Feeling the Weight of the Disc

[Sad2980]

This summer I've committed myself to learning how to stop strong-arming. For some reason it took a while, but the idea of the loose/dingle arm has started to make sense to me.

I've been trying to keep my grip and arm as loose as possible until the disc reaches the hit. My goal is to grip the disc hard at the hit and extend the arm forward.

I think I might be starting to do this correctly because I can feel what I think may be the weight of the disc at the hit. The best way I can describe it is a feeling of force/pressure infront of my chest that feels tangible (i.e. I could grab this force and throw it).

The problem I'm having is that this feeling dissipates before I feel like I've acted on it. I think this might be because I'm still gripping/engaging my arm before the hit (i.e. still strong-arming but less)? Alternatively, I've been wondering if its possible that I'm not gripping hard enough at the hit? Or collapsing the shoulder/levers of the arm?

Im wondering if anyone can describe what the weight of the disc feels like to them throughout the swing. When do you notice the weight and how do you react to it?

 

[Dingus]

For my big throws the "heavy disc" feeling is way behind the hit at the start of the pull. Curious to hear the other takes.

 

[RFrance]

It took me a long time to understand the "feeling the weight of the disc" concept. In the past, I had thought you felt the weight of the disc kind of like a g force on a roller coaster as it started forward. My "aha moment" was when I realized that you need to feel the weight of the disc as soon as you pick it up in your hand! It is an object just like the hammer. I didn't understand before because the disc is so light. But just like a hammer, the disc is an object under the influence of forces and it takes a certain amount of time for those forces to act. If you try to get the disc to swing too fast you disrupt the sequence of events/forces. That's why SW22 emphasizes swinging a hammer. After finally getting it, I was then able to swing the disc like a pendulum and feel the rhythm. It also goes along with the ball on a string concept as well.

 

[seedlings]

I don't have it all sorted out, but the disc feels weightless in the pocket, and like I'm leaning back against it's weight as it comes out.

 

[jenb]

I think there's a difference between felling the weight of the disc and "feeling the hit." If you are trying to feel the hit, the usual advice is to go heavier and larger diameter. A 200g Condor is legal for play and also rolls for days. Recommended.

 

[Dingus]

If you are trying to feel the hit, the usual advice is to go heavier and larger diameter. A 200g Condor is legal for play and also rolls for days. Recommended.

I have never heard this advice outside of a Ken Climo clip from the 90s when he was saying all world records would be held by extra large diameter discs. Where exactly are you hearing this?

 

[sidewinder22]

I have never heard this advice outside of a Ken Climo clip from the 90s when he was saying all world records would be held by extra large diameter discs. Where exactly are you hearing this?

Maybe...

The baseball bat is the closest analogy I can think of, and choking up on a hammer is similar as well. Toothy kinda explained it, basically its moving the center of mass either out further or in closer along the same lever. You don't grip the center mass on a disc, but you do throw the center mass, so it does change slightly given the diameter of a disc. The closer the center mass to the hand the more it becomes like a simple projectile like a baseball, whereas throwing a Condor is much more like throwing a hammer. The closer the center mass to the hand, the more forgiving of crappy leverage/form or more accurate as you say. That is why little leaguers are often taught to choke up on the bat.

As far as disc accuracy vs diameter, I feel much more confident hitting close tree gaps off the tee with drivers as they are more projectile like, but they don't always land where you want or hit gaps further away. Whereas large diameter discs I feel more confident landing in a certain spot or placement shots and hitting gaps further away.

The Aerobie Ring is interesting because you are levering the crap out of it with all its weight on the outside rim and a larger diameter and it's also very accurate and the furtherest flying disc.

 

[FulaFirren]

This summer I've committed myself to learning how to stop strong-arming. For some reason it took a while, but the idea of the loose/dingle arm has started to make sense to me.

I've been trying to keep my grip and arm as loose as possible until the disc reaches the hit. My goal is to grip the disc hard at the hit and extend the arm forward.

I think I might be starting to do this correctly because I can feel what I think may be the weight of the disc at the hit. The best way I can describe it is a feeling of force/pressure infront of my chest that feels tangible (i.e. I could grab this force and throw it).

The problem I'm having is that this feeling dissipates before I feel like I've acted on it. I think this might be because I'm still gripping/engaging my arm before the hit (i.e. still strong-arming but less)? Alternatively, I've been wondering if its possible that I'm not gripping hard enough at the hit? Or collapsing the shoulder/levers of the arm?

Im wondering if anyone can describe what the weight of the disc feels like to them throughout the swing. When do you notice the weight and how do you react to it?

Before you can feel the weight of the disc, you need to feel the weight of the arm. Let your arm swing back as your lower body moves forward. Fight the urge to spin your hips early and just wait for the arm to sort of settle at it's peak "reachback". Then "gradually" accelerate it with your body, no jerkiness. This whole sequence can be sped up after you feel the pendulum. Getting ahead of the pendulum means you lose all that free power and likely makes your arm collapse into your chest. From there there is really no telling where the disc is going as you need to arm it hard for it to go anywhere.

As for actually feeling the weight of the disc, or "leveraging the edge of the disc", this is something I'm gonna try to find in my next field session. But trying to do this without everything that comes before is useless. Also really it's not actually the weight of the disc (this never changes), it's the centripetal force that you have to provide in order to not lose the disc from your grip. This centripetal force is contingent on that whole pendulum (your body) working properly.

I also wanna add that putting is the exact same thing as a backhand drive, and it's a good way to practice the pendulum and disc pivot/weight of the disc concept. I do feel the centripetal force/the weight of the disc while putting, especially on my good putts from around 30 feet and out. Like I'm squeezing the disc with my thumb+index+middle(+maybe ring) finger pads (with a mcbeth grip), having the disc pivot out on the line. I almost feel like I'm doing a spike hyzer when i'm putting to be able to swing it on the line (as in pendulum forward more vertically as opposed to horizontally). There is a gif somewhere of sidewinder doing the hammer pound drill when putting, that's what i'm feeling (maybe someone has it saved and can post it?). Again, this doesn't work unless everything before has unwinded/swung. Rant: Even the thought of a "push putt" has me cringing, since it set me on the wrong path for many frustrating putting hours. Rant over.

Anyway think large compound pendulum that is set up with the lower body moving forward as it's winding up/swinging into position, and then unwinding/swinging out, the disc pivot off the grip being the last part. Don't get ahead of the pendulum!

 

[FulaFirren]

Too late to edit above post but:

Compound pendulum illustration:
http://cloud2.golfloopy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Compound-Pendulum-1020.gif

Vertical putt swing (1st post, 1st gif):
https://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138601

 

[azplaya25]

I've been messing around with Anthon's grip. It's very similar to the fork grip, but Josh positions his hand in a way that the disc pivots in the backswing in a perfect position to lever it out. You can really feel it by holding a disc and golf club at the same time and doing what SW22 is doing here:

 

[jenb]

I have never heard this advice outside of a Ken Climo clip from the 90s when he was saying all world records would be held by extra large diameter discs. Where exactly are you hearing this?

I've encountered it many times. This is just one example.

https://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2870985&postcount=17

 

[Discbee]

Great info so far as I read through this thread! Nice tips on getting the mental and physical idea, now I need to put it into action.