Short-arm Apex Pitch Putting

[jgillia]

2. Conscious effort to have thumb ending at 6 oclock (After a while it will be incidental)

will someone please explain this one to me. I dont understand. How can you have your thumb end at the 6 oclock position? At the 6 oclock position that means that your thumb is still facing you whywould you want you thumb to end hile facing you? I just cant make since of that. Im sure there is a simple explantion im just do not lear to well from reading instructions I need to see and do them. Any help with this would be appreciated.

 

[jgillia]

also another issue I am having a hard time understandin (visualising) is how do you still keep your shoulders square with the basket while still using a staggered stance.

When im in a staggered stance my left shoulder is always in front of my right shoulder (im a lefty) it just seems to me in order to be squared with the basket you will be in a straddled position.

help?!!?

 

[masterbeato]

i am going to make a new video on putting and upshots in my backyard!

so expect a video coming pretty quickly if only i can get a hold of edrift to shoot it.

 

[RustyP1]

I'm really interested in this technique, but am having trouble getting it straight in my head.

I tried it in the backyard last night and for the life of me I don't understand how you can get enough power on the disc moving your hand only 12". I was standing inside 15' and couldn't get the disc to the basket. I tried to copy the Dan Beato putting video, but with no weight shit, not extending the arm/elbow, and moving the arm forward less than a foot, the disc flopped in front of me about 5 feet away. Maybe I was exaggerating how short the motion should be, but I tried to match the video.

RustyP, your descriptions have been pretty helpful. I noticed you had some video footage of your throws on the Critique section. If you get a chance, could you videotape more about what you're explaining? Show the form and motion and wrist movement. I'm so inconsistent at putting, i'm willing to try what's working for others.
Thanks

Me and Sunspot were talking about that last night...I wouldn't mind making a video, but I'd like to get a little more practice under my belt first. I just learned this 6 days ago, so I'm still trying to get my body used to the technique However, my first putt of the night yesterday was from about 50' and I hit it dead-center, so maybe things have clicked better than I thought

I started *trying* to throw push putts with my hand releasing at the back of the discs about a month ago, but it didn't mesh well with my style (which involved a shoulder lunge and a low, chain-height, line-drive throw). Once Blake demonstrated the proper stance / arm motion / aim, releasing from the back of the disc felt MUCH more natural. I guess what I'm saying is that because I was already trying to focus on releasing from the back of the putter, I was able to ease my way into the short-arm pitch technique fairly easily.

Trying to move straight from a putting style with a lot of spin or shoulder-lunge to this technique might take a while, especially if you've been using the same technique for a long time...those muscles have to un-learn a familiar motion. It seems like the 2 hardest parts to get down are the release from 5-6 o'clock and stopping the arm motion with your hand at the belly button. Both of those things felt really unnatural the first several times I tried to accomplish them.

 

[jgillia]

another video would help tremendously!!

one more thing is ther eany way to get a better explanation the "Proper" stance for this putt. Im finding that is the one area that I am just not comfortable with.

I also am having a problem pulling my putts to the left at time (again, Im a lefty) what could be the main cause of this?

When things all feel like im in sync I go on serious hot streaks (17 in a row from 28' last night) but I still have times when I shank 15' like crazy I think its cause Im overthinking at times.

 

[RustyP1]

2. Conscious effort to have thumb ending at 6 oclock (After a while it will be incidental)

will someone please explain this one to me. I dont understand. How can you have your thumb end at the 6 oclock position? At the 6 oclock position that means that your thumb is still facing you whywould you want you thumb to end hile facing you? I just cant make since of that. Im sure there is a simple explantion im just do not lear to well from reading instructions I need to see and do them. Any help with this would be appreciated.

"6 o'clock" doesn't refer to the direction of the thumb, but rather the spot on the disc (if it was a clock face) where the thumb-print should be upon release. Check out the pic above of me holding the disc in my hand...my fingers remain in roughly that same position during the swing; it's the wrist opening that allows your thumb to end at/near 6. Upon release, my fingers will open up a little more to make sure there's a clean release, but my thumb remains in the same spot in relation to the rest of the hand.

 

[RustyP1]

also another issue I am having a hard time understandin (visualising) is how do you still keep your shoulders square with the basket while still using a staggered stance.

When im in a staggered stance my left shoulder is always in front of my right shoulder (im a lefty) it just seems to me in order to be squared with the basket you will be in a straddled position.

help?!!?

Here's my stance (RH): lead foot is turned about 35-degrees away from the basket-line. Rear foot is in line with putter, which is in line with the basket. My upper body has a natural tendency to adjust to the same angle as my lower body, which I correct my simply rotating at the hips until my shoulders are square. For putts within 15' or so I don't use any weight shift, so my weight stays on the front foot the whole time. For longer putts, I start with my weight on the front foot, then shift slowly to the back foot then quickly back to the front foot upon release, lifting my back leg just a little.

 

[mark12b]

also another issue I am having a hard time understandin (visualising) is how do you still keep your shoulders square with the basket while still using a staggered stance.

When im in a staggered stance my left shoulder is always in front of my right shoulder (im a lefty) it just seems to me in order to be squared with the basket you will be in a straddled position.

help?!!?

i was doing the shoulder-forward stagger stance and had trouble getting this at first too. what works for me is to start with both hands holding the disc around belly button height, both feet even, shoulders square to the basket, then step back with my left foot without changing the orientation of my upper body. i get the stance balanced before taking the other hand off the disc so that i don't unconsciously twist a bit.

