super sekret teqniques

[TheLastBoyScout]

While Powerballs and squeeze grips will help to build hand strength, you may want to try these alternatives as well.

Odd Shaped Object Squeeze: Find an object that you can fully cover with your hand and squeeze. it doesnt have to have any give to it (like a tennis ball does), your basically just training your grip endurance. By squeezing on an odd shaped object, you end up with different grip points, so not all fingers get worked in quite the same way. A ball of parafin wax works great for this.

Resisted Grip: Take a set of power bands (resistance tubes) and anchor one end to a pole/tree/something sturdy. On the opposite end, connect a carabiner to the bands and then connect it through a champion plastic disc. Yes. Im asking you to cut a hole into a sturdy disc. Not DX, Not Pro, and Not Star. You want a disc that will not flex much, so the stiffer the disc the better. Just cut a hole right on the edge where the flight plane meets the rim. Do not cut into the rim. I might also recommend doing a few differnet rim diameters as well. I have a Leopard, Beast, and Boss that i use. Basically a narrow, medium, and wide rimmed driver. The wider the rim, the harder to hold on to

Step back and grip the disc with your regular disc golf grip. Be sure to grip opposite of the carabiner as you want to feel the weight on that outer edge, just like you were actually throwing a shot. You will now want to line up as if you are doing the right pec drill. DO NOT perform the right pec drill. You do not want to make any explosive movements until you have built up strength doing this exercise. That would be more of an advanced exercise to perform once you can perform at least 5 sets of 20 reps with a 60 second break in between sets using the medium (blue) or heavy (black) bands. Be sure to start out with light resistance if you do. Just remember: Perform it too soon and you will more than likely strain or tear something. You will find that the more you stretch the power bands that much harder you have to grip to hold the disc. The further you move away from your anchor point, the more resistance you can get for trying to hold on to the disc. After doing a few reps, your arm will be burning. To add additional difficulty/resistance, you can use multiple bands at once.

If you want to just build endurance, try holding the disc out to your side as if you were aiming and just hold that position for as long as you can. And yes, your hand and arm is suppose to shake like that :roll:

 

[Blake_T1]

hrm... was hoping that someone i stepped through the drills would have been willing to write em out...

these drills allow you to bypass things like the towel that don't always translate back to a throw. these drills are the throw.

 

[cornelius]

is there any chance you would have the time to write them out blake?

 

[keltik1]

okay I'll do the first two drills. these are really only applicable to OH & FH. I hope I get them right because you went through it fast. and I'm using the Picture.

this is the grip for the Hammer drill (you may need to tape part of your hand). Hold the disc as pictured. now swing it down like you are hammering a nail. the key is to keep everything loose until the end. at the end you slam your hand forward. keeping it loose allows your wrist to break back(for a lack of a better term). this break back/hammer forward is the necessary snap for OH. don't let the disc go. do this about 5 or so times.

now turn your arm sideways and repeat the drill 5 more times. guess what you just practiced (FH for those of you that are slow like me).

after you have done the practice motion a few thousand times go out to your favorite practice field and see what happens with your FH & OH shots.

the backhand drill I wasn't privy to. but this drill is very intuitive and simple. now I just need to get my middle finger healed so I can do it myself.

and yes correct my mistakes in description of this drill.

 

[emiller3]

Has anyone tried holding a really thin towel while you throw? Or affixed a towel to your finger while you throw?

It can't turn out any worse than the pen experiment, I put a hole in the insulation and exploded a sharpie on our elliptical...

 

[masterbeato]

the towel drill is very elusive since it feels way different to have a disc in your hand.

i teach the grip in a way focusing on the disc pivot after i have had players practice the full drills that Blake already spilled out to feel the weight of the disc effectively. after people have done all of the drills i then ask them to throw a few throws with the index finger on the rim and the middle finger stacked on top, with no other fingers on the rim, but if you cannot do that than the standard 2 finger grip works as well (index and middle finger on the rim) even though ive not had success with that as much as the first grip since some people tend to rip off of the middle finger. remember to grip above the seam of the hand when you do this, you can feel the bounce off of the palm better.

after your wrist extends the pivot of the disc happens, swirling around your index finger (at least that is how i feel the timing of it when im really focused) and all of the other fingers are already disconnected from the rim and just the index pad pinched by the thumb. then, the disc ejects.

that is the goal to putting my own spin on it anyways. i am not sure if that is important to learn or not since maybe doing only Blakes drill will make you just do it, but this could be another option to try if you have trouble. that is what i found in some people the difference between half hitting it, and hitting all of it or 75% of it is that disc pivoting correctly, and ripping off your index pad and has you feel the timing of the grip strength.

 

[Parks]

the towel drill is very elusive since it feels way different to have a disc in your hand.

This is what I have found, and is why I've been looking for something else.

When I'm at home and bored, all I do is snap a towel. I've ripped the threads out of the end doing this. I can snap it like a motherfucker. Loud and straight.

