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The more I focus, concentrate on my technique, and stare down a single chain link as my target, the better I putt. Noises, others talking, movement nearby as I prepare to putt - can ruin my concentration, and really mess with my putting. Same for my driving. Sometimes so bad I actually jerk my head to look at noise right in the middle of my putt or throw, and totally botch my attempt. I definitely got to get better at blocking out sounds - keeping my focus on my technique.
I spin putt, with what I think is a standard fan grip. My index finger goes on the outside of the rim, thumb on top, and other three fingers fan out underneath the disc. Feels natural and best to me.
I don't aim either, not on a chain or anything. The whole thing is totally subconscious and feel. The one thing I try and pay attention to is to not rush and make sure my feet and stance are in a solid place, then I look up at the basket, take a practice swing/pump and then fire away.
Same. I use the fan grip on putters out to about 100', give or take. But, I totally suck trying to throw putters or mids with a power grip, so after that distance, I go to fairway drivers and take a little off as needed. Maybe as I improve my form/technique, I will be able to power grip mids and putters - IDK. I have pretty small hands, and for now, they don't even feel good in my hands with a power grip.
I use this grip as a throwing grip for the consistency of release angle you get from the platform you provide under the flight plate along with the way it adds to the number of shapes I can throw with a given disc. Recognizing this about the pivot is crucial to using the grip for throwing as well.
I will have to try to remember to give it a try…. But, my current form, though not conventional at all, I am pretty happy with my progress. I guess my fan grip is probably my most conventional thing. My stance, I stand like a stand still drive, pretty much perpendicular to the basket, and do a fairly hard/aggressive spin putt. For an idea, and yes this is throwing ten in a row, starting at 10' and working back 5' each time, with my discs sitting in a box on a stool next to me (some call it cheating - I call it getting reps, building muscle memory, and tracking progress), here are my numbers today (and yesterday I think I did even slightly better, but I wasn't writing it down): 10' - 10/10. 15' - 9/10. 20' - 10/10. 25' - 4/10. 30' - 4/10. 35' - 3/10. 40' - 3/10. 45' - 1/10. 50' - 0/10, 1/10, 1/10 (was unhappy with the 0 - tried 50' three times). Still unhappy with it today, because yesterday I had about 3/10, 4/10, 0/10, 1/10 from 50'. Today, had about 3 that hit top band or skipped off side of chains - close but still misses. For reference, I have been working 20' a lot lately - I was averaging about 7/10 a month ago. Now getting 8 or 9 most times, but today was a freak good thing, 10/10. 20' is feeling closer than it ever has - feeling like 15' used to feel - progress! Yesterday, I think 20' was 8/10, but I had more makes at 25', 30', 35', 45', and 50'. Yesterday my putting felt amazing - like I made a leap forward after a month of very slow progress. Good that today at least partially kept the progress - it was not a total fluke. For comparison, today is 9/7/2023, my first time keeping track was 7/12/2023, and then my makes out of ten, from 10' out to 50', were: 10/7/4/4/1/2/1/1/1. At that time, from 30' out to 50', I pretty much averaged 1/10, with results almost all 0, 1, or 2. Looks like I need to continue to cement my 20' work/progress, but also start extra work at 25' and 30' - try to get both of them over 50%! That would be great progress, and a goal set early on that I didn't know would I even be able to obtain it or not, much less so quickly - over 50% out to 30'!
. Also, probably goes without saying, but as I progress, there are periods where my numbers seem to improve very little, but I can tell that my misses get smaller - fewer air balls, more close misses - so even when the numbers don't show it, progress is happening, and eventually will turn into more makes. Then, realizing I need a little more concentration, making sure I do all of the little things, and in one session the terribly slow progress turns into a leap forward.
Keep at it for sure, I have small hands as well and I can rip on putters and mids all day, it's just a matter of practice. What I have found is that prefer flat mids and putters to throw, perhaps that is a hand size thing. I like the zone, it is very helpful to have a baseline one in that is beat to hell and they will go straight or even turnover depending on how beat they are. That low profile and small rim size combined with stability makes for a very pin point approach shot for me.
