Good control, but no distance?

[Mr. America]

I realize this may be hard to help with, without seeing my "technique" or lack there of.

I've been practicing a lot lately. Today was the first time I actually started measuring distance. I knew I wasn't very long anyways. Took the laser range finder out and was maxing out at 240ft, and averaging 220-230ft controlled. By controlled I mean, I didn't measure any that went way outside of my imaginary fairway I was aiming for in the field. the last several rounds of throwing my mids and drivers, I was hitting the "fairway" (about a 15 yard wide area between two objects) 8 or 9 times out of 10. I was very pleased with that, but the distance is still a little lacking.

My drivers are three valkyries, and two leopards. They were nice level flights or so I thought, not very nose up, not big hyzer meathook type shots, nice gentle fades at the end, sometimes alittle S action on them. I was getting almost just as far with my mids two sharks and two stingrays, but I was getting them consistently left/anhyzer with little to no coming back right or straightis with fading left at the end.

I feel like I may be throwing them a little too high, and definitely not getting much umph behind the disc, looks like all my discs go the same speed virtually.

So without seeing me throw, are there any pointers or tips you can give me to look out for or try to work on more distance? I'm using a smooth and easy x step, standing still or one stepping I shank everything way right on a big nose up hook.

 

[drickanderson]

I was where you are about a month ago, and really started to work on Snap. I started playing with just my Buzzz, and focusing on the techniques found in those 'more snap 2009' videos on youtube. Helped a TON.

I'm now getting my Buzzz out to 240-260' and my drivers around 300'. Made a big difference.

Being on this board helped a lot too. Just wait until the more experienced players get in here. They help a lot. You picked the right place to be

 

[snappyfingers]

In case you were interested...

 

[El Oso Peligroso]

it would help to see a video of your technique, but there's two areas where new players hurt themselves in terms of distance drives. The first is not pulling back enough. Think of a golf backswing. When you want a lot of power you would bring the club back very far, and the same is true of disc golf. At the peak of your windup, your arm should be almost completely extended 180 degrees away from your target. Think of pointing the exact opposite direction from where you want to throw.

The second thing is the "hit", or the moment you release the disc. This is the moment that matters, and everything else you do in your throw is just to set you up for this. It should feel like snapping a towel at someone. As you come through from your "backswing" (for lack of a better word), move in a straight line towards your target. Don't think about power until the disc passes the middle of your body, and from there just make that big snap as fast as you can.

If you do both of these things, you'll definitely see an improvement in distance. I'm not a cannon arm myself but I've gone from throwing 300' max to 400' max over the last year and these are the two things that helped me get there. Just watch a lot of youtube videos of people driving, particularly slow-motion ones to really get a feel for exactly how the mechanics of snap work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8dD2ECIpLs&feature=related would be a good start.

 

[lokirising]

I've been playing 9 hles with just my DX Shark 150 and DX Shark 170. Just throwing those helped my distance. I've even played with just my 170 Polecat.

 

[BrotherDave]

I'd say you're probably still strong-arming your discs, which is a big no-no. Combine that with throwing with incorrect nose angles and you won't get much distance. It all boils down to throwing with your body, legs and core, more than your arm. Your arm is more of a guide than anything and the only muscles you should use in it really is to grip your disc tight (b/w your thumb and index finger) just as you are about ready to rip the disc out of your hand. The trick is to "feel" the weight of the disc as you drag it around your body smoothly and as straight as possible, slowly accelerating the "pull-start engine" motion and then accelerating like crazy as you begin to pull it by your pec. All of this done correctly, with smooth x-steps, good weight transfer forward and good synchronization of your movements, i.e. not starting your pull until you've planted your pivot foot, results (hopefully) in the disc ripping out of your hand in a whip-like motion.

The snap vid snappyfingers posted is excellent, it's the "theory" portion of the class. This vid is the applied science part.



I also highly recommend reading this article on some gripping and angle/plane fundamentals, Grip it to Rip it: The Ins and Outs of Grip.

 

[sidewinder22]

Just adding to the above posts, lots of players also struggle with reverse pivot:

 

[nabaah]

If you go to discraft's web site they have lots of video on just about anything that you want to work on. You should see them right on the main disc golf page.

 

[medicinalfunk]

I've even played with just my 170 Polecat.

you, sir, are a braver man than i

 

[djjeremiahj]

keep throwing...
we can sit and help you refine your throw, but until you build your distance there= isnt miuch we can help you refine. We cant help you with "strenght / arm speed".

when you can push your valkyrie to 275' (course distance) and your leopard 250' come back and ask us some questions... until then, you arent strong enough...
(sorry to be the one to break it to you...)

be patient, keep throwing, you'll get distance soon enough.

 

[BrotherDave]

keep throwing...
we can sit and help you refine your throw, but until you build your distance there= isnt miuch we can help you refine. We cant help you with "strenght / arm speed".

when you can push your valkyrie to 275' (course distance) and your leopard 250' come back and ask us some questions... until then, you arent strong enough...
(sorry to be the one to break it to you...)

be patient, keep throwing, you'll get distance soon enough.

I wouldn't go that far.

Here's another tip that might help. Since you seem to have some basic fundamental issues, get a friend and throw a lid back and forth. I got a Superhero dog disc, 130g, and it really helps you to throw smooth. Plus, with a buddy, you can get a lot of reps in.

