The no-windup backhand

AKA the wrist-only backhand AKA the quick-release backhand

In Take the free yards, I wrote about the following play from an Arizona Sidewinders game:

In that article I wrote about the cutter. But the thrower's sequence of events was notable too. (To be clear, the person throwing a backhand at 43:07.)

In order throw a backhand of about ten yards, they step their right foot across their body and bring the disc towards their left shoulder in a windup.

They could've gotten the disc out quicker if they had used the minimum windup needed to make that pass. In general, high level players should be looking to maximize the economy of their throwing motion for any particular throw they're attempting. That means not winding up if the distance of the throw doesn't require a windup. You can throw using your "wrist only". A quick release is important for all throws, but it's easiest to explain and show clear examples for the backhand.

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Benefits of throwing quickly

Making your release speed as fast as possible has a number of benefits.

For one, you're much less likely to get handblocked.

For two, the offense is at an advantage when the defense is playing catch-up. Getting a throw off in 1/3 of a second instead of 1 second helps keep the offense in control and the defense off-balance. We should always minimize the amount of time we give the defense to react to our decisions.

Third, reducing the time-to-release means that you can give the disc more time in the air, resulting in a softer throw and an easier catch for your receiver. Imagine the defender is 3 seconds away from getting to the spot you want your receiver to catch your throw. If your windup is 1 second and the disc hangs in the air for 2 seconds, you'll just barely complete the pass before the defense arrives.

But if your windup is 1/3 of a second, the disc can hang in the air for 2 1/3 seconds (14% longer) and still arrive at the receiver significantly earlier. Because the disc is traveling slower, it'll be easier to catch just due to the speed of the disc hitting their hands. It'll also be easier to catch because the cutter has more time to track the airborne disc visually and get a feel for its trajectory.

When you pivot and step to throw a backhand, you are blocking yourself from being able to quickly get back into throwing a forehand. The mark can shift to take away your backhand, because the threat of an immediate forehand isn't there. If you don't pivot, and just move the disc from a forehand grip by your right hip to a backhand grip by your left hip (for righties), you can still get back into your forehand motion very quickly. The mark needs to respect that.

Having the no-windup backhand in your arsenal means that you can hide your intentions until the last moment, making it much harder for the mark to make a play on your throw. A clever downfield defender will also be able to take advantage of your body positioning to know which throws are dangerous. More on that below.

(For further reading on a similar-but-slightly-different idea, see this piece from Skyd magazine back in the day, Great Throwers Don't Pivot.)

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Half-pivot vs no-windup

Rowan McDonnell has a two-part series on the "half-pivot backhand" (Part 1 here and Part 2 here).

His videos are similar to what I'm getting at here, but I want to emphasize a different, simpler aspect of the same concept.

Maximize your release speed for any throw in your arsenal. For backhands, that means being comfortable throwing with no windup for throws of ~15 yards or less.

It doesn't have to be about breaking the mark, or throwing an around blade. It's not as complicated as throwing while you step. There are more than enough times where you just want to throw a backhand and that throwing lane is available to you. Being able to get the disc out very quickly guarantees that your open throwing lane doesn't close up.

I also recommend learning the throws that Rowan shows in his videos—but the first lesson is to just learn to release the disc very quickly.

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A comparison

Here's a series of throws that stood out to me from the Hybrid vs Drag'n Thrust matchup at 2022 Nationals. Watch the two backhands, at :18 and :23 seconds:

Although it's tough to accurately define when their "throwing motion" starts, by counting the frames I estimate that the first throw takes about 1/3 of a second to be released, while the second throw takes about 2/3 of a second. I wrote previously about human reaction time—based on the limits discussed in that article, a throwing motion that takes 1/3 of a second is borderline physically impossible to block. The defender doesn't have the reaction time to see what's happening and adjust to it. In the vast majority of instances, this more than makes up for the fact that you're not stepping out as far.

Yes, both of the passes are completed in this example, but we're about process and not outcome at this blog! Although I will point out that if the second thrower was more comfortable with a quick-release backhand, the upline cut at 29:20 would have been available. You can see that the cut is somewhat open at first, but the defender guarding the upline cut commits to stopping the backhand throw when he sees the thrower wind up. A quicker release could've gotten the disc in the air before the defender committed, and the cutter could’ve boxed the defender out when he knew the throw was coming:

I think the upline throw would've been better for the offense: it keeps the flow going and makes it harder for the defense to get set and get mentally caught up.

A similar series of throws (quick, no-windup backhand followed by wind-up backhand) happens later in the game, here—watch the first 3 throws after the pull.

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Not getting the throw off

I wrote above that a quick release helps you get throw before an opportunity closes up, then I showed you an example where a slow release still resulted in a completed pass. Here's an example where a slow release has consequences:

Watch the play below from the 2022 women's national championship game. Pay attention to Julianna Werffeli's last pump fake before she throws a short backhand. Although I can't read her mind, it sure looks like she has to abort her throw because the defense closed down in the time it took her to wind up.

Here's the way things look when she starts the windup motion:

By the time she's brought the disc up from her right hip to her left shoulder, the field looks like this:

Here are the same images in GIF form:

Look at the players crossing each other, just behind Werffeli's head in this camera angle: when she starts her windup they're right next to each other, and by the time she's ready to throw, they're four yards apart! (Well, that's partly because they're moving in opposite directions, but still.) Having the wrist-only backhand in her arsenal would've come in handy here.

Practice Tips

I hope the path to developing these throws is somewhat clear—watch the throws in this article's videos and practice them.

Other good quick backhands that I noted from this past weekend's games are here (throw at 51:42) and here (throw at 56:55).

Here are a few more specific tips:

Practice throwing without a pivot. Practice throwing "half pivot" throws (throw as you step). Practice throwing no-pivot backhands in all directions (note in the videos above, some players were throwing backhands towards their left, some towards their right). Playing catch with a partner using two discs is a good way to force yourself to use a quick release. See how fast you can get the discs going back and forth. Practice throwing wrist-only throws at longer distances than feel comfortable to build up your wrist strength. Practice making your release speed much faster than you're comfortable with. Eventually your body will adjust and the uncomfortable will become comfortable. Practice shifting the disc in your hands—start in a forehand grip and move into a no-windup backhand as quickly as possible.