Form Help!

[DiscusMaximus]

Thanks Sidewinder!

Think I must still be thinking about loading with it wrong.

I feel like maybe it's a symptom of trying to actually catch my weight and balance on the leg while pushing into the plant. Since your post, I've been playing around just trying to balance, gliding over it while letting my weight continue falling forward and it feels good. Need to get it on film to see if it stops the pushing. In my apartment complex I had a graded sidewalk with enough steepness to get the falling sensation that I'll sometimes practice on. Will really focus on the feeling.

In regards to standing up on the plant. I feel like I've felt how to do that, but struggled with tying it to the back leg. Haven't been focusing on it lately and obviously it's been leading to collapse.

Will focus on both in the next session and see what progress I can make. Probably doesn't quite look like it yet, but it feels like things are coming together. Appreciate the guidance as always!

 

[DiscusMaximus]

Hey again,

Been trying to fix my footwork, and I think it's improved. Might have too wide of a stance still. When I have no disc in my hand my leg kicks back behind me, but as soon as I try to throw, it more stays where it is. Think I'm not rising with the back and standing up into the finish position better though.

Again, with no disc in my hand, I'm getting a very defined wrist break/snap now, but it doesn't quite seem the same with a disc. I don't seem to keep my hand on the outside long enough, like I'm not quite hugging the disc's weight. I feel like I'm close to using the right sort of power, but still kind of lost on how to pull through with it.

Throwing a ton of nose up shots. Think I'm confused about pronation through the pull. Am I supposed to be pronating my throwing shoulder/forearm as hard as I can all the way through release, and then the forces will force me to supinate towards the end in order to release? Or do you pronate through the pocket and do something of a pronation to supination move in order to get the nose down.

Any thoughts you have on that question, and anything else you might see are appreciated! Also, sorry for the no behind view today. Super windy out and I had to use my car doors to keep my tripod from blowing over...

 

[Brychanus]

Hey again,

Been trying to fix my footwork, and I think it's improved. Might have too wide of a stance still. When I have no disc in my hand my leg kicks back behind me, but as soon as I try to throw, it more stays where it is. Think I'm not rising with the back and standing up into the finish position better though.

Again, with no disc in my hand, I'm getting a very defined wrist break/snap now, but it doesn't quite seem the same with a disc. I don't seem to keep my hand on the outside long enough, like I'm not quite hugging the disc's weight. I feel like I'm close to using the right sort of power, but still kind of lost on how to pull through with it.

Throwing a ton of nose up shots. Think I'm confused about pronation through the pull. Am I supposed to be pronating my throwing shoulder/forearm as hard as I can all the way through release, and then the forces will force me to supinate towards the end in order to release? Or do you pronate through the pocket and do something of a pronation to supination move in order to get the nose down.

Any thoughts you have on that question, and anything else you might see are appreciated! Also, sorry for the no behind view today. Super windy out and I had to use my car doors to keep my tripod from blowing over...

Some of that looks better but I kind of want to reorient you to natural motion. You look like you're getting your legs into the rut I got stuck in for a year.

Look at how kinked up and closed in your feet are in the setup. You really just need to set up exactly how you stand neutral and relaxed. Look at Kyle Berkshire - one of the best long drivers of all time - when he stands naturally and compare it to his golf stance. His feet are basically in the same relative orientation in these two images because that's how his legs work when he is standing, walking, or golfing. You are forcing yourself to be too pigeon toed I think, and trying to close off your plant foot relative to the rest of your body prematurely.


Stop thinking about form, walk around a little naturally, and stop. Now, look down at your feet. That's probably the neutral stance you need, then just widen it for your standstill. Then throw.

Walk it out, baby!
I think you also need to try this if Elephant walk isn't doing it for you to get your legs moving more like legs. Literally try a little step or march back and forth like Berkshire here. Little plant step, little rear step, backswing, plant, throw. It should feel a heck of a lot like walking.

Next, watch how Corey Ellis also has his feet neutral and actually takes a small step back prior to his backswing- Berkshire-like, but actually walking it back slightly away from the target.

 

[DiscusMaximus]

Hey Brychanus,

Always appreciate your insight!

Yeah, didn't love the look of my legs in that standstill... very awkward. Think I've maybe been exaggerating the plant leg turn back. Definitely more of an outward turn to my feet in a neutral stance. Will focus on keeping it more that way throughout the swing.

