Throwball techniques

pancake

pancake

Location
New England (NH)
As Whiz says, don't go there if you can't throw there. I spend as much time if not more cursing the bag as I do using it productively. I am having a hard time buying the 30% patince, 60% skill, 10% luck theory. I relate it closer to a golf swing, flyfishing, or archery. I have been through more stlyes and combinations than I care to tell, and haven't gained much accuracy. I like the 14oz bag with 3mm line, but sometimes struggle with height. I also like the 12oz with a 1.75 line but it hurts the finger on long shots. I am trying a 12 oz/2mm combo now. Rhythm and release are a work in progress, thankfully I have good co workers to adjust my swing. I am open to suggestions as long as they don't involve a big shot.
 
I have found improvement when I watch the target, not the bag. It's easy to let your eye drift from the target when the bag comes into your peripheral vision. Focus on the target. Follow-through is important for me; like a cue stroke in billiards. I also take the same number of practice/warm-up swings before every throw regardless of height or difficulty. Oh yeah, I use 8oz bags, 1.75-1.8mm line.
 
I usually tie a large knot in the throw line at the right height so that the throw bag swings several inches above the ground when I hold the knot with both hands. It seems non-traditional, but it works for me. I use gloves when launching the bag. For high shots I use an 8oz bag and 1.75mm Zing It. For low and mid range shot I use a 12 or 14 oz bag and the larger diameter zing it.

I must ask, why are you against the Big Shot? I use to be a purist, and I still practice hand throwing a lot, but the Big Shot is a huge time saver. On rec climbs I usually try not to use it, but on the clock I can't live without the Big Shot. A bad day with the Big Shot is 3 tries and I won't even mention what a bad hand throw day is for me.
 
10oz/1.75mm zing is my preferred combo to get the best height and accuracy (I use that term loosely). Oh it feels so good when it all comes together in a couple of shots but man, what frustration when you can't make it to save your soul!
 
i will sheepishly admit to spending my entire Saturdays throwing the throwline/throwbag, isolating limbs, etc, just for fun.

i have no life....
 
I spent half an hour throwing after work today. It was 28 degrees and windy. I wasn't doing very well and then my line got tangled. Gave up and went for a beer.
 
I have tried practicing before but basically that means throwing it until it gets stuck. and then you end up practicing climbing. Gave up on it. I made a little ball out of athletic tape I took off my ankle. It has a long tail. I throw that around like it is a throw bag and try to land it in cups and things. Is the big shot really easier? I thought it was a height thing and for the most part i never come across a tree to high to throw into, in michigan at least. Maybe I should dink around with one. But really throwing is so much fun.
 
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I relate it closer to a golf swing, flyfishing, or archery.

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I think of it more like shooting free throws. With that in mind, I think consistency and follow through are important. Rick Pitino would tell you to envision the tragectory of the throw and to see the ball going through the hoop (or in this case the crotch).

I use a 12 oz bag and 2.2 Zing it for everything.
 
My handthrowing skills have declined...seriously...so I use the BS almost exclusively. Besides, the trees in Atlanta are way taller than I could throw into during my best times. That said...I do throw sometimes.

Follow through has helped me a lot. If I have a hard target to hit I'll get positioned and then go through the motions of throwing but without the line. As I 'let go' of the line I note where my fingers are pointing. That is where the line will go. If I'm pointing too high or low I make an adjustment.

Another tip that someone shared for practicing is to take several throwballs and tie on short lines, say...30-40' only. The line is less likely to get snagged. This is the arbo version of going to the batting cage or hitting a bucket of golf balls.

A bastetball hoop is another good target practice. Move away and to the side and try to hit the target. The control of release is the key for accuracy. Then, hit the weight bench to build up your muscles for height :)
 
I look, toss, and pray for anything under 70ft. I use slick line with a 16oz bag for anything 50ft. and under and zing-it with a ten or twelve ounce bag for higher shots by hand and with the big shot. I really don't find the big shot that usefull.
 
I love my 10 oz. weight with the 1.75 mm zing it. Before I was throwing a 14 oz. and then got turned onto the ten and haven't been happier. In some trees it's not the best with thick bark but it does the trick. Plus I have crotches marked with tape in a tree in the back yard I practice on. I've set up my own comp. course.
 
I like the golf analogy. Every shot is different. I do quite a bit of ravine work and have to shoot on a slope through canopy and understory growth. The wind, angle of approach, height, lean, amount of coffee, drinking the night before, sleep, sex, debts all play on my abilities.

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(maybe we can get this with a throwball in his hands)

Watching the point of release is important.

I've heard of a guy who actually throws back over his head with accuracy. I do that but not intentionally.
 
10 oz is nice on a brand new line. but once that line gets old frayed, a blasted knot somewhere in the middle of the line, how the hell did that get there!!!? a ten just likes to sit right there in that perfect little crotch and wont come down. :(
i like twelve.
 
I check my line for knots all the time and usually have a back up line with heavier bags for the rough barked shots.

Has anyone seen a crossbow set up for throwbags? Now that would be accurate!
 
I love the big shot cuz its very rare to have to shoot it more than 2x, and 1 is the norm.
 
It really is an art. Everyone has their own style. One thing I have learned is focusing on the target. Not only keep it in your sight, the whole time when your throwing, but keep the mental thought positive. Karma might be tied into it all too. Oh, don't forget to do your business before you throw.
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i am usually a one shot one kill thrower, i have been using the throw ball since it came out, the canvas ones not the big bouncy rubber ones. what i tell my guys is watch where you want it to go use light, 1.75 mm throwline and a 10 oz ball. i use the triangle method to throw, it takes practice and patience but it is well worth it in the long run. there were many times in the past that it took me 30 minutes to set a line in the tree, but we all get there eventually
 
Don't gloat or whoop and hollar when the throwline goes into the target on the first throw. Humility is as important as accuracy. Otherwise the Big Hand will come and swat all of the rest of your throws for the day
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the only time that gloating can start is after the rope is set and both ends are on the ground.
 
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