Flair Lesson #12: Flat Behind Back
It’s time to take off the training wheels and get into your first difficult, working flair move. The Flat Behind the Back is still considered a basic move, but from my experience it’s the first bottle move we’re going to try that will take a bit of practice to get comfortable with. Here are the key points to successfully learning the Flat Behind the Back:
1) There are two parts to this move: the throw and the catch. Let’s break down and focus on each part.
2) Hold the bottle by the body. When you are first starting, gripping the bottle by the body (not the neck or shoulders) will be the easiest for tossing the bottle without rotating it. Ultimately, you will want to be able to pull the bottle out of the rail by its neck and do this move, but if you start by practicing grabbing it by the body/base, it will be easier to learn.
3) Think of the toss as less of a throw and more of a “lift and drop.” Practice by lifting the bottle and letting it fall into your hard.
4) If you’re having a hard time catching it, practice just the “throw” by lifting the bottle up and tossing it over your shoulder, letting it drop and hit the ground. Forget about catching it. Just practice the “throw,” focusing on trying to keep the bottle at the same slightly-tilted angle throughout its entire passage through the air. Repeat this “lift and drop” until you can get this toss without any spin or flip in the bottle. *Note: Down the road (a long time from now), we will work on getting a full rotation – or even a double rotation – in this bottle when we start learning exhibition flair. But that’s just not practical for now. We want to be able to do this move with a full bottle and not spill anything – keeping the bottle from spinning is key.
5) The catch: Start by having your catching hand ready. Place your hand behind your back, your thumb on your tail bone, your palm open and face up.
6) Don’t reach for the bottle. Physiologically, if something hits the palm of your hand, your fingers will instinctively wrap around it. Concentrate less on trying to reach and grab the bottle and more so on getting a good throw that hits your palm.
7) Keep your eyes on it. This is one of those tips that I have to remind you of from time to time. It is so much easier to catch something that you are looking at, rather than blindly looking away. Watch the bottle all the way through until you catch it.
8 ) Be ambidextrous. Work both your right and left hands. Once you are able to land this move, throwing from right hand and catching in left hand, change up and try throwing with your left hand and catching with your right hand. I know, it’s tough. You can finally land this move 3 out of 5 times; switching hands is like starting over. TRUST ME, you will be glad you spent the time learning how to get this move with both hands. At the end of the video, I demonstrate a fun drill you can practice, throwing right to left, left to right, and repeating. Consider this your daily mission and practice until you can do it like riding a bicycle.
9) Try performing this move with other objects. It’s easiest and most practical with a bottle, but for variety try practicing this with a pint glass, a beer bottle, a tin, or anything else you find behind your bar. The Flat Behind the Back is a fundamental move that – with practice – you will use as an easy go-to transitional move when putting together routines. I promise.
The Discussion...
2 Responses to “Flair Lesson #12: Flat Behind Back”
Apparently this is my weakness… No idea what I'm doing wrong but 4 days later and very sore and bruised forearm still not getting it…. Moved on past this lesson and go do other stuff just fine… Any suggestions?
Hey Matt, Just to answer your question, I found that if I extend my tossing arm, and right as my arm get to full extension, I drop the bottle with a slight downward angle. I feel like if I exaggerate the arm and drop, it gives me a good feel to be able to toss it quicker. Also, in the beginning of the video notes, he bolds, "think of the toss as less of a throw and more of a “lift and drop.” Since I used to play hoops, I look it as a jumpshot, where you release the ball at the top of your jump. Hope these examples help!