening.  They are able to setup, prepare, or even make their throw before they see that it’s open.

I can’t believe this is my first post titled “Throwing.”  It won’t be the last.