I Just Don't Get It

[Mrcpa]

So about a month and a half ago all my buddies started playing when one of our friends introduced us to the sport. Of course I bought some higher speed discs I shouldn't have so I have disc'd down as you can say and the highest speed I have is a Valk... Anyways I knew getting into the sport I would have troubles because when I played slow pitch softwall and golf I always had a tendency to pop up or get to much air under my swing... Same thing with disc golf... Also I knew I never threw a Frisbee straight but after watching countless videos and trying to throw putters and stuff I just never can throw it straight or keep it on a straight path for a while unless I throw my Mako3... Anyways does anyone have any tips on keeping it straight ... I feel like when I come through I never feel like I just know this one is going straight... always has some left to right on it like its coming out of my hand like / instead of --- .... now that's a little exaggeration but still.


Thanks

 

[MrFixIt]

Practice throwing with a putter.

 

[skizzle34]

In my opinion, as a new player your focus should be on enjoying the sport as much as possible and setting realistic, measurable goals. If you dive in head first and set expectations that are hard to meet it is easy to get frustrated and lose interest. When I first started playing I was in the same boat you are in now. I was never much of a Frisbee guy so I had very little understanding when it came to manipulating the flight of a disc. The place you will learn the fastest is in a wide open field just throwing and attempting to get the flight path you are looking for. On the course it is hard because you have a specific line you HAVE to hit to have a good throw. There are also obstacles that can stop the flight of your disc so even if you had thrown a perfectly straight shot you wouldn't know. Patience and perseverance will be your best friends.

 

[skizzle34]

I can see that looking at your profile you have a ton of questions and are very enamored with the sport but just remember you have to learn to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. There are no short cuts. It will take time to get a real grasp for this game. Focus on one aspect at a time and work the others in as you meet the goals you have set.

 

[dashiellx]

One thing I did a lot when I was starting was overpowering. Just try and make some easy throws, concentrating on form. Get your form down.

 

[VictorB]

Work on throwing an ultrastar or something straight (or whatever line you'd like to put it on) then move to putters. It will come pretty quickly with some field practice with both.

 

[roggenb3]

Find a putter you like and play catch with it. Try to get further and further apart until you're around 150'.

 

[storyboy]

One thing I did a lot when I was starting was overpowering. Just try and make some easy throws, concentrating on form. Get your form down.

This^^^ overpowering I think is the biggest mistake people make when trying to throw straight. Slow and smooth.

 

[Jay Dub]

I can see that looking at your profile you have a ton of questions and are very enamored with the sport but just remember you have to learn to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. There are no short cuts. It will take time to get a real grasp for this game. Focus on one aspect at a time and work the others in as you meet the goals you have set.

One thing I did a lot when I was starting was overpowering. Just try and make some easy throws, concentrating on form. Get your form down.

Find a putter you like and play catch with it. Try to get further and further apart until you're around 150'.

This^^^ overpowering I think is the biggest mistake people make when trying to throw straight. Slow and smooth.

All of these^^

 

[mk.ultra]

A Valk is still way too fast for a beginner and I really dislike that disc anyways because of it's high turn. It's not very forgiving if you shank a throw with too much anhyzer.

If I were you I'd pick up an Innova Star/Champion Teebird or TL.

 

[Mrcpa]

I don't know if this matters either but I don't have the biggest hands and when I try to throw anything with the fan grip it gets all wobbly or doesn't go where it should lol

 

[Didn'tSeeThatTree]

Throwing a disc straight is not easy. Don't get discouraged. Focus on the good throws, and don't beat yourself up too much for the bad throws. As long as you are having fun and look forward to playing your skill will increase...don't turn it into work haha.

The feel you describe took me a long time to develop, but eventually your form will take shape and the throws will feel more natural. Get a good neutral to slightly over stable putter and only throw it for a few rounds. I got a Lat 64 Opto Pure, and did this a few times. Made a big difference, and now it's probably my favorite disc to throw...so satisfying to watch it go dead straight for 200' .

Have fun and keep chucking!!

 

[NOStheBOSS]

you've played softball (and I assume baseball) and golf. Were you good at those sports after a month and a half?

