Forehand / Sidearm

Forehand Rollers

Roll the disc for distance and around obstacles.

Why it matters

A forehand roller gets a disc down a line a backhand roller cannot, and because the forehand curves the other way it opens up the opposite side of the course. For a right-handed thrower it is the natural roller when the ground runs away to the left, where a backhand roller would be fighting its own lean.

How to do it

Use an understable disc. As with every roller, a stable one will not turn into the roll.
Release with the outside edge dropped — the forehand equivalent of a steep anhyzer — and angled downward so the disc meets the ground on its edge.
Throw at modest power. The roll supplies the distance, and a fast roller is an uncontrolled one.
Aim at the ground where you want the roll to start, not at the target.
Expect it to curve as it slows, in the direction it is leaning. Learn which way yours goes and plan for it.

Common mistakes

Using the same disc as your air forehand.That disc is almost certainly too stable to roll. Reach for the most understable thing in your bag.

Too shallow an angle, so the disc skips and lands flat.Steeper. A roller that fails has nearly always failed because the release was too timid.

Throwing one on soft ground or in long grass.Check the surface first. Rollers need firm, short ground or they stop within a few feet.

Key points

Release with a downward, anhyzer-style angle.
Choose an understable disc so it stands up and rolls.

The drill

Drill · Forehand roller angle — 15 forehand rollers on firm open ground. Fifteen rollers with one understable disc, varying only the steepness. You are hunting for the angle where the disc stands up and runs cleanly instead of skipping or flopping. Once found it is repeatable, and it is a shot that will sit unused for weeks and then save two strokes in one round.

Watch: Disc Golf Tips With Eric Oakley | Field Work | Forehand Rollers — Eric Oakley