Field Practice Time

[Crimson75]

Take a look at your local DG League.....

2 Questions:

1.) What percentage of the players DEVOTE time to field practice, technique improvement, etc.? By devote, I mean is there a consistent, disciplined amount of practice time off the course either weekly or bi-weekly
2.) Do these players consistently score better and show faster rates of improvement?

The second question may answer itself...I'm curious about these because we have alots of folks in the Memphis Disc Golf Club and I never see them at the local parks and I never hear about anyone putting time into off-field practice....As a 35 year old father and husband, I place emphasis on putting in my yard w a basket and my approach game because I can easily make time for these....I want to know thje percentage of players really devoting themselves to the finer points of the game.

 

[thatdirtykid]

Field practice helps you to become more versatile. The guys at leagues who do not put in feild time (like most i know of around here, going out and practicing max D doesn't count), may be good at playing every hole on the local courses, but will struggle more when out of their element over players who are more field trained.

 

[VictorB]

1.) Not many. I'm one of the very very few in the area that practices off the course. Generally I devote 1 hour of time off the course for every round I play, more than that if there is specifically something I want to work on. Most of my practice time goes into putting and approaches, as well as the right pec drill. Every once and a while I pull out all the drivers and get some serious full drive work, but that doesn't happen very often.

2.) From personal experience, I have had an accelerated learning curve, and my game has improved faster and become much more consistent than people who started playing around the same time...and I'm able to compete on a daily basis with guys that have been playing 10-20 years longer than I have.

I wish I could give you more feedback on this, but like I said I'm one of the very few people that practices off the course in my area.

Field practice helps you to become more versatile. The guys at leagues who do not put in feild time (like most i know of around here, going out and practicing max D doesn't count), may be good at playing every hole on the local courses, but will struggle more when out of their element over players who are more field trained.

This is very true as well. If you are good at throwing shots, you will be good at throwing shots on any course...where as if you are good at playing a specific course, you will struggle when you aren't on that particular course or two.

 

[Crimson75]

1.) Not many. I'm one of the very very few in the area that practices off the course. Generally I devote 1 hour of time off the course for every round I play, more than that if there is specifically something I want to work on. Most of my practice time goes into putting and approaches, as well as the right pec drill. Every once and a while I pull out all the drivers and get some serious full drive work, but that doesn't happen very often.

2.) From personal experience, I have had an accelerated learning curve, and my game has improved faster and become much more consistent than people who started playing around the same time...and I'm able to compete on a daily basis with guys that have been playing 10-20 years longer than I have.

I wish I could give you more feedback on this, but like I said I'm one of the very few people that practices off the course in my area.

Field practice helps you to become more versatile. The guys at leagues who do not put in feild time (like most i know of around here, going out and practicing max D doesn't count), may be good at playing every hole on the local courses, but will struggle more when out of their element over players who are more field trained.

This is very true as well. If you are good at throwing shots, you will be good at throwing shots on any course...where as if you are good at playing a specific course, you will struggle when you aren't on that particular course or two.

VictorB..that is exactly the kind of thing I am looking for!

 

[jubuttib]

Well, I can't say for sure yet, since our course still isn't finished, but from the disc golfers I know here, about half really go out and practice a lot (field practice 3 times a week at least, putter practice on the side, constantly fondling discs and working on grip and swinging inside the house trying to feel elbow chop among other things...) while the others don't really practice outside of playing and don't even play that often.

Too bad the half I'm talking about is me, turso and one of our friends. =)

I'll try to keep an eye on the situation when the course is finished and people really take up the sport.

 

[discbum1]

I like to go out a couple times a week. I have a bunch of soccer fields by my place. I use the goals as targets since I don't have a portable basket yet. I take my two kids with me and they like fetching the discs.

