Best way beginners can gain distance?

[ChrisinFL]

My short drives is my weak link. I have been playing about 3 months, so all areas still need work…. I usually play multiple rounds a week, do multiple field days a week, as well as some back yard putting (broke down and bought me an MVP Black Hole Pro for $150 on Amazon - worth it!). Addicted - watch videos or read improvement discussions multiple times a day! Even more addicted to buying discs - up to 40 already! I am finally breaking 200 feet sometimes - my longest drives right now tend to be Lat 64 Diamond or River - but I average 175-200 feet. Wondering, what are the most common issues that keep beginners stuck at 200 foot drives? I try to implement tips on improving form, but I can't get that "snap" I read about. Any help appreciated! -ChrisinFL

 

[sillybizz]

Slow down, stop trying to throw it hard. Smooth is far. Don't bend over. Pull from your shoulders, not your belly. Plant foot lands first then throw. Head should follow your disc.

 

[zontar]

Slow down, stop trying to throw it hard. Smooth is far. Don't bend over. Pull from your shoulders, not your belly. Plant foot lands first then throw. Head should follow your disc.

this. slow down. and keep throwing that Diamond. it's great for learning form.

 

[BillFleming]

In my journey to get better, I have learned:

1. work with 5 speed or less for a while (I'm going on 7 months with 5 speeds or less). They will help you improve your form. i went from throwing a Hex about 200, to 250 to 275.
2. Make sure you are giving yourself enough room to throw. I found that my stride is long and I have to start off the tee pad. Starting on the tee pad meant that I was running out of room and making my plant too short. Which then got me off balance and my throws went short.
3. Follow through. Not following through cost me distance and more importantly accuracy.

 

[Skamanda]

We tend to forget how little use videos and descriptions made for experienced golfers are to those who are just starting out.

Heck, I've been playing disc golf for 21 years, and I still have ZERO idea what the heck sidewinder meant by responding to my form analysis request with a video of him pushing a pool cue into a wall...

 

[sillybizz]

We tend to forget how little use videos and descriptions made for experienced golfers are to those who are just starting out.

Heck, I've been playing disc golf for 21 years, and I still have ZERO idea what the heck sidewinder meant by responding to my form analysis request with a video of him pushing a pool cue into a wall...

Exactly. I think the op should focus on what I said in post 2 and then after mastering these things they can move on to more advanced topics. The other thing you can do I didn't mention is find some good players and play with them/pick their brain.

 

[ChrisinFL]

Length of stride…

I actually purposely have/had a pretty short stride using the x-step. I thought that was making it easier for me to keep balanced - controlled, maybe, is the right word. Wondering now, maybe that is taking away from my leg speed/power - stepping too short (and slow)? Thinking about it now, pros and guys in videos definitely step a lot longer and harder into their throws than I do. I guess to some extent I thought I should be going slower and easier, getting my form consistent, then gradually increase speed later when I got my form down (muscle memory how to do things right, then gradually ad more speed and power). Now I don't know - I definitely don't have this whole thing figured out, at all!!! I have been taking a very short, almost casual x-step, and when I try to go faster and harder, that tends to be when I screw up badly - lose consistency, and throws start going all over the place. Thoughts from those who have been here, on which way I should be approaching this, as I try to increase beyond 200 feet??? Maybe for a bit, I stop the x-step, and try a single step, and try it both ways, slower versus faster - see if I can keep consistent trying to make that last, single step, faster and more powerful? See if, using a faster single step, can I add distance versus a slower single step, without losing consistency? Hard to know what to do, or try - there are so many things going on all at once, or at least so fast - so many variables. Not sure when my focus should be on this, "slow is smooth, and smooth is far", that I see so often, versus are there things that I am just going to have to try to get good at going faster and/or harder to ever throw further? Uggghhh, I feel like such a rookie! Sometimes, the more I study, the more I realize I don't know, if that makes sense??? :wall: :wall: :wall: I definitely, asap, need to get together with my son, and make sure we video each other, so we can watch what we are actually doing - so I can compare reality, versus the picture in my head of what I think I am doing! Maybe that will help me stop feeling quite so much like I am :wall: :wall: :wall:, and give me some concrete things to know what I am doing well, versus what I need to work on?! Maybe. Lol.

 

[Sewer bill]

Go out in a field and throw all of your discs until you are tired. Film the last 3. Post the video to the form check section of this forum. If you haven't thrown thousands of shots you're basically still learning to walk just remember how clumsy kids are on their feet. It takes practice.

