Driving Tips for a Newish Female

[aevew]

Hi all,

I have read through a lot of threads with tips for female players, and now I'm hoping to get a bit more advice based on my own personal strengthy/weaknesses (and not just the fact that I'm a girl).

I'm pretty tall for a girl (5'11"), with a really short torso (see also: awkwardly long arms and legs). I can't seem to get the hang of an x-step without getting all muddled up, so I've switched gears to focus on stand-still drives that maybe have a bit of a step up into them. In the flat park that I practice driving in, I can reliably throw about 175 feet and can consistently get to 225 when I don't make any of my common silly mistakes. It doesn't really matter which disc I throw... they all end up going about the same distance.

My discs are mostly things I have found (I'm constantly surprised by how often people just tell me to keep their discs when I text them?!?), so aren't necessarily suited to me. They are generally in the 167-175g range, and include: G-star sidewinder, super old and beat-in unknown plastic teebird, dx viking, champion leopard, KC 12x Roc, unknown plastic XL and Buzzz SS. I also bag 4 putters, but I don't really practice driving with them unless I really need to work on correcting something specific.

One of my biggest challenges is watching my disc turn hard to the right and fly into the bushes (where I find more discs, lol). If I try to drive with the Roc, it happens more often than not. I'm 95% sure that I have a habit of rolling my wrist clockwise as I release (especially if I accidentally try to strong-arm the throw), but I have seen a lot of people talk about OAT, and I'm wondering if that is my problem. Or is that the same as rolling my wrist? I don't see the problem when I focus on releasing with a slight hyzer and try to think about keeping my wrist at that same position throughout the throw. When I do that with the Roc, it will go straight, turn to the right a bit, then fade back to more or less straight ahead of where I threw.

So based on my poor descriptions and no photos/videos, what do you think? I'll see if I can convince bf to take a photo or video if we venture out in the cold this weekend.

 

[jugg3rnautx]

Maybe watch some videos of Zoe Andyke. She's also a taller female player and doesn't use much of a run up and has great technical form.

 

[Dan Ensor]

Turning your wrist over is the most common form of OAT. Other body parts can get off plane also, though.

 

[sidewinder22]

Tall with long arms and legs is the prototypical build for throwing far. Do you have any other athletic proficiencies?

All those discs should be decent discs for your bag setup. I'd advise adding a Comet or Shark, and a Cheetah around 165g, and/or Valkyrie 150g.

Whole page of fixes and why your discs always fly right(RHBH):
https://www.dgcoursereview.com/dgr/resources/technique/bhproblemsright.shtml#right

 

[cheese dog]

Don't use the turning lane to merge into traffic its for turning off the road not on to it. Dont try to get the close parking spot, just find a good safe spot and park. Try to maintain the speed limit, a good steady average speed is what we are after here. Do park you vehicle in an orientation that allows you to pull out instead of backing out. Use the on ramp to gain speed while merging onto the interstate, try to have a hole picked out before you get to the end of the on ramp. Remember the passing lanes are for passing if you are not overtaking someone please merge into the other lanes. Headlights on for safety, and just go with the flow, do not cut across parking lots, and always leave a little early for your daily commute. good luck

 

[aevew]

What is this interstate you speak of? I've never encountered one of them in Canada

 

[aevew]

Sidewinder, I am probably one of the least athletic people out there. The only other thing I've done somewhat seriously is ride horses, and I still haven't found many parallels between that and disc golf.

 

[ILUVSMGS18]

As a tallish (6'2"ish) male that has problems with OAT I know exactly how you feel. I'm still not comfortable with a X-Step and I for some reason can't seem to throw Anny BHs that go right but still come back left. I would suggest that you a FH and see if the discs flip over and go left. I found that as I gained ground with my FH I also fixed some of my OAT, though I still have issuses with it, especially on flat to slightly anhyzer throws. I would see if you can figure out the plastics of the unknowns and that will give us a better idea of their stability and possibly help us help correct your issue.

 

[ilmcgee]

If you are serious about it, my suggestion is to buy your own discs. Get yourself a few multiples of a recommended mold. If you have multiples you can make a few pulls in a row without worrying about the feel or flight differences between different molds. You'll be able to focus more on grip and mechanics of the throw.

 

[sidewinder22]

Sidewinder, I am probably one of the least athletic people out there. The only other thing I've done somewhat seriously is ride horses, and I still haven't found many parallels between that and disc golf.

Balance yourself(counter balance your legs and arms) like your horse is trying to buck you off it to the right side or the horse is making a really hard left turn/spin. Your right foot will push the stirrup out away from the horse' right side and you will stand up/extend your right leg to brace yourself and stay dynamically upright. Your left leg will squeeze hard against the horse's left side and your left arm will also squeeze the horse/your body. And then right arm gets whipped out - boom! opcorn:

 

[lyleoross]

You will notice that SW put up video of JK who has your build and throws like an animal. SW is smart and thinks a lot about mechanics

DG and horses. When working with a horse what is your approach? Do you pull hard at the reigns, sawing the bit, or do you gently guide, moving the reins in the direction you wish the horse to turn. DG is the same. Most players think you have to pull like hell. Don't!

In horse training, one uses a light whip to motivate the horse during ground training. To snap the whip, you don't pull it hard, you move it in a motion that is gentle, puts the tip on a specific path and allows a quick flick of the wrist to snap the whip. Philosophically, throwing a disc is the same.

