Polite Ways to Help New Players?

[ryanrockmoran]

Brief background. So my home course is fairly short and largely wooded. Longest hole is 425' and most are somewhere between 250' and 300' or so. So despite having a noodle arm (Aviars - 210', Truths - 250', River - 280), I will generally be driving with a mid and maybe discing up to a fairway on some holes.

Anyways, today I was playing just a mid and putter round to work on form when I ran into two guys in front of me on hole 16. We got to chatting and ended up playing the last three holes together. During the course of this I learned that for driving they exclusively flicked Blizzard Katanas and Champ Bosses respectively. I think they used them for upshots as well although they both had a DX Colt for actual puts. I tried to casually extol the virtues of discing down, but I am not sure I got anywhere and didn't want to press it and be rude or insulting...

So that's my question as I am sure you fine folk have run into similar situations. Do you have a specific newbie "come to jesus" strategy? I am tempted to not bother, but I like to be helpful and I definitely wish someone had talked to me when I first started and was playing the same course with a DX Beast and a godforsaken Groove.

 

[Stardoggy]

Unless it's kids, I don't offer advice unless asked. Many people are quite happy flicking their Champ Bosses and Blizzard Katanas and calling it a day.

Kids are dumb and need all the unsolicited help they can get.

 

[roggenb3]

Unless it's kids, I don't offer advice unless asked. Many people are quite happy flicking their Champ Bosses and Blizzard Katanas and calling it a day.

Kids are dumb and need all the unsolicited help they can get.

Exactly this. I don't even give the people I play with all the time tips unless they ask (and most of them could use some help).

 

[Keller]

The only time I offer help is when I see someone struggling (Usually a total neewb) or if someone sees me make a particular shot and they say "wow! How did you do that"? At least then I know they are open to wanting to learn something.

Otherwise, I just shut up and play my game.

Like recently when I threw a Leopard on a tunnel shot and had a putt, and the guy I hooked up with flexed a FH Wraith into jail, he asked what I threw, I said a Leopard, his reply: I have too much power for a Leopard. I knew then to just keep my mouth shut. The hole was only 280ft.

 

[ODRB]

I have too much power for a ....

Yup. Gotcha.

 

[New013]

Make fun of them constantly for throwing high speed discs on short holes and then when they say something back dare them to play putter rounds like real men

 

[air show]

Just say... I hate when that happens.

 

[JC17393]

When in the shop, I try to steer new players away from making 13 speed drivers their first purchase and do what I can to put disc in their hand that will promote fast improvement of solid technique.

When on the course, I try to stay away from offering unsolicited advice to anyone no matter their skill level (though I don't hesitate to give my friends **** for poor choices). As others have said, some folks are happy to just "hack" their way through the course with whatever they have. They're not aspiring to be the next McBeth or Wysocki or even the Rec division winner at the next local tourney.

That said, I have given a few players a "come to Jesus" type moment just by throwing in front of them. When I'm reaching holes with a putter or a mid that they're not getting close to with their best possible throw of whatever disc they've got, it can be eye opening for them. They inevitably ask how I did it, and the answer is always the same: choosing the right disc for the task and practice. They're already "practicing" if they're regular players. So they want the magic bullet and maybe "choose the right disc" is the bullet they need. Then that leads to talk about discs and convincing them that slower, more controllable discs will make them better in the long run.

But you can't teach the unwilling. It's up to them to ask the questions.

 

[McLovin]

I have a guy I work with that I took out at the beginning of last year for a round. He was immediately hooked. He's an older guy, upper 50's, and wanted to go out and buy discs right away. He asked for suggestions so of course I gave him multiple options of some great neutral mids that would help him learn proper form. Of course he doesn't listen and buys high speed drivers. Took him 6 months of throwing bosses and I finally talked him into buying a diamond. He now has over 20 of them. Still can't throw over 100', but if I get him to make one positive step every few months I'll take it. He asks for advice at work, but he just can't transition that to on the course. But when we play it's all about having fun and that's all that matters to him.

 

[armiller]

I met a 17 year-old guy last weekend who's sponsored by Innova (or at least gets free discs and some entry fees and travel money...) We played a few holes together just because we were stuck behind a slower group on the last part of the course. Pretty quickly I realized he was out-throwing me while always 2 speeds under me (e.g. I throw Wraith on hyzerflip, he throws Thunderbird on hyzer). I probably could have used some advice...

