In A Funk Or Doing The Funky Chicken

[TalbotTrojan]

So the past couple of days I have been playing worse than I did when I first started playing this game. I know I am better than I am playing and I am sure that part of it all is in my head. I am wondering what you all do to get yourself out of a funk when you are playing bad. Nothing that I normally do seems to be working right now.

[innova]

Streaks occur. Play thru them. Don't focus on that too much, imho.

It happens to all of us. No one is on fire every round.

When it happens to me I focus on basic form, etc.

[billnchristy]

Dont keep score for a couple rounds. Just shoot and have fun.

Play a doubles "best ball" round or something different.

[BrotherDave]

Drink heavily. Then again, I am Irish.

[treethacker]

Do like your friend and mine Eagle member Don Henley says - Get over it!Get over it(insert guitar solo here);)
Just kidding,believe me its very easy to get upset at bad play,I should know cause I am an expert at it. The thing I try to do is just relax,if not today then tommorow,and keep plugging away. Everybody has bad games if they were all good there wouldn't be a challenge and you'd be bored.....Boy I wish I was bored!:D

[TalbotTrojan]

Do like your friend and mine Eagle member Don Henley says - Get over it!Get over it(insert guitar solo here);)
Just kidding,believe me its very easy to get upset at bad play,I should know cause I am an expert at it. The thing I try to do is just relax,if not today then tommorow,and keep plugging away. Everybody has bad games if they were all good there wouldn't be a challenge and you'd be bored.....Boy I wish I was bored!:D

If you think about it, Boredom in this area of life seems like it would be more fun. How ironic.

[discjon]

If I'm having a bad streak, usually I just get together with friends and enjoy doubles or something similar.

[A.Mutt]

When I'm in a funk, I stop keeping score and focus on fundamentals.

[theGryphon]

When I'm in a funk I stop playing for a week or so. Go do something else that I enjoy. Then one day the urge to play will be there and I head back. I usually record a good score and sometimes see improvement in my game. I've done this with most of the sports I've participated in throughout my life.

[norcaldisc]

When I'm in a funk I stop playing for a week or so. Go do something else that I enjoy. Then one day the urge to play will be there and I head back. I usually record a good score and sometimes see improvement in my game. I've done this with most of the sports I've participated in throughout my life.

Very sound advice.

[TalbotTrojan]

When I'm in a funk I stop playing for a week or so. Go do something else that I enjoy. Then one day the urge to play will be there and I head back. I usually record a good score and sometimes see improvement in my game. I've done this with most of the sports I've participated in throughout my life.

I try that but the urge is there 20 minutes after my previous round, no matter how bad it is.

[clever_hans]

It kind of sounds like you're suffering from burnout. While skills don't suddenly vanish, sometimes it seems our ability to wield them fluctuates wildly.

I'm new at disc golf, but have had my share of other competitive activities... concentrating on pocket billiards the last five years or so. This past season in league play, I had a horrible streak and couldn't win a singles or doubles game to save my life. Not just losing by <--> this much, mind you, but like getting-spanked-by-senile-grandma bad. At that point I pretty much said "screw it" and let an alternate play my slot for three weeks. (Incidentally, this is when I took a road trip to meet up with an old friend and he introduced me to the Way of the Disc.) Upon returning to the table, my head was clear, my shots were smooth, and I was able to finish the season with a little dignity. Anyway... that's just one personal experience.

My advice? Take a break... let the mind forget all the nonsense and start up new. The body will remember once it's back out on the course. I have a feeling you have too many hours of practice behind you to grow rust quickly.

(However... I'm starting to see that this is an activity not easily walked away from, even for a brief period of time.)

[innova]

There is a hostel for Funky Chickens, in case it isn't your throwing and you decide to travel to take a break.

http://www.funkychickenhostel.com/


:^p

[clever_hans]

There is a hostel for Funky Chickens, in case it isn't your throwing and you decide to travel to take a break.

http://www.funkychickenhostel.com/


:^p

I like the "Shower size swimming pool."

[GLong]

taking some time off can definitely help, but i know it can be tough to chill on it for a few days when all you want to do is go out and throw and work on your game. i live realllllllly close to my home course so the temptation is even harder to ignore sometimes.

when i am playing poorly i will usually go out and just throw and practice putting for a couple days. focus on skills not scores (the title of a very good article on discgolfreview.com) and try to finish up your practice with something that you feel confident with so that you can end the day on a positive note. and always try to pick the brains of your local pros, or videotape yourself throwing - some things you just can't figure out on your own.

[Three Putt]

I play rounds with just a putter and/or mid and work on my form. I worry less about the score and more about executing a variety of shots. A lot of times I find out that holes I often take a 4 on throwing a driver off the tee I can easily 3 throwing mids and putters.

[sidewinding]

Play the most difficult technical course in your area a few times. It will humble and re-focus you at the same time. If that's all you play already then play the most open big arm course in your area a few times and it will do the same thing.

[craigg]

Try playing with your opposite hand, it's entertaining, and a great way to shed expectations. And after a round (or half a round, or even just a few holes) EVERY shot you throw with your normal throwing hand will seem EXCELLENT in comparison.

[volklgirl]

Try playing with your opposite hand, it's entertaining, and a great way to shed expectations. And after a round (or half a round, or even just a few holes) EVERY shot you throw with your normal throwing hand will seem EXCELLENT in comparison.
LOL!! Great advice.

