Question 1

General Throwing Instructions (Most Models)

Accepted Answer

When you go to test out your throwstick for the first time, remember the four rules of Throwing Kylies.  This is also featured in our “Flight School” video located above.

Rule #1  A kylie must spin rapidly.  It is possible to throw any stick with an extended grip but this generally shortens flight distances and is sub-optimal for most models.  Use a hammer grip instead, applied to the edges of the stick.  Use a solid, forceful wrist.  Throw at full force with your arm and full body.  Do not baby the kylie.  Throw it hard and snap your wrist to  make it spin fast with that lead edge slicing into the air.

Rule #2  A kylie must slice the horizon/target.  Throw the kylie directly at your target with proper wrist alignment to slice the horizon as precisely as possible.  Do not lob the kylie into the air or throw above your target.  Trust the kylie to fly straight to your target on a flat, straight and level trajectory.  Keep the kylie aligned so that it doesn’t flap out of alignment after release, losing precious energy in the process.  This takes practice to perfect.  Slice the horizon!

Rule #3  A kylie must be thrown at or near horizontally.  Throw the kylie side arm at or very near to 3 o’clock (9 o’clock for lefties).  If you throw at 2 o’clock (anhyzer) the kylie will curve to the inside in flight.  If you dip the tip of the kylie down to 4 o’clock (hyzer) at release, then it will curve off to the outside.  The levelness of the kylie at the moment of release determines whether it will travel straight or not, so adjust your technique until it stays straight until the end of the flight, at which point it will drop down vertically as the final tell tale sign you’ve got it right.  Note that there are a few models which are often an exception to this and are best thrown slightly above 3 o’clock (with slight anyhyzer).  These models are The Wirlki, The Stinger and The Wedge.  All the other models are best thrown directly at 3 o’clock.

Rule #4  A kylie must be thrown at optimal velocity (including a consideration of wind/breeze conditions).  Throw your kylie at or near to your full strength.   With practice your technique will become smooth.  Be conscious of wind conditions.  A headwind generally creates a slight gain in altitude, side winds create little effect other than drift, and a back wind is fatal to a kylie’s flight and will reduce flight ranges considerably.  Generally, if you find your stick falling low then throw harder.  If you find it flies high, then focus more on spin and/or lower throwing velocity slightly until flights are straight and level.  Each stick will fly to at or beyond stated ranges when thrown optimally with a focus on the other 3 rules.

You can start out throwing slowly to get your form right, but keep going back to these four rules until you get success.  It takes time  to adjust technique and building up your muscle memory, just like any other sport.  One additional tip is the use of grip chalk and sports tape to aid in grip, release, comfort, and easing finger soreness across a range of weather conditions or during long throwing sessions.

Warning

Throwsticks are inherently dangerous tools based in ancient traditions that extend back to the beginnings of human hunting.  Please be very careful where you throw and what you throw at.  Your throwstick may go a much greater distance than you might imagine it could, and if thrown incorrectly it may fly on a curved path which may completely surprise you and others.  It may get lost, damage something, or severely injure someone up to 218 yards / 200 meters away.  Know your target, its surroundings and beyond.  We recommend you start off by throwing at targets at closer ranges until you get used to the range, power and behavior of your throwstick.  A throwstick may look innocent in flight, but it can break bones, cause serious injury, and destroy valuable property.  You are about to take super-human throwing power into your hands, so treat your new found power with the respect it deserves.  Please protect the freedom of our unique sport by treating the environment you throw in with consideration and care.

