xare's putting form

[xare]

I've got two videos (sorry about the quality of them). I wanted to capture what a typical putting round is like for me. This is pretty typical weather for me where I live (and you can often see the wind blowing the hedge around in the background). I captured one view from sort of the rear putting from 20', and then another one where you can see my form from 30' but not if the discs made it into the basket or not.

Putted with 10 Ridges (5 Firm, 5 Regular) and 1 SSS Wizard (11 total).

20' Rear putting video:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicklong/6077868314/

30' Side putting video:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicklong/6077851166/

Statistics from 20' (in order): 4 banged home, 3 doinks on the cage, 1 flew over the top, then 3 more banged home.

Statistics from 30': 6 banged home, 2 doinks, 3 flew over the top.

Without commentary from me - please tell me what you think my putting style is, and any other thoughts. This is my first time asking for form help and I've never done videos or watched videos. Also, if my videos are poor, please let me know that as well!

[E_Rock25]

It is hard to critique putting form because it verys from person to person. I don't know if you want to change anything really. I am also no master by any means but here are some of the things I noticed.

-I think you have a good rhythm but it seems just a bit fast (that is my opinion) you use the same motion every time and that is a good thing.

-I also noticed that your putts are all nose down. This can be a bad thing because if you miss the basket the putt will tend to go farther past and could hit the ground wrong and flip up and roll. Try to pull your thumb back on the flight plate a bit and it should help get the nose up.

-Last thing you seem to have a lot of moving parts in your putt. I had the same problem. I try to lock my elbow and only use my arm swing and wrist snap. This has made a big differencein my putting because I very rarly miss right or left anymore. Its is kinda a cross between push and spin putt. On longer putts I think I get my weight forward more than you are as well.

I hope that helps a bit. I think the biggest thing is the nose down. It can be really bad IMO especially on a fast green or hillside putts.

[E_Rock25]

I really don't think your putting is as bad as you seem to think it is. Your form consistency is great. It may help to slow down just a little bit.

[BrotherDave]

It looks very similar to the DGR method of pitch putting to me. You actually putt pretty similarly to me. The thing I noticed is that you do have some extra variables involved in terms of that elbow. Like E-rock said:
-Last thing you seem to have a lot of moving parts in your putt. I had the same problem. I try to lock my elbow and only use my arm swing and wrist snap.
I'd focus on using less elbow and more wrist (not necessarily more spin, just use it as the focal point for pitching the disc forward). I noticed some of your putts came out wobbly, that could be an indication that you aren't getting enough finger spring. I think that when learning to become a good putter, it's vital to think the putt through every time instead of putting your mind on cruise control and relying on muscle memory to make it happen. Let yourself think about putting that disc on the optimal flight path for sinking that putt, every time you putt.

Nose down is only bad if you don't hit the target, flat with Vibram putters can be risky if you hit dead center of the pole b/c of spit outs. So I think the nose angle is the least of your worries right now.

[sillybizz]

It looks like you might be missing low because you don't have your weight forward. I'm guessing you miss low a lot from longer distances where you are still using your putting stance? The bigger issue I see you having is that you have a confidence issue; when you missed one putt you started to unravel. Here is some putting tips I gave on another site a while back, this may help you: http://www.nwdiscgolfnews.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7079

[xare]

Great advice so far! I definitely will need to work on keeping my elbow locked in a position. I do throw my putts nose down on purpose though - I always try to toss it so that it moves in a parabola and lands into the basket (instead of aiming for the chains). I don't know why I do it like that, and I'm trying to change! I do miss low a lot from longer distances (50' to 30' is where I still use my putting stance), and if I doink a putt, I do tend to doink the next 3 or 4 in a row. That's why I've never done well in tournaments... 1 doink and I start parking my drives and 3-putting from 5'. Not joking. One tournament, I managed to park my drive on a 350' hole to 5'. Doinked the putt. It rolled to 15' away. Doinked that one. Rolled to 30'. Finally banged that one home. That was with a R-Pro Dart when I was using the Dart as my putter.

I'll have to read that link and work on my confidence for sure. Thanks for your time, everybody!

[sidewinding]

Stand up straighter

Use less elbow movement

slow down

concentrate on smoothness instead of power

[E_Rock25]

You said something about landing the disc in the basket. That will make you miss low a lot too. Some will tell you to aim at a chain link, I aim at a spot on the pole depending on distance from the pole. Something that helped me is think about putting through the basket. Your 10' putt should for the most part be the same power as your 30' putts this will help with missing low I think.

[garublador]

That doesn't look too bad. The thing I noticed is that your follow through seems a bit inconsistent. You want a quick, springy, kind of early release (the throws with little follow through did these well). That will help with consistency.

[pchitti]

Def need to follow through. You really lost focus in the middle of the 20's and never got it back.

Poor practice is not good practice. If your head is out of it you will hurt more than you help.

[olemiss5931]

I think your form is ok. You just need to slow down and use less putters so you don't lose your concentration.

[Speedly]

I come from the line of thought that if you're draining putts, it doesn't matter what you do, as long as you do it the same every time.

I use a ball golf example for this - a few years back, in the world putting championships (or whatever it was called, not important really), there was a guy who won a couple of years in a row. This guy putted barefoot, with one foot in the air and the his toes around the bottom of the putter's shaft.

He looked dumb as hell, but he beat everyone else out there.

Again, in short, how you look is unimportant. Draining the putt comes above all else, however you find you need to do it.

I would say you should slow down and worry more about being consistent, than firing out putts. It does show that your concentration breaks if you miss one, so I would suggest stopping between each putt, stepping off of your stance, take a breath, and do the whole routine over again. Firing out putts like that only teaches you how to machine-gun putts, a skill you will never use on the course.

Best of luck, my friend!