 

[ChrisWoj]

I actually purposely have/had a pretty short stride using the x-step. I thought that was making it easier for me to keep balanced - controlled, maybe, is the right word. Wondering now, maybe that is taking away from my leg speed/power - stepping too short (and slow)? Thinking about it now, pros and guys in videos definitely step a lot longer and harder into their throws than I do. I guess to some extent I thought I should be going slower and easier, getting my form consistent, then gradually increase speed later when I got my form down (muscle memory how to do things right, then gradually ad more speed and power). Now I don't know - I definitely don't have this whole thing figured out, at all!!! I have been taking a very short, almost casual x-step, and when I try to go faster and harder, that tends to be when I screw up badly - lose consistency, and throws start going all over the place. Thoughts from those who have been here, on which way I should be approaching this, as I try to increase beyond 200 feet??? Maybe for a bit, I stop the x-step, and try a single step, and try it both ways, slower versus faster - see if I can keep consistent trying to make that last, single step, faster and more powerful? See if, using a faster single step, can I add distance versus a slower single step, without losing consistency? Hard to know what to do, or try - there are so many things going on all at once, or at least so fast - so many variables. Not sure when my focus should be on this, "slow is smooth, and smooth is far", that I see so often, versus are there things that I am just going to have to try to get good at going faster and/or harder to ever throw further? Uggghhh, I feel like such a rookie! Sometimes, the more I study, the more I realize I don't know, if that makes sense??? :wall: :wall: :wall: I definitely, asap, need to get together with my son, and make sure we video each other, so we can watch what we are actually doing - so I can compare reality, versus the picture in my head of what I think I am doing! Maybe that will help me stop feeling quite so much like I am :wall: :wall: :wall:, and give me some concrete things to know what I am doing well, versus what I need to work on?! Maybe. Lol.

Video and self-reflection is crucial, but as a new player try to not get overwhelmed. Pick one thing that looks off, and focus on that comparison and that fix. You're going to see a lot of things that are off, like the footwork you're agonizing over.

For foot work: my advice to new players is to get athletic (like a player preparing to play defense in another sport, bend a bit at the knees and feel springy and ready to move) and to focus on remaining balanced and powerful. If you start to feel out of control or off-balance as you're driving, you're probably finding a way to lose power in there. You don't want necessarily long or short steps, you want the steps that help you establish power from your base.

Though sometimes you do gotta get a lil out of control to test the boundaries and expand your power when you're in the field, you want to focus on getting a feel for your form first and what it feels like to just be comfortably powerful and balanced.

Additionally - check out grip videos. Without a good firm grip, it is hard to diagnose anything else because other corrections will mean nothing if you're unable to transfer power to the disc.

 

[mostlynorwegian]

My short drives is my weak link. I have been playing about 3 months, so all areas still need work…. I usually play multiple rounds a week, do multiple field days a week, as well as some back yard putting (broke down and bought me an MVP Black Hole Pro for $150 on Amazon - worth it!). Addicted - watch videos or read improvement discussions multiple times a day! Even more addicted to buying discs - up to 40 already! I am finally breaking 200 feet sometimes - my longest drives right now tend to be Lat 64 Diamond or River - but I average 175-200 feet. Wondering, what are the most common issues that keep beginners stuck at 200 foot drives? I try to implement tips on improving form, but I can't get that "snap" I read about. Any help appreciated! -ChrisinFL

I'm going to wildly speculate, and that's because that's my right as an American.
I've been trying to learn how to utilize my left side while my right side is recovering from a broken collar bone, so I'll just run you through the different things I've discovered while getting my left side to agree with making back handed throws up to your current distance.
Your body mechanics are probably not utilizing enough of your bodily rotation to generate the power that eventually is going to wind up being that snap on the release. i.e. you are more than likely strong arming it. i.e. Not generating power through the various gyroscopic motions you are performing to create the release point. You could probably also be losing a crazy amount of power because on release your legs are basically exposed towards the front. I.e. Your x-step is really not an x-step yet. They take a while to get the mechanics right, and you will hit numerous walls of overthinking each section. That's good, because you now learning what can work, and what later will not.
Your shoulders might also not be turned back, which also forces you to arm a throw. Which hurts.
Hips! You gotta swivel them. No swivel? No real power.
Practice the x-step solo, like you would when you learn the steps to a dance. Just go through the motions, so you can create muscle memory. Envision it.
Since people are throwing out advice from burly dudes who lob hammers. I'm going to regress to being a kid, and offer the various things kids got really good at as advice instead.
Practice snapping towels. If you were ever good with those things. STEAL ALL OF THAT KNOWLEDGE. As well. If you ever enjoyed skipping stones on a lake. STEAL ALL OF THAT KNOWLEDGE. That is basically your first lesson in throwing forehand.
Have fun.