 

[mark12b]

I tried it in the backyard last night and for the life of me I don't understand how you can get enough power on the disc moving your hand only 12". I was standing inside 15' and couldn't get the disc to the basket. I tried to copy the Dan Beato putting video, but with no weight shit, not extending the arm/elbow, and moving the arm forward less than a foot, the disc flopped in front of me about 5 feet away. Maybe I was exaggerating how short the motion should be, but I tried to match the video.

sounds like you've got the push part but not the pop part. to add pop, be sure there's some loft in your throwing motion, and use finger spring to add a little fling to the throw. there may be other things but these have been helping me when one of those turd-shots comes out.

 

[JR]

2. Conscious effort to have thumb ending at 6 oclock (After a while it will be incidental)

will someone please explain this one to me. I dont understand. How can you have your thumb end at the 6 oclock position? At the 6 oclock position that means that your thumb is still facing you whywould you want you thumb to end hile facing you? I just cant make since of that. Im sure there is a simple explantion im just do not lear to well from reading instructions I need to see and do them. Any help with this would be appreciated.

"6 o'clock" doesn't refer to the direction of the thumb, but rather the spot on the disc (if it was a clock face) where the thumb-print should be upon release. Check out the pic above of me holding the disc in my hand...my fingers remain in roughly that same position during the swing; it's the wrist opening that allows your thumb to end at/near 6. Upon release, my fingers will open up a little more to make sure there's a clean release, but my thumb remains in the same spot in relation to the rest of the hand.

My memory fails me if Blake's written of this before. I can't write for Blake on this because I don't know how exactly he does this. It could be the law of continuing motion. If you move your arm forward with the grip at 12 or 3 o'clock doesn't really matter where as long as it's less than 6 o'clock. Move your arm forward very quickly, open the wrist, stop your wrist straight and the disc will still move. Provided your grip is tight enough the disc will pivot in your hand or fingers changing what have you initial grip position to a 6 o'clock release. If this is the way Blake does it it's gonna need the quick acceleration that Blake has advocated to avoid spraying. This will incidentally spin the disc making the onset of fade if any later.

Getting distance in a putt while having and holding the hips and shoulders square is very much dependent on the quick arm push forward. At longer ranges than the arm alone can provide also weight shift forward comes in to play. Along with throwing the disc higher and not having the front of the disc higher than the rear.

 

[rusch_bag]

Am I suppposed to be pushing the putter with my palm or no?

 

[JR]

Am I suppposed to be pushing the putter with my palm or no?

That's what Blake suggests.

 

[rusch_bag]

Man that is awkward feeling.

 

[Blake_T1]

JR summed it up well. acceleration is the key.

rusch: it's more of a quick nudge off the palm. that nudge is really what ejects it from the hand. it's easier to learn to do this without a follow through.

 

[sunspot]

Man that is awkward feeling.

Start off closer to the basket to feel the putt-- 5 or 10 feet. It's easier to get a handle on if you're not too far away from the basket. After you're confident with you're progress, move back a little bit.

 

[jerrod]

Man that is awkward feeling.

Start off closer to the basket to feel the putt-- 5 or 10 feet. It's easier to get a handle on if you're not too far away from the basket. After you're confident with you're progress, move back a little bit.

This is exactly what I did to start feeling this put. 5 feet away and forced myself not to follow through. Kept doing that till I hit about 20 feet then I started to work my follow through back in. Every time my putts start feeling off I do the same thing over again to remind myself of what the core movements of this putting style are. I would say that I am still throwing something that is a little hybrid but my putting has improved a lot.

 

[Autiger1291]

Trying to attempt the short arm put here lately. It sounds like the upper arm movement that generates the power feels jerky to me. Maybe that's just the way I am doing it, but it was a little painful this evening. I must say this is a very frustrating project. Can't seem to get a disc flight that I'm happy with. Does any body have a small mental checklist that they use for basic form?

 

[Beetard]

Try to putt with the extension of your wrist only. You may have a little bit of incidental forearm and upper arm movement, but the key is you want the disc to start a couple of inches below belt level and only leave a couple inches above and only like 10" forward of your body. Your upper arm shouldn't be involved very much.

 

[Autiger1291]

"Start moving your upper arm up and down, the rest of your arm should follow like a pendulum. Keep the disc flat the whole time and straight in line out from your body ranging in height from the at rest position to the top of your stomach/bottom of your chest. The disc should be moving in an up-and-out line. Notice how your elbow will have to straighten a bit in order to keep the disc flat as it gets farther away from your body. Your elbow and wrist motion will be incidental as the only active motions are the movement of the upper arm and the movements associated with keeping the disc flat and straight in line. If your shoulders are square, this line should be exactly the same regardless of your choice of stance." -Blake T.

That's a quote from his article on short arm putting. Maybe I'm just reading it wrong, but it seems that the upper arm is the original movement.

 

[Blake_T1]

i wrote that long ago and have had to change styles a bit to compensate for my primary putter(s) being retooled/discontinued.

what i've learned since then is that there's really only 3-4 things that are important in putting and they are things that pretty much can be found in the forms of most of the best putters in DG.

1. wrist extension (and the resulting release from slightly behind the disc).
2. finger spring.
3. nudge off the palm.
4. release before max extension.

the upper arm is the original movement with an underhand pitch motion, but it isn't necessary to putt with an underhand pitch motion. i can say that keeping everything in a straight line will improve consistency, but there's other ways to power putts. how the disc is released is the key.