Convince me to play competetively

[gammaxgoblin]

Keep score some rounds, play properly within all the rules even if by yourself. Look at it as another form of practice. Sure you may be able to birdie 15/18 holes on your home course, but maybe you only end up -3 at the end of a round. See how you deal with that and how you do throwing approaches from the occasional bad tee shot/tree kick. Then you'll learn maybe some shots you need to practice from those situations.

When you gain consistency maybe you shoot -5 regularly, etc.

There's a difference between being able to birdie a hole on your best shots, vs. expecting to birdie a hole 70% of the time you come up to it. And then how you deal with it if you're 40' away...do you run it and risk 3 putting because you walked in expecting a birdie? Etc.

Also by playing with others in those situations you can see some different lines they take or when they run approaches and stuff like that.

I think you hit on something. I know there is a difference between what i can do and what i can do repeatedly and consistently. I know I am not at a level where i can do what i am capable of consistently and thats why i practice. If I cant perform consistently to the level I think I can, then why would i want to play competitive rounds as the result? Then I am like why play little league games, why not just practice or why play high school games, why not just practice?

Im surprised no one said anything about being able to improve by watching others, having others point out things maybe i dont notice.

 

[gammaxgoblin]

Another question about this is...What would I gain from throwing only one poor shot, during a competitive round, that is better than being able to immediately throw that same shot 5 more times to try to understand what i did wrong and the feel of throwing it properly? I have trouble seeing how, if achieving my potential is the goal, that a competitive round would offer me something I am not getting currently. There must be something, given how many people who get really into it, that I am not seeing. This is what I am asking...Not if what I am doing is acceptable, ill determine that....Im asking if I am missing out on an opportunity to improve.

 

[slowplastic]

I think you hit on something. I know there is a difference between what i can do and what i can do repeatedly and consistently. I know I am not at a level where i can do what i am capable of consistently and thats why i practice. If I cant perform consistently to the level I think I can, then why would i want to play competitive rounds as the result? Then I am like why play little league games, why not just practice or why play high school games, why not just practice?

Im surprised no one said anything about being able to improve by watching others, having others point out things maybe i dont notice.

The thing to remember is nobody plays everything perfect in a round...or if they do it's a handful of times a year. There's a reason the top players aren't rated 1100 even though they are capable of throwing those rounds.

Also the better your form is, your shanks become more narrow and you can still have a putt even if you missed your line sometimes. That's where you know you've improved...you're still having putts from tee shots you're disappointed with.

It's good to play scored rounds several times so yo know if you typically shoot say -3 to -5, anything higher than that you're disappointed and anything better you're happy with it. Then maybe a few months later you're -4 to -6. There will always be a range and likely a pretty different set of holes you birdie'd or not, but you have to play enough rounds at your normal courses to see where you typically end up and track your progress.

Playing rounds puts you in a different mentality when you have to execute your one shot. And when you don't, your next shot may be one you haven't tried before.

 

[Grippenripp]

What i want to achieve a level which I believe I am capable of and judging myself only against myself and not in comparison to others performance? In all honesty, I used to think that way, but without the narrowness. What if all the practice shows me I am the worst in my locale? So I know where I stand...then what? What if I am the best, then what? Knowing where I stand in comparison to others tells me what exactly? I can only guess that it would tell me how to feel about myself lol. If Im the best, I feel good...im the worst i feel bad. This is why I am asking. The only thing competition truly seems to foster is the ego, or ones need for external gratification. If I seek to be free from deriving any sense of myself based on what anyone else does, then why compete? Not trying to be a jerk, trying to understand myself and playing devils advocate in the process.

Okay. IMO competition is in iur nature as human beings. Sonwjen I practice and I am then the worst I disect my game, I practice specific things and get better at them, go back to tourney and see where I am, the. Repeat. As I said competition is human nature, we have a friendly supportive, good natured way to do this. Also yes measure yourself against yourself practice things you know you need to and if you dont want to comlete seriously then just play casually for a few bucks with some friends. IDK man. Youve gotta convince yourself to take this leap. That's just my take on it.

 

[slowplastic]

Another question about this is...What would I gain from throwing only one poor shot, during a competitive round, that is better than being able to immediately throw that same shot 5 more times to try to understand what i did wrong and the feel of throwing it properly? I have trouble seeing how, if achieving my potential is the goal, that a competitive round would offer me something I am not getting currently. There must be something, given how many people who get really into it, that I am not seeing. This is what I am asking...Not if what I am doing is acceptable, ill determine that....Im asking if I am missing out on an opportunity to improve.