So, I tried this a bit. First thing, I noticed my normal fan grip pretty much puts my middle finger under and thumb over the same spot on the flight plate. I normally focus on my wrist flick for spin, though my thumb/middle finger may create the pivot point? That said, when I tried to focus on that as a pivot point, it caused me to forget other things I needed to focus on, and I putted significantly worse. Still, I think I may be getting that pivot point you talk about by default, because of my fan grip finger positions.
Very possible. For me it's really more useful to focus on establishing the firm grip at that point, but during the throw I'm not thinking about it.
At least for now, I fan grip the same grip position for all putts, including laying up. Before playing with changing grips on putters and/or mids to add distance, I would need to do an extended practice field session, and see if I can figure out some fan grip modification. But, maybe I wait, work more on driving form, and if I can improve my form, maybe power grip on mids/putters will fix itself? Played with my son today - just got back. I was putting pretty well with my new Fierce, similar but not quite as good with my Spin, and then about 75 to 100 feet, give or take, I threw the Fierce or the Watt. I still have a little more distance with the Watt over the Fierce, and parked multiple approach shots with the Watt today. Still max drive at 225', with a rare one out to 245'. Still not good enough form to power grip putters or mids. Much over 100', I switch to a fairway driver and take a little off on the power. But, my putting and my driving, while two steps forward and one back, still inching out progress. Hoping for the breakthrough where I get snap on my drives, but not quite there yet.
I would strongly suggest using a different grip for up shots vs putts, The power and spin needed are way different and need a different feel, power and touch. Your driving form and power are not related IMHO to your putting. Putting is the most important of the throws obviously and should be treated separately in all ways.
This is pretty much how I do it. First make sure my feet are lined up, take a pump or two (with a rock back and forth), and putt finishing with my fingers extended toward the chains. Since I'm mostly a push putter, my arm motion is up and down and as long as my body is lined up, I rarely miss left or right.
You are throwing putters 200-250', with a fan grip???! Seems like that distance on putters is normal for a power grip? I have only been playing for 4 months, so over time my putters with fan grip may get longer, but that distance seems impossible. Maybe a modified fan grip, with a finger or fingers in a power grip position on the rim? If I tried to throw even close to hard enough to throw that far with a fan grip, the disc would slip out of my grip before getting that much force on it. I only get that distance with my drivers - 225' max, are very rare up to 245' only with a light weight Tern.
What % do you make at different distances? I spin putt, and am a decent putter and still improving (for a recreational player and only 4 months playing). I wonder at times if I would be better at maybe 20-30' with a push putt, but started as a spin putter with the idea I will get better faster using only one style, and I didn't have the power to make longer putts with a push putt. Plus, I am over 90% at 15 feet or less, probably 70% at 20' and still improving, and closing in on 50% at 30' but not there yet. At 30', in practice, throwing 10 in a row, I started out averaging about 1 in 10, but now I often get 3-4-5 out of 10. I fully expect to be able to get that over 50% - just not sure when yet. The other day I made 10 of 10 at 20' on my first try - but that is rare for me. I was in the zone - it felt amazing. I sometimes practice 20' over and over trying to get 10 of 10, and either it takes a lot of attempts, or I eventually give up and quit after a decent 8 or 9 makes of 10. Figure as long as I am improving, I don't want to mess around with the push putt, but it is frustrating when I miss left or right from 20-30'. I guess I have the best plan for me, for now, keeping my putting style the same, and working on my driving form, which I know needs work. But, I will say, no doubt that improving my putting made a much bigger difference to my scores than the gains I have made driving! I usually play 2-3 times a week, practice putting 3-5 days a week, and practice driving 1-2-3 times a week. Fairly common for me to do two sessions of whatever combination in a day.
Yeah, 250ish and that's a golf shot, if I were to flex out an understable one (soft banger GT is my preferred thrower) I could send it plenty further. It's a fan grip, with the middle and ring fanned out, the index wrapped over the top of the rim but not touching the flight plate. I do have my pinky tucked in, on the rim in the power grip position for that digit, and now that I'm thinking about it and playing with a disc in my hand, I think that probably helps bigtime in adding spin, power and distance. But I always just did that unknowingly because it felt comfy and my pinky finger is far too small anyway to fan out under the flight plate.
