Relearning to Throw

[THansenite]

I started playing disc golf last July. I loved the sport and started playing several times a week. I learned some control and was working on my technique based on what felt good. I hit a plateau at a pitiful 275 to 290 or so feet. I think my biggest problem is not having my front foot planted when I release. Last season, I tried getting a later release, but I ended up just throwing the disc into the ground.

I wanted to see what you guys thought about starting from scratch this spring and rebuilding my throw. Would it work to start with no runup, just standing at the front of the pad and throwing? Then adding a single step, x-step, short runup, etc. Since I am still pretty new to the sport and haven't become totally set in my ways, I am hoping this will help me relearn how to throw the right way.

Does anyone have any other suggestions to help me to fix my problem and get a better throw?

 

[black udder]

look in the technique forum, look at the stickies at the top, there is a technique primer sticky that has 90% of the threads that most folks have said "wow, this is helpful". Go read that. There are links to Dan's 'working from the hit back' video and that's where you should start. He walks you through starting from a standing position and what you should do to work up to an x-step. Great start. There are some other video links in there as well as some great topics.

Edit: Here's the link: http://www.discgolfreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8925

There's a few hours of reading in that thread (that leads to other threads).

 

[jubuttib]

I am almost exactly like you, except I started reading this forum about a month ago. Today I broke 360' several times in the snow and was averaging around 340-350', longest throw was around 380'. Read the "stuck at 300'" sticky also, it's gold.

 

[THansenite]

Thanks guys. Hopefully, I can do some of the drills inside to get ready and start throwing again once it gets a little warmer outside.

 

[scoopa]

Good job jubuttib! I wish I could improve at your rate! I'm JEALOUS!

It's going to be exciting THansenite when you starting throwing farther from a standstill!

 

[THansenite]

It's going to be exciting THansenite when you starting throwing farther from a standstill!

That's what I'm looking forward too. There is still snow on the ground, but it is getting warmer out and I am going to play my first round of the year today. I am planning on playing a round of 9 holes with no run, just a standing throw. It is a super short course with most holes easy 2's. We'll see how I do.

 

[jubuttib]

By the way, these are the conditions we're throwing in at the moment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFzBuF4SShg
Not the best of throws grant you, it was windy, we were suffering from pretty severe muscle fatigue at that point and had to hurry because the lights were just about to turn off. Still, we did manage to break 350'. Oh, I'm the first one throwing, also featured in the last clip when I slip and fall (somewhat off-camera).

Good job jubuttib! I wish I could improve at your rate! I'm JEALOUS!

Thanks MrScoopa for your kind words, but if you really want to be jealous, the guy in the red jacket pretty much started throwing discs only about two months ago and can now throw as long as me. He's going to have to learn to watch where he's throwing before he can hit the course, but the power is there. Damn skinny, athletic people with long arms.

The last guy has worked on his driving form the least but can still manage to keep up with us somewhat. He's also featured on my youtube disc golf videos (just search jubuttib on youtube). You can see how much his form has advanced from what it was if you watch the slow motion drives video I have up.

Point being, these instructions work, so keep at it THansenite.

 

[scoopa]

That's what I'm looking forward too. There is still snow on the ground, but it is getting warmer out and I am going to play my first round of the year today. I am planning on playing a round of 9 holes with no run, just a standing throw. It is a super short course with most holes easy 2's. We'll see how I do.

Unless you get lucky your distance and accuracy will BLOW for a while

Just saying cause you sound as excited as I was. My expectations were SO high and I thought I could nail it the first week :lol: I was so discouraged. Just keep at it and your old way of throwing won't even be appealing in a few weeks.

Now I am throwing better than a few of those bombers I watched last year. That's a good feeling.

Post Videos. It helps a lot.

Thanks MrScoopa for your kind words, but if you really want to be jealous, the guy in the red jacket pretty much started throwing discs only about two months ago and can now throw as long as me. He's going to have to learn to watch where he's throwing before he can hit the course, but the power is there. Damn skinny, athletic people with long arms.

Shoot, I'd rather have your control than his power. Your throws look very different. You are throwing S shots. He is throwing Anhyzer-flex. If you two switched the lines you would probably out distance him, but still have control!

 

[jubuttib]

Shoot, I'd rather have your control than his power. Your throws look very different. You are throwing S shots. He is throwing Anhyzer-flex. If you two switched the lines you would probably out distance him, but still have control!

