The Zen Throwing Routine, developed by Ben Wiggins, is a combination of a group of exercises that he found to help develop his own balance and versatility in throwing. He was inspired to put this into a cohesive form as a partner-slash-alternative to Lou Burruss’ Kung Fu Throwing, which is a very effective plan with very different goals.
To view all of the 21 steps in the Zen Throwing Routine, visit the playlist here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLezzWvSJAw_Y9WqN4bE1v6EzatYqh2d0M.
You can download the complete Zen Throwing workout here: https://ultimaterob.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ZenThrowing.pdf.
What is balance?
For Ben, balance is another way of saying “what I can do”. If my footwork is balanced, I can throw on either side. If handwork is balanced, I can throw quickly or powerfully. If my skills are balanced, I can catch as consistently and creatively as I can throw. If my mentality is balanced, I can throw in the best of situations and also in the worst.
No routine or doctrine can ever take the place of the most fundamental throwing skill. That skill is in making every practice throw as game-like as possible, both mentally and physically. If I am throwing with a stationary receiver, it can be hard for me to hold a serious conversation. Why? On every throw, I am imagining a different and realistic receiver who just happens to catch the disc at the exact spot my partner is standing on. They may not see them, but I see receivers going deep, cutting in, standing poached, tripping and getting back up. I see wide open swings and stall-9 blanketed runners. I see some of their jerseys whipping in the wind, some of their cleats clogged with mud, and others surrounded by a stadium’s worth of screaming fans. Sometimes I throw in spite of my completely imagined injuries, and other times I can actually conjure and feel the awful pit-monster of fear and nervousness in my stomach. Do you get 10 chances in a row to throw a hammer in a game? If not, then don’t practice 10 hammers in a row. For your basic throwing, create an organic mixture of the types of throws and situations you’ll see on the field.
This is a great compliment to the Kung Fu Throwing routine. I would recommend doing Kung Fu Throwing twice a week and Zen Throwing once per week. Muscle memory development is the most important part of becoming a better thrower, which is what Kung Fu Throwing will help you with. But Zen Throwing will help ensure that your technique and release is as clean as possible which will help speed up your improvement and prevent injuries from throwing a lot.