Kylie Care

Polycarbonate kylies are extremely tough and durable compared to their hardwood counterparts, but they are not completely unbreakable.  Impacts on solid, sharp, and hard objects, which include hard wood tree trunks, steel posts, rocks, and boulders, can damage or break them.  Below freezing conditions increase risks further.  Take careful note of how far you throw and count your paces to aid in locating sticks which have traveled into areas where they may be lost.  Due to the aggressive nature of these instruments, the painted surfaces of a kylie take a lot of abrasive wear, particularly from dirt, rocks, impacts, and sand.  It is normal for the edges of the paint to wear back and reveal the black polycarbonate underneath.  On the grip area we purposefully sand the palm side edge to aid in a faster release on some models.  Sanding the upper and lower surfaces of kylies or adding thick paint on them can change their tuning, so avoid alterations to the instruments.  The general exception is that the edges may be lightly sanded to smooth out nicks which can occur from impacts with sharp rocks.  This will not appreciably change the tuning if done in moderation with fine grit paper.  Polycarbonate is chemically sensitive.  Do not spray paint your throwstick to change the color or it may lead to chemical damange which can result in breakage.  Have fun with your new throwstick!

Question 2

The Sidewinder Scout Instructions

Accepted Answer

The Sidewinder Scout is our most accessible and accurate throwstick for a wide range of throwers.  Its unique balance, which lines up with the hand and is close enough to the wrist to allow effective use of an extended grip.  The extended grip allows for instinctive accuracy, and alignment, and is the recommended grip for adult throwers with this particular model.

To execute an extended grip, the core principle is placing the thumb across the top center of the grip.  The lower three fingers wrap the grip and the first finger lays against the under side of the handle, opposite the thumb.  See the illustration at left.    
Younger or weaker throwers may use more of a hammer grip, if they instinctively feel this benefits their power or control.  The most important principle to keep in mind with any grip when throwing the Sidewinder is to remember that it will not fly if it is not spun in alignment with its direction of travel.  If thrown forward but spun with a slightly downward angle of attack, it will fall short of the target and not produce adequate lift.
Rule #1  The Sidewinder must spin rapidly in alignment with direction of travel.  Throw at full force with your arm, wrist, and full body.  Do not baby the stick.  Throw it hard and snap your wrist to  make it spin fast.   If spun above or below the direction of travel, differences in lift force will occur.

Rule #2  A kylie must slice the horizon/target.  Throw the kylie directly at your target with proper wrist alignment to slice the horizon as precisely as possible.

Rule #3  A kylie must be thrown horizontally.  Throw the kylie side arm at or very near to 3 o’clock (9 o’clock for lefties).  If you throw at 2 o’clock the kylie will curve to the left in flight.  If you dip the tip of the kylie down to 4 o’clock at release, then it will curve off to the right.

Rule #4  A kylie must be thrown at optimal velocity (including a consideration of wind/breeze conditions).  Throw your kylie at or near to your full strength.  Do not baby it.  With practice your technique will become smooth.  Be conscious of wind conditions.  A headwind generally creates a slight gain in altitude, side winds create little effect other than drift, and a back wind is fatal to a kylie’s flight and will reduce flight ranges considerably.

Warning!

Please be very careful where you throw and what you throw at.  Your throwstick may go a much greater distance than you might imagine it could, and if thrown incorrectly it may fly on a curved path which may completely surprise you and others.  It may get lost, damage something, or severely injure someone up to 218 yards / 200 meters away.  Know your target, its surroundings and beyond.  We recommend you start off by throwing at targets at closer ranges until you get used to the range, power and behavior of your throwstick.  A throwstick may look innocent in flight, but it can break bones, cause serious injury, and destroy valuable property.  You are about to take super-human throwing power into your hands, so treat your new found power with the respect it deserves.  Please protect the freedom of our unique sport by treating the environment you throw in with consideration and care.