[ERicJ]

Try playing with your opposite hand, it's entertaining, and a great way to shed expectations. And after a round (or half a round, or even just a few holes) EVERY shot you throw with your normal throwing hand will seem EXCELLENT in comparison.
+1... except for putting.

I've seen a decent number of people putt with their off hand and many/most of them actually do pretty well that way. Probably has something to do with being a much simpler motion than trying to drive a disc as well as forcing you to concentrate more.

[craigg]

Can't disagree w/EricJ - but most people have never even tried putting w/ their off hand. It's really rather funny to see how difficult even 10 footers are the first time you try.

[innova]

The very first tourney I moved to Pro Masters, I nearly ripped the tip of my thumb of my throwing hand clean off. I tomahawked right into a stub on a cedar tree at PBJ in Hattiesburg and the cedar tree won.

It was basically a dislocation of the thumb knuckle, and it bent over so much it tore the skin pretty darn badly. Compound dislocation? I popped it back in and headed to the ranger station to stop the bleeding. Nice way to turn pro!

Anyway, I threw lefty for quite a while because that is how I roll. It was like starting over.

I learned from it. It got worse before it got better. In the beginning of the lefty phase I spent much of my time getting up off the ground due to side splitting laughter.

:^/

[Neophyte]

I am extremely left hand challenged. I can't imagine throwing an entire round with my off hand. I don't think I would ever finish.

[TalbotTrojan]

There is a hostel for Funky Chickens, in case it isn't your throwing and you decide to travel to take a break.

http://www.funkychickenhostel.com/


:^p

How does one find such things? I think you have way too much time on your hands.

[TalbotTrojan]

Play the most difficult technical course in your area a few times. It will humble and re-focus you at the same time. If that's all you play already then play the most open big arm course in your area a few times and it will do the same thing.

I am basically going to do that, but to add more pressure I have decided to wait for the upcoming tournament there to do that.

I am going out in just a bit to play so when I get five Aces I will call all you all who said I needed a break crazy.

[TalbotTrojan]

Well, no five aces, but a couple of good runs at aces. And I did shoot my first ever round under par. Did it on the front 18 at La Mirada which is kinda cool to be able to say, especially where some of the pins are right now. My back 18 still looked like I was in my funk but even that couldn't bring me down from shooting underpar on the front.

[Disc Chainy]

I've been through this too. Last time I went through a "funk" I had to ask myself: self, why were my overall round scores better when I had less experience than they are now, 2 years later? I realized that when I was learning how to play I would shoot a safe, consistent drive onto the fairway, shoot a conservative approach, and make my easy putt. Now that I know I'm capable of a birdie on the same hole, I find myself trying to crush my drive more often, farther but less accurate, usually resulting in a bad upshot, followed by a tough putt.
For me, just scaling back a little bit helped me get through my rough patch.

[TalbotTrojan]

Yeah, and this is generally what I try and do most of the time when I am not throwing well. What I found out today however is that it is one particular course, the back 18 at La Mirada, that has me in this funk.

I am taking tomorrow off and then the plan is to play El Dorado on Monday. Then maybe I'll go back to La Mirada.

[A.Mutt]

I learned from it. It got worse before it got better.

I definitely get that. This year is the first time I've devoted myself to learning how to throw something other than overhand shots. I haven't been able to do anything on low ceiling drives so I really needed to learn backhand and forehand is next. I definitely got worse and am now starting to see signs of getting better.

[Midnightbiker]

One thing that I do if I have a really bad round, is I go to the practice field, and do a lot of thinking and analyzing. I put my headphones on, and just relax, and take my time ,and think about what I did wrong, and how I could have done better.

I then take out my discs,and throw , and watch each one carefully. I memorize what each one of my discs do, so when I need that type of shot , I know what disc to choose.

I also agree with taking a break from disc golf. A while back, I would eat, sleep and eat disc golf. I took a couple of weeks off and did something else, and it was nice to take a break. You can get sick of anything if you get too much into it. I love my motorcycle , but I don't ride it everyday. Samething applys to the wife.

That's one of the reasons I am glad I don't have a disc golf course across the street. It would be nice, but after a while, you would get tired of it. You have to do things in moderation. That is why I only place once a week, and I practice once a week.

[djext1]

IMHO the best thing one can do when you get in a slump like that, is to play a few rounds with just a hard putter. Don't worry about your score or anything like that, just throw/jog-walk/throw/putt/rinse-repeat.

After you finish the round you see how well you did using just putter and kind of get that "WTF is my problem" feeling. At least I do, then I laugh about it, and the next time I go out to play I usually have my form back. Throwing a putter round or two helps 'reset' your form and get your mind right so to speak.

Works for me every time.

[TalbotTrojan]

How many rounds a year does a guy like Ken Climo play? How many rounds a day was he playing to become as good as he was? I think it is reasonable to play through the slumps. The idea of practice and thinking through practice is a good thing. So what else besides aking a break can we do? Today is my break day but I plan on playing a couple of rounds tomorrow. I am already bummed I am not out there today.

[innova]

How many rounds a year does a guy like Ken Climo play?

I have no idea.

All I can say is I watched the dude warm up before Worlds a few mornings and he sure can putt.

Wow.