 

[Arisugawa]

There are a wealth of videos and tutorials online about perfecting your form. I want to stress, these are long term goals. It is not easy to quickly gain distance, despite what any video will tell you.

If I'm ever giving lessons to new players, I usually say these are the things I wish I had known as a beginner.

1 - You throw with your hips and your core, not your arm as you would a catch frisbee. As long as you are only using your arm to throw, your distance is going to suffer.

2 - You aim for the apex of the flight, not the target. The disc will do the rest after that. When you are a beginner, aiming for the target is almost guaranteed to have your disc fade earlier than you want it to.

 

[ChrisinFL]

I am pretty sure I am not engaging my hips and core enough. While I try to, I think I struggle with the hip swivel. Together with that, not getting a correct power pocket, thus no whip, and no snap. When I try to swivel my hips more, before my arm fires, I turn into a twisted mess, often even losing my balance. I will figure this thing out. Definitely need to get myself on video asap, so I can see what I am doing - then hopefully I can figure out what I need to address the most. I appreciate all of the feedback!

 

[RowingBoats]

We tend to forget how little use videos and descriptions made for experienced golfers are to those who are just starting out.

Heck, I've been playing disc golf for 21 years, and I still have ZERO idea what the heck sidewinder meant by responding to my form analysis request with a video of him pushing a pool cue into a wall...

I think there is a lot of truth to this, but I also think there is a lot of value with playing around with all of the weird drills and concepts.

SW's stuff absolutely 100% helped me get my basic competent swing down, but I also dedicated a lot of time to simply swinging my body around trying to figure out how some of these drills can possibly apply. Some of it I didn't get for a long time, some of it I likely still don't get but think I do, but...the end result was undeniable.

One of the keys to using SW's style of drill is to detach it from the literal, actual swing. I did get stuck in something of a rut by trying to micromanage 'poses' in the swing, rather than taking a more holistic view and applying the underlying concepts to what my body naturally wants to do.

Donno, definitely not disagreeing with you, but I also don't want people to be too discouraged by that style of content, because for some of us it does work.

 

[Skamanda]

I think there is a lot of truth to this, but I also think there is a lot of value with playing around with all of the weird drills and concepts.

SW's stuff absolutely 100% helped me get my basic competent swing down, but I also dedicated a lot of time to simply swinging my body around trying to figure out how some of these drills can possibly apply. Some of it I didn't get for a long time, some of it I likely still don't get but think I do, but...the end result was undeniable.

One of the keys to using SW's style of drill is to detach it from the literal, actual swing. I did get stuck in something of a rut by trying to micromanage 'poses' in the swing, rather than taking a more holistic view and applying the underlying concepts to what my body naturally wants to do.

Donno, definitely not disagreeing with you, but I also don't want people to be too discouraged by that style of content, because for some of us it does work.

My point is, that a lot of users giving form advice on this site just paste videos, without explaining context, or the reasoning for it - and there are plenty of videos that don't have any audio to describe what's going on, or why.

Back in the DGR days, when cameras were luxuries on phones, we had to actually type out what the thrower was doing wrong, why, and how to fix it.

Just posting videos and expecting people to understand what the heck we mean when they obviously lack the experience to do so is pointless, and frustrating to the person asking for help. It also illustrates perfectly the phrase, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."

 

[RowingBoats]

My point is, that a lot of users giving form advice on this site just paste videos, without explaining context, or the reasoning for it - and there are plenty of videos that don't have any audio to describe what's going on, or why.

Back in the DGR days, when cameras were luxuries on phones, we had to actually type out what the thrower was doing wrong, why, and how to fix it.

Just posting videos and expecting people to understand what the heck we mean when they obviously lack the experience to do so is pointless, and frustrating to the person asking for help. It also illustrates perfectly the phrase, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."

I get ya

I'd encourage any of the crazy people like me to go down the rabbit hole of the technique forum. There are a lot of different writing styles discussing probably every single one of those videos.

I can agree with you entirely here though - I have read thousands of pages of people describing things, and this undoubtedly helped make sense of the videos.

I've actually read a fair portion of the archived DGR stuff too haha.

