Maxing out @ 300ft...

[tigel]

It's all about the 1" punch.

 

[VictorB]

There's a ton of useful info in this thread...I'm sure it can help all but the farthest of throwers.

Personally I'm at the ~400' plateau, so I'm hoping to work on the things mentioned in this article and try to hit the next plateau this year. Unfortunatley, being 5'7" and 165 lbs., I think I'm pretty close to maxing out my potential on distance.

 

[Lithicon]

Lol, welcome to my world. 5'6 1/2" 150lbs. I'm also throwing up to the 400' range. But, Blake says I should be able to hit the 450 mark now. LOL! I'm not doubting him at all. He told me I'd basically suck for a good while if I tried to break the 400' plateau, cause I'm gonna have to redo my form a bit. And, I know it's going to take time. But, as he said this is one of the hardest plateau's to break. So, I wish you luck, and I'm feeling your pain if you haven't started trying yet.

I'm sort of waiting for it to warm up just a little more before I really get into trying to break my form down and change the things I need to change. But, I played some last week and Poof, my accuracy was TERRIBLE, plus I really didn't improve my distance. I was getting my normal distance, with a different form, and I was obviously doing it wrong. Cause, before it was effort less to reach my distance, but it was actually starting to hurt my arm. So I'm not giving up, but definatly stepping back to evaluate what I was doing in this form again, cause what I changed wasn't correct. Just don't get discouraged, and try to fight the urges to go back to your normal form, cause it's going to take some time to getting use to, and do it correctly.

 

[Blake_T1]

Personally I'm at the ~400' plateau, so I'm hoping to work on the things mentioned in this article and try to hit the next plateau this year. Unfortunatley, being 5'7" and 165 lbs., I think I'm pretty close to maxing out my potential on distance.

i know several players that are between 5'6-5'9" and in the 130-150 lb range that can throw 600'. hand strength is the primary factor that dictates distance potential. it helps if you have narrow shoulders and long arms as well, but it's not mandatory.

 

[Timko]

Personally I'm at the ~400' plateau, so I'm hoping to work on the things mentioned in this article and try to hit the next plateau this year. Unfortunatley, being 5'7" and 165 lbs., I think I'm pretty close to maxing out my potential on distance.

i know several players that are between 5'6-5'9" and in the 130-150 lb range that can throw 600'. hand strength is the primary factor that dictates distance potential. it helps if you have narrow shoulders and long arms as well, but it's not mandatory.

Jarvis Brothers anyone?

I'm 5'4' 130lbs, and have never used my size as an excuse. I think Blake is onto something when he mentioned hand strength. All of that explosion for extra distance past 380'-400' is your ability to spin the disc, and that's all in the hands.

 

[keltik1]

so me having broad shoulders is a hindrance?

 

[Toon]

5'6 1/2" 150lbs. I'm also throwing up to the 400' range.

Well this certainly gives me hope. I'm still at the 300ft. mark, and I am 5'6 155 lbs. I have recently been thinking that maybe that is just my max distance, since I don't have long arms. Hopefully I'm wrong. Been reading up on the "above the seam" grip. hhttp://www.discgolfreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6148
I also still feel that I strongarm the disc, and need to get some whip action. I can do the whip action without a disc, but put a disc in my hand, and I can't help but tighten up too early, in anticipation of the hit....I'll keep working on it though.
Finally some good weather coming up to allow some dry DG for once.

 

[zj10021]

don't be discouraged by your current "max" distance. We all once were at that plateau. Just keep applying some the drills/knowledge you learn here. Eventually you will start to see more results. getting past the 375-400 mark is even harder as many have said.

I also wouldn't focus on just distance, I neglected my midrange game in an effort to get to the 400ft range. I can't consistently control my Roc's so I decided last week I would fix that. I fill my bag up with 15-20 Roc's and go hit up the TxState University course. Luckily during the day no one plays out here, so I have free range. Start on hole 1 which is a flat 250ish shot on top of a hill that always has a strong tail/head wind. I throw until I feel I have good control of each type of shot. Then I go down to holes 3-7 which are all 200-250ft tunnel shots in the woods. 3 is a low ceiling hyzer, 4 is a straight shot, 5 is a uphill anhyzer, 6 is a Hyzer or Anhyzer around a large tree, and 7 is a downhill anhyzer. I play all these holes in a loop for an hour or two, throwing every roc on each hole. I basically get free reign to practice almost every type of control midrange shot. If you don't have a low traffic course just find a field and work on throwing mids/putters. It should also translate into longer/better drives with your drivers

 

[Blake_T1]

so me having broad shoulders is a hindrance?

narrow shoulders = tighter rotational axis.

long arms = longer fulcrum.

i wouldn't call it a hindrance, just lack of advantage. in every sport there's certain body types that are better suited to performing a particular motion, but not having that body type doesn't prevent you from performing at a high level, it just makes it easier to reach said level if you have the right body type.

 

[VictorB]

i know several players that are between 5'6-5'9" and in the 130-150 lb range that can throw 600'. hand strength is the primary factor that dictates distance potential. it helps if you have narrow shoulders and long arms as well, but it's not mandatory.

Unfortunately, I have really wide shoulders for being as tall as I am, and my arms aren't particularly long even though my wingspan is closer to 6' than my actual height.

edit: Don't get me wrong, I'm not using my size as an excuse for throwing far. I can outthrow a lot of people who are much taller than I am in the area. I am just very aware that the biomechanics of a taller, more slender person give them a natural advantage.