Kylie Care

Polycarbonate kylies are extremely tough and durable compared to their hardwood counterparts, but they are not completely unbreakable.  Impacts on solid, sharp, and hard objects, which include hard wood tree trunks, steel posts, rocks, and boulders, can damage or break them.  Below freezing conditions increase risks further.  Take careful note of how far you throw and count your paces to aid in locating sticks which have traveled into areas where they may be lost.  Due to the aggressive nature of these instruments, the painted surfaces of a kylie take a lot of abrasive wear, particularly from dirt, rocks, impacts, and sand.  It is normal for the edges of the paint to wear back and reveal the black polycarbonate underneath.  On the grip area we purposefully sand the palm side edge to aid in a faster release on most models.  As the paint wears off this surface on your first 100 throws, your throwing accuracy and smoothness will increase as well.  Sanding the upper and lower surfaces of kylies or adding thick paint on them can change their tuning, so avoid alterations to the instruments.  The general exception is that the edges may be lightly sanded to smooth out nicks which can occur from impacts with sharp rocks.  This will not appreciably change the tuning if done in moderation with fine grit paper.   Polycarbonate is chemically sensitive.  Do not spray paint your throwstick to change the color or it may lead to chemical damange which can result in  breakage.  Have fun with your new throwstick!

Question 3

The Kimberley Stinger Instructions

Accepted Answer

Arm Identification:  Hold the Stinger in front of you so that it resembles a moustache, with the curved side facing you and the flat side facing away.  Now, for right handed throwers the lead arm is the arm on your right and the trailing arm is on your left.  If you are left handed, then the lead arm is the arm on your left and the trailing arm is on your right.  While throws can be conducted by holding either arm, for the Stinger we highly recommend the trailing arm hold as being the best technique overall.  Note that this is the reverse of our other models.

Grip:   To start out, place the trailing arm of the Stinger on your open hand with the flat side against your palm. Close your hand over the the Stinger firmly and make a fist around it, using the same grip you would use when holding a hammer.  Focus grip strength around the edges of the stick.  Adjust exact placement for comfort until you get the formula exactly right for you, while holding as far out to the end of the stick as you comfortably can.

Throwing:  For normal long ranged throwing follow The Four Rules Of Throwsticks which you will find in our Flight School video located in the Q&A Page at Throwsticks.com

#1 A kylie must spin rapidly. 
#2 A kylie must slice the horizon/target. 
#3 A kylie must be thrown horizontally.  The Stinger is actually best released at just above hozizontal/3 o’clock (with very slight anhyzer). 
#4 A kylie must be thrown at optimal velocity.

When you get the formula right of adequate power and spin, a correct release angle and slice of the horizon with good wrist alignment, then the Stinger wil do the rest!  Enjoy!

Safety And Care

The Stinger is an inherently dangerous product, based in ancient fighting boomerang designs known to have been used historically in hand to hand combat to cause severe injury and death.  Please be very careful where you throw or swing the Stinger, and what you throw at or strike with it.  When thrown, your throwstick may fly a much greater distance than you might imagine it could and deliver a much harder blow than you realize is possible.  If thrown incorrectly it may fly on a curved path which may completely surprise you and others.  It may get lost, damage something, or severely injure someone up to 164 yards / 150 meters away.  Know your target, its surroundings and beyond.  We recommend you start off by throwing at targets at closer ranges until you get used to the range, power and behavior of your Stinger.  Any throwstick may look innocent in flight, but it can break bones, cause serious injury, and destroy valuable property.  You are about to take super-human throwing power into your hands, so treat your new found power with the respect it deserves.  Please protect the freedom of our unique sport by treating the environment you throw in with consideration and care.   The Stringer also features pointed ends which can be dangerous.  It can be fallen upon by the user so that it is a stabbing danger, therefore do not run with the Stinger in hand or utilize it while riding a horse or bicycle.  Do not navigate difficult terrain or climb with it  in hand unless it is kept above body level so that you cannot possibly fall upon it.  Do not rely upon it as a climbing safety device, as it is not a professional climbing tool and falls and injuries may occur.  The Stringer can also ricochet or bounce fast and hard off hard objects at close ranges, and thus be dangerous to the thrower or bystanders.  It can splinter and shatter items it strikes.  Do not accidentally put the reverse point of the Stinger into your own eye when handling or throwing.  Never throw The Stinger around people or pets.  Polycarbonate throwsticks are much tougher than their hardwood counterparts, but they can still potentially break in rough environments.  Avoid strikes on hard wood tree trunks, rocks, steel posts or boulders, as possible.  Below freezing conditions make them more fragile than otherwise so be a bit more careful of hard strikes in those temperatures.   Polycarbonate is chemically sensitive.  Do not spray paint your throwstick to change the color or it may lead to chemical damange which can result in breakage of the material which would otherwise remain strong.  Care for your Wedge and it will give you many years of enjoyment.