 

[Chaz58]

I first started playing DG about 2 years ago, and about 25 years or so past my prime with a bad shoulder to boot. I took all the advice I could get from the more advanced players I do rounds with on a regular basis in addition to watching a ton of youtube vids. These guys are all in their late 20's and have already been playing about 10 years or more. While they might be impressed with how much my game has improved in the short time I have gotten into DG, plus only getting out to do rounds about once a week until winter sets in, I know that I am about as good as I am gonna get with a 60th b'day right around the corner and pretty much play for the enjoyment and exercise as these guys used to beat my arse royally almost every time (nothing like playing against/with guys who can regularly park it 5 feet from the pin from 320 feet while I max drive about 280 feet and average about 250 - 260). That said, I DID follow advice and dumped (gave away/traded) almost every disc I had that was over a 10 rated speed as I soon realized that without my FH anymore I could not properly throw the faster rated discs hard enough. Now my fastest rated driver is a 10 Beast and all my other drivers are 9's (Fury, Sidewinder, good old Valk) and only keep a 13 rated Champion Blizzard Boss for those dogleg left drives that are about 240 feet in distance. I'll occasionally use my 7's (Teebird and River) off the tee as well. I also learned that accuracy off the tee and being able to make 25 foot putts helps a ton to make up for the lack of distance compared to other players. So I proved a couple of things: you can improve if you take advice to heart, throw discs that are within your limits and not overthink your throws. Now the better players only smoke my arse MOST of time while the rest of the time I can give them a run for their money, for a while at least

 

[Keller]

I always try to help when I can,but;

 

[Binky Yutz]

But you can't teach the unwilling. It's up to them to ask the questions.

So true, there is a guy in our group that has NOT improved at all in over 4 years....he does the same exact thing over and over and expects different results. His X step is weird, his reach back is herky jerky, he sprays discs all over the course. He nearly hit someone in the face who was standing 90 degrees to his right, slightly behind the tee box (how is that even possible?). We all have politely offered to help him improve his game, (we are far from experts, but understand the basics). His response is always the same..."I just need to practice more"....and my response is always the same...."you need to change what you're doing to get different results".

A perfect example of "changing what you do" happened to me a few weeks ago. I was cooking dinner and took a hot pan out of the oven, set it down, then proceeded to pick it back up without a pot holder and I burned my hand across my palm. That did not stop me from throwing, but it did force me to change my grip, and move the disc farther out of my palm and more toward my finger tips...that one little adjustment added 40 feet to my drives.

I am always looking for ways to improve my game, and will at least try to do what others suggest....sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't....but I will usually give it a try.

 

[esdubya]

It's in your best interest to raise the overall level of skill at your home course. It's not always easy to approach players, but.. it's worth a shot. New players are insecure and this leads to the unwillingness to change how they are throwing, as it could be seen as a sign of weakness to admit you are doing something wrong.

To wit,
The better the players, the more they will respect themselves and respect the course. Good players breed more good players and before you know it issues like vandalism and substance abuse go away or get significantly reduced by having a strong community of regulars who are good players and thus passionate about their home course and chosen activity.

Regular leagues help to reinforce the idea that learning and evolving is a good thing, and provide the means to do it.

 

[Moose33]

I do private baseball instruction on the side of my day job... and the coach in me comes out when I see easily fixed form flaws. Some of the most common that are easy to fix; shallow pull back(especially on a wide rail pull), footwork that is out of sequence, release angle and disc selection.

I don't know who is giving all these newbs Destroyers, but it has to stop!

 

[davetherocketguy]

A polite way to help a new player is just ask, "Would you like some throwing tips?"

Answer No --> Move conversation on to another topic and don't worry any more about it
Answer Yes --> Give tips

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Unless it's kids, I don't offer advice unless asked. Many people are quite happy flicking their Champ Bosses and Blizzard Katanas and calling it a day.

You forgot the everpopular Idye Champeen Groove.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

The better the players, the more they will respect themselves and respect the course. Good players breed more good players and before you know it issues like vandalism and substance abuse go away or get significantly reduced by having a strong community of regulars who are good players and thus passionate about their home course and chosen activity.

Regular leagues help to reinforce the idea that learning and evolving is a good thing, and provide the means to do it.

Very true.

One thing I've noticed is experienced players overloading newbs with info... overwhelming them to where there are too many things to remember/focus on... with few of them really getting the attention they deserve. FWIW, it seems moderately experienced players (i.e. 2-3 years in) tend to do this more than truly experienced players.

We didn't amass all our DG knowledge in one day... don't expect them to.

It can be difficult to process the 5-6 different pieces of "advice" you've been hearing the past few holes... not just making sense of it in your mind, but actually translating into your body mechanics, to where your body is actually executing what you're trying to do.

I often play with fairly new player in my league, and find they improve quicker if I just point out a couple of key things they can really focus on, rather than mentioning other things I might notice at the time as well.

For example, if they're still throwing newb hyzers, you might want to focus them on getting a flat release, with no nose up or lifting their arm as they try to muscle it out there with nothing but testosterone. Let them do that a few times so they can see and really appreciate the difference in flight before/after.

Maybe tell them to focus on a single link while putting, if it seems like they need help with that... but start out simple and build slowly.

 

[Noill]

That and praise... I don't care if it's a 30' throw... I say "good job" if they threw it flat. I find new players can get much better in about 9 holes... They start to realize this isn't a beach frisbee.

Basic advice is key like BNM says... I show them a standstill throw... Keep it level and try to let the disc rip out of your hand as opposed to releasing it... Basics

That's for first timers.

New players with only a few rounds or so in have the newb hyzer thing... Get them to release flat and straight.. they then tend to throw a worm burner...but hey, it's a step in the right direction...so I say "good job!"

 

[Noill]

I'm with the majority here though on randoms throwing drivers... Whatever they want is fine with me...if they ask, then I'll drop the disc down wisdom.