Discing down adventures.

[Kodachrome]

you know, this is harder than i thought it would be.

every time i start throwing well with my mids and putters i start saying "yeah! now let's pull out the fairway drivers and the cannon!"

it's actually made me restructure my bag a bit. i heard the volt goes pretty far for a fairway driver (is it considered high speed?) so i picked up and really dig it. the axis bombs pretty well, too. so now my bag has more tweeners in it than before. the jokeri, the opto pure, the axis and volt are what i use 90% of the time.

someone take my cannon from me before i try to throw it again...the volt goes just as far anyway.

 

[FonzTYC]

Same here. Soon as i started to bomb with the Eagle and get really accurate with it i was like " ITS TIME FOR DESTROYERS" but then i realized im just not ready still. I like MVP and i thought about buying a Volt but im afraid of it being a better Eagle. I love my eagle . Ill have to check out that Axis.

 

[AndyJB]

Since then I'm throwing my Eagle at a consistent 380-390 feet. I've also gotten my score down a substantial amount. I played my best at my home course 3 games in a row (+4). My buzzzes are dialed in and my predator and drone help my windy play a lot. My eagle has become my go to driver. I throw it with a little bit of bit of hyzer, it flips up turns a little bit and fades back really nice. I've also learned to control the disc so it doesn't always S on my drives. So for the last 4 rounds I've brought my Destroyer along with me. I'm throwing it 400-420feet. I'm impressed with how far I can throw it but it still intimidates me. Just feels like a brick in my hand. I also feel I'm skipping steps here. Out driving my Eagle by 20-30 feet doesn't seem like a big up for me.

Sounds like you've made a huge jump. My question is how are you measuring your distance? I like to use a laser range finder or GPS so I'm really accurate. Getting an Eagle our to almost 400 feet is really good...you should be able to get a Destroyer out much farther. The problem clearly isn't form, otherwise you wouldn't be getting an Eagle out that far. Again, don't let anyone talk to down to you...getting an Eagle farther than 350 is a big achievement and shows you are more than ready for distance drivers.

If you lack confidence in the distance drivers, then heck, why use them? I don't know what kind of courses you play on, but most courses I lay don't really need anything more than a 350 foot drive. I'd say you're on the right track there.

 

[FonzTYC]

My home course only has one hole over 500 feet. 2 over 440. So yeah I don't "need" to throw any farther than that. Most of the course favors accuracy to distance. And there is a lot of strong head winds. I should have shot a par last time out. I double boggied 2 holes because of the wind. It's relentless. As far as measurement on my 500 foot hole it has no elevation changes and there's and old fence that's exactly 410 feet from the tee box. My coworker works for the city And he took those measurements with GPS. So I base my distance off of that. I'm going to buy some lighter weight Destroyers see how I do with those. I'm also putting my Surge back in the bag see how that works out.

 

[AndyJB]

I bet once you get used to them, you'll be ripping them. A lot of people forget that it does take a little time to get back into distance drivers after removing from the bag for awhile...obviously th elonger you go without, the longer it will take to readjust. I bet within in a month you'll be crushing your personal distance records.

 

[Brodysseus]

Same here. Soon as i started to bomb with the Eagle and get really accurate with it i was like " ITS TIME FOR DESTROYERS" but then i realized im just not ready still. I like MVP and i thought about buying a Volt but im afraid of it being a better Eagle. I love my eagle . Ill have to check out that Axis.

Yeah, I have a Lace that I love to convince myself I can throw every so often... Worst part is, I will throw it decent for a round or two, but then the rest of my game craps out and then, lo and behold, I can't throw that damn Lace anymore either!

As far as fear of having to replace a favorite disc, I'm in the opposite position. When I have some extra money I'm going to give Eagles a chance to knock out my favorite drivers, Ascents, and I'm pumped about it. I love those discs so much that if I find something I like better, well then, that's one hell of a disc. I'm even considering pulling my favorite mold of all time, VPs, to try out a more traditional putter (Wizard, Aviar, etc.).

 

[Noahlearner]

I love this quote

Long drives are for your ego... not necessarily your overall course score.

Letting go of the need for the monster drive and playing for placement shots feels so right. Well placed shots will make the approach shots so much easier leading hopefully to layup putts.

Having said that, I loved parking a 398 foot hyzer bomb with my leopard last night. I didn't try for the bomb, I was just throwing smooth and the disc did all the work. Discing down also let me throw a 300+ shot with my dx flat top roc ( Thank you Community discs!). This regiment really works.

