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LEARNING THE NAIL DELAY.

The Nail Delay - Balancing the spinning frisbee on your fingernail.

Prepare the disc so the bottom of the Frisbee is "slick". Most players use Silicone spray and Krylon is the most popular brand. You can also use Armor-All or even water, if you can't get to the store. Spray the bottom of the disc and wipe with a rag. Spray and wipe the top of the frisbee as well.

- Stand about 20 yards away from your partner.  Have your partner throw you their best throw, their most accurate throw that generates the most spin.  A throw that lofts and floats in is easier to receive.  As the throw comes in, get under the disc, put your hand above your head with your index finger pointed slight upward so that the finger nail will be all that touches the bottom of the disc.

As the disc comes in onto your finger nail begin pushing up and make small circles with your fingernail in the same direction of the spin.   You are balancing the disc on your fingernail when you nail delay.  You have to constantly keep your hand moving or the disc will fall off the center and go to the rim.   It’s easier to learn to nail delay when the disc is above your head because it’s easier to see the center of the disc.  Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get it right away. 

THE SELF SET
-Setting spin to yourself is a great way to practice the nail delay by yourself. First let's look at how to generate counter spin with the Self Set. Hold the outside rim of the frisbee at eye level snuggly between the palms of your hands. Holding the disc firmly on opposite sides of the disc, pull you right hand towards you head, your left hand moving away from your head. Now you've cocked the disc ready to snap it into the air. Snap the disc quickly, lifting the disc slightly into the air as you release, right hand moving quickly away from you, left hand moving towards you, Do the opposite for clock. As the disc spins up above your head point your finger upward and contact the middle of the disc with your fingernail. Your finger should not be straight, it should be slightly bent so only your fingernail touches the disc. Keep pushing up while your making small circles in the same direction that the disc is spinning. Keep moving your hand to keep the disc balanced. If the disc moves away from you, move with it and try to regain the center of the disc. The faster the disc is spinning, the easier it is to control.

PRACTICE A LITTLE BIT EVERYDAY
I would recommend trying to spin the disc a little bit every day, and in a couple of weeks time, you should have it.  The nail delay in a lot of ways is the difficult first step in freestyle.  Learning the delay is a hurdle that you have to jump over to get to the pure joy of freestyle.  The nail delay is harder than it looks, but don’t let that stop you.   Just try it for a few minutes everyday and I know you’ll get it.  10 minutes a day would even work. A little every day is better than four hours on one day. Once people learn the nail delay they are usually hooked.   

After you learn the nail delay, follow it up with a trick catch.  Receive the throw from your partner and control the delay for a while.  Then set the Frisbee in the air from the nail delay, let go and as the disc comes down, catch the disc with an under the leg catch, or what ever catch you want. 

CLOCK SPIN AND COUNTER SPIN. Which should you learn first? If you were to ask 10 pro freestylers that question, you’d get 10 different answers.  I think you should learn how to nail delay on both hands in one particular spin direction that you feel most comfortable with.  After you’re comfortable with one spin (let’s say counter spin), then start working on the other spin with both hands.  Most people usually are stronger at one spin, but ultimately it’s to your advantage to learn to delay the disc with both spins on both hands.  If you work on this at the beginning, the sky is the limit.

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