Snap 2009 (NEW video added)

[racer93]

Dan has said Blake advises learning in steps. I'd say that adding wrist extension is one of the harder things to get the timing on right. Thus, I'd leave that for later. If you can get other body parts in place and pull late, you'll get great results. Then when you figure you have those down, you can add some intentional wrist extension. If you miss with the wrist extension, you get a way early release or a way late release. If you just do the other stuff, you can get a pretty consistent release right where you aim.

Since I've been seriously playing for 10 years, I had the accuracy down. I've added the wrist extension to get more power. It is a bit frustrating, as it did case a few early releases and occasionally a grip lock. I just focus as much as I can and by the end of the 27 holes I played, it was almost natural. It will take longer, but it is becoming part of my routine. (I learn pretty quickly.)

 

[black udder]

Dan has said Blake advises learning in steps. I'd say that adding wrist extension is one of the harder things to get the timing on right. Thus, I'd leave that for later. If you can get other body parts in place and pull late, you'll get great results. Then when you figure you have those down, you can add some intentional wrist extension. If you miss with the wrist extension, you get a way early release or a way late release. If you just do the other stuff, you can get a pretty consistent release right where you aim.

Since I've been seriously playing for 10 years, I had the accuracy down. I've added the wrist extension to get more power. It is a bit frustrating, as it did case a few early releases and occasionally a grip lock. I just focus as much as I can and by the end of the 27 holes I played, it was almost natural. It will take longer, but it is becoming part of my routine. (I learn pretty quickly.)

I envy the learning quickly.

 

[josser]

I envy the learning quickly.

This

 

[jubuttib]

Huh, just got around to watching the video and the second he took out the golf club I knew what he was talking about (I also play golf, have for around 10 years). I've gotta get out and try to get a feel for this, might end up drawing a dot on my discs to visualize it better. =)

 

[uNicedmeMan1]

Huh, just got around to watching the video and the second he took out the golf club I knew what he was talking about (I also play golf, have for around 10 years). I've gotta get out and try to get a feel for this, might end up drawing a dot on my discs to visualize it better. =)

Where is this golf club video?

 

[gretagun]

^ I believe he is referring to the snap videos Bradley made. I don't know if it's part 1 or part 2, but Bradley brings out a golf club in one of them.

 

[jubuttib]

^ I believe he is referring to the snap videos Bradley made. I don't know if it's part 1 or part 2, but Bradley brings out a golf club in one of them.

I believe it's part 1.

 

[Toon]

You mean "ball" golf club, right?
He uses the ball golf club in the first video (posted page 1 of this thread) at about 5:00 minutes

 

[jubuttib]

No, he uses a golf club. Golf is golf, disc golf is disc golf.

 

[turso]

I envy the learning quickly.

Wow. Man. What can I say? Today I took a review of your snap videos Mr. Bradley Walker. Well, bit lost for words here, words cannot adequately describe what I am feeling right now. I have been practising disc golf now on and off for two and a half months now. Yesterday I maxed around 330-350 with a surge on a flex line. Today I changed my grip to the one you describe on the videos and gripped it tighter. First round there was no improvement, I maxed out at around the same with the surge. Second round though I took a bit calmer approach and focused on the hammer motion. Snap. And I mean wow, I threw the surge on a golf line with unbelievably little effort to at least around 380. The second throw with an S-PD. Snap again. I threw it way too high, but longer than I had ever thrown before with that disc. What can I say man, I can't put the gratitude I have for your videos(and for everyone else here whose viewpoints have helped me)to words.

Yesterday I still was bit suspicious if the elusive snap was even a real thing, but today, well, still wow. I just took a huge step towards greater lengths today because of your videos, I hope this rant encourages you to keep doing the good work for all the plastic lovers out there.

-- Tuomas

 

[jubuttib]

I was there collecting the discs. It's true. His consistency also was better than I've seen before. I might add that he hasn't really thrown discs at all before, so he doesn't have an Ultimate background or anything like that. Goes to show how quickly you can improve when you don't have years of bad habits weighing you down and get proper instruction from the start.

I also got a chance to test the hammer myself, along with the grip. I think the grip was more important than the hammer, because the grip was what enabled me to do the hammer. And I finally felt what has been said for so very long: The harder you grip, the harder the disc can be thrown. I threw around 380' with my S-PD, (up from about 350') and I think this was the first time I turned it over without torquing it. What perhaps surprised me the most was how my P-CD behaved when I threw it way way to high and nose up. It just went straight, straight, straight when before it would've faded out a long time ago (faded out eventually of course). It would still have been one of my longest throws before today, and now it was clearly a disappointment. And yeah, the harder I gripped the faster the disc flew out of my hand.

I can't say anything for averages because I only got around 4-6 throws after I "got it" before the lights went out, but suffice to say that all of those throws were longer than I've ever thrown before. Aiming was also easier and my trusty old P-DD that I had deemed too flippy to use properly anymore seemed like it was brand new, doing a nice s-curve, means some of my OAT also went away.

So yeah, thank you oh so very much everybody, especially Brad for everything you've done and continue to do for us. I don't know if this'll last, but I'm doing my everything to make it happen.

EDIT: Today (27.3.2010) we went again, pretty similar results after some warm up. He had one particular throw with an Echo Katana where everything seemed to click together, 430 feet.

