What exactly do you focus on when throwing?

[Nasty Nate]

Basically, where is your focus in your throwing motion? I've been having a lot of trouble with my timing and overall form, and I am rethinking things. Everyone talks about getting power from your feet through your hips and shoulders, but what do you consciously think of to make it happen? Surely you don't think of your hips while throwing?

I feel like I'm missing something. I try to just reach back and have a straight pull, but I'm inconsistent and always doubting myself. So now I'm wondering what you skilled discers out there focus on for clean, successful drives.

I'll eventually get a form crit video up here. I just wanted to talk some disc golf theory and see what's going on.

 

[HyzerUniBomber]

I think this one that is going to vary 100% dependent on where your form is at. I've at times focused on:
1. Not letting my back heel touch the ground.
2. Staying loose
3. Not dropping my chin
4. Keeping my hand on the outside
5. Squaring my shoulders up in the back swing
6. Keeping the nose down
7. Keeping my off arm from flailing around
8. None of the above
9. All of the above including 8 (which was tricky)

 

[Nasty Nate]

Thanks! I know I have a lot of work to do and I'll see about taking some videos. It's a lot to bring together in just a second of action. I throw my putters a lot to work on my form, but I've always had trouble ripping big, consistent drives.

Looks like #8 is where I'm at!

 

[sidewinder22]

^^ Yeah, I've focused on probably everything at one point or another, and if things are all working then focused on nothing(except sending the disc to its apex).

If I catch myself swinging early, I focus on slowing down and crushing the can. Sometimes I focus on my thumb or swing arc, other times it might be my balance or posture or rhythm.

As a swing theory - Snap 2009 - throwing the disc more like a hammer or stick would be the primary focus.

 

[DiscinFiend]

During a tourney whenever my drives are off I focus on slowing down my run up. It might just be me but I always seems to be more accurate & consistent when my run up is slow/smooth. I spend quite a bit of time each week (4-8 hours a week) on field work so I trust my form. I just need to find my rhythm in competition. Nine times out of ten that means running up slower on drives. Same thing with putting. If my putting stroke is off, I usually have to remind myself "slow to fast".

 

[Nasty Nate]

:thmbup: I appreciate it! I have been trying to slow down my run up in order to bring things together. Sidewinder, I haven't heard the hammer analogy before. I'm trying to imagine how to rip a hammer . Do you curl your wrist?

Sounds like field work is the prescription for my woes. Can't wait to get back out there and throw! Hi, DiscinFiend. How have you been?

 

[lyleoross]

:thmbup: I appreciate it! I have been trying to slow down my run up in order to bring things together. Sidewinder, I haven't heard the hammer analogy before. I'm trying to imagine how to rip a hammer . Do you curl your wrist?

Sounds like field work is the prescription for my woes. Can't wait to get back out there and throw! Hi, DiscinFiend. How have you been?

There's a video in the advice section. You treat the far edge of the disc like it's the head of the hammer.

 

[VictorB]

I agree with what HyzerUniBomber said.

Currently, my main focus(es) are timing my preswing correctly, reaching back lower, and staying off my heel on the push leg. The lower reachback is becoming more natural but I still have to remind myself sometimes. The other two I think about prior to the actual throw.

 

[bnbanbury]

When you have lots of mechanical thoughts in your mind as you try and perform an athletic movement, your timing is going to get worse. So i try to make sure i compartmentalize the way i think about technique between technique specific practice and course time.

When doing field work i focus on ONE mechanical thing i am trying to improve and spend as many field sessions as I think I need trying to improve that aspect of my throw. If i try to focus on multiple things I inevitably do all of them worse.

I try to not entertain any mechanical thoughts about my throw when actually on the course trying to score well. I try to trust that the work I have put in on form will become ingrained in my movements and focus only on the shape of the shot i'm trying to throw. Once i pick out my line on the course, my only thought is moving my body smoothly on that line through my follow- through.

