The Grips

There are three forehand grips worth knowing. For your main throwing grip, most players settle on either the stack or the pistol, try both and see which feels more natural. A few fundamentals apply to all of them: press the disc right into the V between your thumb and index finger with no gap, keep your fingers on the rim (not the flight plate), a moderately firm thumb on top, and use your ring finger to balance and control the angle of the disc. The power comes from your fingers on the rim and the wrist snap, not from squeezing.

Stack grip

Middle finger on the rim with your pointer finger alongside it for stability. The middle finger is where your spin comes from. A great one to try first.

Pistol grip (power grip)

Your pointer finger drops down to the rim to create a second contact point, adding more spin and power, and it's great in wet conditions too. Try both the stack and pistol and see which one clicks.

Fan grip (touch & approach)

Slide your pointer out toward the middle of the disc. Less power, but maximum control to lock in your angle. This is your approach-shot grip, and paired with the fact you can always see your target on a forehand, it makes approaches really dialled in.

Stance & the Throwing Motion

Unlike the backhand, you're facing your target. Feet shoulder-width apart, relaxed and balanced, and start with a standstill throw to get the arm and wrist motion right before adding any footwork. Stay loose, tension kills a forehand just as much as a backhand.

Here's the key: the power comes from the wrist, not the arm. Think of it like skipping a rock across water, load the wrist back, then snap it through, with the spin generated by your fingers on the rim. Finish with your palm facing up to the sky, that's the sign of a clean release. Keep the disc flat the whole way through; a flat release is a consistent release.

Which Disc to Use

This one trips a lot of players up: most reach for overstable discs when learning the forehand, but that's actually the wrong move. Overstable discs hide your errors, so you never fix them. Start with an understable putter or mid-range instead, a slower disc with more feel makes it much easier to learn the correct motion. Learn on those first and you'll be able to throw anything; go the other way and it's far harder to fix later.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Powering with the arm. The forehand isn't a baseball throw. Isolate the wrist and let it do the work, the arm just guides.

Rolling the wrist too early. If your disc is burning over to the left (right-handers), the wrist is rolling before the disc leaves your hand. Think palm to the sky, an open hand waiting for a reward.

Releasing on a downward path. Keep the release level and think "release forward," not "release hard." Picture running your hand flat along the top of a table, not angled up or down, and you'll get a nice flat release.

Go Practise

Start with your elbow tucked to your hip, this isolates the wrist and stops you muscling it with your arm. Throw on a hyzer line (disc angled down) at around 20 metres with a putter or understable mid-range, focusing purely on the wrist snap. Do 10 to 20 reps, then gradually let the elbow come off the hip and start throwing flatter, stepping back to 30 metres once it feels natural.