'step out' cross-body backhand hyzer

[Aubin]

The scenario: your drive ends up right behind a tree. to the left of the tree is garbage, the right has a big open RHBH hyzer to the basket. you need to place your right foot behind the marker, and your left foot perpendicular to the basket and pull across your body, with your upper body at a 90 degree angle twisted at your waist. Sort of like this:



Left foot behind the marker, right foot out as far as is comfortable to get the line away from the crap on the left, and the body rotation starts at 90 degrees right of center instead of ending there on a regular throw (sort of).


I'm finding myself stuck with this shot a lot lately but can't seem to get 'rotation' past 90 degrees for a regular follow through and throw; the result is bad timing and usually a shot that releases early (too far left) or over-compensating and going too far right (or worse, tweaking my back trying to get a good shot).

Obviously a nice flick anhyzer is a good tool here, but i'm much more comfortable throwing a backhand hyzer. I just can't seem to get the throw right. tips?

[CatPredator]

Obviously the more flexibility you have in your legs, hips, and torso, the better.

What I try to do is find my release point and work back from there until I find where my reach back will start. If you can get a nice straight reach back like the guy in that photo then go for it. Then you just have to feel it out from there. There isn't going to be any "right" timing on these shots because they contain a lot of weird angles. Keep it as simple as you can and make sure you get out into a good spot no matter what, even if it means taking an extra stroke. Worst possible thing you can do is shank one into some other crap and be looking at another one of these.

Work on the forehand anhyzer/roller and a cut roller too. Those shots are going to come in handy and be less likely to cause injury in the long run.

Guess I should also mention I see a lot of foot faults on shots like this. You almost have to fall over backwards in a lot of situations like this to avoid the foot fault or twisting your spine too much. Just a shady shot. It's a lot easier to throw anhyzers out of crap like this or even a backhand roller.

[Star Shark]

You want to insure that your reach back stays on the line of the intended throw. Twisting any farther back is just gonna cause misses. This shot is often called the Patent Pending shot because both Barry Schultz and Ken Climo have claimed credit for coming up with it.

[roman]

Make sure you really put a lot into that follow through. Your hips are closed when you're making that shot, so you have to put extra effort into getting your body and momentum pointed in the right direction. If you release your shot and you're perfectly balanced, I would think you're either throwing a touch upshot or you're not getting enough weight shifted in the direction that you're wanting to throw.

edit - you said you're having a hard time getting the rotation past that 90 degrees. You will not be able to get that shot unless you throw your whole body into it. To properly execute that shot (at least in my experience) you will have to throw yourself off balance. You'll either fall after it or catch yourself with your feet, depending on the situation, but you do have to get that weight around and forward to execute the throw. Don't be afraid to throw your body into it, just make sure you keep that pull level, as close to your body as the surroundings allow, and in the direction that you want to throw.

[FierceTable]

I know you're looking for tips on how to do it better backhand, but this really is a shot best suited for a forehand. There is far less chance of injury throwing a forehand here. The easier you make this shot throwing backhand the more likely you are to have an illegal throw, an injury, or a bad shot.

[GripEnemyS2K]

I'm no guru on this stance but personally I like to make my release point slightly over extended or over stretched because I never manage to fully make it there (due to uncomfortability, straining, concern of a foot foul, etc.). Kind of like when you first attempt to throw a couple hand grenades - you assume its going to land more to the left than it did [RHBH]. Poor analogy I know, but its something to think about..helped me the past year.

[SirRaph]

I know you're looking for tips on how to do it better backhand, but this really is a shot best suited for a forehand. There is far less chance of injury throwing a forehand here. The easier you make this shot throwing backhand the more likely you are to have an illegal throw, an injury, or a bad shot.

Agree. If you're going to practice a shot like the one the OP is describing, you might as well take the time to learn to FH instead. With ALL due respect to the Barrys and Climos of the world, you wouldn't see a lot of the younger, newest generation golfer throwing this shot BH. It's easier to get power and accuracy from a standstill, it negates the need for a longer pullback, (and look away) and there are some shots that are simply not possible BH.

I spent an hour or so with 3-4 Predators and 5 Buzzzes learning how to throw FH rollers. They shave, on average, a stroke off of every round for me.

[Aubin]

Oh i hear ya on having a nice forehand for this type of shot, and FH rollers too (both of which I'm practicing)... but sometimes, the shot just IS a backhand hyzer, and it's not a hard one either.

I ran into the shot a couple times this past week during practice, and emptied my bag when I got to it. I had a lot better luck throwing a less stable disc with a greater hyzer angle, flipping it up to flat, instead of trying to throw a more stable disc flat. For instance, on a 120' shot that finished hard left, it was easier to pop up a beat putter than trying to throw a Zone flat (from that stance anyway).

[Craig Smolin]

Matt - don't let these guys talk you out of learning this shot. It has tremendous usefullness here in NE, where even a step-out flick line might be blocked out by a tree.

My experience with it is this:
First, make sure you use the ball of your foot behind the mini and NOT the heel. When you throw this shot, you will likely pop up onto your toes, and if your heel comes off the ground, you have now just thrown an illegal shot and foot-faulted.

Second, and most important, is to step out the same foot as your throwing arm. You will have a longer reach back, and you'll be able to swing through as normal a throwing motion as possible.

Third, I used to get a lot of early releases, so really focus on your release point and intended flight line. You may need to exaggerate an anhyzer nose angle even if you're intending to throw hyzer. But you've already touched on a good point by selecting a less stable disc that will flip to flat.

It definitely takes some practice, but I use it A TON at Cranbury, and it has saved some strokes here and there.