The hook thumber: What it is, what it’s for and how to throw one

Ever seen one of Bear Bite’s ace-compilation clips on social media? The guy’s made a name for himself throwing nothing but hook thumbers. So though the shot’s far from the most popular (or useful) huck in disc golf, it’s out there. And if you’ve got it in your arsenal, you should use it.

The hook thumber is a thumber that’s intentionally thrown flat for optimum groundplay, though that’s not always the case. For this reason, it’s frequently referred to as a “flubber,” as well.

Flick + Thumber = Flubber

Eat your heart out, Robin Williams.

As you’re probably aware, a traditional thumber travels high over trees, bushes and playground equipment with the main objective being that that disc hits the ground and sticks near the pin.

That’s simply not the case for a hook thumber. Instead, the point of the unique shot is to have the disc’s flight plate hit the ground at speed and with lots of spin. With no rim-ridge to hinder the frisbee’s flight after making contact with the ground, a mega-beefy driver will get violent.

Hide the women and children …

“Holy flare skip, Batman!”

Pretty sexy parlor trick, huh?

Whether off the tee or from a mid-fairway approach, if you’re right-handed and need your disc to turn 90 degrees to the right in an instant and without much real estate to work with, team-up with the hardpan (the best surface for it) directly in front of you and opt for the hook thumber.

Here’s how to make it happen:

• Grab the flattest, most overstable fairway or distance driver in your bag.
• Hook your thumb around the inside rim, while the other four fingers make a fist.

• To make the hook thumber work, you’ll throw the disc on more of a forehand line.
• Put plenty of speed into the disc. However, adjust the angle to account for its stability.
• As a general rule of thumb, the flight plate should touch the ground when you want skip.

Then, stand back and watch your disc do work …

It’s a riot.

If your shoulder’s like mine, it hurts like a mo-fo, but this CAN be achieved going the opposite way with a hook tomahawk, as well. Or, you could just throw a backhand like a normal person.

As I’d mentioned earlier, the overstability of the disc you’re working with will affect how this shot’s thrown. In the above example, the Team Dynamic Discs guy is (likely) throwing an Ahti, XXX or Felon. Whatever he’s throwing, the disc is so beefy that – though tossed low – he releases it on nearly a vertical angle, and as it’s still got enough time to do a barrel roll.

Time to dust off the Tilt.

The less overstable the disc you’re throwing, however, the more horizontal your release will be. Because of this, as demonstrated by Bear Bite himself, the skip is not always necessary.

Silent Echoes: Bittersweet Disc Golf Memories pic.twitter.com/7fB1Lk8To8

— Bear Bite Disc (@BearBiteDisc) August 13, 2023

Talk about a good-looking flight.

No, you don’t need this shot in your bag, but I’ve got no qualms about slapping the “effective” label on the hook thumber. Though rare, in certain situations, it might very well be the best man for the job. And when that time does come, you’ll be glad you clicked on this article and read it.

Death to skimmers.

Happy hucking.

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