Next time I'll post a vid of both the elephant walk and the kyle berkshire drills. I've never quite been able to get the swing to feel like walking. Hopefully I'm getting a better feel for the motion pattern, so revisiting these will yield results more in that direction.

Thanks as always for the review! Wouldn't have made half as much progress without you and sidewinder.

 

[Brychanus]

Hey Brychanus,

Always appreciate your insight!

Yeah, didn't love the look of my legs in that standstill... very awkward. Think I've maybe been exaggerating the plant leg turn back. Definitely more of an outward turn to my feet in a neutral stance. Will focus on keeping it more that way throughout the swing.

Next time I'll post a vid of both the elephant walk and the kyle berkshire drills. I've never quite been able to get the swing to feel like walking. Hopefully I'm getting a better feel for the motion pattern, so revisiting these will yield results more in that direction.

Thanks as always for the review! Wouldn't have made half as much progress without you and sidewinder.

Yes I would post those.

A huge part of what people struggle with making the move feel like walking is the balance.

When you walk or run forward, your CoM is not moving a very big distance left to right.

The sideways shift for the BH is fundamentally using the same motion pattern and balance, but it is increased in that sideways direction relative to forward walking, even if you use a narrow stance. Most people aren't used to that and don't like to feel off balance, which is why they tend to get trapped between their legs and crimped/pretzeled up in various ways.

When you walk forward, your body naturally balances like Pratt talks about here. You need to be balanced like this when you shift like Ellis or Berkshire, or it won't feel like walking.



You can't really "see" balance otherwise, but Berkshire is doing exactly the same thing Pratt is talking about as he transitions his weight to his front foot. Notice the whole axis of his upper body is aligned on that balance plane, too.

 

[DiscusMaximus]

Hey guys,

Taken quite a few videos over the past month, but I didn't really feel like I made enough progress to post. Over the past week or so, I feel like I've had some breakthroughs though. Still a lot of improvements needed, but I think my footwork is finally heading in the right direction. The way I'm pulling feels completely different. I realized my conception of swinging like a hammer was off quite a bit, and leading me to pushing, strong arming, and throwing nose up perpetually.

I now feel like I'm slinging it out there. I need to reorient where I'm pulling the disc through. I'm pulling way too high and it's not making it close to my CoG. It does seem like a dingle arm though, and even though it kinda looks like it, I don't think I'm rounding exactly any more (you guys tell me if that's wrong though).

Working on the footwork changes prescribed and shawn clements weight shift video were the catalyst to make these changes, although it's definitely a culmination of all the info I've consumed. The 'fall, fall' from Shawn Clement with the disc falling into the pocket has been a swing thought that's really helped. Not having the disc fall in the right place quite yet, but it's put me on the right path, I think. Struggling with that a little bit though. So many times I've read the plant foot needs to be stable before swinging, but when I do the first 'fall' it seems the second has to come with it pretty much. Does it seem like that's a symptom of the backswing finishing to early? Or perhaps my balance is still centered too far backwards? I have been able to accomplish a waltz-like plant/step-through that gets the back leg travelling behind me like it's supposed to, but not consistently and not on camera unfortunately.

Also unfortunately, although I did video a couple instances of elephant walk and Berkshire drills, Clipchamp no longer lets me log into the desktop version with my google account. So the videos appear to have been deleted. Can log in to the online version, but it doesn't seem to have backed up the original source videos. Will film again and post next time.

I've also linked to two side and two back views as usual. Hoping it looks like my footwork is better, but please do tell me if things look wrong. I pumped 5 discs out to 410-420 range, which is far for me. Not where I want to be, but breaking through the 350 plateau gives me hope this is the right direction.

 

[sidewinder22]

1. Posture - Anterior pelvic tilt and spine extension. Bring your navel toward your belt buckle so your chest is more over the disc instead of arched away.

2. Rear arm chicken wing behind your back. This is related to #1. Keep your rear elbow close to body.

 

[DiscusMaximus]

Thanks Sidewinder,

The Anterior Pelvic Tilt has plagued me my entire adult life. I'll see what I can do to counter the muscle imbalance.

Off-arm I'm more confident about addressing. Will definitely tighten that up and keep closed to my body.

Thanks very much for reviewing!