Practice

[WillA]

It never ceases to amaze me how important form is. 18 months ago I was consistently throwing 300 feet. Then I hurt my knee, couldn't play for a month and couldn't really play for two months. And my distance fell off to a consistent 240.

I expected it to come back. But last year I didn't put in much field practice. I just played and I never got back to where I was. It may be boring but I am determined to spend at least a couple of days a week on field practice this year.

[TalbotTrojan]

Field Practice or playing rounds where you actually focus on form, it is all the same to me. I've put on 20 to 40 feet in the past couple of weeks simply because I have worked on having a better snap when I release. It is amazing to see the results. Wish it had happened before I played in that last tournament but I am not complaining that it happened.

[Jimb]

I get to practice in an open field close to work a heck of a lot more than I actually get to play on a course. It's definitely a good place to get to try all different kinds of shots and not just work on distance.

I've really been able to see the development of my throws and it's really cool. I can actually see my Hyzer Flips flip now. And I can actually see my Flex Shots flight path. It's even really opened up my eyes on how different Tomahawks are different from Thumbers. I guess that it's time to work on my Rollers now. Or maybe I should focus more on my crappy putting!

But the coolest thing for me was when I took it onto a football field late last Fall. I hadn't thrown on a lined off field for about six months. It was awesome actually seeing the difference measured agains the lines on the field. It just felt better to me than just seeing the distance increase versus some arbitrary reference point that I picked out.

Enjoy it wherever you're doin' it!

[Usher]

It like golf and a Driving Range. I feel when you try are "practice" on the course, you get too caught up in the game. Were as at the driving range you can just focus on your form. Same goes for Disc golf.

[TalbotTrojan]

Here is my problem with practicing not on the course. I concentrate less and care about the result less. For me it is more of a practice how you play and if I get too much on the side of thinking about form then I won't play well. It is a combination of being in the mindset and getting the form right. I think I heard it in a DisCraft video that you want to think about your throw but you don't want to think too much about your throw.

Here is where I think a driving range is beneficial, it helps you become more self aware of what you are doing. Once you have gained a certain level of self awareness you really do not need it any more. Also, it is a lot more beneficial to practice your putting as half your throws are going to be putts (on average).

[_.-Dut-._]

Biggest benefit to field practice is you can throw 50 drives in around 15 minutes.

Where as a course you only are going to Tee-off 18 times, with much more time.

[Neophyte]

The courses are pretty deserted this time of year (and I regularly play alone) so I often throw multiple shots from each position. I try out different disc and shot combinations without holding up another group. This way I can work the challenges of the course into my shot selection.

[_.-Dut-._]

Originally Posted by Neophyte

The courses are pretty deserted this time of year (and I regularly play alone) so I often throw multiple shots from each position. I try out different disc and shot combinations without holding up another group. This way I can work the challenges of the course into my shot selection.

Yeah I do this same thing at times.

[t i m]

Field Practice is Golden

It's been cold, and dark early, so I hadn't been to a field in a long time. But Friday evening, I ducked out of work at 5 p.m. sharp and got in about 40 minutes in a field throwing drivers with my brother. Some new plastic had piled up over the winter and I really wanted to try it out to see how it fared. Wind was head/cross-wind blowing at 10-15mph.

We were throwing Wraiths, Teebirds, Bosses, Destroyers, Valkyries, Monarchs, Roadrunners, Grooves, and a few random discs throw in for fun (including Zephyrs and SuperHeros).

Discs flew more or less as expected, but I was reminded of a few critical things:

1. Teebirds fly great on low, flat lines and have a minimal low-speed fade.
2. Bosses skip like crazy
3. Roadrunners -- on a medium-high S-line -- can outdrive anything else out there for lower-power players.

Destroyers and wraiths were all about the same distance, 40-50' in front of the Teebirds and Valks. Boss/Groove/Roadrunner were about another 20' out, with the Roadrunner winning farthest drive by a few feet both upwind and downwind (surprise!).

Teebirds were by far the most predictable and closest grouped disc. Teebirds -- even different weights and plastics -- ended up close to one another, all following the same low, flat line with slight hyzer fade at the end (downwind) and flat finish (upwind).

I was reminded the line that Teebirds fly best. And how much Bosses skip almost 90-degrees sideways at the end of their flight if they are thrown low. And both of these facts came in incredibly handy at the Icebowl this weekend. There was a 450' tight tunnel shot with nasty underbrush that I threaded with a Teebird, putting it ~350' down one of the most controlled lines I've ever thrown. It just pured the alley the whole way and was a thing of beauty to behold -- easily 100' past where anyone else landed, and I was on the lead card in pro. It is gorgeous to watch a disc down a tight alley.

One other whole was a teebox with a tight line straight at the basket and a hole twice as wide to the left. I took a Boss and popped a flick out hard and low, 6" off the ground -- it went out about 380', hit the ground and skipped 60'+ to the right to park the hole. Kept me out of the tight alley and still got me to the basket.

I don't think I would have tried either shot had I not spent that time in a field. It was just a reminder to me how important it is to spend time in a field to get to know what your discs are capable of. It will save you strokes on the course.

[DiscChainBasket18]

I threw my entire stack of (misc) discs in an open field with a running track on one side (to judge straightness & distance). I got the most out of my time when I recorded notes on each throw in a journal (I was able to find all my discs this way too). Then at home later that evening I went over my notes on each disc's overall distance & hyzer, anhyzer. How quick to stable or understable etc. How the wind affected the flight. I threw uphill & down. It was a lot of effort but I did learn a lot about each disc. The discs in my bag are different now than what I had in there before field testing. Now I go back to the field to test-throw each new disc I get.