Question 4

The Maverick And The Mini-7 Instructions

Accepted Answer

The Maverick and The Mini-7 are unique in our lineup, most of which is focused on heavy hunting sticks, designed to fly in straight flight paths.  Kylie golf sticks are much safer, more versatile and acrobatic, featuring the ability to curve their flights in desired directions around obstacles.

If you haven’t yet, then please watch our kylie golf video on our website to observe the range of techniques available.  As you view it, note that the power and angle of release are varied to achieve different results.  For grip, we personally prefer the pinch grip for the Mini-7 and a shallow hammer grip for the Maverick, but many techniques will work.  Here are a few tips to get started with throwing kylies.

1. A kylie must spin rapidly.  Flick your wrist when throwing to deliver most of the power to the flight, and you’ll get that rapid spin that stabilizes the kylie.

2. A kylie must slice in the direction of the throw.  Wrist action and focus on spin will help ensure this.  If you aren’t slicing where you’re throwing, it will fly above or below your intended target or my flap out instead of slicing the air.

3. A kylie must be  launched at optimum velocity for the distance you intend to throw, the angle of your release, and the tuning of the stick.  An excessively powerful throw will cause the stick to rise and climb in flight and an under powered throw will cause it to not carry the full distance you intended.  Thus “over powering” a throw at an angle can result in curved flight paths around obstacles.  Factor wind direction into everything you do as well, because it does matter!  We are tuning these sticks “soft” so that little power is generally needed to send them flying.  A moderately powerful, smooth throw is best in most cases.

4. Utilize the angle of your release (hyzer/anhyzer in disc golf lingo) to vary the curve of the flight path.  The more you post your throws up at 1 or 2 o’clock, the further to the left the sticks will travel, and the more you throw at or below horizontal, the more they will travel to the right.  These angled curved flights are usually more extreme when  “over powered.”

5. Have fun and experiment!  We work to make consistent products but each one will still be a bit unique.  The Maverick and Mini-7 are designed to behave differently than each other as well.  With experience you’ll be able to place them where you want them and choose the correct tool for each situation.  Start off with throwing the Maverick at about 2 o’clock with moderate power, and the mini-7 at 3 o’clock with moderate power.  See how they behave and modify your technique from there.  This is an easy care free, loose throwing sport, not a heavy handed power sport!  Finesse and smoothness matter more than strength.

Warning!

Please be very careful where you throw and what you throw at.  Your kylie may go a much greater distance than you might imagine it could, or curve its flight into different places than you intended for it to go.  It may get lost, damage something, or injure someone up to 218 yards / 200 meters away, if it strikes a vulnerable part of the body such as the eye, face or throat.  Know your target, its surroundings and beyond, and do not throw where there is a risk to bystanders.  We recommend you start off by throwing at closer ranges until you get used to the range, power and behavior of your kylie.  A small kylie may look innocent in flight, but it can still cause eye and face injuries.  Do not play catch with kylie golf sticks.  Please protect the freedom of this unique sport by treating the environment you throw in with consideration and care.

