I need to be upfront about something: my forehand is not great. It’s functional. It exists. I can throw one when I need to and it usually goes in the general direction I intended. But it’s probably the weakest part of my game and I’ve accepted that I might never be a forehand-dominant player.
This is relevant because I’m about to give you forehand advice, and you should know it’s coming from someone who understands the struggle rather than someone who’s mastered it. My husband Brendan, hilariously, throws forehand ONLY \u2014 like, he refuses to learn a backhand, it’s a whole thing \u2014 and his forehand is significantly better than mine despite him having played for less time. Genetics? Stubbornness? I don’t know. But I’ve learned a lot from watching him throw and comparing our mechanics.
Anyway. Here’s forehand 101 from a reluctant forehand thrower.
Why Learn Forehand at All
If you’re a backhand player, you might wonder why you’d bother learning forehand. Seems like extra work when you could just improve what you already have.
The answer is shot shapes. Forehands naturally curve the opposite direction from backhands. For a right-handed player, backhand fades left and forehand fades right. This means:
Dogleg right holes become way easier. Instead of fighting a turnover backhand that might flip too far, you just throw a forehand and let it fade toward the basket naturally.
Scrambling from trouble. You’re stuck behind a tree and the backhand line doesn’t exist. A forehand might give you an angle to escape that backhand can’t reach.
Wind. In certain wind conditions, forehand is more stable than backhand. Having the option opens up shots you couldn’t make otherwise.
I resisted learning forehand for my entire first year. Just kept trying to make backhand work for everything. Eventually I hit a wall where certain holes at my home course were costing me strokes specifically because I couldn’t throw forehand. That’s when I finally committed to learning.
The Grip
Forehand grip is weird compared to backhand. It doesn’t feel natural at first. But it’s actually simpler once you get used to it.
Two-finger grip: middle finger pressed firmly against the inside rim of the disc, index finger either stacked on top of middle finger or extended along the rim for stability. Thumb on top of the flight plate, pressing down. Ring finger and pinky kind of tucked away, not really doing anything.
The middle finger is doing most of the work. It’s the last point of contact with the disc, so it determines the spin. Press it firmly into the rim. When you release, the disc should spin off that finger.
There are variations \u2014 some people use index and middle finger side by side, some use a power grip style \u2014 but the two-finger grip is standard and what I’d recommend starting with. Brendan uses a slightly modified version where his index finger is more on top of the disc, which apparently gives him more control. I’ve tried to copy it and it feels wrong to me. Everyone’s hands are different.
The Motion
Okay so here’s the thing about forehand: the power comes from your wrist, not your arm. This is the opposite of what it feels like should be true. Your instinct is to throw with your arm, like a baseball pitcher. But that’s not how forehand works.
The basic motion is: arm comes back with the disc, then moves forward, and at the last moment your wrist snaps like you’re flicking water off your fingers. That wrist snap is where the spin comes from. Without it, the disc comes out wobbly and flies like garbage.
I practiced the snap in isolation for a while by literally just flicking discs from a standstill, no arm motion at all. Just elbow at my side, wrist flick. The disc should spin hard and fly maybe 50-100 feet on pure wrist. If you can do that consistently, the wrist motion is working.
The Thing About OAT
OAT means Off-Axis Torque, and it’s the thing that makes forehand discs wobble instead of flying clean. You’ll know you have it because your disc looks unstable coming out of your hand, kind of tilting and shaking instead of spinning flat.
OAT happens when the disc leaves your hand at an angle that doesn’t match its spin direction. The most common cause is rolling your wrist during release \u2014 instead of snapping through clean, your wrist turns over and adds a weird sideways force.
I fought OAT for months. Still fight it sometimes. The fix that worked for me was focusing on keeping my palm facing up through the entire release. Like I’m trying to balance a plate on my palm and not let it fall off. When the palm stays up, the wrist snaps clean and the disc comes out flat.
Film yourself if you’re getting wobble. It’s usually obvious in slow motion what’s going wrong.
The Disc Selection Thing
Forehands are harder on discs than backhands. The torque forces are different. This is why a lot of people recommend throwing overstable discs for forehand \u2014 they handle the abuse better and are more forgiving of release angle mistakes.
For learning, I’d suggest starting with something like a Zone (putter), Buzzz OS or Verdict (midrange), or Teebird or Raptor (fairway). Overstable, beefy, hard to turn over. These will fly predictably even if your form isn’t perfect.
Understable discs thrown forehand can be unpredictable. They’ll flip on you if your angle is off at all. Save those for later when you’ve developed consistency.
Protecting Your Elbow
Real talk: forehand is harder on your body than backhand. The elbow and shoulder take more stress. I’ve had minor elbow tweaks from throwing too many forehands without warming up. It’s not uncommon.
Warm up before you start throwing forehand. Not a lot \u2014 just some arm circles, easy throws at low power. Don’t go from zero to max distance forehand immediately.
If you feel elbow pain, stop. Don’t push through it. Ice, rest, easy throws only until it feels better. I ignored elbow soreness once and it turned into two weeks of not being able to throw forehand at all. Not worth it.
Some people’s bodies are just better suited for forehand than others. Brendan throws forehand constantly and has never had elbow issues. I throw forehand maybe 10-15 times per round and occasionally feel something. Bodies are different. Listen to yours.
The Sitting Drill
The drill that helped me most for forehand: sit in a chair or on the ground, legs extended or crossed, whatever. Now throw forehand at a target.
You can’t use your body. No hip rotation, no weight shift. You’re isolating the arm and wrist motion completely. If you can throw a clean, spinning disc from a seated position, your mechanics are basically correct.
I did this into a net for probably two weeks. Boring, but effective. When I went back to standing throws, everything felt cleaner.
When to Use Forehand on the Course
I throw forehand in specific situations:
Dogleg right holes where backhand would have to do something tricky to get around the corner.
When I’m blocked by a tree on my left side and need to step around it to throw.
Certain approach shots where forehand angle to the basket is cleaner than backhand.
Utility shots \u2014 skip shots, thumber position, weird scrambles.
I probably throw forehand 10-15% of my shots. Maybe 20% on courses with lots of right-turning holes. It’s a tool in the toolbox, not my primary weapon. And that’s fine. You don’t have to be great at forehand to use it effectively.
My Honest Assessment
My forehand maxes out around 280-300 feet on a good day. My backhand goes 350+. The disparity is real and I’ve kind of accepted it. Some players have forehands that match their backhand \u2014 Brendan is basically equal both directions \u2014 but I’m probably never gonna be that guy.
What I can do is throw a forehand that goes where I want it at the distances I need. That’s enough. I’m not trying to bomb forehand. I’m trying to have a shot for situations where backhand doesn’t work.
If your forehand stays mediocre like mine, that’s okay. It’s still worth having. The alternative is being stuck with one shot shape and that will cost you strokes on certain holes.
Learn the basics, practice enough to be functional, don’t beat yourself up if it’s never your best throw. Some of us are backhand players who also throw forehand. That’s a valid path.