 

[Banjar]

In our club I would guess about 30% of the regulars are putting in serious practice time on the field. They tend to improve a lot faster. Especially the 'newer' players (myself included) who have played for 2 years or less. I've started out with scores around 85 last fall, now I am consistenly scoring in the low 60's (par 57, I've still to break par on our course, though ) But I guess the importance is really what to focus on when you field practice.
I find it hard to stand on a flat soccer field and throw 150 feet anhyzers as practice. In an open field, I tend to practice throwing accurately, throw soft and hard, and with good form - just empty my bag, go collect and throw back again. In my opinion field practice is great for form, accuracy, consistency and learning how your discs fly. All of these tings will benefit your overall score a lot, and people who do that here show faster improvements. For the finesse shots, I prefer to practice them in the situation on the course. I sometimes throw 5-6-7 shots from the same lie and try to execute the throw as good as possible. Throwing a finesse anhyzer shot in an open field is easy, but throwing it in between trees on the course is a different matter.

 

[MasterP97]

I've only been playing for over a year now and compete with guys who have been playing for many years more than I. I would say that over 50% of my "practice" time is out in a field working on Max D, All hyzers you can think of, all anhyzers you can think of, Overhands, rollers, etc. I bring out my basket when I want to incorporate a target and a different type of putting practice than in my back yard.

 

[masterbeato]

field practice is the only place to get sharp by getting good at shots you suck at, and get better with shots you are good at.

i have been devoting between like 3-6 hours a day lately between in the field, and at my house.

 

[JHern]

I have a nice field near where I live that has lots of goal posts and backstops set up here and there, and a few trees and basketball courts too. Since I'm rarely home this year, I almost never go out there and practice at the moment. But my last sessions included right pec drilling my Champ Orc into a backstop (the disc needed beating in), and throwing through two target windows from a certain angle. It was fun, and challenging to hit some of the lines I dreamt up. It might be cool if we could have two large rings on movable posts that could be hoisted up in the air and positioned to practice hitting both windows from a certain throwing position.

Anyways, I know I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't put some time into field practice. It can be grueling sometimes if you're working through some issues, but very much worth it in the long run. At my peak I was probably doing 3 hours of field practice a week.

 

[masterbeato]

now that i think of it there really are not any person that i see or know that practice accept for like 3 that i can think of, and they are really good.

other than that i doubt there is anyone that has a steady routine or steady anything that go out consistently. sometimes when i am bored and do not really want to work on anything in particular ill just go out and throw soccer goals all day.

 

[rhatton2]

i have been devoting between like 3-6 hours a day lately between in the field, and at my house.

How!!!! Do you not have a job/wife/life outside DG!?!?!?

I am already having to skip off work early, lie to my colleagues and wife (who must be suspecting me of an affair by now) just to get in 4 or 5 hours of on and off course practice during the week! How do people find so much time, this is before I even begin to start trying to play all the other sports I want to. Whats the secret to being able to be out on the course all the time without getting a divorce/handing in my notice to work. The worst thing is the wife is now talking about babies, can you take a one month old out on a field for three hours in the middle of winter? That's not child abuse is it :?

I want to play more and life won't let me :evil:

 

[GunnerUnitas1]

For people w/ rough schedules, its about quality over quanity.
Most people, just play rounds all day long, then theres the minority of us that do actually train/practice.
W/ 2 jobs, school- grad school next year, I schedule my training sessions like I do w/ workouts in the gym,
you have to make time, even if it means waking up eariler. Make a set routine and do in the field, even if its only
an hour or less 3-4x/week. I have only been playing 2 years so experience I lack, but I make sure nobody out works me,
if they beat me, its not b/c they outworked me. Work ethic is key!!

 

[biodarwin]

1.) What percentage of the players DEVOTE time to field practice, technique improvement, etc.? By devote, I mean is there a consistent, disciplined amount of practice time off the course either weekly or bi-weekly

Id say ~10%

2.) Do these players consistently score better and show faster rates of improvement?

For the most part yes, however there are a few which continue to practice the wrong things over and over and will not listen to anyone.

 

[ManU]

I suck equally at driving and putting
I know I don't do near enough field work on driving but I do a fair bit of putting practice

how much should be devoted to each?

it is easier given light issues and free time for me to practice putting as I can do it in my basement
I think my putting is getting better but I am still only 50% (probably)

I know that if I could get to the point of driving to 375-400 (from current 300-325) I could probably have a lot of pick up birdies
but getting that additional 75 to 100 feet isn't really looking likely at the moment

so if I am doing 2 to 3 hours of putting a week is that reasonable?

drive for show putt for dough and all that

if a person has 4 hours a week to practice should it be 50/50 or greater on putting than driving or greater on driving than putting???