It's the next skill. Can you throw one poor shot, and when walking to your next lie identify what went wrong? Did you plant open? Did you use your arm too early? Did you drop your shoulder on the follow through? Identifying it after one bad shot so your next shot, that still counts, is correct and doesn't get into your head is a huge skill. I feel like you need to practice those repeated shots a bunch to fix it, like you said, but then you must get to the point where you can identify the mistake after a single throw and fix it before the next.

It's mostly a mental aspect, so even if you have your mechanics in muscle memory you will need to see how you do if you get nervous or don't execute one shot. It's a different skillset to add in.

Plus say it's windy out, you can't just windsock the situation with a throw then throw your "real" shots. You need to read it blind and see how it goes.

 

[cheesethin]

.... I have trouble seeing how, if achieving my potential is the goal, that a competitive round would offer me something I am not getting currently.........Im asking if I am missing out on an opportunity to improve.

(Interesting thread, thanks for asking the questions)

There are different skills to be learnt. Depends which of them you want to achieve your potential in. Skill in throwing a frisbee? Skill in stringing together a series of quality disc throws, one after the other? Skill in managing your own mental state when you fluffed your last shot, and not letting it impact your next shot? There'll be more....

(Potential) Benefits of playing with others:

Exposure to outside inputs, you never know when someone else will offer you an insight, either intentionally or by example. Solo learning and YouTube goes a long way, but observing firsthand (both good and bad play) can really help learning. Watching, in real life, players that are slightly better than yourself, is different from watching the pros on the internet. Stuff to be gained from doing both.

See the way other people play the same holes, different lines.

Practice for your mental game. (Especially competitive rounds)

Some answers.


Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[DiscJunkie]

I play for fun.
For some people, tourneys are fun. More power tuya.
My enjoyment is to go throw in a field for a few hours and work on my form.
For some people, 2.5 hours of field work would be torture.
Sorta like me playing in a tourney for 2.5 hours with guys that scream, curse, cheat, act like children and break every rule ever thought of. Admittedly, I've had a few competitive rounds that were quite enjoyable, but obviously, not often enough.
Whatever kind of disc golf is fun for you, play it that way (and always be courteous of other players).

 

[zontar]

I'd start by keeping score on your own. I played for nearly a year without scoring myself, throwing multiple tee shots, etc and THEN started keeping my score. now I don't give myself any mulligans, alternative lies, or slack for that lazy putt I missed. basically, I compete with myself. It's really made the game a lot more fun for me. on the occasions when I join in with another player(s), I hold my own and sometimes beat them. I rarely compete, but I like racking up multiple rounds in less time myself.

 

[DinosaurThunder]

Find a fun league to satisfy your competitive itch.

You are better off using the money that would go to tournament entry/travel on discs/clothing you actually want. Versus being left with stuff you don't want and an arbitrary rating number given out as a participation trophy for your round.

 

[Keith H]

I typically play rounds by myself during lunch or with a couple of people that are close to me.

However, I have found that I get nervous playing with people that I don't know. Sometimes just having someone pushing right behind me in the next group is enough to make me nervous and make my shots worse.

I have learned that learning how to play with people that I don't know is a skill. To that end, I periodically join some type of local event.

 

[markmcc]

I have struggled with doing anything "for fun" for ever. I am aware of it and I work daily toward being free from this type of thinking.

I get this mentality. I started target shooting as a hobby many, many years ago. Before long I was competing, then competing every weekend, then running the local matches. Shot in the state championships, then national championships and before long I'd turned a perfectly enjoyable hobby into work. It became a real grind and ultimately I quit it all together. I've done the same thing with a couple of other clubs and hobbies.

So when I discovered DG I adopted a "this is just for fun" attitude and have done a pretty good job of sticking with it. It probably helps that I'm not particularly good.

I did play in a few tournaments and found that they were too slow, and I've given up on those as well.

As far as knowing where I stand among my DG brethren, I'm ok with accepting that I'm a mediocre 850 rated, 58 year old guy throwing plastic in the woods.

