What's your preferred way of learning?

[Lewis]

How do you know when you're good enough to start adding new elements to your game? Should you master one skill or one disc at a time, or should you work on several at once?

Also, should more experienced players develop skills the same way beginners do, or is there a turning point in a person's game when there's a new "best way" to learn? If there is such a turning point, how do you know you've reached it? Driving distance? Scoring average? Years of experience?

[REDARMY]

questions i wish i knew the answer to my friend.

i know i suck, and i don't seem to run into the people that can help :(

[dahig]

most of what anyone will "learn" will be from two main sources.
#1-just being out on the course playing.
#2-open field practice,practice,practice w/assorted discs and types of throws.so you can use them in appropriate situations on the course.

and play with (if you can) more experienced players than yourself.that way you get to see how other players work out a given lie with a given shot.then apply that to your game/practice.

[dahig]

hey red army!
come on over to centralia.
i may not know everything,but i would at least try to help.:):D

[REDARMY]

hey red army!
come on over to centralia.
i may not know everything,but i would at least try to help.:):D

i don't usually get that far east, but i'll friend ya so we can keep in touch.

and i don't need to play with someone who knows everything, i just need to play with someone who knows more than me :)

(the locals here in st. louis don't appear to be very advice-giving-friendly)

[DWill]

Try playing in your local course's tournaments (weeklys, monthlys, doubles, ice bowls, etc). It's a great way to meet and observe new players. Observe as much as you can, and when you complement them on their great shots, they will be more than willing to give you advice/info about the shot.

I think most people would rather give advice when asked first, so ask away, the worse that they can do is not answer.

For me, I prefer to learn one skill at a time, but it can get boring, so I tend to mix in a few others at the same time.

Hope this helps.

[bazkitcase5]

How do you know when you're good enough to start adding new elements to your game? Should you master one skill or one disc at a time, or should you work on several at once?

Also, should more experienced players develop skills the same way beginners do, or is there a turning point in a person's game when there's a new "best way" to learn? If there is such a turning point, how do you know you've reached it? Driving distance? Scoring average? Years of experience?

great questions, I'll try to tackle them:

I'd say your good enough to start adding new elements to your game when you are good enough to realize that you need more elements to get better. Strange answer, yes, but most people do not realize why these other types of shots are even useful and in what situations, so for them, these shots are useless. However, when you realize why these shots are being used and in what situations they work best, it is a great time to see if you can learn them for yourself.

Personally, I am a fan of throwing Rocs and putters. I think you should pick a dx roc and a putter, and master them. If you can learn to throw a putter and a roc correctly (without flutter), then everything else will fall into place. These discs are very unforgiving of bad form and will show you your flaws. So when you are able to throw these discs smoothly, it is safe to say your form has gotten better and you will see a noticeable difference when throwing your other discs.

Anybody with flaws in their form, unless they know exactly what that flaw is, should develop their skills the same. A great way to learn is to visit www.discgolfreview.com and read the throwing articles. Break down your throwing mechanics one step at a time and rebuild. Once you have solid throwing form, you can strengthen your muscles and continue playing until you have your timing down. Once that is done, everything else will fall into place (Good scoring, good distance, good confidence in your ability).

With all that being said, there is no substitute for field practice. Take 30-40 discs to an open field, throw down, back, down, back and in less than 2 hours that is 120-160 drives. This is like playing 6-8 full rounds. This is a great way to work on your form, develop your throwing muscles, which will in time improve distance, timing, and your confidence. You will also learn how your discs react with different throws in different wind conditions.

[DiscChainBasket18]

Most people (myself included) will start to play the game & since they don't have a good instructor there will develop bad habits. Over time these habits become fully ingrained. When someone who knows better tires to help you, they'll say something about your style & offer suggestions. Then you start 2nd guessing everything (thinking too much). In an attempt to learn as much as I can I research all avenues of possible instruction. I look at magazine articles. I watch DVD's. I listen when a local pro makes a comment on my form/throw/style. I practice throwing in a field (drives) & with my portable basket (upshots, putting). Websites, forums, blogs, youtube, MFG catalogs, etc. And I think that just because you know a lot about disc golf, or are around it a lot, it doesn't mean you know how to play well. Knowing & teaching are two different things. Learning & retaining are two different things for me haha

[_.-Dut-._]

I personally have always tried to get one technique down at a time. Whien I was learning sidearm I worked on it almost exclusively with field practice along with normal backhands. Once I got to where I was happy with that I started messing with overhand shots. Might not be best for most, but worked well for me.

[zoox]

when i first started playing i just threw the disc hard,and it would go far,but with no accuracy.i played this way for a while,then a local pro explained the different stlyles and throws that i was completely ignoring.4 years later and i now take the time get the disc to do what i want be it hyzer,anhyzer, tohmahawk what have you.in that time my progression was based on risks taken,experimentation,and just gettin off my ass and on the course. i think once one realizes that they have progressed enough to try new techniqes,that is the perfect time to move up to the next level and take bigger risks with shots.

[YonderScott]

I've stated this in another thread, but the thing that has helped me bring my score down is throwing mid-range and putters. My girlfriend lives on a farm and I have alot of open space(that I hope to turn into a course in the future) and I take full advantage of it. In the last month I've seen my rocs, skeeters, spider, wolf, stingray, panther, an old mrx, and the 5 putters I own take on another 25-50 feet. I've not only learned what they will and will not do, I've taken my drivers, by not throwing them for practice, to another level of accuracy. Sounds funny, but working on my mid range game has made my drivers work much much better for me when I pull them out on the course.

[JR Stengele]

I also enjoy getting out there and just trying to partner up with others who are better then me. I am always trying to push myself to get better but if you don't have players who are better then you it can be difficult to improve. My advice is getting out and playing as much as possible (preferably on a football field or park) and trying to tag along with some of the locals. Good luck.

[JR Stengele]

I've stated this in another thread, but the thing that has helped me bring my score down is throwing mid-range and putters. My girlfriend lives on a farm and I have alot of open space(that I hope to turn into a course in the future) and I take full advantage of it. In the last month I've seen my rocs, skeeters, spider, wolf, stingray, panther, an old mrx, and the 5 putters I own take on another 25-50 feet. I've not only learned what they will and will not do, I've taken my drivers, by not throwing them for practice, to another level of accuracy. Sounds funny, but working on my mid range game has made my drivers work much much better for me when I pull them out on the course.

Good point and great advice to those who are looking to improve their overall game like me.

[Ishulebest]

Excellent point YS. When it comes to mid ranges and putters, one thing some of my friends and I do is play catch with a putter, or a mid range. Start out at about 50 ft to get loose, and keep moving further apart until we are 150 to 200 ft apart.It is a great training tool to teach muscle memory, along with hitting the line you need to be on to accurately arrive at your target area. It translates very well when are throwing a driver off the tee.

[Fore]

For me I like to play or watch people who are better than me. Afterwards I hit the practice field and focus on what I learned.

[solomon.trenton]

i just throw all of my discs with the same kind of throw and curse them all to hell and back