But I have trouble doing the same with a disc, even snapping a towel a bunch and then throwing the disc. A towel is just so much more forgiving, and easier to feel the details. In fact, I can snap a towel fairly well with bad form, where I am not connecting the power from my legs to my shoulder. It could be bad disc throwing habits of 5 years being ingrained in my muscle memory, or just trouble connecting the two.

Either way, something new to try would be nice.

 

[krik72]

Thanks for posting that keltic, is the grip you posted the drill for both FH and OH?

 

[TheLastBoyScout]

Thanks for posting that keltic, is the grip you posted the drill for both FH and OH?

Yes it is.

The idea is to get the feel for the wrist breaking open and the weight of the disc trying to pivot out being felt.

The trick is the grip the disc loosely at first until you find the exact point it wants to come out. At that point you try to grip it. When you do this, you end up "Pounding the Hammer" and can feel the tendon bounce cause your wrist to recoil just like when you hit a hammer on something, it kind of jumps back or recoils from the blow.

keltic also mentions taping your hand for protections. A few pointers via Blake: Use a wide rimmed driver that has had all the flashing removed so that its smooth. This way you have more surface area to grip between your fist and your thumb. Or the Grip i call the Bill Clinton or the Clinton Grip.

And one for the Lefties out there:

Im not sure how busy its going to be a work today, but If i get a chance, I might try and type out the notes I had from my phone session with Blake.

I originally planned to practice with these techniques yesterday, but after driving from job sites to job sites yesterday (7am to 4:30pm) and driving about 400 miles, I was too tired to go out and practice.

so, rehashing my notes into a coherent form might be worthwhile since Im going to try and practice after work.

[EDIT: Blake, i really should have recorded the conversation. Then i could have just transcribed the good parts.]

 

[krik72]

If you can snap a picture of them Ill type them up

 

[TheLastBoyScout]

If you can snap a picture of them Ill type them up

They are all written in Short Hand. Otherwise i would.

 

[keltik1]

thanks for the fill in USAnarchy. It was late when I put that up and I couldn't remember everything Blake said on the phone. I think I was the 10th caller and he had gotten into a fast rhythm of repeating the drill. I had a disc in one hand and the phone to my ear and my wife staring at me telling me to stop throwing discs at the walls :lol: .

Bill Clinton grip??? I thought he invented the shocker.

 

[racer93]

That's funny, Keltik. I found this EXACT feeling a few weeks ago when I was trying to rebuild my FH (before my 2 year hiatus, I threw it A LOT. Now, I don't.), as it's in shambles. I found this feeling by keeping my wrist loose and doing Avery's form. Instantly I got more D from less effort with it. And yes, what i keyed in on is the feeling of the weight of the disc against my wrist/hand.

 

[TheLastBoyScout]

Alright,

Here is what I managed to bang out real fast during Lunch. I will leave the backhand "Pound The Hammer" portion to Dan Beato if he is up for it. After hearing Blake hype him up, i would feel better hearing his version of this as Im sure he has all sorts of little insights that differ from Blake's version.

I am intentionally leaving out the Flip Back method at this time, as it very well could cause people to misunderstand the "Feel" which is the whole basis for the Hammer concept.

Blake/Dan/Brad - If you see any mistakes, let me know so i make the correct changes.

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Super Secret Techniques

Hammer In

The following exercises were developed to help you gain a "Feel" of not only the timing of a throw, but the "Feel" for the pivot, or weight shift.

What you will need for this:
• A Wide Rimmed Disc with little or no flashing/rough edges
• Athletic Tape/Electrical Tape (Only if disc has a flashing/rough edges)

Fake Grip a.k.a. The Bill Clinton

Grab your Wide Rimmed Disc using the Fake Grip. Your Thumb should be on the flight plane with your fist touching the rim. (This is the point that you may want to put some tape on either your fist portion of your hand making contact with the disc, or put the tape on the sharp edge of the disc to provide a smooth area for gripping).

[Note From Blake: The fake grip forces you to flow with the weight shift of the disc, as if you don't do that, the disc will fall out of your hand.]


Keeping the grip loose, bring the disc up to your shoulder with your elbow bend down and to your side. The back of your hand should be facing your shoulder.

[Note From Blake: Start all of the "hammer pounds" with your wrist open. For sidearm/overhand swing this means that the wrist is bent back.]

Now allow gravity to cause your arm to drop down in a hammering type motion. Do not try and grip the disc, but allow it to fall out. Did you feel the weight of the disc shift as it came out of your hand? Repeat a few more times and focus on feeling the weight shift that occurs. This helps you get a feel for the timing of when to tightly grip the disc.