 

[djjeremiahj]

I wouldn't go that far.

Here's another tip that might help. Since you seem to have some basic fundamental issues, get a friend and throw a lid back and forth. I got a Superhero dog disc, 130g, and it really helps you to throw smooth. Plus, with a buddy, you can get a lot of reps in.

if the guy maxes out in an open field @ 230' with a valk, that's like 210' course distance.

i understand what you all are saying, but adding all the techniques to refine the throw when there is no throw isnt as useful as it could be. Learning proper technique will help at any stage but until you get the minimum throwing capacity it's slightly irrelevant.

when he can push the Valk to 275' in a field, flatten it and get it to "s", our advice is second to arm speed / strenght. Luckily for him, going from 200' to 300' usually takes about a month (or so) with practice.

Having the suped up sports car doesnt really make a difference if the driver is an old granny who wont get the car past 30 mph.

 

[craftsman]

You're dumb
so your advice to kids and ladies is come back when you can throw further?

Op, throwing higher is where distance comes from- you just need to ensure a proper grip and pull through close to the body will ensure the front wing(nose) is down.

Your distances are common it's just everyone on the Internet is a liar or torqn' (some are actually just good). You're better off with your start then torqin further. I'd guess you're plating at around 2:00 for your one steps instead of 12:00. Distance will come from better reachback but I think height and nose down could be a better focus for you now.

 

[quietroom]

it worked for me

I don't know if this will help you or not, but I had the same issue and it worked well for me. Try twisting harder at the waist right before you get to the edge of the pad. Just say to heck with accuracy for a throw or two and practice that torque right before the release. Concentrate on winding kinda like a rubberband and then keep your release level. You may also want to find a decent fairway driver like a tee bird or leopard that are designed to help you learn. Hope it helps.

 

[Mr. America]

keep throwing...
we can sit and help you refine your throw, but until you build your distance there= isnt miuch we can help you refine. We cant help you with "strenght / arm speed".

when you can push your valkyrie to 275' (course distance) and your leopard 250' come back and ask us some questions... until then, you arent strong enough...
(sorry to be the one to break it to you...)

be patient, keep throwing, you'll get distance soon enough.

if the guy maxes out in an open field @ 230' with a valk, that's like 210' course distance.

i understand what you all are saying, but adding all the techniques to refine the throw when there is no throw isnt as useful as it could be. Learning proper technique will help at any stage but until you get the minimum throwing capacity it's slightly irrelevant.

when he can push the Valk to 275' in a field, flatten it and get it to "s", our advice is second to arm speed / strenght. Luckily for him, going from 200' to 300' usually takes about a month (or so) with practice.

Having the suped up sports car doesnt really make a difference if the driver is an old granny who wont get the car past 30 mph.

I get what you're saying about needing to build up throwing strength, but I think you missed a little bit of my point. If you just wanted to measure flight distance I can probably max out my Valks WELL over 300ft, but accuracy/consistentcy suffers greatly. If it was all about distance traveled, I think I'd be fine. But you make fine points about just getting out and throwing, I can really feel like I've had a good workout after a couple hours practicing.

 

[BrotherDave]

BTW, TS, you are an easy candidate for the discing down movement.

Good luck and keep on huking.

 

[Mr. America]

BTW, TS, you are an easy candidate for the discing down movement.

Good luck and keep on huking.

Huh?

Anyways, after watching these videos, and doing some searching and reading. I went out this afternoon, and only threw my 3 putters. After an initial warm up, I was trying to work on the tips in this thread. I started maxing out my putters with plenty of 250-260 ft throws. Consistency was good, not great, but far from horrible. I then just started playing the first hole over and over with putters only. It's a 153ft straight shot, with just a couple holly trees 10-15 yards just in front and just on the right of the basket, perfect spot to eat good looking hyzers. Last week I was having to throw mids to get to that hole, now I'm using putters, so I guess some improvement has been made.

Mostly I was just working on a one step and trying to get a good release, like in the Beto video. I was fairly consistent, till I started getting tired. I even made one hole-in-one (not really an "ace" I suppose). Most of the bad/unacceptable throws was with the same putter. Almost all of those throws were shots the went well right and kept going, no comeback whatsoever. However, I was liking that putter better when going for "max" distance.

If I can stand the heat tomorrow, I'll try to get back out, and if I can pick up where I left off with the putters, I'll throw a few drivers and see what I get.

 

[djjeremiahj]

I get what you're saying about needing to build up throwing strength, but I think you missed a little bit of my point. If you just wanted to measure flight distance I can probably max out my Valks WELL over 300ft, but accuracy/consistentcy suffers greatly. If it was all about distance traveled, I think I'd be fine. But you make fine points about just getting out and throwing, I can really feel like I've had a good workout after a couple hours practicing.

if this is the case, i'd wonder if you need heavier or different discs.
You are throwing one of the most accurate discs, and if you are only seeing 2/3 of the distance controllably, obviously your form is off, but it could be as simple as a new disc.

 

[Mr. America]

My DX Valk, is marked as 175g, the two champions I have aren't marked as best I can tell. My Leopards are marked 150g and 168g.

Of all the disks I have multiples of I can't seem to pick out anything between weights.

 

[agent_peebody]

generally the lighter weight ones will have more high speed turn, because you'll be throwing them harder than the heavies.