Nice article - my team is beginning to realise the need for more of our better players to throws hammers, scoobers and blades as essential to our offensive development.
For a lot of lower level teams I think we get trapped because hammers are viewed in two ways:
1. The cool things that I'm going to throw just because it looks cool - My previous team had players who reversed your 1-10 practice ratio and couldn't throw a flick, barely a backhand at times, but had UFA ready hammers.
2. A scary thing only good people throw so there's no point even practicing.
Extra point, at lower levels I think something that hold hammers back is receiver ability because much like the throwing practice - people don't receive upsidedown or blady discs often enough.
I've also been thinking of the basketball analogy for a while, and I agree that people becoming more skilled throwers will open up more areas of the field in a similar way to three-point shooting in the NBA. I would add that in addition to hammers and over the tops, hucking is also a skill where we could see similar improvement in the future. I would expect players to become increasingly accurate with their hucks, complete a higher percentage of hucks, and complete hucks into smaller windows.
100% agree. I also like the hammer as an option from different areas of the field that aren't just the trap side to the weak/far side. That UFA clip is an example of a same third hammer. I saw Belgium do that twice in one game in the recent u24s as well. And Canada in a u24 game threw one from the middle of the field to the open side for a goal.
And I also think it's worth noting when the stall 1 hammer is thrown orthogonal to the direction of their momentum, since it's such an awkward thing to control, but these guys are doing it with accuracy. I've seen Tobi do it, but only have a clip of Nissen and Gallant.
Love that you came prepared with the video clips! I have a draft post of a "how to be lefty in ultimate" article, and in working on it, I was surprised with how I found examples of open side to open side hammers, too. For example:
Your clips are really great, I might screengrab a few of them and add them to the article
Also your last paragraph reminds me of this article which I don't think I've ever actually mentioned in one of my posts but thought about doing multiple times: "Trick-Shot Throws Aren’t a Luxury for NFL QBs Anymore. Now, They’re a Necessity"
Looking forward to this lefty article. I love a Lefty's ability to break just by having the mark set up for a righty.
I didn't read that trick shot article, but do you think practicing trick shots is more a case of "repetition without repetition" (Rob Gray) and is actually used as practice for becoming a better thrower overall (not to add tricks to their bag but to help them get better at standard throws)? Cuz if so, then it's less about throwing trick shots and more about practice theory today.
Regarding the "trick shots", when they use that term in the article, they just mean stuff like throwing off the back foot / unbalanced, using a different arm slot on the throw, no look passes, etc. Not like "actual trick shots" the way that term is usually used. But slightly trickier throws that they're actually using in games.
Basically exactly the kind of thing you mentioned with the "momentum going one way, hammer back the other way" example.
In the US-Belgium U24 final, Tobe had two times I think where he caught a disc going *left* and then immediately threw a blade back to the right. Kinda the reverse of the moving right—> hammer left example you brought up.
I love this and agree 100%
Nice article - my team is beginning to realise the need for more of our better players to throws hammers, scoobers and blades as essential to our offensive development.
For a lot of lower level teams I think we get trapped because hammers are viewed in two ways:
1. The cool things that I'm going to throw just because it looks cool - My previous team had players who reversed your 1-10 practice ratio and couldn't throw a flick, barely a backhand at times, but had UFA ready hammers.
2. A scary thing only good people throw so there's no point even practicing.
Extra point, at lower levels I think something that hold hammers back is receiver ability because much like the throwing practice - people don't receive upsidedown or blady discs often enough.
I've also been thinking of the basketball analogy for a while, and I agree that people becoming more skilled throwers will open up more areas of the field in a similar way to three-point shooting in the NBA. I would add that in addition to hammers and over the tops, hucking is also a skill where we could see similar improvement in the future. I would expect players to become increasingly accurate with their hucks, complete a higher percentage of hucks, and complete hucks into smaller windows.
100% agree. I also like the hammer as an option from different areas of the field that aren't just the trap side to the weak/far side. That UFA clip is an example of a same third hammer. I saw Belgium do that twice in one game in the recent u24s as well. And Canada in a u24 game threw one from the middle of the field to the open side for a goal.
https://ultiworld.com/video/180862/all-access-belgium-vs-colombia-open-quarterfinal/?t=5534 (12th for Belgium)
https://ultiworld.com/video/180862/all-access-belgium-vs-colombia-open-quarterfinal/?t=6700 (15th for Belgium)
https://ultiworld.com/video/180933/showcase-singapore-vs-canada-mixed-semifinal/?t=4285
And I also think it's worth noting when the stall 1 hammer is thrown orthogonal to the direction of their momentum, since it's such an awkward thing to control, but these guys are doing it with accuracy. I've seen Tobi do it, but only have a clip of Nissen and Gallant.
https://vimeo.com/725768267?share=copy#t=6292.134
https://ultiworld.com/video/179839/showcase-italy-vs-canada-open-pool-play/?t=8199
Love that you came prepared with the video clips! I have a draft post of a "how to be lefty in ultimate" article, and in working on it, I was surprised with how I found examples of open side to open side hammers, too. For example:
https://youtu.be/8HZNdxfmSMs?si=eq_Fnw4WztPocfCw&t=110
Your clips are really great, I might screengrab a few of them and add them to the article
Also your last paragraph reminds me of this article which I don't think I've ever actually mentioned in one of my posts but thought about doing multiple times: "Trick-Shot Throws Aren’t a Luxury for NFL QBs Anymore. Now, They’re a Necessity"
https://www.theringer.com/2024/01/12/nfl/jordan-love-trick-shot-throws-lamar-jackson-patrick-mahomes-packers
1981 Worlds stall 1 same third hammer. We're just reinventing the wheel
https://youtu.be/cyrwixZAOos?si=9gS4rDyUOoj8P7_y&t=33
Go for it, glad my stash of clips can be useful.
Looking forward to this lefty article. I love a Lefty's ability to break just by having the mark set up for a righty.
I didn't read that trick shot article, but do you think practicing trick shots is more a case of "repetition without repetition" (Rob Gray) and is actually used as practice for becoming a better thrower overall (not to add tricks to their bag but to help them get better at standard throws)? Cuz if so, then it's less about throwing trick shots and more about practice theory today.
Regarding the "trick shots", when they use that term in the article, they just mean stuff like throwing off the back foot / unbalanced, using a different arm slot on the throw, no look passes, etc. Not like "actual trick shots" the way that term is usually used. But slightly trickier throws that they're actually using in games.
Basically exactly the kind of thing you mentioned with the "momentum going one way, hammer back the other way" example.
In the US-Belgium U24 final, Tobe had two times I think where he caught a disc going *left* and then immediately threw a blade back to the right. Kinda the reverse of the moving right—> hammer left example you brought up.