How to Throw Backhands… Really Far

Improve Your Distance

Watching someone sling a disc farther than seems possible is what first pulls many of us into disc golf. “How did you do that—and how can I do it too?”

Adding distance isn’t just about throwing harder. It’s a matter of cleaning up form and making small adjustments that unlock better efficiency. In many cases, learning better form requires taking one step back in order to move two steps forward.

Imagine Your Flight Path

The first step to throwing a booming drive is being intentional about your desired flight path. Closing your eyes and throwing as hard as you can won’t consistently add distance. Instead, picture the line you want the disc to take from your hand to the landing zone.

Pick checkpoints in the sky that you want your disc to cross through on its way to the target. If you’re throwing an S-curve, decide where you want it to start turning and what release angle will produce that shape. Visualize it clearly, then execute.

This also keeps you from becoming results-oriented. If you hit your intended line but catch a branch you couldn’t see, you still made a good throw. If you park the hole but miss your line entirely, you know there’s room to improve.

Plant First, Then Throw

One of the most common distance leaks is throwing before the front foot has fully planted, essentially releasing in the wrong step of your run-up.

Plant the front foot first (the right foot for right-handed players), then push off the back leg, rotate the hips, drive with the shoulder, and release. If you release as your front foot is still landing, you lose power from the hips and back leg.

Try to hit the peak of your reach-back at the same moment your front foot plants. That puts your body in position for a snappy, whip-like drive.

Stagger Your Feet

A small positioning detail can make a significant difference in distance. If your back foot, plant foot, and target are all on a straight line, your hips can’t fully rotate.

The plant foot needs to be in front of and offset from the back foot, such that the hips are pointed slightly away from the target. This will wind up your core so you can rotate and engage as you drive. In other words, the front foot (right foot for right-handed players) should be closer to the left side of the tee pad and the back foot should be closer to the right side of the tee pad.

Power Pocket

Many top touring pros cite hitting the “power pocket” as the most important element to maximum distance drives. The power pocket is the moment in the throw at which you have a 90 degree angle between your shoulder and bicep and a 90-degree angle between the bicep and forearm. As you drive, the disc must pass through the power pocket for you to achieve maximum distance.

Hitting the power pocket allows you to transfer the most energy into the disc. To tell if you are hitting it, pretend you are trying to elbow something hard with your throwing arm. The same arm position that allows you to transfer force when elbowing something allows you to transfer force into the disc when throwing.

Learn the Wind

In different wind conditions, you will have to adjust your angles and disc selection to maximize distance. Your first line of defense should be changing your disc selection. In a headwind, throw faster and more overstable. In a tailwind, throw a disc that is less stable. A power player may throw a Shryke in a tailwind. The same player will throw a Destroyer in a headwind and a Charger in gentler wind conditions.

Learning your angles is also key to playing in the wind. As a general rule, do not expose the bottom of the flight plate to the wind; doing so can cause the disc to get lifted and carried. The exception is a left-to-right crosswind or tailwind, where controlled exposure can add distance.

Timing Is Everything

When players try to throw farther, they often try to throw harder. Without proper timing, that usually leads to less accuracy and little added distance.

A technically sound drive syncs the movement of the legs, hips, core, and upper body. When energy transfers efficiently through that sequence, a smooth throw can travel farther than a rushed one.

Nose Down

Nose angle is one of the biggest separators between average and advanced distance. Discs released with the nose up will stall and fade early. For distance shots, keep the nose slightly down relative to the flight path.

The best way to make sure your disc comes out with the nose down is to over-exaggerate the nose down angle in your hand before you start the throw. This may require an adjustment to your grip. With time, you can use varying nose angles as a tool to help you control distance.

Try Different Discs in Different Weights

Try out a wide range of molds in a range of weight classes to learn what works best for your form and arm speed. A max weight Destroyer simply isn’t the best distance disc for most of us. Try out the Charger, the Racer, the Shryke, or the Mamba.

Try a lightweight Wraith or Boss. Lighter weight plastic will add distance for most players in no wind or tailwind. The Distance World Record of 1,108 feet was set by Team Innova’s own David Wiggins Jr. with a 154 gram Boss. One of the greatest shots in disc golf history, Philo Braithwaite’s Albatross, was thrown with a 168 gram Destroyer. Experiment with different weights and molds—some of the best shots in history have been thrown with lighter discs.