Bob Liu hosted throwing clinic for local women’s club team Grit before the Breeze game versus Montréal on Sunday.
The focus of Liu’s coaching talk was achieving disc stability and spin. He discussed the physics of frisbee with the goal of inspiring the players to think more critically about each throw.
Liu emphasized fundamental throwing skills, analyzing the throwing motion as basic building blocks: grip, wrist strength, body position, and release. “Breaking throws into the unit flick and backhand is impactful on how we think about throwing,” said second year Grit captain, Lily Ponitz.
Liu then methodically added elements to the drills, asking players to push their comfort zones by throwing with constraints including balancing, stepping out, and restricting extraneous torso motions.
“Bob Liu is truly a student of the game so getting his feedback is invaluable to us developing as throwers,” reflected Sam McClellan, head Grit coach and Scandal alumna.
For Liu, curiosity is the seed from which great throwers grow. He encouraged players to question each throw, and to treat each throw as a data point to better understand their personal throwing mechanics. Adding data points to that map, he described, helps players triangulate the perfect combination of factors to achieve the throws they want.
— Libby Chamberlin, Breeze Staff Writer