1. Reach back
2. Gently pull the disc forward and relax it in towards the body
3. Unbending the elbow, you snap the wrist and hence the disc, out of your hand
4. That wrist snap isn't a conscious thing, just like the wrist snap used to pop a whip isn't a conscious thing. You feel it

The movement feels very much like snapping a whip even though the mechanics are distinctly different. That feeling you have as you set up to snap the whip, with that powerful smooth wrist flick at the hit, is very much the same. Think about the mind set you have as you go to snap a whip and apply it here.

X step. No disc please. Go out into the yard and walk through it... thirty times. Make it second nature so that when you go to throw, your legs are working without you thinking about them. Don't run, don't hurry, step slowly and artfully. Many players run through it. Go look at McBeth doing fairway drives. He is slow and relaxed. He still throws 350 to 400 feet (it's the same for any top player).

Philosophically, you aren't throwing the disc, you're snapping it down the line, or more accurately, snapping it to spin it down the line. Simply spinning a disc as forcefully as you can doesn't impart enough spin or forward motion for a good drive. That wrist snap movement, taken from snapping a whip, does.

Hopefully, Aim the Chains will see this and comment. He will talk about being relaxed and not pulling at all. Be relaxed,,let your body do the work and gently guide your arm. Then snap the disc at the release point.

Last, get in your car and run over the doofus who tried to give car driving lessons. I'm less concerned about potential sexism than the observation that after 100 years of driving, someone still thinks that joke is funny. Gack!

 

[jenco]

I started a closed (women only) Facebook group called, Women's Disc Golf Analysis and Critique if you wanted to check it out! You can post questions (about anything) videos & photos of yourself throwing for feedback from the group on how to improve

Link is here; https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomensDiscGolfAnalysisAndCritique/


Another good site for some great feedback on what discs you should be throwing is Val Jenkins' Disc Golf 4 Women Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiscGolf4Women/


Glad you picked up the sport!! Hope this helps you out!

 

[EROPPER]

Always use your turn signals, and drive defensively?

 

[demon102]

I'd say get a stack of the same discs and practice with them or find the 1 disc that you have that you like the most and just play a 1 disc round. Either of those will get you knowing that 1 disc and your effect on that discs with all the variables that would come up in playing an entire course with 1 disc. I'd say try the 1 discs round before you buy a stack of discs. You will see improvements in just 1 round. After a bunch of 1 disc round I see you outdriving a lot of dudes to be honest, you're already outdriving some of my freinds who have played for years but just play casually.

 

[PBokor]

Last, get in your car and run over the doofus who tried to give car driving lessons. I'm less concerned about potential sexism than the observation that after 100 years of driving, someone still thinks that joke is funny. Gack!

I completely missed the joke and thought that post was just another example 'impaired posting'.

 

[new_sheets]

If your not already, try moving your thumb further up so your pinching closer to the knuckle joint instead of the pad. Helps me keep the nose down

 

[Puckstopper]

OP, lots of good advice here, so I won't bother repeating it. One thing that has helped my wife improve quickly is to find other, more experienced women to play with and get advice from. The simple fact is that what works for me and the guys we play with doesn't always work for our wives/girlfriends. That doesn't mean listening to SW and the other knowledgeable guys on here is a bad idea, just that you may need to tweak their advice to make it work for you even more than the guys on here do.

Demon's idea of a 1 disc round is a good one too. It took some doing, but I was able to track down a 150's Pro-D Buzzz for my wife, and she used that and a putter almost exclusively for her first couple months. This helped her understand why her other discs were flying the way they did. Best of luck and welcome.

:doh: Lighten up Francis. I love the fact that every time someone says something to a woman on this sight one of you SJWs has to ride in and play Sir Galahad and defend her honor. You talk about sexism and then display it yourself when you decide that she's not capable of defending herself from jokes/insults (and I'd say she did just fine).

 

[aevew]

Thanks all for some great advice and resources

I do wish there were more female players in my area I could go out with because there are some things that are just plain different for us vs. the guys. If I ever manage to get some photos or videos I'll check out that Facebook group.

I have a pretty large box of random discs in the garage and a big open flat park near my house, so I have been able to do a lot of field work (when it was still light when I got home) to figure out how the discs fly for me and which ones just don't work yet.

I've also had a chance to figure out some obvious mistakes (ex. that stupid wrist roll) and play around with a few tips I've seen around these forums and youtube. I have increased my driving distance substantially (I'll get almost across the park now vs. struggling to get half way when I started), but it's still a fluke if I get anywhere near putting range of the basket on a 300+ foot hole... unless it's downhill I would really like to be able to change that, but without field work as often I think it might be a springtime goal.

Back to the garage for putting practice, I guess

 

[Cool]

Best 52 minutes any frolfer can spend (Chromecast to your big screen TV, grab a chicken sandwich, and learn).

Zoe Andyke discusses basic shots and, almost more importantly, her mental approach on the links.

https://youtu.be/3LfaWJtNJMI

Aside: Steven Cain's budding DG channel here is good material. Check out his other videos and consider encouragement and a sub.

Cheers, all!

 

[Casting Timmy]

I'm learning too, I really like the "McCabe Minute" videos on youtube, he has a very simple X step. I strong arm a lot so I try and watch women throw on youtube as I believe women are a lot more smooth than men.

My two big concentrations are not locking my pointer finger in under the disc and thinking smooth and not power. Keeping my head down as well as throwing understable discs helps as well.