If you’re new to disc golf you may be only able to throw a single type of shot. Maybe you’re a backhand exclusive thrower or you rock the forehand on everything except putts.
This is going to lead to awkward throws on some holes where you’d prefer a disc that flies the opposite way, and that leads me to the anhyzer shot.
An anhyzer is a disc that’s released with the wing up instead of down. It forces the disc to turn right out of the hand and can be used for a roller, turnover, or flex shot.
(Image from Ultiworld article.)
This is what we’ve all been told and shown before. You keep your grip essentially the same as before, but now you rotate your wrist like you’re turning a door knob. Finding the angle that’s comfortable for you is important. Going too far will feel weird and you’ll lose a lot of power on the shot. That’s the secret, turn your wrist like you’re opening a door. Well, that and practice. But that’s always the secret to disc golf. So many people contort their wrists when trying to figure it out. Don’t break that straight line your wrist is making.
The further you tip the wing of the disc up, the more to the anhyzer side the disc will go. Learning your anhyzer angles will help you get around trees and other obstacles. It’s a powerful tool off the tee and around the basket.
Sometimes turning the wrist is all you need for a good shot. Other times you may need to incorporate your back into it as well. For example the roller show is often achieved when someone leans back and throws an anhyzer shot.
Easy exercise to figure out how much anhyzer to put on a disc.
Get a disc that you know really well and has some turn to it. Try your throwing putter. Hold the disc out level in front of you and imagine its flight. Now tilt your disc and your head at the same time to the same angle. The flight of that disc has now changed completely because you put the wing up. This should help you imagine the flight the disc can have.
If you want to throw a backhand roller.
Pull down a little bit harder and later on your follow through with an understable disc. You’re going to be coming from low to high with your throwing hand. I’m a big fan of either a Star Leopard3 or Champion Sidewinder for this shot. You want to make sure that when you’re throwing this on anhyzer you also lean back a little bit. The disc needs to hit the ground on edge or it’s going to be a short cut roller. Backhand rollers have potential to be gigantic throws. But they require lots of practice to get right. Use the anhyzer shot while leaning back to get a good backhand roller.
If you want a turnover that holds the line.
Get something that’s stable but not too stable. I like something a little slower for this as well, like a midrange. The Buzzz or Mako3 are excellent choices for this because they both have a fair amount of glide and want to hold the line you put them on. It’s much easier for slower discs to hold the power of an anhyzer without flexing. The further you need to throw the higher you have to throw the disc to give it more time to come back. If you’re wondering what video I plan on linking to someone throwing a somewhat stable disc on an anhyzer line. It’s this one.
If you want a flex shot.
Here’s a group of shots from the 2022 Beaver State Fling. As you can see these players are releasing a huge anhyzer shot with stable to overstable discs. After the discs reach their peak height they slow down to almost a stop and then begin to fade. Forcing over an overstable disc onto an anhyzer line is a great way to get a little distance, and to get around an obstacle at the same time. I often do this with a forehand when I’m stuck in the woods. On hole 9 of the Hawk I almost always land on the left side of the fairway. Since the green is down a tunnel to the right I often throw a flex forehand to get a skip shot up in the green.
Anhyzer shots take lots of practice. You’re going to hit trees, throw accidental rollers, and take bad lies. But as I say in all my lessons, “Embrace the suck.” Spend some time working on your game and improving a shot so when you really need to bust out an anhyzer you’ll be ready.
May your discs miss all the trees,
Andrew Streeter #70397