My favorite field has been super windy for the past two weeks and I have been trying to throw putters, mids, and understable fairway drivers up/ down/ and on various angles across wind. I am turning over my shots less and less into a headwind. It is really pleasing!

 

[FonzTYC]

It's always been my goal to launch one of these big name drivers as far as the pros. So it's a small ego. But on 500 foot par 3 it would help my game to get in birdie range from my drive.

 

[Kodachrome]

^ what he said.

or even 400 feet; that's what i'm aiming for. that's the make/break point i think for a lot of people out there; it's an automatic -1 to the score if you can hit it on that sort of an open hole.

and what's wrong with an ego? confidence is good for the game.

 

[whentherainscome]

Played a tournament pretty fatigued/sore from too much disc golf. My one big mistake was reaching for my fast driver (just an OLF) on an open hole over water. I didn't get it up to speed, it faded out early and hard and missed the opposite shore by a foot or two. I re-teed with a Pro Leopard and cleared it no problem whatsoever.

Disc down when you're tired/sore/under the weather and you'll find you're capable of a lot more "slow is smooth, smooth is far." I don't recommend it, but I played a tournament while recovering from a flu once, I couldn't throw more than 280 but I also couldn't miss a line and I got 3rd despite my weakened state.

 

[iacas]

A few days ago I took my stack of 10 Wizards to the field to do some work. I threw from standstills, kind of a cross between Bradley Walker's Closed-Shoulder Drill and Beato's Right Pec Drill, and threw 20 or so to about 180' or so.

I'd noticed that some came out of the hand on a bit of an anhyzer, some were flat, some (very few) had a proper little hyzer that would stand up coming back into the very slight headwind. Some came out left, some a little later and right.

The thought of pressing really hard with my thumb came to my mind, and darn it if I didn't then easily add 20-25' of distance while simultaneously better controlling the angle of the disc and the release points.

When I did some slow two-step (x-step and the one after that) throws, more for timing than to add any real speed, with a "more full reach-back", I threw to the edge of the field and one flew into the bushes 235' away.

I think the firmer thumb helped my timing. It slowed down the middle to late stages of my throw and let me add speed closer to the very end of the throw. It helped control the wing angle and obviously stopped some of the earlier releases when the disc would slip out just that little bit prematurely.

I'm playing in the PFDO next month (first tournament), and I'll be doing a LOT of this kind of work in preparation for that. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Der Alte]

During this summer I have lost faith to my "control" drives. I can't believe how inconsistent and inaccurate I am. I think that I have to slow down and go back to basics and build my drive from the scratch. Following few months I'm going to use only Anode, Tangent and Amp and the emphasis is on Anode and Tangent. My goal is to have an accurate drive somewhere around 300'. And hopefully I learn to throw hyzer-flip. Sometimes (way too often) this is so f***ing frustrating!

 

[rynehester]

I've really been working on fairway drivers and shots between 280 and 320. Driving mids will def help you see your technique flawes. Sometimes I will just play a round with mids and putters to work on technique. I really believe in discing down. It's make me really focus on accuracy and got me to stop trying to throw every shot to the moon. I do have a few 12 speeds in the bag but they are reserve for long shots generally over 350 and out in the open. If you have ever thought of trying this out I would def give it a shot and just stick with it for a few months. It will play off and you will be a better player. Accuracy over distance is def the way to go!!!!

 

[StarFirebird]

I've been going the Discing down as of late too. Figured out a few things today in some heavy wind which surprised the heck out of me. So far I'm not missing what I took out.

My bag looks like this.

Drivers
Innova Tern - Star and Champion
Innova Firebird - Star
Latitude 64 Saint - Opto and Gold Line
Latitude 64 Fury - Gold Line
Latitude 64 Trident - Gold Line
Latitude 64 River - Opto and Gold Line

Midranges
Discraft Comet - 2 ESP,Elite X and Elite Z
Discraft Hornet - Elite Z

Putters
Latitude 64 Pure - Opto,Sparkle Opto and Zero Hard
Discraft Zone - Pro D and ESP
Gateway Voodoo - 5 Super Stupid Soft,2 Erasers and a Evolution HPP

So far this bag is working great for me. I can't believe how well my Rivers and Terns were working in the wind. I just adjusted my angles and those discs flew through the wind like a champ.