Hopefully when it warms up I can get a video of my drives on here, and break them down a bit. I'm pretty sure that I'm not accelerating properly in the power zone of the right pec - some acceleration, but I feel like I could hit it harder most of the time.

Personally, I'd be happy hitting 425' consistently, there aren't any courses around here that really require much more than that.

 

[JHern]

hand strength is the primary factor that dictates distance potential.

As I improve my distance, I've noticed that my hands are getting stronger and stronger when doing laborious stuff like moving furniture and such. Yet I've not bothered to get any hand exercises going outside of throwing, which is crazy since the hands are obviously important. Getting more rapid acceleration on the disc means one must be able to hold onto it through the power zone. The hands are the front line. I know that I can definitely deliver more power bodily through the power zone than my hand is sometimes able to accommodate, which should tell me something.

 

[Lithicon]

Yeah, I've noticed this a lot recently myself. As I have been trying to break through my plateau. And, even before then, I'm getting a lot of slip outs, or early releases. While this could be partly because of slightly off timing. I feel most of it's due to hand strength, and not being able to hold onto the disc. Some of this could be the weather, the fact that it's cold. But, I've had trouble with my right hand/wrist for a while. I felt like when I'd really get a good rotation and everything, the disc always came out too early. So, my body was generating more power than my hand could hold on to. Thus limiting my ability to get the disc to the correct point before it ripped out, and generating more spin on it in the process.

 

[scoopa]

I've started toying with gripping like hell at the hit. It does as advertised as in adding snap and some d. Haven't had a grip-lock like I feared might happen either

 

[JR]

Yesterday was the first time for me being able to throw indoors and for the first time ever I felt the disc pivot between my index finger and thumb and not slip out early. In fact it felt and looked like I was getting the rip at 5 o'clock instead of 4 that Blake tells is where the best distance throwers have their rips. It was a full power max D form throw with one the earliest Jenkins grip attempts for me. I'm certainly gonna explore that grip more! Did I manage a repeat? :twisted:

 

[discraft]

I felt like when I'd really get a good rotation and everything, the disc always came out too early. So, my body was generating more power than my hand could hold on to. Thus limiting my ability to get the disc to the correct point before it ripped out, and generating more spin on it in the process.

This is what is happening to me sometimes.I know I am generating more power focusing on a late pull but can't always hold on to it.

I basically get free reign to practice almost every type of control midrange shot. If you don't have a low traffic course just find a field and work on throwing mids/putters. It should also translate into longer/better drives with your drivers

I work 3rd shift so I get free reign to practice while the kids are in school.I have been doing the same thing with my midrange a few times a week.Sometimes my Meteor or MRV goes farther than my drivers.
By the way I love this thread.

 

[Blake_T1]

In fact it felt and looked like I was getting the rip at 5 o'clock instead of 4 that Blake tells is where the best distance throwers have their rips.

i don't think i've ever referenced 4 o'clock except for on putts...

 

[JHern]

Here's an anecdote to fire up the discussion again...

I remember a martial arts demonstration called "unbendable arm" that went kind of like this:

- Hold your arm straight out and allow somebody else to try and bend it at the elbow. If you resist primarily with the triceps (the knee-jerk instinct), then unless you're very strong that person will likely be able to bend it.

- Now try it again, but instead of trying to resist bending at the elbow, pretend as if you were reaching forward to grab something just out of reach of the tips of your fingers. Put the resistance to bending out of your mind, and focus on the reaching forward. Now it doesn't matter how weak your arm is, it will have become "unbendable."

All this really illustrates is that different muscle groups can be activated when you are trying to achieve the same resulting force, motion, or absence of motion. (And again, it illustrates the importance of the feeling of the effort.) When muscles are activated in the right manner, the motion or lack of motion can be made much stronger.

Now, to the elbow stop. Is the trick of trying to jab forward with the elbow similar to the unbendable arm? Call it "immovable elbow." Clearly the upper arm needs to be held rigidly out, and any flopping around at the shoulder-upper arm joint will compromise the foundation of the elbow fulcrum.

Try it with somebody. Hold your elbow out sideways. If somebody tries to move your elbow (i.e., about the hinge/joint between upper arm and shoulder) as you resist with simple muscles, then they will likely be successful. But if your effort takes the form of an outward stab with your elbow, then you have developed an "immovable elbow."

And a follow-up: Blake, Masterbeato, and others have emphasized getting the disc into the right pec, and this motion puts the elbow as far forward (toward the target) as possible. This seems like it would contribute to a feeling of stabbing the elbow out, and "immovable elbow." Is this the reason why pulling into the right pec as far forward as possible (as opposed to 6 inches sooner) changes the power potential of the throw so dramatically?

 

[ReDisculous]

I think you may be on to something with this, I tried it in my living room a few times and the momentum of my forearm after stopping the elbow like this pulled my whole body around. I've been struggling with transferring momentum this way for a while, so that was kind of exciting for me

I'd like to hear what Blake has to say about it.

 

[scoopa]

It was my major breakthrough. Acting like I was nudging or jabbing with the elbow.

 

[JR]

In fact it felt and looked like I was getting the rip at 5 o'clock instead of 4 that Blake tells is where the best distance throwers have their rips.

i don't think i've ever referenced 4 o'clock except for on putts...

Then I recalled incorrectly. I haven't made an effort to compare rip points of the longest throwers. Where do they lose the grip on the disc?