True true, I've noticed the same thing. Still, I have been throwing lids all my life. He's been throwing discs for two months. He'll surpass me in every aspect of the game pretty soon (we both also play proper golf, so we both have pretty analytical minds when it comes to the game itself, not just throwing), but that's fine by me. Gives me a reason the get better. =)

 

[jubuttib]

One thing I noticed yesterday while just whipping my arm after seeing a few pictures of Feldberg. Sorry for the wall of text:

I used to keep my arm on a pretty high plane while throwing, almost shoulder height at times. I saw that Feldberg (and pretty much everyone else, I don't understand how I missed this) had his arm much lower down and decided to try it. I instantly began to feel the hit like never before, felt the shoulder "pause", felt the elbow extension, felt everything more. It also helped me keep the nose down, since the arm angle was more downwards, no need to bend the wrist as much, which also helped with my release (killed pretty much all OAT I ever had).

I quickly tried it out with my putter, which I almost always turn over quite a bit when throwing for distance. This time it went dead damn straight, even held a hyzer, while going farther than before. I also had some problems launching the disc where I wanted, it almost always went right from my intended target (as you can guess from the video I linked earlier). Now it went exactly where I aimed my shoulders. This caused me to lose my disc, since it went farther than intended and straighter than I expected (I threw on the street where I live, not the supermarket on the video). Flew over a fence into a nasty hill with lots of snow. Hopefully I'll find it before summer.

Today we went back to the supermarket and I got to try this out properly. The results were nothing short of unbelievable. I had lots of trouble with my aim before, now every single throw (well, except one or two) went right where I wanted it to go, maybe 2-5' off at most (at distances of around 330'). They also went amazingly straight and long. I could reach 340-350' with barely an effort, my longest rip with a FLX Surge landing at 370', just a tad more effort. Most throws raised only about 2' above head height, definitely would have gotten longer with higher distance lines. Discs I used to hyzerflip (pretty severe hyzer sometimes) now flew the same or straighter line on a flat or minimal hyzer release. For example I threw an X Buzzz with maybe 2 degrees of hyzer, tops. It just leveled out and landed at 330'.

The only thing I did to my form (that I'm conscious of) is lower the arm. That's it. Average distance went up (if anything), accuracy and consistency went through the roof, and I'm using way less power and effort to do all of this. OAT is gone to such a degree I can rip on a Soft Challenger as much as I want and not worry about it turning over a bit (used to be a problem before). The speed of the disc seems about the same as before but it just goes on for ever at the end of it's flight.

Why am I writing this? Well, partly because I'm full of endorphins from this amazing success and had to tell someone. But mostly because if something this simple could fix almost everything I've ever wanted to fix with my throw and make me feel the hit like never before, I think it could help others. The guy in the red jacket (when the admins finally get around to activating his account he's going to be known here as turso, he's the guy who's been throwing only for about 2 months) was with me and it worked almost just the same for him. It just sucks we didn't have a camera this time to show off the results, but as soon as we get it back I promise I'll post a video.

KEEP YOUR ARM DOWN!

 

[THansenite]

Unless you get lucky your distance and accuracy will BLOW for a while

Just saying cause you sound as excited as I was. My expectations were SO high and I thought I could nail it the first week :lol: I was so discouraged. Just keep at it and your old way of throwing won't even be appealing in a few weeks.

Now I am throwing better than a few of those bombers I watched last year. That's a good feeling.

Post Videos. It helps a lot.

Yea, playing last week, I felt like I had never thrown a disc before. I think I was trying to get similar distance as last year, but with no run-up. I think I am going to go back today and just realize that it is going to take me more throws to get to the pin so that I can slow down more and concentrate on form rather than power and accuracy.

Hopefully, things will start to click and my form will be better because of it by the time the ground really dries up and I can hit the longer courses. I just want to be able to keep up better with my fiance's brother (he is the one that got me into the sport and has a pretty good arm).

I might try to get a vid up if I can't seem to get things working. If nothing else, it will allow me to see my own form and maybe show me what I am doing wrong.