 

[Smigles1]

I started a year ago, and i have been practicing alot. We have a soccer pitch with baskets around it, great for putting and driving practice. There are two rugby goals that are exactly 100 meters apart, great for precision driving practice. I go there at least 3 times a week, and i have been improving from a 700 rated player ( a year ago, not knowing how to throw a golf disc ) to a 920 rated player ( with still alot of room to go up ).

I have a routine which consists of 50 puts, 100 meter precision driving practice, 50 more puts, max D driving practice, and then 50 more puts. Then i play around for the rest of the time, maybe play a few holes or go to the nearby forest and play the course there.

I get the feeling that technique is only secondary. What matters most is how many time you spend practicing.

 

[MasterP97]

I suck equally at driving and putting
I know I don't do near enough field work on driving but I do a fair bit of putting practice

how much should be devoted to each?

it is easier given light issues and free time for me to practice putting as I can do it in my basement
I think my putting is getting better but I am still only 50% (probably)

I know that if I could get to the point of driving to 375-400 (from current 300-325) I could probably have a lot of pick up birdies
but getting that additional 75 to 100 feet isn't really looking likely at the moment

so if I am doing 2 to 3 hours of putting a week is that reasonable?

drive for show putt for dough and all that

if a person has 4 hours a week to practice should it be 50/50 or greater on putting than driving or greater on driving than putting???

If you want to see your game improve I'd spend at least 3 hours of that putting. The other hour I'd work on your game 200' and in with putters and mids, it will behoove you to learn how to line shape at this distance with a mid and putter.

 

[ManU]

so after a tournament this weekend and given what happened to me in another one a few weeks ago although I could use some work on my driving it is NOT my driving that I properly need to work on.

I have not field driven with my OLFs but with teebirds and leopards I was getting 300-330 range...not consistently and not great. I think, but will have to check, that I get my OLFs out a bit further than that.

Yes it could be improved and adding another 75 to 100 feet will be a goal.

In the tournament last weekend in my division (Advanced up here but likely Intermediate in the U.S.) I was for the most part outdriving my competitors by at least 25 feet. So let's say my driving is decent. It is not significantly better than my competitors that it gives me a direct advantage in the game as we then have to upshot and then putt.

If I add the distance I can perhaps be looking at putting next rather than upshoting.

Where I fail is my putting...call it a lack of confidence, ability, technique or what ever.

I practice and it seems to go well but in a tournament I am crapola at putting and lose strokes on my competitors (big time!!!!).

So my plan will be to work on driving but maybe only 1 day a week for an hour or so.

But I am going to try as diligently as possible to practice my putting 3 to 4 nights a week using a pitch putt finger spring technique. Each night I will aim for 150 putts (50 from 14 feet, 16 feet and 18 feet respectively).

Once I am CONSISTENTLY for sure making those I will add distance.

Obviously not all of my putts will be that close as I am not driving that far but I absolutely have to stop missing from those distances.

So as much as I want to be a better driver I first must become a better putter.

 

[what'shisname]

Seriously, around here you don't need a 400' drive to be competitive, you need to be able to putt. If I could putt, I'd be playing in the finals tonight instead of random dubs.

 

[JHern]

Seriously, around here you don't need a 400' drive to be competitive, you need to be able to putt. If I could putt, I'd be playing in the finals tonight instead of random dubs.

This is true almost anywhere. The median hole length out there seems to be around 300'-350'. You can get in the circle at 320'+1", which is something that most players can learn to manage in the earliest years of their learning curve. If you have a putting game, you win.

That's why many are advocating for an overall lengthening of all new courses to make distance (w/control) a more regular part of the disc golf game. I support all practical lengthening of any holes at all courses, and setting aside perhaps 50% more acreage per new course to accommodate an increase in average/median distance to over 400'.

One of my local courses has recently done this, and the regulars have had a lot of success increasing their distance, but not always controlled distance. This kind of thing forces people to learn to throw farther, while simultaneously making higher level skills that only the most practiced players possess be once again an important element of most courses. It allows truly superb players to distinguish themselves from the mediocre-player-with-a-lucky-putting-streak.