Not trying to be rude, just being realistic. Disc golf takes practice just like any other sport. You're gonna suck for some time but as you keep playing and practicing, you will get longer and more accurate. For me it was a lot of trial and error, teaching myself and figuring things out. You can watch every video out there but it will take a lot of failure. I've been playing for 8 years and I still have trouble throwing it straight all the time.

Something I think is important is not to go looking for that magic disc that is going to make you throw twice as far and straight every time. In golf, if you are a novice, does it really matter if you have the same clubs as Jason Day and hit ProV1s? No, they aren't making you any strokes better. I believe the same for disc golf. You will get a million suggestions on here about what to go out and buy. While I will agree that starting with slower discs is a good start, don't go crazy thinking you have to go out and buy a bunch of new discs. Get whats available in your area and practice WITH THOSE DISCS (2-4 base plastic, neutral fliers). Not only will you get to learn what those discs do and get better with your form, you will break them in and they very well be your best friends on the course when you start to get good. I carried one of my very first discs with me for years and it was extremely predictable for me because I had thrown it so much.

 

[runningDoc]

It's 15min well worth the time. 5 concepts to keep before throwing.

 

[kevdiv48]

Will Schusterick's backhand driving video is an excellent one as well.

 

[LowLife]

It's 15min well worth the time. 5 concepts to keep before throwing.

as a newb that struggles with drives.... this seems like a great video. Now I'm off with these mental notes to do some field work.

 

[Hyzenberg]

The wrongly titled Paul McBeth tips video is what really helped me. (This video is all Nate Sexton with a dash of "Yup" from McBeth)

But I watched a ton of videos and did tons of field work, I probably do about 10 - 20 hours of field work a week and spend 2-3 hours a week on an actual course.

Some things that really helped me:

1. Powering down, I was swinging for the fences on every throw, form be damned!

2. Changing up your grip, I tried everything out there along with my own made up grips. I started off with a modified three finger grip. Later I found I had better distance with a four finger power grip, before settling on the stacked grip. But I tried everything, along with placing the disc in different parts of my palm. Just play around with it and have fun, find what works and what doesn't work, don't be afraid to change things up.

3. Put down the drivers, throw something like mids or putters for a while. I personally don't drive my putters I just power down a mid, plus the mids feel better in my hand. Take what you learn about driving and apply it to your mids, then step back into fairway drivers.

4. Don't worry about everyone else, be comfortable with your game. It will come with time and practice, and you'll have good days and horrible days, just roll with it and have fun.

 

[threevok]

When I started I threw on a soccer field for weeks before even hitting a course. In my first few months 91.52% of my throwing was in the field. All I practiced was throwing flat and straight with my Discraft Putt'r and Buzzz.

 

[skizzle34]

When I started I threw on a soccer field for weeks before even hitting a course. In my first few months 91.52% of my throwing was in the field. All I practiced was throwing flat and straight with my Discraft Putt'r and Buzzz.

This guy gets it. You will gain confidence and accuracy much faster in a wide open field when you can see the entire flight of a disc. The small changes are so hard to see when you are on the course.

 

[armiller]

Work on throwing an ultrastar or something straight (or whatever line you'd like to put it on) then move to putters. It will come pretty quickly with some field practice with both.

Yeah I think you could give a disc like the ultrastar a try as well. Great catch disc to boot. But I find there are some differences with grip. Something like a Z (or X) Comet is somewhat similar in flight, though not as good for catch.

Find a putter you like and play catch with it. Try to get further and further apart until you're around 150'.

Also reasonable advice. Although I hate throwing my XT Whale during rounds, it's a fantastic catch/beach disc. Other putters like Wizards, Reefs, Putt'r, Magnet, Pure? might be good too.

Maybe even start with standstill throws, allowing yourself to focus on transferring weight from your back foot to the front while rotating your upper body properly and getting your arm motion down. As a sidenote, positioning of your feet will matter a lot. If you're throwing toward a tree, plant your right foot (assuming RHBH) perpendicular to the line toward the tree. Then make sure your left foot is NOT on the same line, but rather a half step back off the line.

It's 15min well worth the time. 5 concepts to keep before throwing.

Yup, this is a video you can watch the first day you play disc golf and then anytime you want to after that. Paul and Nate are great.