- Joined
- Sep 22, 2017
- Messages
- 250
Why didn't I listen to Danny Lindahl earlier? I just didn't know how, to be honest. It always sounded like great advice, but it's like "Eat less." Way easier said than done once a triple cheese pizza is staring you in the face.
Was out the last half year due to a wrist injury. ZERO play, ZERO practice. I usually don't play May-beginning Sept anyways, preferring the cold barren bush-free months. But this was longer. Six full months almost. Coming back the last 2 weeks, I noticed, as I do with every extended time out, a marked improvement. Usually it's a small distance gain.
I had that, too, this time, no biggie and not an earth shattering increase. But I got a massive gain in accuracy both driving and putting as well. And I was a horrible putter. Missing at 10/15 footers all the time. Now I'm making 20 footers consistently and even get a decent run on 40 footers. Made several yesterday during round. It's not a one time thing. The last 4 outings, I just notice so much improvement in putting, it's insane. My home course, with 400 rounds there under my belt, I just played or tied my best record the last 3/4 times. And driving. The distance increase is small but what I'm doing. On narrow tunnels that my history shows got tree-magneted 8 time out of 10, I'm punching right up the gut and going past a basket 20 feet, which I never did passed before. Not distance thing, just accuracy. And I'm noticing the like, over and over again. Surpassing tunnel shots and hitting all types of angles.
I had to ponder this. Why this massive jump in my game with no play. I'm dumb as they come so I took a while to ponder this some days.
And I noticed it. Because of my previous injury, I'm allowing myself to be as slow (in run up) and loose with no real expectations. I just wanted to play again to play, with what little I had, not max it each and every time. The thing before my injury, that month I gripped the disc as tightly throughout just as an ill-conceived experiment. For seven years, I always ran through the run up as fast and tight as possible like I'm gonna win a race with it. Arm tight. Hand tight. Robotic motions. Etcetera. Now I just go a sedate pace and only tighten my grip the last split second before release.
But I wasn't improved my first two outings out the gate. Actually slightly worse than before, it just didn't bother me cause I just expected it and worse. Total acceptance of suckage, better than not playing at all. I don't think looseness or slowness is some magic ingredient to power, but to experimentation and change. It's like the tightness was constricting me to the very current already-well-practiced shitty form that was holding me back. Being loose, I think I'm subconsciously experimenting with what brings results but without the pressure to get max speed everytime. It's like gaining the permission to fail and change quickly. I'm just happy to play again now. If I have to throw my second shot 200ft to pin or 100ft, it's not really going to matter to the score.
Think the same thing happened with putting. It wasn't right out the gate but by my 3rd round. Also got all the myriad points and tips emptied out of my head. I'm just swinging, not trying to emulate a form or trying to be the perfect spin or pitch putter as shown onTV YT. Just something in the middle that's working for me. Before, I would be all in my head, second guess and focus more on my form, foot placement, what my hands are doing, wondering if I should switch to another model putter next time at the shop, than on the basket. It was a mess, like trying to learn to dance and being awkward and stepping on your partners' toes every time, after years still. Now it's just about the basket and trying that one small adjustment if it didn't work last time. It's like I went from second stage conscious incompetence, jumping over conscious competence, a little bit into unconscious competence.
Anyone else experience this? It's like a total revelation.
Was out the last half year due to a wrist injury. ZERO play, ZERO practice. I usually don't play May-beginning Sept anyways, preferring the cold barren bush-free months. But this was longer. Six full months almost. Coming back the last 2 weeks, I noticed, as I do with every extended time out, a marked improvement. Usually it's a small distance gain.
I had that, too, this time, no biggie and not an earth shattering increase. But I got a massive gain in accuracy both driving and putting as well. And I was a horrible putter. Missing at 10/15 footers all the time. Now I'm making 20 footers consistently and even get a decent run on 40 footers. Made several yesterday during round. It's not a one time thing. The last 4 outings, I just notice so much improvement in putting, it's insane. My home course, with 400 rounds there under my belt, I just played or tied my best record the last 3/4 times. And driving. The distance increase is small but what I'm doing. On narrow tunnels that my history shows got tree-magneted 8 time out of 10, I'm punching right up the gut and going past a basket 20 feet, which I never did passed before. Not distance thing, just accuracy. And I'm noticing the like, over and over again. Surpassing tunnel shots and hitting all types of angles.
I had to ponder this. Why this massive jump in my game with no play. I'm dumb as they come so I took a while to ponder this some days.
And I noticed it. Because of my previous injury, I'm allowing myself to be as slow (in run up) and loose with no real expectations. I just wanted to play again to play, with what little I had, not max it each and every time. The thing before my injury, that month I gripped the disc as tightly throughout just as an ill-conceived experiment. For seven years, I always ran through the run up as fast and tight as possible like I'm gonna win a race with it. Arm tight. Hand tight. Robotic motions. Etcetera. Now I just go a sedate pace and only tighten my grip the last split second before release.
But I wasn't improved my first two outings out the gate. Actually slightly worse than before, it just didn't bother me cause I just expected it and worse. Total acceptance of suckage, better than not playing at all. I don't think looseness or slowness is some magic ingredient to power, but to experimentation and change. It's like the tightness was constricting me to the very current already-well-practiced shitty form that was holding me back. Being loose, I think I'm subconsciously experimenting with what brings results but without the pressure to get max speed everytime. It's like gaining the permission to fail and change quickly. I'm just happy to play again now. If I have to throw my second shot 200ft to pin or 100ft, it's not really going to matter to the score.
Think the same thing happened with putting. It wasn't right out the gate but by my 3rd round. Also got all the myriad points and tips emptied out of my head. I'm just swinging, not trying to emulate a form or trying to be the perfect spin or pitch putter as shown on
Anyone else experience this? It's like a total revelation.