Forehand / Sidearm

Forehand Mechanics

Build a repeatable sidearm from the ground up.

Why it matters

The forehand is a shorter, quicker motion than the backhand and it rewards completely different things. People who throw a good backhand often throw a bad forehand for one reason: they try to generate it with the arm, because the arm is right there and the motion is short. The power comes from the same place it always does — the ground.

How to do it

Set up side-on or slightly open to the target, weight loaded on the back foot.
Lead with the elbow, keeping the disc close to your body as the arm comes forward.
Let the disc trail behind the hand. The hand goes first and the disc follows, which is what loads the wrist.
Extend out in front of your body and snap the wrist at release. The snap is the spin, and the spin is the shot.
Keep the disc flat. A forehand released with the outside edge down will turn over to the left and roll for a right-handed thrower.
Follow through across your body and let the weight finish on the front foot.

Common mistakes

Throwing it entirely with the arm and shoulder, like skipping a stone.Use the legs and rotation. The forehand is short, which makes it feel like an arm throw, and that feeling is the trap.

Releasing beside or behind the body rather than out in front.Extend first, release second. A late release sends the disc low and left for a right-handed forehand.

Letting the outside edge drop at release, so the disc turns over.Keep it flat or slightly on hyzer. Most forehand turnover is a release angle problem, not a disc problem.

Rushing the whole motion because it is short.It is quick, not rushed. The sequence still has to happen in order: legs, rotation, elbow, hand, wrist.

Key points

Lead with the elbow; keep the disc close, then extend.
Snap the wrist at release for spin and control.

The drill

Drill · Standstill flicks — 25 standstill forehands at 60% effort. No footwork, no run-up, sixty percent effort, twenty-five throws. You are building the shape of the motion and the feel of the wrist snap without speed hiding either. Add power only once twenty-five in a row come out flat and clean, which usually takes a few sessions rather than a few throws.

Watch: Forehand Form Basics - Beginner's Guide to Disc Golf — Foundation Disc Golf