Natural Feeling

[Qbert]

Over the past two years or so now I have been playing disc golf on a very regular basis. Trying to improve my form, gain distance, accuracy, better my putting ability, and raise my level of play as a whole. I have without question improved in all of the areas but towards the latter part of the summer and early fall I began to feel like I was digressing. My driving seemed to lack the timing I had earlier in the season and I really struggled at times to find my sweet spot on the green. Needless to say I was becoming quite frustrated and at time discouraged.

Towards the middle of September while playing a couple rounds I caught up with some friends while they were playing in our local Club Ultimate Sunday pick-up game. One of them informed me that they were coaching the high school that I had graduated from and invited me to come out to a practice or two.

Longer story short I have been coaching Ultimate the past 3 months and it has cut into the time that I would normally be spending playing disc golf.

Our fall season ended a couple weeks ago so my time was once again available for disc golf. Over the past two weeks I have been throwing very well compared to what I was earlier in the year. My throws/putts seem to be much more natural. I seem to be much less conscience of my form and trust my abilities. I wouldn't say my confidence is higher than it was but my play has become much more natural to me. I have noticed slight differences in my shots, most evidently in putting, that are smoother, feel less forced, and much more effortless.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I'm familiar with needing to take breaks but I wasn't really throwing any less; it was probably more to be honest haha. It seems that adding another disc sport into my regular routine has improved my game instead of bringing back some of the things that I struggled with when first transitioning from ultimate to disc golf.

But enough rambling from this guy for the time being Lemme hear your thoughts/ideas/experiences/whatever

[whentherainscome]

Every time I start putting it together I think, "thats pretty good, but if I could just ____" and then I suck. I'm focused on expectation, I'm focused on some minute aspect of my mechanics, everything gets bungled and I just end up frustrated. Take some time off and all those nit-picky thoughts are gone and whaddaya know, your body knows with it's doing a lot better than your brain does!

[Monkeypaws]

Yogi Berra said it best. The game is 90% mental; the other half is physical.

[davmer2303]

Originally Posted by Monkeypaws

Yogi Berra said it best. The game is 90% mental; the other half is physical.

Good old Yogi...so much Sense disguised as nonsense...

[cjskier]

For me time off really does wonders for my game. except up shots and putting, where my "touch" seems to go away. It effects me enough that I won't play at all the week of an event. I just practice my putting those weeks.

Not playing many rec rounds this summer, playing 8 tourneys and lots of putting practice raised my rating 37 points this year.

[Discwrangler]

Getting the f out your own way is tough on a day to day basis. I can see how ultimate can help flow and trusting the throw. Probably very similar effect as speed golf.

[Simpfiend1023]

That's pretty funny my friends who play more ultimate always complain about playing disc golf too much because they think it will affect how they throw in ultimate. For the most part it is just a mental thing. I picked up forehand throwing easy after being taught by a friend how to forehand with a ultimate disc (I never played disc golf and barely played threw a disc of any kind while my friend had started learning how to throw a disc well in middle school). I actually could forehand a dg disc better than he could within my first week of playing.

[MrFixIt]

I haven't played in over a month and finally got to play last Monday. I was a little worried @ being rusty, but shot very well the 1st round and even better the 2nd.
I'm pretty sure that muscle memory played a part in my scores because all of my throws/putts just seemed to flow.
Maybe I need to take another month off...

[wake911]

Sometimes the best i do is after a lay-off. No expectations and not over analyzing does wonders for your natural shot.

[Qbert]

Originally Posted by Simpfiend1023

That's pretty funny my friends who play more ultimate always complain about playing disc golf too much because they think it will affect how they throw in ultimate. For the most part it is just a mental thing. I picked up forehand throwing easy after being taught by a friend how to forehand with a ultimate disc (I never played disc golf and barely played threw a disc of any kind while my friend had started learning how to throw a disc well in middle school). I actually could forehand a dg disc better than he could within my first week of playing.

My first few throws can be a little messy/lean towards one sport or the other but after I pass a disc around I am fine. I would have to say that ultimate affects my disc golf game more so than the other way around, though I have been playing ultimate for twice as long so that could be why.

After thinking about it a little more I think the introduction of ultimate back into my throwing time has helped with natural feel/flow because of how it forces me to be aware of my whole body. From pivot foot to release point.

I got caught up as seeing my throws as individual movements that pieced together to produce a certain outcome.

The best analogy I can come up with is my disc golf throws were more like equations as opposed to one whole fluid motion.

Edit: But I still can't forehand a disc golf disc to save my life lol. I think I have the low release to high target permanently ingrained into it haha