Back to Bracing... and Hello Everybody

[Mocheez]

Check out Wiggins and Lizotte on hole #12 at 22:15.

 

[slowplastic]

Definitely some right to left relative to their lines, and CRUSHED.

 

[clard]

Check out Wiggins and Lizotte on hole #12 at 22:15.

That's a great example.

 

[Star Shark]

You want your runup on the initial line of flight, but as it turns out, a side effect of the cross step is that it pretty much automatically puts you in a closed stance, so you're all set to go on a proper throw.

 

[sidewinder22]

Steve Brinster always goes right to left. He often changes the direction of his momentum during the swing. You can always tell what shot he was throwing in his follow through. In the vid below he was ace running a 630' hole on hyzer.

 

[rhatton1]

My first thought is to use a towel on the teebox where you plant your right foot.

My second thought - the idea of putting the power DOWN concerns me. This why I don't really get behind the crush the can stuff. Your weight NEVER should be shifting down. Just being on your knees and toes will generate all the weight shift you need. If you learn by pushing down when you plant, in my opinion this will cause you to lose power. This takes your weight shift and STOPS it dead on that foot. Every bit of momentum you have is going into that plant foot, it can't do anything but spin off balance to control your momentum(or eventually rip your knee up). The mental state needs to be focused on moving forward, not going down. If you have shots that are on line but either go up or down widely this is a result of pushing your weight down into that plant foot. Pushing down will pull the shoulders/arm and core off axis. Hopefully that helps and I'm not going off an a tangent of assumption of whats really going on...

Also when I am on a wet box I use a lot more arm and have to trust my elbow and forearm to lead the disc rather than my weight. Big power throwers tend to not be "mudders". Its taken me some time to adjust and learn to just use my arm in some of those throws.

FORWARD FORWARD FORWARD. Knees and Toes, don't be flat footed ever. Its just that simple.

Thanks for this - I was using power down more as a saying than a description in this instance, although if i'm going for firm footing for max power distance drives I am generally conscious of pushing down into the turf with my plant foot. This is the problem I've had with the wet tees recently as I've been trying out some very different lines I've never seen people throwing before at the course some of which are taking a lot of distance to achieve (long hyzerbombs over the top of very tall trees, or stupidly wide out annys the other way) and I have been planting noticeably harder than normal for these. Once the confidence in the footing goes though it really effects the rest of my game for sometime before I can build it up again.

Interesting what you are saying about having to pull back a bit on a wet tee box - this is reassuring for me as I was beginning to think I was doing something wrong by not being able to go full power in those circumstances, I need to play the conditions more.

I have never used a towel down- I don't like the idea unless I bring a beachtowel with me as I'm worried too much thought is going to go into landing on the towel rather than executing the shot. I'm probably just going to have to go back to standing drives when not confident on footing. Although I might try to practice with a towel as it shouldn't be any different from landing behind the marker. I'm just a terrible one for becoming distracted by other thoughts so the less in the head the better!!

On the other side I love the crush the can idea, it goes hand in hand with everything i've worked on from the idea of a pole vaulters pole bracing to Brad Walkers snap videos and swinging past the plant, and it helps with peoples foot placement and posture as well although not specifically designed for this i've found that is probably the best benefit of the drill. I've seen noticeable improvements in a lot of people that have worked on that since Sidewinder posted it up. It is a drill so it's overemphasising but it gets a good feel for the plant being the trigger motion for forward movement.

 

[rhatton1]

Just realised my first line above sounded sarcastic - it wasn't, i meant it as actual thanks

 

[rhatton1]

The Hershiser Drill made several things automatic for me. I couldn't backhand 100' before the Close Shoulder Drill. Tire Block Drill made it possible for me to do the Hershiser drill.

Not having drills is fine if you have someone that throws farther than you to play with, or if you have a coach beside you talking you through it, or if you just get it. Not everyone is that lucky.

So this^ Closed shoulder drill just snapped a lightbulb on for me, approach game has never been the same since. A couple of JHerns suggested drills made such a difference to me years ago with finding how to use the hips I recorded videos of them for others. The Super Sekret technique sidearm drill especially and the backhand drill later made huge differences just making me realise that I had been trying to get the power/speed in at totally the wrong time. It's so easy to say to people smooth is far. The sidearm drill suddenly showed me how smooth COULD be far.

