1st year intermediate player

[Billy_awesome]

Hello guys. New member here. Been playing for under a year and I play at least once a week, sometimes more.

When I started I considered myself a finesse player but as my game developed I've worked myself into some power, hitting 300ft and 350ft max with some tailwind.

I would like to admit now my weakness is my ability to throw under stable drivers. I'm learning to throw overstable with an anhyzer to achieve my s curve shot.

My main discs that actually throw on a given day are.

Drivers
-innova star katana
-westside king -tournament

Mid range
-discraft buzz (my go to midrange disc for backhand and flick)
-discraft stratus -elite x (for rhbh right turn shots)

Tomahawk
-innova star firebird

Putter
-discraft soft magnet
I like this putter but I feel sometimes the profile isn't right for my hand. It just doesn't feel right. But the disc in the air is great.

Basically the other discs in my signature are discs that I carry, but just can't throw yet with my talent level

 

[Brodysseus]

You need to learn to throw understable discs. Flexing (more likely OATing) overstable discs hides a lot of form flaws that will really hurt you in the long run.

 

[Tiny]

350ft max? Get rid of the katana and king. lol Get something like 8-10 speed.

 

[Kp0c]

What is it exactly that you are looking for? Would you like us (the forum) to comment on your bag or technique issues or something else...?

My guess would be commenting on your bag so here it goes.

My first fast driver was a Star Katana. A friend who just started had one, wasn't able to throw it properly (obviously, certainly not a newb disc) and decided to give it to me as my first disc. Even though I'm glad he did because I now love my Star Katana, it's not exactly a good driver when you just started. Also, you mention you are throwing overstable driver on anhyzer release angle. Just to clarify, the Katana is not overstable, but rather quite understable.

While you are working on distance, I'd say skip the speed 12-13 drivers like the king and katana (I believe the king is also a speed 13?) and pick up some slower drivers.

Why not try some slower understable driver like an Avenger ss or something similar. You could also add something a little more stable, like a Teebird L or a regular Teebird. If you want to keep faster disc, go for speed 11 or so, really no need in developing bad form with speed 13 in my opinion. If you need to release you Katana on an anhyzer angle to get it to do an s curve, you should use something else.
If you like faster stuff, maybe try a Surge ss for instance.
For your putter, you say you don't like the feel in the hand, but like the flight. For me, the feeling in the hand is the most important thing in a putter. So, you should probably start looking for a putter that flies like your soft magnet, but that has a more confortable fit for you. Looking at inbound disc golf charts, it seems like the Discraft focus has quite a similar flight path and so does the Gateway Warlock. Other understable putter of interest might include the Gateway Magic.

Anyway, disc golf should be fun so if you feel like ripping your Katana on a high anhyzer angle and watch it do a s curve for 300, that's fine too.

 

[Billy_awesome]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I will be the first one to admit I'm the average "try to bomb every shot before I have technique".

Is there a video or website that will show me tips on throwing understands discs that you recommend?

I would really like to develop all techniques of the game

 

[LeBryson James]

Try throwing your Buzzz 300-325ft to learn how to throw understable drivers instead of spending money on understable drivers and not know what they do and how to throw them correctly. Get your buzz up to 300ft (should be hyzer flipping) then go to a sidewinder or something and learn to throw that with a hyzer flip. Overstable anhyzer will get you distance but not the "correct" way. Yes there are plenty of videos of Avery Jenkins driving and his "In the Game" series.

 

[Violets caddy]

You have a stratus in your bag, its one of the best understable discs on the market. Start using it off the tee. I don't throw them but have several friends that do and they're good for 300'+.
I can put a buzzz out past 300' and it definitely doesn't require a hyzer flip. The buzzz is stable much further than 300' (depending on the condition of the disc of course) and isn't going to teach you much about how understable plastic behaves.
Use your stratus. Learn to hyzer flip it, learn to throw it flat so it turns gently, learn to put slight anny on it for bigger turns, doglegs, etc.
My $.02

 

[Tiny]

Avery Jenkins


Dan Beto



I prefer the Dan Beto one, but the Avery Jenkins one is good as well.

 

[Brodysseus]

Some great advice above, especially using a stratus or midranges off the (I personally recommend an Ibex because it will show you flaws in your form, but a lot of people recommend a discraft Comet).

Some understable drivers to look at are: Leopard or River for fairways (I've been testing out a River for a few weeks and it's amazing, definitely gonna be in my bag) and Roadrunner/Sidewinder for distance drivers.

I think it's important to work with midranges a lot (I know I have been!) but you shouldn't neglect drivers either (don't want to develop nose angle issues). I was in the same boat as you a few months ago, OATing overstable plastic to get good distance. But it was inconsistent, hard to control, and led to issues with my midrange/approach game. Now after a few months of mainly throwing speed 5 or slower and about a month of working with understable drivers (mainly leopard/river, some roadrunner), I'm back up to my max distance from before... But I do it with a smooth, repeatable motion that translates to all of my discs.

A little hint that has helped me; Throw everything you can with a hyzer release, unless you absolutely need an anhyzer release. I do this for a few reasons:
1. Much more predictable and consistent than trying to throw flat. A few degrees off on your release hyzer doesn't drastically change the flight path of the disc, but when trying to throw flat a few degrees up to anhyzer or a few degrees down to hyzer can drastically change the path from what you are trying to do.
2. Translates to all discs, just adjust the angle of hyzer a few degrees. If I want to throw a mid that flips up flat just like the driver I just threw, just keep the same motion but add a few more degrees of hyzer. If I want to throw a turnover shot, I just take a very understable disc, let it flip up to flat, and then turn. If I'm fighting a headwind, I take an overstable disc, slightly faster than what I might normally throw, release it hyzer, and watch it flip to flat and beat its way through the wind.
3. It won't hide form flaws, like an "anhyzer" release will. Just to clarify, an actual anhyzer release is not bad form, it is just sometimes hard to tell if you're actually releasing anhyzer or OATing a disc, especially with faster plastic that masks form flaws.
4. IMHO, hyzer flips are more controllable, straighter, and just plain prettier than anhyzer flex shots in general.

As far as the bag goes, I'd drop the two drivers, keep the firebird for headwind duty (maybe even add something slower and overstable,like speed 6-7, instead), add a River or Leopard or comparable Discraft mold, and keep the mids and putters the same. Definitely start using the Stratus off the tee more, maybe even pick up a Comet (or Ibex!) for driving/midrange duties... The goal being to smooth out your form and push your mids, and subsequently your drivers, out further.

Anyways, just my $0.02!

 

[ajkuck]

First off, if your throwing your Buzzz flatter and farther than your driver, get rid of that Katana and invest in a slower disc like a Star Sidewinder or Star Roadrunner if you want a nice s-curve. Innova states that the Katana is a Sidewinder on steroids. As for an understable disc, the first one I began to throw was the Avenger SS, which was quite easy to get used to.

 

[New013]

there's nothing wrong with flexing overstable discs out if you're doing it correctly. personally i find flexing a disc out to be much more useful and accurate than trying to hyzerflip something.

just make sure you're doing it correctly and not OATing the crap out of it.