 

[scoopa]

It sounds like you are prepared to devote some time. The DG Gods shined on me when I started trying to rework my form. My work schedule had me not coming in until 12 every day, so I had hours of downtime I could devote to practicing. 8)

It's great being able to surpass or give someone a good run for their money that you never could before! Oh, and being able to go for easy deuces, and possibly aces :lol:

Something I stumbled upon that really showed how much power the core has is the chicken wing throw. From my experience you can't strong arm that throw and get jack from it, but if you whip those hips and torso it FLINGS that forearm out. It was quite surprising. It's the same with the right pec.

Also, things for now are easier than at the beginning. Breaking 300' from a standstill was hard, but breaking 330 - 350' was easy once I added in a slow x-step. I'm sure getting to 400' will be another hard barrier. We'll see!

 

[black udder]

As stupid as it sounds, trying not to actually "throw" the disc and pull from the back of your reach back helps a ton as well.

Once you get that it's building momentum from rotation and staying loose allows you to get better whip power, things change as well.

Even knowing it, I find myself trying to throw it on shots I need to go the distance. The shot sucks and I remember that I'm throwing and not allowing the physics to work on my side. It's just not ingrained in memory yet.

goofy thing is that throwing relaxed and letting the physics do the hard lifting is much easier to do as well. Throwing is hard work.

congrats on your achievements. Look forward to seeing some more videos and contributions as things click and work for you. The more people that share, the more people it will click for.

 

[THansenite]

After throwing a few holes last night, I didn't have the soreness in my pec area that I had the previous time so I think I am using more body and less arm to throw. It felt a little more comfortable yesterday and the throws weren't too bad.

Regarding the mention of the "chicken wing throw", is that when you just have your arm tucked way in and the disc near your pec, then use your body rotation to whip the disc out?

 

[superdrive]

As stupid as it sounds, trying not to actually "throw" the disc and pull from the back of your reach back helps a ton as well.

Once you get that it's building momentum from rotation and staying loose allows you to get better whip power, things change as well.

Even knowing it, I find myself trying to throw it on shots I need to go the distance. The shot sucks and I remember that I'm throwing and not allowing the physics to work on my side. It's just not ingrained in memory yet.

goofy thing is that throwing relaxed and letting the physics do the hard lifting is much easier to do as well. Throwing is hard work.

congrats on your achievements. Look forward to seeing some more videos and contributions as things click and work for you. The more people that share, the more people it will click for.

I actually tried to throw first time I hit the field, because it worked with towel... well, didn't work with discs at all. After that I just let things happen and threw putters 230 from standstill. Of course I've practiced + 20h with a towel and lurked here much more than that. Exiting times.

 

[TheLastBoyScout]

Regarding the mention of the "chicken wing throw", is that when you just have your arm tucked way in and the disc near your pec, then use your body rotation to whip the disc out?

To steal a little video from some old school and hidden Blake_T video shares:

(right click and save) http://stickitdg.com/gallery/albums/album04/cwing.avi

Basically, you grab the disc upside down and throw it like a retarded sidearm, except you use your backhand grip on an inverted disc. It should look like your gripping the disc to throw a grenade or end-flip.

Schwebby bombs it too.

 

[Eagle01]

Last time I went out and threw I had been reading about late acceleration and properly using the hips opening to drive the reach back arm into position for the acceleration from pec to hit.. And I was hitting some of my personal best drives..

I realized that I had been trying to accelerate the disc from the reach back position all the way through the hit, once I made a point let the lower body rotation put the arm into position (with the arm basically relaxed) to accelerate into the hit I started seeing some Good Stuff. This includes me looking for 10 minutes on where my Pro Boss drive went where it landed a good 50-60 ft past where I was looking, ended up being one of my personal best drives (~400 ft)

 

[sidewinder22]

Regarding the mention of the "chicken wing throw", is that when you just have your arm tucked way in and the disc near your pec, then use your body rotation to whip the disc out?

To steal a little video from some old school and hidden Blake_T video shares:

(right click and save) http://stickitdg.com/gallery/albums/album04/cwing.avi

Basically, you grab the disc upside down and throw it like a retarded sidearm, except you use your backhand grip on an inverted disc. It should look like your gripping the disc to throw a grenade or end-flip.

Schwebby bombs it too.

Just last week I was playing with an old school pro who throws the chickenwing for any right turning shot, it was interesting. He showed me how to do it although I haven't really tried it. But it is all whip and he keeps his wrist cocked until the body rotation forces it out at the last second.