 

[BillFleming]

I actually purposely have/had a pretty short stride using the x-step. I thought that was making it easier for me to keep balanced - controlled, maybe, is the right word. Wondering now, maybe that is taking away from my leg speed/power - stepping too short (and slow)? Thinking about it now, pros and guys in videos definitely step a lot longer and harder into their throws than I do. I guess to some extent I thought I should be going slower and easier, getting my form consistent, then gradually increase speed later when I got my form down (muscle memory how to do things right, then gradually ad more speed and power). Now I don't know - I definitely don't have this whole thing figured out, at all!!! I have been taking a very short, almost casual x-step, and when I try to go faster and harder, that tends to be when I screw up badly - lose consistency, and throws start going all over the place. Thoughts from those who have been here, on which way I should be approaching this, as I try to increase beyond 200 feet??? Maybe for a bit, I stop the x-step, and try a single step, and try it both ways, slower versus faster - see if I can keep consistent trying to make that last, single step, faster and more powerful? See if, using a faster single step, can I add distance versus a slower single step, without losing consistency? Hard to know what to do, or try - there are so many things going on all at once, or at least so fast - so many variables. Not sure when my focus should be on this, "slow is smooth, and smooth is far", that I see so often, versus are there things that I am just going to have to try to get good at going faster and/or harder to ever throw further? Uggghhh, I feel like such a rookie! Sometimes, the more I study, the more I realize I don't know, if that makes sense??? :wall: :wall: :wall: I definitely, asap, need to get together with my son, and make sure we video each other, so we can watch what we are actually doing - so I can compare reality, versus the picture in my head of what I think I am doing! Maybe that will help me stop feeling quite so much like I am :wall: :wall: :wall:, and give me some concrete things to know what I am doing well, versus what I need to work on?! Maybe. Lol.

As a ball golfer, an instructor told me to take my normal stance, which was with my feet below my hips. Then he pushed me from the side and I almost fell over. Then he had me widen my stance just a little bit more. When he pushed me...I was able to maintain my balance. I have learned the same thing applies to disc golf. During a walk/run up, you motion is forward. Get into the last part of your walk/run up and have a cardmate/friend push lightly on you....without trying, can you maintain your balance? Then widen your stance and repeat the test.

You want to make sure that your final part of the X step allows you to stay balanced throughout the plant, release of the disc, and follow through.

 

[txmxer]

I get ya

I'd encourage any of the crazy people like me to go down the rabbit hole of the technique forum. There are a lot of different writing styles discussing probably every single one of those videos.

I can agree with you entirely here though - I have read thousands of pages of people describing things, and this undoubtedly helped make sense of the videos.

I've actually read a fair portion of the archived DGR stuff too haha.

To be fair, there is a ton of explanatory material from SW22 and others. May not be with the specific video in a particular thread, but I'm pretty certain it's buried in the countless improve my form threads.

Meaning the feedback is given for free. If a person needs more explanation and they ask for it, it seems it is provided or a bit of searching will usually find the additional detail needed.

 

[wproct]

I've been playing for going on 10 years and I'm still struggling with my drives. I'm 78 years old and from the beginning decided that I was not coordinated enough to do a run up or even a walk up. I through strictly at a stand still. I occasionally can get a 240 ft drive, but normally much less than that. I understand that I need to focus more on being smooth with some snap rather than strong arming, but just can't seem to get it together. I just love the sport otherwise I would have just given up long ago.

 

[RowingBoats]

To be fair, there is a ton of explanatory material from SW22 and others. May not be with the specific video in a particular thread, but I'm pretty certain it's buried in the countless improve my form threads.

Meaning the feedback is given for free. If a person needs more explanation and they ask for it, it seems it is provided or a bit of searching will usually find the additional detail needed.

Yep, that's what I mean. There are individual threads for most of the more obscure looking drills with pages and pages of discussion.

If there isn't, the people on that forum are ravenously standing by to help you get as detailed as you want with written replies. I guarantee if you make a post there with a question about a drill, you will get responses that same day.

 

[ninjabq]

My short drives is my weak link. I have been playing about 3 months, so all areas still need work…. I usually play multiple rounds a week, do multiple field days a week, as well as some back yard putting (broke down and bought me an MVP Black Hole Pro for $150 on Amazon - worth it!). Addicted - watch videos or read improvement discussions multiple times a day! Even more addicted to buying discs - up to 40 already! I am finally breaking 200 feet sometimes - my longest drives right now tend to be Lat 64 Diamond or River - but I average 175-200 feet. Wondering, what are the most common issues that keep beginners stuck at 200 foot drives? I try to implement tips on improving form, but I can't get that "snap" I read about. Any help appreciated! -ChrisinFL

If you are anything like me, it might be painful to look at all the form threads of people starting at 350 and trying to get to 450 and beyond. Feel free to check out my thread here for another person who started at around 175-200! I'm still averaging a touch under 300 now but even that makes a big difference in rounds!