Where do you practice?

[Dan Ensor]

I know a lot of people like football fields, or soccer fields, or pretty much anywhere else you can go have a nice wide-open space to chuck discs. Where do you go, and why do you go there?

I started out going to a football field mostly; the measurements already being there was nice. It's usually mowed (even in the off-season). Mine has concrete behind both end zones (a long jump runway and a high jump pad).

Recently, though, I discovered a net batting cage. It is AWESOME!!! 600+ throws in 2 hours; where else can you do that? It's a tunnel shot that doesn't wreck your discs if you miss. Decent footing everywhere ... just everything I ever wanted out of a practice spot. Other than being able to tell where your disc would have gone (how far, how much fade, etc.), but that doesn't matter that much, right?

 

[DiscinFiend]

I still prefer to be able to watch my discs fly to be able to compare distances on discs, be able to see how discs preform on various angles/line, I'm able to see if i messed up easier, the extra walking is good exercise, I usually smoke cigarettes while I practice so the extra walking gives me time to do so & I just love watching discs fly. I could see some advantages to what your doing though, like you said you get more throws off in a shorter amount of time & if you were just working on your run-up then I could see this as a good alternative t always having to walk & get your discs. I personally use mostly Soccer fields or a big open area at a local course.

 

[MrFixIt]

Several places. I have 3 "driving" ranges (football field, and 2 open fields).
I also have 2 areas in my yard for putting and approaches.
I like the idea of a batting cage and since I work in Parks and Rec, I have ready access to several

 

[OregonDG420]

I practice at my local course winsor park and I practice putts on my DISCatcher sport basket in my back yard.

 

[Dan Ensor]

I guess I didn't mention that I have 2 baskets in my yard; about 200' between the 2, and about 10' total elevation change. My main practice basket has 4-10' of fall from the high side to low side of the 10m circle. I like being able to practice moderately uphill and downhill putts.

 

[Dan Ensor]

I still prefer to be able to watch my discs fly to be able to compare distances on discs, be able to see how discs preform on various angles/line, I'm able to see if i messed up easier, the extra walking is good exercise, I usually smoke cigarettes while I practice so the extra walking gives me time to do so & I just love watching discs fly. I could see some advantages to what your doing though, like you said you get more throws off in a shorter amount of time & if you were just working on your run-up then I could see this as a good alternative t always having to walk & get your discs. I personally use mostly Soccer fields or a big open area at a local course.

Sometimes I feel that being able to watch my discs fly distracts me, and actually harms my ability to concentrate on proper throwing mechanics. At the cage, I don't care, or even really know how far/hard I'm throwing; I do know if I'm throwing it the way I planned to, though.

Also, I might get a "down the line" view of my throws from in front the next time I get some film. I could also probably make someone climb the posts that hold the net up for a bird's eye ... that'd be mean, though ...

 

[Halcón]

I go to the little park that's about 1,100 feet from my house. It is about 500x400 feet, so I have plenty of room to practice all kinds of shots. There are also a few trees, so I can learn different lines. I don't even have to go to the course. I can make one up at the park.

Even with it being so close, I only get out there like twice a month. So sad.

 

[Curtis_Valk]

Other than being able to tell where your disc would have gone (how far, how much fade, etc.), but that doesn't matter that much, right?

But this is everything to me. I haven't been playing long enough to know what "feels" right, so the only feedback is my discs flight. I hear you though.

Now, where do I practice? I am lucky enough to have an elementary school behind my house, so I just go out the back gate and across the creek and start throwing in their soccer field. My son and I went in halves on a landscape tape measure and some orange cones to help with our field work. We've used them once so far and really enjoyed ourselves.

My goal next session will be to figure out what different (os and us) discs do on a spike hyzer. I'm pretty comfortable with level throws and hyzer flips. Reliable turnovers (that don't burn or turn too much) are still elusive.

Curtis

 

[Star Shark]

I go to my old high school football field. There are several reasons for this. First, it's about a 7 block walk and therefore less hassle than finding somewhere else. Second, I'm generally the only one there, so there're no bystanders to hit or anyone to walk off with my plastic. Third, it is a big wide open space whete I have plenty of room to work on whatever I need to.

 

[damtroll]

According to Allen Iverson,

"If I can't practice, I can't practice. It is as simple as that. It ain't about that at all. It's easy to sum it up if you're just talking about practice. We're sitting here, and I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're talking about practice. I mean listen, we're sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, but we're talking about practice. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game last it's my last but we're talking about practice man. How silly is that?"

