The Quest for 400

[BirdieMachine]

So I thought I would post what I am doing and my goals to see if it can help others out down the road if I find success.

Start date- Jan 1 2014 / Goal date- June 1 2014


Current Stats

Male, 34 Y/O, 5-10, 201 pounds, Avg max drive- 325. Playing for 23 Years. Seriously for the last 2 1/2. Not playing till the snow melts (around late March/early May).


Problem

Premature Ejection Max out at 350ft when the stars align


Cause

Poor form, Little reachback/turn, Strong arming, Bad timing, Weak core? Weak grip? Not flexible enough?


Fixes


Get stronger, lighter, more flexible. Fix form issues.

All daily routines-

Been doing a couple drills I made up and do a few minutes everyday. Basically involves holding a 10 pound weight, turning back and going through the proper throwing motion in real slow motion. I also have a rubber cable that I pull as well. Just making sure I let the arm fly out last, accelerate late.

Improved my diet. No pure sugar food. Want to cut down to under 180 by May 1st to be lighter and potentially quicker. Extra fat weight can't be good.

Working out and stretching daily. Focusing on grip strength and stretching mostly. Some basic light overall weight training. Have a grip set from Heavy grips, 150/200/250. Currently 2 mm from closing the 150. Had an extra heavy 11 pound per finger model but I've outgrown that toy.

I will update this thread every so often as I see improvements or ultimate epic fail.

I'm going to focus on getting better everyday and see where it takes me. :thmbup:

 

[danostrowski]

If you want help, post video.

 

[joecoin]

20 pounds in 4 months is realistic.

I stopped drinking stuff with sugar except for Gatorade, can't give it up. But it's got a lot of sugar in it. And, I don't like the taste of the sugar free stuff. But, I've lost 16 lbs in a year without doing any exercise other than discing and getting out the Wii Fit once in a while. That thing is great for balance training.

 

[jmackie]

My goal for the year is 300', that would make birdies and possible Aces realistic on my hometown course. I play for fun and exercise and probably will never be competitive but that's fine with me. My entire game needs work but I'm improving since I started in November. I like that I live in an area you can play year round!

 

[jmackie]

PS

Weighing in at 145 lbs at nearly 6' I don't want to lose anymore weight! My exercise of choice for my throwing arm is 12 oz decreasing weights

 

[pmorgan1214]

Weighing in at 145 lbs at nearly 6' I don't want to lose anymore weight! My exercise of choice for my throwing arm is 12 oz decreasing weights

At 6 feet and probably a big arm span you could easily be throwing well over 400 feet with some good form. work on your X step and reach back and then snap. :clap::clap:

 

[BirdieMachine]

If you want help, post video.

Yeah I may have to video as well. I know the issues I have so if I can fix the major ones, bad timing mainly then I will go from there. Just wanted to post a thread to make sure I keep my motivation up. If I write down my goals they become muy importante.

 

[PerpetualNewbie]

If I write down my goals they become muy importante.

Actually, while writing down your goals is a very good thing, sharing those goals and discussing with others has been shown to have a negative impact on achievement. The brain can misinterpret this discussion as actual achievement of the goal and play tricks with motivation, etc. and actually hinder your progress.

Good luck!

 

[BirdieMachine]

Actually, while writing down your goals is a very good thing, sharing those goals and discussing with others has been shown to have a negative impact on achievement. The brain can misinterpret this discussion as actual achievement of the goal and play tricks with motivation, etc. and actually hinder your progress.

Good luck!

One positive and one negative. We'll see if I can buck the negative.

Mini update- Just weighed myself and I'm down to 198. Under 2 bills, yeah!!! :thmbup:

 

[TonyVonDoom]

Heavy grips! I've been a captians of crush fan for the last 15 years! If you are looking at actually training hand strength I highly recommend Bill Piches KTA program. Bill was one of the first 50 people to ever close the coc #3... He's about 5'10 and 190lbs! I shut #2 years ago but have to focus solely on grip to repeat the feat. I have only been playing since last summer and I've hit just over 400ft. I feel like my grip and core strength along with hip drive have helped tremendously. If you are capable hanging windshield wipers are a fantastic core exercise! Standing barbell russian twists will also have a good carryover for you

 

[BirdieMachine]

Heavy grips! I've been a captians of crush fan for the last 15 years! If you are looking at actually training hand strength I highly recommend Bill Piches KTA program. Bill was one of the first 50 people to ever close the coc #3... He's about 5'10 and 190lbs! I shut #2 years ago but have to focus solely on grip to repeat the feat. I have only been playing since last summer and I've hit just over 400ft. I feel like my grip and core strength along with hip drive have helped tremendously. If you are capable hanging windshield wipers are a fantastic core exercise! Standing barbell russian twists will also have a good carryover for you

Yeah I was looking at the COC grips but they were a bit more money then I wanted to spend. Got this set of 3 for 30 bucks on Amazon (150/200/250). I have one of those 11 pound per finger plastic ones but that thing is way too easy now. These Heavy Grips do seem to be very good quality and I am happy with them so far (plus lifetime warranty). The reviews say they are a bit overrated (the 150 is probably closer to 125) which is fine with me as thats my level now anyways.

I do regular windshield wipers but I will have to look up the hanging exercise.

 

[TonyVonDoom]

Yeah I was looking at the COC grips but they were a bit more money then I wanted to spend. Got this set of 3 for 30 bucks on Amazon (150/200/250). I have one of those 11 pound per finger plastic ones but that thing is way too easy now. These Heavy Grips do seem to be very good quality and I am happy with them so far (plus lifetime warranty). The reviews say they are a bit overrated (the 150 is probably closer to 125) which is fine with me as thats my level now anyways.

I do regular windshield wipers but I will have to look up the hanging exercise.

If the weights don't match on the heavy grips it doesn't matter much. As long as you have the next steps up and more room for improvement. The hanging version of windshield wipers should be done straight armed from an L front lever progression.

 

[Cinque]

Nice! I'm on the same journey. I've been blogging about it and that helps me stay focused. Good luck!

 

[BirdieMachine]

UPDATE-

So far progress has been slow. Been creeping up a bit in distance (maybe 10 feet so far, ugh). Lost 11 pounds and down to an even 190. My winter training didn't transfer too well to the field. Now I'm basically grinding through. Video is my next step. Continuing to work out and lose a bit more weight. Looks like 180 by May 1st is a stretch. Now reevaluating and changing the goal to 185 lbs by May 1st.

I am consistently longer though and more accurate so baby steps. Got to keep focusing on the positive.

 

[BirdieMachine]

Update- Finally things have clicked, did a video and analysis which helped a ton. Had a throw 390 slightly uphill (over a baseball field and onto a road), as good as 400 as far as I am concerned. Finally getting the snap and rip feeling. What a struggle!!!! I see 450 not too far off with some better improvements in acceleration and timing. Things are a bit odd (any new motion is) so I definitely need to dial in practice to get consistency.

Weight is 188, so minor failure but still good. I think I am fine right around 185 for my build.

Next up 450, I need a bigger practice area. ;D