 

[ALT-J]

Basically all I do this season is practice as well and theres nothing wrong with it. I have a history of winning multiple amateur tournaments and thats due to excellent putting and close range game. My throwing form is whats keeping me from taking the step to the open division. The only way is to fully commit to practicing form and not try to play solid rounds at the same time. I usually just slip to my old bad habits the second I step up to a teepad. I dont really enjoy making the same mistakes year after year. Some people are just completely fine with playing alot and not really making any kind of progress.

 

[trout_smith]

Everyone plays for different reasons. From the beginning I have kept scores because a big part of the fun for me is trying to improve and scores are the best way of measuring that that I know of. Occasionally if I am trying new discs or just throwing terrible, I'll stop keeping score and just throw multiple shots from each lie for practice.

 

[trout_smith]

Keep score some rounds, play properly within all the rules even if by yourself. Look at it as another form of practice. Sure you may be able to birdie 15/18 holes on your home course, but maybe you only end up -3 at the end of a round. See how you deal with that and how you do throwing approaches from the occasional bad tee shot/tree kick. Then you'll learn maybe some shots you need to practice from those situations.

When you gain consistency maybe you shoot -5 regularly, etc.

There's a difference between being able to birdie a hole on your best shots, vs. expecting to birdie a hole 70% of the time you come up to it. And then how you deal with it if you're 40' away...do you run it and risk 3 putting because you walked in expecting a birdie? Etc.

Also by playing with others in those situations you can see some different lines they take or when they run approaches and stuff like that.

Good points here. If you aren't playing from bad lies, you're missing a HUGE opportunity for improvement. The pros throw into trouble plenty, but they also know how to get out with trouble shots. Not that you're striving to go pro or anything.

 

[gradus]

....Im asking if I am missing out on an opportunity to improve.

You're missing a huge opportunity to improve. Basically taking a pass on the entire mental side of the game. Everything should count sometimes. You're missing the opportunity to learn shot selection, risk/reward, and working through the consequences of those decisions. Hitting a high pressure 20ft putt is very different than a zero pressure 20ft putt. Working through the ups and downs of a round. Consequences of a blow-up hole. Recognizing days when you're throwing ok, but the score doesn't reflect it, and vice versa.

I'm pretty horrible at DG, but have birdied 17 out of 18 holes on my home course. Learning consistency within my own skill set is the biggest challenge. I throw much better when relaxed. Zero pressure if you give me 5 chances.

 

[rocthecourse]

What would I gain from throwing only one poor shot, during a competitive round, that is better than being able to immediately throw that same shot 5 more times to try to understand what i did wrong and the feel of throwing it properly?

A big part of being good at disc golf is being able to consistently throw good shots, shot after shot, for 18 holes.

If you are having fun keep doing what you are doing. But if you never play proper rounds* how will you know if you are getting better? For me one of the fun parts of disc golf is attacking a course trying to set a new personal best score.


*By proper round I mean no re-throws, following the rules, and keeping score.

 

[timothy42b]

Your mindset is to do range time as self improvement. I know ball golfers like that, piano players like that, etc.

If you start playing rounds, I suspect it will be the same thing. You'll use the competition as self improvement rather than fun. Nothing wrong with that. You don't have to change your mindset, and the rewards you are getting from throwing, in the slightest.

 

[trout_smith]

It seems that if you're practicing, then you're practicing for something. Otherwise you're just playing. Which is fine.

It sounds like you have at least a passing understanding of non-attachment and self identity. You can go to a tournament and throw the worst round ever and that doesn't mean you have to feel bad or have it define you. It is what it is, at that moment. My first tourney was at a course I play all the time and I shot the two worst rounds of my life there, for whatever reasons. It didn't matter. I played with some cool people, got some free stuff, and gained experience. In fact, my better rounds happen when I am not thinking about anything and just throwing naturally.

No one has to convince you of anything. If you feel bad for not playing competitively, you don't need to. If you want to try it, it doesn't mean anything anyway unless you're attaching a lot of meaning to it somehow.

 

[d11rok]

Why should anyone try convince you to do anything that it seems you're really indifferent about?

If you don't want to enter tournaments, don't. If you want to try one out, then do. Who cares what you do besides yourself?

It's not like convincing someone to do something that would be better for their health or legal reasons

 

[Jay Dub]

One local tournament (years ago) I shot 12 strokes better the second round than the first on the same layout. Another guy on my card the second round did the same thing.

If you learn to accept the bad throws/rounds and move on the competition will be a lot more fun and bearable.