 

[Brodysseus]

I've disced my bag down. Even though Valks bounce in and out, I throw Teebirds for the majority of my drives. I'm really focusing on controlled distance and I can reliably and accurately throw my Teebirds on 275'-300' lines. I'm also trying to develop a FH shot that I'm comfortable with out to 250'. I'm comfortable approaching with my VPs forehand and with my Gator out to 150' or so. Not getting much more distance with my 'Birds past that, but it is a work in progress. Anyways, here is what the bag is looking like:

Drivers
Firebird x1 (175 Champion)
Teebird x3 (175 Star, 175 DX x2)
Midranges
Gator x1 (175 Star)
Roc x3 (180 KC Pro, 180 DX x2)
Putt and Approach
VP x2 (175 Medium, 175 Firm)
Aviar x2 (175 DX x2)

 

[BrotherDave]

I really believe in discing down. It's make me really focus on accuracy and got me to stop trying to throw every shot to the moon.

This is a good thought that I think a lot of people deal with. An unintentional result of discing down is it removes that worry of getting that fast distance driver up to speed. A lot of form improvement stems from slowing down to go fast and when you're trying to max out a disc that might be too fast for you, you tend to accelerate too much too soon. The slower discs take that pressure off you and let you focus your form into being loose, slow, fluid and methodically.

During this summer I have lost faith to my "control" drives. I can't believe how inconsistent and inaccurate I am. I think that I have to slow down and go back to basics and build my drive from the scratch. Following few months I'm going to use only Anode, Tangent and Amp and the emphasis is on Anode and Tangent. My goal is to have an accurate drive somewhere around 300'. And hopefully I learn to throw hyzer-flip. Sometimes (way too often) this is so f***ing frustrating!

Discing down is not going to magically teach you control but it does help remove some distracting variables out of your form that might be hindering you. Slower discs are just plain easier to control though b/c they're less nose angle sensitive and tend to fly a straighter line than faster discs (think of a putter compared to the left and right action of a Nuke for example).

To achieve your goal(s), I'd really pare down your bag to a core of stable (neutral) discs and focus on your mechanics. The form critique section (sidewinder22 particularly) can really point you in the right direction in terms of proper weight shift, pivoting, elbow-chopping and all that mechanics stuff. Neutral stability discs will give you a great soundboard for evaluating feedback to tweaks in your form whereas juggling a bunch of molds of different speeds and stability can mask and/or enhance flaws often.

JR on discgolfreview.com/forums is a great resource for learning technique and form and he's a fellow Finn so that might help you there as well. Feel free to shoot some questions my way (anybody) and I'll try and help the best I know how.

You can do it! :thmbup:

 

[AndrewM33]

Does anyone still do this?

I'm having problems with consistency and accuracy at the moment.

Breaking my bag down to:

Champ Banshee
2 DX Cheetahs
2 DX Rocs
2 Wizards

 

[Noahlearner]

I still do.

I throw putters as much as possible. Last night I went to a park with 17 different putters and practiced hyzers, anhyzers, and flick approach shots. I found some great hyzer flick lines, that I'd never really practiced before. I also practice with putters because I have been giving strokes away by not getting inside 20' consistently on up shots form 180-240'.

In terms of minimizing molds, it is always something I struggle with and will make a concerted effort to do.

 

[TAFL]

Does anyone still do this?

I'm having problems with consistency and accuracy at the moment.

Breaking my bag down to:

Champ Banshee
2 DX Cheetahs
2 DX Rocs
2 Wizards

Instead of the Rocs, I'll suggest Makos. The Mako is stable neutral, so any significant fade or turn comes from the throw and provides good feedback. They also help when learning to control how much fade or turn to put on a throw to shape a shot.

I'll suggest fieldwork paring down your technique, too. Start with throwing from a standstill and the disc in the power pocket. Concentrate on late acceleration and the disc ripping out on line and flat.
Then add a backswing and weight shift. Concentrate on keeping it smooth and on line.
Then throw with a single step.
Then an X-step.

I'd also suggest playing rounds using the same step in the progression that you're working on. It can feel weird to stand at the front of the tee pad and drive without a backswing or step, yet it does help with the development. I did it for a couple of months when I began rebuilding my form. There are still rounds where I'll throw several holes with just a single step to get everything working smoothly.

 

[Kevdude82]

Unless I'm trying to learn the discs in my bag, I only throw putters on the practice field. I have tons of OAT, alligator arming, and strong arming issues, so putters help me to get them issues fixed more than any other disc. I'll also play the occasional putter round too. When I do, I'll bag my two wizards, avair, bulldog, dart, and rhyno. I actually should be doing more putter rounds, to be honest.