Now practice this same exercise, but try to grip the disc at the very last second to keep it from coming out of your hand. If done correctly, you should feel the weight shift of the disc, but more importantly, you can now also feel the disc try and pivot in your hand. If you want to imagine what is happening, lets pretend that you are holding a hammer in your hand instead of a disc. You are gripping the hammer by the very end/tip of the hammer handle. This means that if you are gripping the disc at 6 o'clock (using a clock face as a reference point) the head of the hammer will be at 12 o'clock. As you swing the hammer down, the force causes the outside weight to pivot around your grip, much like a disc does in your hand during a throw.

[Note From Blake: the key of this drill is to start feeling the weight shift of the disc and build a feeling for directing the disc's momentum more than trying to muscle it. Small motions will get the disc moving. Flowing with the weight shift of the disc is most important.]

Pounding The Hammer:

Using the above knowledge, lets now try to actually "Pound The Hammer" using some force instead of allow gravity to take over. You are trying to recreate the same "Feel" that you had in both of the previous exercises. When done right, you should feel some recoil as your wrist's tendon bounce causes the disc "bounce", much like you experience when hammering in a nail.

Using this same technique, lets turn your arm so that you now look like your trying to throw a sidearm. Perform the same "Pounding The Hammer" exercise. You should be able to recreate the same "Feel". I am sure that the recommendation for using tape will come in handy if it hasn't already.
Once you are comfortable with "Pounding The Hammer" in both the overhand and sidearm manner, then you are ready for the next exercise.

[Note From Blake: Before moving to a sidearm grip i recommend doing a half dozen vertical hammer pounds and then flattening it out and doing some sidearm hammer pounds with a flat disc. Gravity no longer initiates the motion here and it will give you a feel for "flowing" with the disc.]

3 Minute Sidearm:

[Note From Blake: The sidearm grip doesn't have to be the one pictured below. Build your own grip that gives the strongest hammer pound. This will likely be way different from any sidearm grip anyone has ever taught you.]


This is basically a reiteration of the aforementioned exercises. The only difference here is the grip. We will be using a 2 finger power grip, very much like Avery Jenkins.

The only difference being that you want to put both finger tips against the rim (Avery puts the pad of his middle finger against the rim).

Now lets "Pound The Hammer" in the Overhand hand manner. You should really start to feel the pivot of the disc. After doing this a few dozen times, switch over and start to "Pound The Hammer" in the sidearm manner. This sidearm motion is now your new sidearm throw.
Using this throw, most people will find that they can now throw a sidearm 230+ feet. Because of the motions, it will correct the need to throw stable/overstable discs. You should now be able to make your discs fly sidearm in a mirror image of how they fly backhand.

 

[krik72]

Thanks for the write ups, I plan on taking it out to a football field today so I will report back with some accurate distances (possibly with some videos).

 

[josser]

Folks, don't skip the taping your finger part for the pounding the hammer drill. After 20 or so hammers I had developed a blister and had it rip open. As you can guess I have delicate lady hands.

 

[TheLastBoyScout]

i have rough manly hands, and it will definitely start to chafe after a bit. I got tired of re-taping my hand when practicing this, and decided to just tape off an area of a disc.

Now when i want to get in a quick set or two I can with no mess or setup.

These exercises can and will benefit everyone who will take the time to use them. Just keep working them until they become second nature.

 

[bcsst26]

Here is a little info for transitioning this to backhand.

as for the hammer, don't concentrate on to the right pec or out from the right pec, concentrate on the most hammer power out in front of you and the body positions will adjust themselves.

np. and by "out in front of you" i mean towards the target. chances are you will have most power when your shoulders are still almost parallel to the target. you don't really face up at all until the point of release.

it's really a system of levers. pull the bottom of the handle forward, initiate momentum into the head, head builds inertia, snap the head.

I think this sums it up pretty nicely. This should get one to hit it at least halfway.

 

[Blake_T1]

USAnarchy's write up is pretty good. a bit different than what i have been teaching but it should still be effective.

I never did the let the disc actually fall to the ground part, but that might actually be quite effective for the first half dozen attempts at it. the key of that drill is to start feeling the weight shift of the disc and build a feeling for directing the disc's momentum more than trying to muscle it. small motions will get the disc moving, flowing with the weight shift of the disc is most important. the fake grip forces you to flow with the weight shift of the disc as if you don't do that, the disc will fall out of your hand.

something no one has mentioned...
start all of the "hammer pounds" with your wrist open (for sidearm/overhand swing this is the wrist bent back, for backhand, the wrist is bent closed).

before moving to a sidearm grip i recommend doing a half dozen vertical hammer pounds and then flattening it out and doing some sidearm hammer pounds with a flat disc. gravity no longer initiates the motion here and it will give you a feel for "flowing" with the disc.

the sidearm grip doesn't have to be the one pictured above. build your own grip that gives the strongest hammer pound. this will likely be way different from any sidearm grip anyone has ever taught you.

even a cel phone video of a few "hammer pounds" should basically sum it up for most people.

 

[Hoey1]

epic.