 

[deyo7]

I think this one that is going to vary 100% dependent on where your form is at. I've at times focused on:
1. Not letting my back heel touch the ground.
2. Staying loose
3. Not dropping my chin
4. Keeping my hand on the outside
5. Squaring my shoulders up in the back swing
6. Keeping the nose down
7. Keeping my off arm from flailing around
8. None of the above
9. All of the above including 8 (which was tricky)

Nasty Nate, I can very much relate and ^this^ is the answer: there's a lot to think about and it's totally dependent on where your form is at. I try to focus on 2-3 things at most and hope the others align. For me, it's about finding those two that help you the most where you're at..(hopefully some of the others are ingrained). For example, I first found my biggest gains when I focused on staying balanced and upright while keeping hand on outside of disc while throwing. Now, I'm focusing on keeping left hand at my pocket/swim move and crushing the can which is helping me get my legs into it. Hopefully those will become ingrained and then I can work on other stuff.

 

[lyleoross]

I take two run ups. The first is slow and goes through my mechanics. The second is the throw. In the first, I do my x step and reach back. I have a brief pause at my reach back so I remind myself of that. Is my reach back on the line I want to throw down and is my disc and body angle coorect? My pull is with my core and body, not my arm. That allows my forearm to naturally travel in towards my body. What muscle I do use is to guide the disc on a path that gives optimum snap. Is the disc on that path? The unwind is late at the end of rotation, and my arm needs to carry through to give maximum rotation. So that first walk through is a reminder of the elements that typically go wrong. After the walk through, I rely on my subconscious to follow what I've just covered. In my throw, 80% is on my line and target, 20% is on not rushing the throw. Rushing the throw inevitably throws off the mechanics I've just gone through.

 

[biscoe]

ideally i think about nothing. in actuality it is nothing about half the time and whatever shiny object just passed through my reality the other half.

 

[Consult20]

Shoulder alignment with the first target/gap I'm trying to hit.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

I was never good at throwing RHBHs for years and years. One basic trick finally turned the tide for me, the timing of the hard grip. I try to focus on a loose grip for 95% of the throwing motion, then a quick hard grip timed right at the end. That has made the difference between sucking and now being able to at least get 300' consistently. Not a pro here, just happy to be able to finally throw a damned backhand!

 

[stevefolfer]

I try to remind myself, "Smooth and Slow". Good form and clean release. Things go bad when I rush and try to throw really hard.

 

[roggenb3]

I try to not entertain any mechanical thoughts about my throw when actually on the course trying to score well. I try to trust that the work I have put in on form will become ingrained in my movements and focus only on the shape of the shot i'm trying to throw. Once i pick out my line on the course, my only thought is moving my body smoothly on that line through my follow- through.

This. You shouldn't be thinking about form in a round you are trying to score well. See line, hit line.

 

[Rockwell]

If you grew up playing baseball, you don't think about any mechanics when you are playing catch, you just throw the ball to the person. Your focus is on your aim, if anything at all.

Ideally, this is where you will get to with a disc in your hand. You've made the shot so many times that you just focus on hitting your line.

If you find yourself wondering "how do I throw to there with that line?", then it's just a matter of practicing that type of shot when you aren't in a competitive round.

 

[storyboy]

Shoulder alignment with the first target/gap I'm trying to hit.

^^^ This, keeping my shoulder in line with the target.

 

[Shamis]

Currently:

1. turning my shoulders more on the reachback to get them perpendicular to the target.
2. really loading my back leg before planting my front leg
3. not letting my weight be on my heels (until following through on my plant foot)

 

[slowplastic]

Yeah, there are tons of things to think about potentially, but it's impossible to do them all and still throw a disc right. Focus on things in the practice field or on practice rounds...if you're trying to play a normal round just hit your lines and think as little as you can once you've decided on the shot type. The more you've practiced each aspect, depending on where your form is at, they will become automatic and you won't have to concentrate on that part anymore (unless it goes out of whack for some reason). I find that if I'm throwing well that day, I don't have to think about my mechanics at all, but if I'm not getting the distance I know I can have then I start troubleshooting little things one at a time until I can zone it out again.