I've played a lot of sports over the years and some to a high level, golf and disc golf never came naturally though despite being athletic. Drills have unlocked the potential for me.

I'm a sucker for drill i suppose and not everyone is, people learn in different ways - I like to have as large an arsenal of ideas in the locker to throw at people if one doesn't work for them though - i've only ever had one person face to face I just couldn't crack and he was the most negative down on himself guy you've ever come across expecting to fail before he did. I think the only way to have got through to him was with some serious psychotherapy! (although i do have a couple of new drills I want to try on him now )

 

[Annakin SkyHyzer]

Steve Brinster always goes right to left. He often changes the direction of his momentum during the swing. You can always tell what shot he was throwing in his follow through. In the vid below he was ace running a 630' hole on hyzer.

I pretty much try to do this on 90% of drives. Changing the plane of throw with upper body and follow through, but remaining in a closed stance to ensure proper throwing form.
RHBH Perspective
Open L-R steps for spike, sweeping, oddball hyzers.
Reverse ? For Downhill Anhyzers

 

[slowplastic]

The importance of bracing is real. I had a great session and got it to feel more similar to my baseball swing, where there's a sort of recoil from the bracing. I don't feel like I'm slamming into a wall that is my front side anymore, and I don't feel myself leaking around the pivot. I was throwing in a tailwind so the distances aren't "real", but I hit 320' with an Anode, 400' with a star Teebird, and 425' or slightly more with a star Destroyer. The biggest thing was velocity, I could get my Destroyers to turn as much in this tailwind as they normally would in calm conditions...but it wasn't from torque because I threw lots of 300'+ putter shots dead straight. And pure hyzer releases were carrying farther than normal.

I have to keep messing around with it, but it feels so much better to be behind that plant and feel everything transfer forward, without slamming into the front hip...just recoiling after the shot instead.

 

[sidewinder22]

The importance of bracing is real. I had a great session and got it to feel more similar to my baseball swing, where there's a sort of recoil from the bracing. I don't feel like I'm slamming into a wall that is my front side anymore, and I don't feel myself leaking around the pivot. I was throwing in a tailwind so the distances aren't "real", but I hit 320' with an Anode, 400' with a star Teebird, and 425' or slightly more with a star Destroyer. The biggest thing was velocity, I could get my Destroyers to turn as much in this tailwind as they normally would in calm conditions...but it wasn't from torque because I threw lots of 300'+ putter shots dead straight. And pure hyzer releases were carrying farther than normal.

I have to keep messing around with it, but it feels so much better to be behind that plant and feel everything transfer forward, without slamming into the front hip...just recoiling after the shot instead.

Exactly, recoil, smash. The recoil of the followthrough is like watching the wake ripples of a pebble thrown into a pond, or a spring board diver. You can tell if the pebble or diver was coming straight down through the water by the wake in the finish, or if they over or under rotated.

 

[HyzerUniBomber]

I've been having good results as well, though I definitely don't always find that sweet spot on demand - especially if there's a short teepad or uphill teepad.

Somehow it strongly correlates to coming through with my shoulders just perfect, but there's a "hard set" feel when you get it just so - like a tensioned constraint in the hips that is absolutely perfect for the shoulders unload.

Super stoked for ya slow plastic... I know you have been working your butt off.

 

[slowplastic]

I've been having good results as well, though I definitely don't always find that sweet spot on demand - especially if there's a short teepad or uphill teepad.

Somehow it strongly correlates to coming through with my shoulders just perfect, but there's a "hard set" feel when you get it just so - like a tensioned constraint in the hips that is absolutely perfect for the shoulders unload.

Super stoked for ya slow plastic... I know you have been working your butt off.

Yeah I can't wait to keep experimenting, I knew last week I was finding out what was going to get me to the next plateau. I know what you mean about the feeling when it unwinds at the impact...my last shot of the day was that (in addition to some other shots that I felt I had no business throwing throughout the session). I threw a Verdict, which I usually throw ~300' because it's fairly reliably stable with its finish, but it rung off the soccer goalpost 300' away before it much hinted at fading, still on a rope. A really good feeling to end on, knowing that when things all line up there's a huge velocity that the disc takes off at...and it doesn't impact my body like I was worried it would.

To people not knowing what I'm meaning by this recoil, watch this video of Bautista hitting. Watch his right (rear) hip come forward, and from about 0:32-0:38 you can see it hit that invisible brace point that recoils it back.