 

[turso]

Aye, got the snap going again after some searching today. The katana indeed was quite a throw, my first over 400' and with a good 30' margin, managed to get surge up to around 20-25' short of the katana as well. I've started to understand why the snap seems so elusive for people, it requires quite a bit of timing to get it going without any special tricks, or so I've gathered so far. I can imagine it being hard to learn if you've played for years with form that doesn't properly support it, old habits are hard to kill. I have hopes that I might be able to teach this to the "average joe", have to use a friend of mine who fits the description as a guinea pig after I start feeling really certain about this, shouldn't take too long.

 

[elnino]

yeah where are the links to the videos again i would like to watch all of them and don't want to find them with the search function broken.....lowers head.

 

[jubuttib]

yeah where are the links to the videos again i would like to watch all of them and don't want to find them with the search function broken.....lowers head.

Links to the videos are in the first post. I suggest you get YouTube Downloader or something similar so they're always available where you can find them.

 

[Banjar]

I have a question:

On and off for the last month or so, I've sometimes let my grip get very loose. Almost to the point of the disc not even resting in the palm when I pull, but just hanging on my fingertips, following the palm of my hand by about an inch or less. When I do that, I feel... something. The edge of my disc bangs into my palm and rolls out of my hand hinging in the fingertip(s). I've tried to illustrate it.

Is this tendon bounce? Subjectively, it feels like the disc spins faster when it flies and behaves differently, but I'm not getting any significant distance increase (average D around 275-300 feet).

Also, when I hold the disc in the regular powergrip (pushing the rim into my palm with 4 fingers ), I dont feel the hit in my hand, and I'm wondering if I'm gripping too tight? With the loose disc I'm not getting very far around the disc during the pull (around 2 o-clock for me as lefty = 10 o'clock for you guys), and with the tighter grip, I dont feel it. I cant really seem to find an in between.

/Kristian

 

[Star Shark]

Sort of. This is what blake calls Palm Ejection. It's very useful on putts but I dunno if that's what you're after on drives.

 

[Banjar]

Sort of. This is what blake calls Palm Ejection. It's very useful on putts but I dunno if that's what you're after on drives.

No i don't think this is the same same thing as the Palm Ejection in putting with the putter bouncing of the palm. I'm not pushing the driver forward, I'm pulling into my hand so they collide right before the release. The more I think about it, I think I might be doing something right, but I would like to get that confirmed..

 

[Bradley Walker]

I have a question:

On and off for the last month or so, I've sometimes let my grip get very loose. Almost to the point of the disc not even resting in the palm when I pull, but just hanging on my fingertips, following the palm of my hand by about an inch or less. When I do that, I feel... something. The edge of my disc bangs into my palm and rolls out of my hand hinging in the fingertip(s). I've tried to illustrate it.

Is this tendon bounce? Subjectively, it feels like the disc spins faster when it flies and behaves differently, but I'm not getting any significant distance increase (average D around 275-300 feet).

Also, when I hold the disc in the regular powergrip (pushing the rim into my palm with 4 fingers ), I dont feel the hit in my hand, and I'm wondering if I'm gripping too tight? With the loose disc I'm not getting very far around the disc during the pull (around 2 o-clock for me as lefty = 10 o'clock for you guys), and with the tighter grip, I dont feel it. I cant really seem to find an in between.

/Kristian

Take the last picture and move the elbow rearward and to the right instead of toward the target. The elbow must arc around the head, If you can get the weight of the disc aft of the wrist and hyper snap the elbow to the rear or the side, the wrist will explode ON TOP OF THE hammer throw aspect.

Moving the elbow too far forward too long results in a hyper extended elbow. Not necessary, and not good. The elbow barely moves at the correct moment. You are looking for a 4 inch long window of wrist unload, the grip pressure must go up exponentially in this erea where the wrists is being bent back. The upper arm MUST circle naturally around the body. The wrist must attain an angle where it is literally locked at the rip, but the elbow must travel around the arc in a natural fashion. If you look at the elbow, it moves moves contrary to the wrist. The wrist is moving toward the target, the elbow is moving away. The whip is cracked, the lever of the weight of the back of the disc is released. Snap.

 

[scoopa]

Moving the elbow too far forward too long results in a hyper extended elbow. Not necessary, and not good. The elbow barely moves at the correct moment. You are looking for a 4 inch long window of wrist unload, the grip pressure must go up exponentially in this erea where the wrists is being bent back. The upper arm MUST circle naturally around the body. The wrist must attain an angle where it is literally locked at the rip, but the elbow must travel around the arc in a natural fashion. If you look at the elbow, it moves moves contrary to the wrist. The wrist is moving toward the target, the elbow is moving away. The whip is cracked, the lever of the weight of the back of the disc is released. Snap.

Beautifully put.

Sorry, trolling.

 

[racer93]

Quick question, Bradley--I noticed today that when the disc ripped out of my hand, it ripped the hardest off my pinky. (I throw with the ring stacked on the pinky for strength using the power grip.) Is this robbing snap and power? As I wrote to you, I've made a massive jump, but I know I'm losing power somewhere else and this is the one thing I can clearly see that you point out in your video.

Thoughts? Should I stop stacking the ring/pinky and focus that energy on the thumb/index pinch? This hammer technique has added soooooooo much power and spin on my throws, it's not funny...it's amazing!

Daniel