Starter discs for Ultimate players

[ribbyjazz]

I think it is the wrist flapping idea along with the acceleration. I just rip through as hard as I can through the entire motion not with the acceleration at the end that you mentioned.

When pulling my Ultrastar I usually throw really inside out or hyzer in DG terms. Along with that I release high and turn my wrist inward with my thumb pointing down at the end of the throw. With an ultra star I get a ton of loft and glide and the disc flips up flat before falling left.

I do not do this with disc golf discs unless I am throwing a big hyzer which I am usually very accurate with. With normal drives trying to throw flat, or with a little anny, or even trying to hyzer flip I have been very inconsistent. I think my weight transfer and arm motion are usually good but I realize that I am not very aware of the release itself.

I don't get much snap because I just let my wrist follow through. I think sometimes I get more snap as a result of my powerful approach rather than a focus on the late arm acceleration and wrist control. When I do that I turn stuff over big time. A couple weeks ago I thru my Blizzard Boss farther than I have ever thrown a disc by around 75 feet. I turned it over so bad that it went way over the train tracks at Edora before it faded back. It was nowhere near the hole and it was out of bounds but I remember wondering what I did to make it flip like that and I couldn't figure it out. It is all starting to make sense now. I can't wait to go out and experiment some more. Thanks again.

 

[money 21]

mako
glide
zeppelin
eclipse

 

[XCyclone]

Might be a good idea to post a video of your form in the video critique forum, might pick up some good advice. I'm kind of curious to see your throw.

As far as disc suggestions, you probably would be comfortable with a lid- http://www.discgolfreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=17697&hilit=the+lid+thread

Also, try a Discraft Comet- neutral mid that can go super far with good technique.

 

[JR]

I second the idea of the Mako for Ultimate players for size and shape friendliness and more user error tolerance than the Comet.

In order to get more spin and stability (straightness) to a disc one must stop the wrist and pinch hard with the fingers to make the disc pivot out of the palm so that when the disc rips out automatically (you aren't opening the fingers but are holding on for dear life) the last finger in contact with the disc is at the rear of the disc. If 12 o'clock is the basket on a line drive the last finger contact should be around 4.30 maybe even more. That creates over 30 revs per second and as a bonus also improves the mass/power ratio because in an ideal world the only thing moving is the disc. 175 grams is less than the disc plus the thrower. So there is a tremendous acceleration. Of course nobody is that powerful that they could stop instantaneously. Stopping the wrist does not meant not having a follow through. In fact you can rev up the disc even more by shoulder rotation (left forward right back) and pulling the elbow back from straightish to more bent. This way during the disc pivot the fingers reach the rear of the disc faster leading to more spin and speed. You can throw farther by first throwing forward finishing up a little tug backwards. Crazy ain't it and certainly not intuitive?

Disc golfers also need to turn the thumb down in the follow through. Hyzer flips with understable low fade discs make the straightest finishing flights. Leopard is the straightest finishing driver i've found. Next harder finishing discs in oreder are Sidewinder and River then Beast/Roadrunner then the straightest variants of S TDs and some of the wildly varying Flows.

Did the Boss miss right? If so it was probably a grip lock. Something that's easier to have with light discs. Pulling he arm in a straight line close to the left and right pec and not starting the arm pull before the final step lands will help in eliminating that problem.

 

[ribbyjazz]

I was just watching the masterbeato driving video and definitely think that the the disc being close to my chest will help a lot. An ultra star is so much bigger that with it I cannot bring the disc as close in just due to its size. Moving to disc golf discs I never changed this. I think that will be an easy fix. I like on the video how he breaks down practicing the different parts of the throw. Besides pulling the disc through close to the chest and punching through I am good at the rest of the form. You were dead on with your diagnosis. Grip lock was the problem.

Thanks!

 

[SpikeHyzer]

I would go with either of these:

173-175 Z-Comet
or
173-175 Z-Glide

The glide is a little bit less stable than the comet, but both are really easy disc's to throw.

 

[ribbyjazz]

Update on my quest to find the right discs for my ultimate arm.

Thank you flipflat for the lid suggestion. I was already throwing lids but the forum led me to some new stuff. I got a Rattler and love it. It looks like it is just a mini Ultrastar. I need to break it in more but I am almost as accurate with it as my polecat on forehands and I can put a little more touch on it than the polecat which is awesome because it usually keeps me closer to the basket on a miss. In the wind the Rattler popped up less than the Polecat on longer approaches. That kept me way closer to the basket as the wind grabbed the polecat and took it way left. I have to put a little more anny on Rattler than I want for RH forehand outside in curves at the basket. I hope that as it breaks in I can do less of that. I also saw on the forum that they make more rubbery ones which I think I will like. Mine is very stiff.

On that note I was talking to Bill Wright at Wright Life yesterday. I know Bill from Ultimate and all the other disc sports he plays so I knew he would have some good advice. He likes throwing less discs but discs that are more versatile. He throws lighter discs and / or more under-stable discs that he can do a lot with. As an ultimate player that is my game. I can thrown an Ultrastar in a myriad of ways accurately. Bill also said that he likes to flip stuff for distance from a hyzer angle because he has more power there than he does when he tries to throw flat or anhyzer. I am the same and think that it is partly an ultimate thing as to throw flat with an ultrastar I usually flip it flat unless the throw is really close.. In my initial testing trying to throw closer to my chest I have gotten a lot less distance and power. I still need to go out with a pro and have them watch me and/or get some videos up for people to critique.

My plan is to thoroughly test all the discs I have with the various throws that I have in my arsenal from Ulti. I am hoping that I find discs that are the best in my bag at more than one thing so that I can start to master their potential and leave the other stuff at home at least for a little bit. On that note some of the discs that I just bought may fit that bill.

On the trip where I bought the Rattler I also got a Z Buzz, 175 and a Z Stalker, 168. These are both great. What I like about both of them so far is that they are so forgiving. If I don't throw them perfectly they still go close to where I wanted them to go. I like that I can throw the stalker at shorter distances also. I still need to go throw some flicks with the Buzz. I am hoping that it is the disc I start to use for those over 200 shots where I want the disc to end right.