Ok, so the underhand is not forgotten but that's so much more dramatic than the seldom-used throw. Anyhow, what do you guys think about the underhand? It has some weaknesses to be sure. Especially for hunting or field slinging but for target throwing I've always thought that the mechanics involved are almost ideal.

1, it stays in vertical line with the target, eliminating alot of the side to side variation. Two, it doesn't have to cross over from the far side of your body like the figure-8 does which causes some lateral momentum to come into play and C,  it's a very simple throw which could lead to easier consistency.

What say you guys?

I guess the way I have viewed the underhand technique is that for me I don't practice with it much because I favor longer slings that don't lend well to the style. But all those pros you mention are very true. Looks like something new to experiment with.

That's true as well about the sling length. It's incredibly difficult to pull off effectively with a long or medium sling. I don't often practice with my short ones but maybe I should

My goal is to play golf w/ a sling. I use some variant of an underhanded throw.  It seems the most natural to me.  I am not getting much distance at this point.  I am 6'2" and I measure my sling strings from the center of my chest to the end of my fingers (with my arm extended straight out).  After reading the comments, I will try a shorter sling

My personal throwing style isn't too far off from underhand already so if I just really don't want to loose ammo or if my target is really close to the ground I think underhand is a legitmate style. Perhaps underutilized but, having taught begginers, I've also seen rocks go straight up in the air so I can see why it isn't always used:
It also has the advantage over figure 8 because its trajectory is more like below.

Underhand _____________(Target)
Overhand
               /
             /
(Target)/

Obviously this is a bit of an exaggeration but the concept still applies.

Personal throwing style for newer members: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaeMh8JvQNc&t=5s

Dan wrote on Dec 10^th, 2016 at 2:50pm:


i didn't understand.

It feels inefficient for me to do a true underhand but those fast pitch soft ball players prove that a true underhand can be quite effective when done well. If they can apply the same movement to a sling it might be very effective.

@Parmenion- I used to hunt with the sling every once and awhile and if you are  in the forest with sticks and tall grass it makes it difficult to use a true underhand throw because of how close it goes to underlying brush. This is true where I was anyways where branches and bunches of weeds were all over.  Maybe some areas are easier.  For me even a 24 inch sling  would've been inpossible.

Es gibt ein paar historische Bilder , wo man diese Methode sehen kann. Ich selbst benutze sie für Anfänger.  Man hat weniger Power. Aber das ist gut . Schießen sie mit Overhand auf Vögel, dann schreddern sie das Tier. Sie werden nicht viel von ihrer Beute haben. Das selbe gilt für Kaninchen. Ich traf einmal ein Kaninchen mit voll Power. Der Schuss riß denn Kopf des Tieres ab. Bei meinen wurfscheiben, verwende ich 1,5 bis 2cm dicke spanplatten. Der Stein macht ein loch in die platte. Schauen sie sich das Video an.
Es ist aber nicht einfach auf bewegliche Ziele zu schießen mit dieser Methode.