Question 5

The Wedge War Club Instructions

Accepted Answer

The Wedge is a unique product in our lineup, designed to be thrown in a slightly different way to the others.  Most of our sticks are designed to be released horizontally at 3 o’clock (as the thrower is viewed from behind).  The Wedge is designed to be thrown at 2 o’clock (10 o’clock for left handed throwers).  In disc golf terminology this is called “anhyzer.”  When thrown at 2 o’clock The Wedge will slowly rotate to level over the course of its flight, and as it reaches max range it will then  drop vertically to earth.  If you see it travel to the left or right at the end of the flight, adjust your angle of release above or below 2 o’clock until it drops vertically.  That’s when you know you’ve learned the  perfect angle for a straight flight, which you should repeat for every throw thereafter on this product.

For best results use a hammer grip with good wrist alignment and throw at your full force so that it flies as fast as you can make it go while spinning very rapidly.  Use the weight in the head of the stick to help you develop the momentum of the throw.  This leads to a natural sense of accuracy as well as tremendous power.

Align the Wedge as you throw to slice the air so that it is not thrown with a downward tilt.  Because  the weight of the head is forward of your hand, The Wedge  has a natural tendency to til downwards in your hand, if you don’t direct it otherwise.  If you allow it to tilt downwards at release, it will reduce its lift force and your flights will fall far short instead of flying the distances they should.   Slice the air and throw directly at your target.  Do not throw up into the air on a trajectory.  When thrown correctly the Wedge is individually tuned and tested to fly on an almost flat, very shallow trajectory and it will fly straight to about 54 yards / 50 meters distance, if not more..  If thrown with inadequate velocity or downwards alignment, it will fall short.   Be aware that a back wind will reduce your range and a head wind may produce more lift in the stick, which you can compensate for with experience, as necessary.

Safety, Practice And Care

The Wedge is an inherently dangerous product, based in ancient war club designs known to have been used historically in hand to hand combat to cause severe injury and death.  Please be very careful where you throw or swing the Wedge, and what you throw at or strike with it.  When thrown, your throwstick may fly a much greater distance than you might imagine it could and deliver a much harder blow than you realize is possible.  The Wedge can easily shatter human bones.   If thrown incorrectly it may fly on a curved path which may completely surprise you and others.  It may get lost, damage something, or severely injure someone up to 164 yards / 150 meters away.  Know your target, its surroundings and beyond.  We recommend you start off by throwing at targets at closer ranges until you get used to the range, power and behavior of your Wedge.  Any throwstick may look innocent in flight, but it can break bones, cause serious injury, and destroy valuable property.  You are about to take super-human throwing power into your hands, so treat your new found power with the respect it deserves.  Please protect the freedom of our unique sport by treating the environment you throw in with consideration and care.   The Wedge also features pointed ends which can be dangerous.  It can be fallen upon by the user so that it is a stabbing danger, therefore do not run with the Wedge in hand or utilize it while riding a horse or bicycle.  Do not navigate difficult terrain or climb with it  in hand unless it is kept above body level so that you cannot possibly fall upon it.  Do not rely upon it as a climbing safety device, as it is not a professional climbing tool and falls and injuries may occur.  The Wedge can also ricochet or bounce fast and hard off hard objects at close ranges, and thus be dangerous to the thrower or bystanders.  It can splinter and shatter items it strikes.  Never throw The Wedge around people or pets.  Polycarbonate throwsticks are much tougher than their hardwood counterparts, but they can still potentially break in rough environments.  Avoid strikes on hard wood tree trunks, rocks, steel posts or boulders, as possible.  Below freezing conditions make them more fragile than otherwise so be a bit more careful of hard strikes in those temperatures.

Polycarbonate is chemically sensitive.  Do not spray paint your throwstick to change the color or it may lead to chemical damange which can result in breakage of the material which would otherwise remain strong.  Care for your Wedge and it will give you many years of enjoyment.

THROWSTICKS

How To Throw

Throwing Instructions

General Throwing Instructions (Most Models)

The Sidewinder Scout Instructions

The Kimberley Stinger Instructions

The Maverick And The Mini-7 Instructions

The Wedge War Club Instructions