Actually, I'll practice in the backyard on my DYI basket.

 

[Prototype]

According to Allen Iverson,

"If I can't practice, I can't practice. It is as simple as that. It ain't about that at all. It's easy to sum it up if you're just talking about practice. We're sitting here, and I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're talking about practice. I mean listen, we're sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, but we're talking about practice. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game last it's my last but we're talking about practice man. How silly is that?"

Actually, I'll practice in the backyard on my DYI basket.

:clap: I have always enjoyed that AI clip on youtube!

 

[dgar]

The course I play at most is in a park with two soccer fields, I'm in the group that likes to watch my disc fly...

 

[reposado]

i prefer a baseball field. throw from home plate. fenced in on all sides and i only have a few discs that can get over the fence. the best part? well when they go over the fence

 

[ForTheGlory]

I live near a park that has a dam that stands 297 ft high. There is nice grassy area with some scattered oak and sycamore trees. I throw near the base of the dam. One way I throw only backhand and if any go wildly left they hit the dam before going too far. Then when I pick them all up again I'll throw them back the opposite way but work on my forehad throw, and any of the going wildly right will hit the dam. It gets crowded in the summer but during the off season I can have the whole park to myself.


New Croton Dam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Croton_Dam

 

[Jimb]

I have a home course, Knobley Mt. DGC. I also have holes set up for my portables at now fewer than half a dozen local parks or schools. There are also two baskets at a local church, Liberty Christian Fellowship in Cresaptown, MD, and I occasionally go there. And finally, misc. baseball and soccer fields around the area. When we went to Disney a couple years ago, I made up holes around our resort and had a blast, too.

Basically, wherever I can, I will play.

 

[Dan Ensor]

But this is everything to me. I haven't been playing long enough to know what "feels" right, so the only feedback is my discs flight. I hear you though.

Now, where do I practice? I am lucky enough to have an elementary school behind my house, so I just go out the back gate and across the creek and start throwing in their soccer field. My son and I went in halves on a landscape tape measure and some orange cones to help with our field work. We've used them once so far and really enjoyed ourselves.

My goal next session will be to figure out what different (os and us) discs do on a spike hyzer. I'm pretty comfortable with level throws and hyzer flips. Reliable turnovers (that don't burn or turn too much) are still elusive.

Curtis

I hear you. But 60' of flight is enough for me to predict the rest of the flight. I'm not trying to learn how to throw new shots (as far as non-burning hyzer-flips, etc.), or figure out how my discs are going to fly given different releases; I already know all that. I'm just working on a consistent release. There are a lot of places that there's a window 60' or so out that I need to hit, and the cage can tell me if I hit that window or not.

I won't completely stop going to a field and chucking discs, but if I'm just trying to get in a lot of throws to nail down a certain part of my form, or to try to develop a new shot (I've been throwing a lot of fh and lh there), the cage is awesome.

The field I usually go to, though, does have a lot of pedestrians. One of the reasons I wanted to find a new spot. I've yet to have a pedestrian walk through the cage while I was throwing

There's also a water spigot about 50' away, which is nice.

I'm not in it for exercise, so the extra walking has always been something I just had to do ... I don't have to pick up my discs at all now. Just throw them, walk to the other side, and start throwing them back. They end up close enough together I don't have to group them together before I start throwing.

So, additional questions: what reasons have people abandoned fields? And what would your perfect field look like? Hills? Trees? Concrete pad? (I have a couple areas at my house I'm trying to make into really good practice areas) For this question, I'm looking for 3 types of "fields" I guess; driving, upshots, and putt/approach.

 

[BraveThrower43]

You will find me most days between my jobs on hole 2(driving) or 3(putting) at bradford park. Hole 2 is a wide open 460' bomb and hole 3 is a nice Shady green with plenty of space. Also if I need to do some practice on upshots and tight lines I'll go out to brackett's

 

[HeavyCritters]

I practice over lunch at Quann Park in Madison almost every day. It's literally a 6 block walk from my office.

I throw on the soccer fields for 30 minutes (RHBH and RHFH).

 

[Jamnjoshua]

I practice at a local city park about 2 blocks from house. It has about a 300X600' field, so I can stop in and do fieldwork. Its crowded on the weekends but never in the morning or evening.

 

[Emoney]

Im lucky enough to have a huge grass field at my work complex. Rare thing in Southern AZ