What was your "Aha!" moment as a beginner

[Boneman]

Did you discover something in the early days of your playing career that helped you push past the "beginner" barrier and become a better player? And if so, what was it?

 

[OregonDG420]

When I kept throwing way to high and hyzer and I learned I needed to bring my arm acrost my chest

 

[discguy42]

When a Mike C video showed me how to hold a disc. I used to have too much of my palm/hand over on the top of the disc when I used a power grip. :doh:

Learning the pull thru across the chest and what "snap" was and incorporating that into my drives. :thmbup:

 

[kw83028]

I started playing RHFH because that's what my bro in law did. When I made the commitment to learn RHBH, it changed my game in a big way. RHFH I was throwing my Eagle 200ft. Now with RHBH I throw it 280-300. My form definitely isn't great, but I'm still practicing the pull through the chest and getting the snap. It all comes with practice! Ah-Ha!! Backhand is where it's at for me!

 

[B3NDER]

my Ah-ha moment was realizing extremely early on, that I was never going to be very good at this game. :|

 

[apdrvya]

funny enough, a thread with this VERY title started this thread... don't ask me the details. I recycled that bottle a long while ago.

 

[Stable]

About 4 years ago I learned the power of hyzer lines. It took me a long time to embrace this. I've been playing for about 10 years and started out with molds like max weight KC Rocs, Rhyno and a Champion Monster. I used to always play off the anhyzer lines with OS molds. I'm very stubborn and it just took me several years before I realized how powerful and predictable hyzer lines are.

The next aha moment happened around the same time when I realized how effective my BH can be if I rotate off my heel instead of leaning forward on the front part of my foot. So important to stay on top of that heel.

Side note: I don't like the auto-correct changing hyzer to hyper all the time. This is a disc golf forum. Any word that starts with H should be auto-corrected to hyzer.

 

[Curtis_Valk]

My first "aha" was a couple of throws in when I realized that rounding will cause blood to flow forcefully and painfully to your fingertips. Everything after that has been more or less a gradual progression. I do remember my first successful hyzer-flip though.

 

[eaeastwood]

From 1995 till 2008, I played mostly recreationally with only dx discs. Mostly gazelles, cheetahs, vipers, & panther were my favorites. With those discs I could shoot right around par on fairly easy courses and throw my gazelles 275 to 300 ft. People would see me throw those old school discs and do fairly well and they would say "you need to get some new plastic" and I would think "I just beat you with these discs, I don't need anything else". Then my aha moment was when I found a Champion Valkyrie and immediately started throwing it 75 ft longer. That found disc started me buying lots of new plastics, bags, shoes, playing & traveling to tournaments, playing leagues, putting in a course, and making several new friends along the way all because of one found disc and an aha moment.

 

[Stardoggy]

I don't know what this "aha moment" you speak of is, but it sounds wonderful.

 

[jeremiah h]

My first "aha" wasn't for another full year after I began. Really just watching the pros' videos online convinced me that pulling through with your whole body, leaning forward and throwing your shoulders into the shot (all smooooothly) was the way to BH. I'm still working on a better BH than my FH.

My buddies do it fairly well after years of practice but I never asked them the right questions about how they pull it off

 

[Indiana574]

My moment was when I starting watching dan Beatos video

 

[livextreme9]

My first "Aha" moment was watching the pros on Youtube and realizing that everything is better with a FULL follow through. I have video of myself before and after that moment. It's like night and day.

My next "Aha" moment was when I figured out how to pull through using my body on a flat line and being able to manipulate the disc without hyzering out every shot. I still have nose angle issues, but I now can feel when I make a mistake when before it all felt the same and I would blame the disc.

 

[IHearChains]

My aha moment was when I began throwing more understable plastic, and learning that I could get a driver to finish straight, or even to the right, on a RHBH throw. No one change took more shots off my scores than my first star roadrunner. :thmbup:

 

[Mr. Butlertron]

It seems like every few years I have an "aha" moment that changes my approach to the game. It's mostly out of nessessity though. Every time I tame my local course I end up moving and new courses always present new challenges. Learning how to throw s-curves was the my first big break through early on. A decade later I'm still mezmerized by s-curves

 

[BIGDGOLFS]

Figuring out the 4 step X step has been a huge aha moment, my drives are improving leaps and bounds. Going from stand still or one step to starting at step 2 and just stepping, to adding in the hop, now the full x step from step 1 with the hop has been mind blowing.

 

[Toro71]

This will sound snarky, but it's trooth. One of mine was realizing how many grains of salt I need on hand when looking at advice on these very forums.

 

[mball1684]

for me it was using different grips. from a fan to a 4 finger power, then down to a 2 or 3 finger power grip depending on the shot.

 

[Nasty Nate]

I think this game comes with a progression of epiphanies that eventually add up. I don't remember exactly my first, but for some time I did not know anything about how to properly grip or throw a disc. Once I started researching I found there is a whole slew of technique involved.

Next one happened a little more recently when I realized I had been strong-arming my throws as I always led with my elbow when I should have been building my throw from the ground up. Still working on getting the hips just right and all the moving parts, but my throws feel effortless now and I've been improving way faster than I was.

 

[Mike C]

Trading the Champ Gator X my friend started me with for an FLX Buzz.

"Oh! So that's how people throw straight! Awesome!"

Changed my game for sure. I thought it was me making the Gator hyzer every single shot.