Aiming!?

[Justinthrowsfar]

I'm having a horrible, HORRIBLE, time as of late in aiming my drives. I'm not struggling with the heighth of my shots, but splaying left, and right. I spent so much time trying to get the big-D, that I never really focused on consistently hitting lines. Some days it feels like I can't miss, and other days I'm praying to god I hit my line when I step up to the tee. It's extremely frustrating, and I'm at a complete loss as to where to start in correcting this. I can throw 450' on a golf line, and hit 500' with big anny's, or hyzer flipping blizzard discs with high apexes, but I cannot consistently hit a line. I use an x-step run up, and do it in the direction of where I am aiming, but the disc does not always go that way. Are there any exercises, drills I can work on in order to gain some consistency with my accuracy? I've read the articles on the main site, and not to be a douche, but they did not provide much help. I'm open to any, and all suggestions. I'm happy with my D, just want to be able to hit a line consistently.

 

[Star Shark]

My trouble lately has been with timing... I ind up with a dead pull about 30 degrees right of the intended line. That causes me to doubt myself from then on and I start spraying them all over. I think it's due to me yanking my shoulder out early. later release requires a later shoulder turn and I have to get a lock on that to regain my consistency.

 

[Widdershins]

I view timing problems ( grip locking, etc.) as the most difficult issues to resolve as they are more mental than physical. Once you miss a line badly, the resulting fear of doing it again can kill your confidence, especially if that miss took an easy tunnel and turned it into a nightmare.

One solution is to develop a forehand. By the nature of the shot, you face forward as you release making the line much easier to hit. The down side of a forehand is that it is much harder to control the finish of the shot than a backhand. On a tunnel hole much of the danger is reduced if the first 100 feet of your drive is down the center.

A long time Pro buddy of mine has an incredibly powerful but sometimes errant backhand. When he plays tunnel holes he protects from mis-timing drives by using forehand drives.

If switching to a forehand is unacceptable then dial back on power, concentrate on being balanced and visualize the route of your disc. You cannot think two thoughts at once. If while you are driving you are visualizing yourself throwing the perfect line you cannot simultaneously think negative shanking thoughts.

 

[setthegearshift]

I know this may sound like obvious advice, but I have found that keeping my eyes on my target the entire throw(using my peripheral vision on my reach back) has helped reduce my splaying. It takes off some power but really accuracy is more important than distance really anyway, right?

 

[wilt1]

I have never been able to keep my eye completely on the target. I end up turning away and that is kind of how I throw for drives at least. What has helped me a lot is picking a point behind me that is on line with my shot when I get back around. So when I turn back I try to make sure my disc is on that point when I start my pull. I at least have a better chance of hitting the correct line. Foot work can be an issue too, changing where your plant foot hits can change your line. I tend to do that a lot too.

 

[Justinthrowsfar]

I think Shark hit it on the head, it's a timing issue. It's usually when I'm trying to crank on something stable, like a Force, or NukeOS, I tend to pull those right, whereas a hyzer-flip teebird shot, or something similiar I'm early releasing. Once I miss the first one, it's done...just like putting. I question it for the rest of the round. Any routines/exercises, or reference points to quell those timing issues? Unfortunately I can't use periphereal vision to aim on the drive, I'm a RHBH, and I'm basically blind out of my right eye. It hurts me on upshots too, but I've compensated for that by rotating my body with the release of the shot so I can see when to let go...just not helpful on a drive off of the tee for a hole longer than 250'.

 

[zj10021]

Elbow aim

 

[wilt1]

so I can see when to let go....

If this is true then this is a big part of your problem. You should never be letting go of the disc. It should be ripping out of your hand on the line you intend it to be on. You will never be able to correctly time when to let go of the disc. Or not repeatedly anyway.

 

[ReDisculous]

If you are able to take video, I would take one while you're doing well and then take another when you're not and compare the two.

 

[Justinthrowsfar]

so I can see when to let go....

If this is true then this is a big part of your problem. You should never be letting go of the disc. It should be ripping out of your hand on the line you intend it to be on. You will never be able to correctly time when to let go of the disc. Or not repeatedly anyway.

I'm not "letting go" persay, I'm slinging it. I slowly bring my arm in towards my body the entire time I'm rotating, then when the target comes into view I give it the extra little nudge by accelerating my wrist, and flinging the disc out of my hand. I do that for any stand-still putter throws 80' - 250'. My issue isn't differentiating between a slip, and a full-hit backhand, it's throwing a driver, or mid-range at 70-80% through a 5-10" gap that's in line with my shoulder. I'm fine with wide open fields, and hitting hyzer lines for anything up to 450', it's the tight tunnel shots that force me to throw hard, but flat, and on a tight line. I think I may do what Redisculous mentioned, and record my throw on a tunnel hole at one of my local courses. If I can't diagnose it from that myself, I'll put it up for others to see. I was just hoping that there was a trick, or technique to maintaining consistent timing each time, some kind of reference point that other people use in their throw. Now that I think about it, it's when I try to put a little something extra on it, or take a little something off that I start really seeing the right/left splays. Taking something off I early release it, putting something more on, I shank it to the right.

As for Mark's suggestion, I actually throw a lot of forehand upshots when there is a tight gap that needs to be hit. I've learned how to flick a putter, and midrange fairly effectively, and with confidence for my upshots. Especially the comet, effortless distance, and easy control. Off the tee with a driver, I'm still a little erratic, and don't trust myself unless there is a large margin for error.

 

[JR]

You have already recognized grip strength variations as a problem. Either you can throw in a tunnel or a field with a line in front of you so that you can see how many feet the disc turns and fades and where it ends up. It is easy to think you can hit a line in field practice until you have a reference point and notice that you're say 5 degrees off of the line. Five degrees ain't a lot is a common open field mentality but go to a tunnel and you'll shit bricks for seeing how close to the tee you'll hit a tree. Nobody has talked about sideways aiming changes of different run ups. It is true that you will be more consistent running up slower but that alone does not avoid aiming variations. Push too little or not at all with the left leg and you won't turn enough to face the target and you'll throw to the left each time because your body is in the way on the line running from the reach back to the target. So there is a minimum x step speed per amount of reach back and toe pointing direction.

One can absolutely learn to not reach back so far that eye contact ain't lost even for a blind right eye. Even for a seeing right eye it is ridiculous feeling how little you can reach back and little away from the target the toes point. That is even more true if you pull always close to the body which is easiest for straight line pull aiming. Which naturally is of raised importance when visual aiming is impaired. Learning lefty for visual aiming might be even slower than learning FH because FH is more natural movement trained earlier by throwing whatever and probably in DG too.

One should aim with the snap and the weight of the disc pivot which feels like moving on a line late in the throw as long as you don't get slips -don't loosen up too much on the grip with 80 % power throws. If you reach back with the disc away from the body and pull closer to the right pec dropping some of the straight line advantages the arm muscles are looser thus more explosively accelerating (a necessity for short arm pulls) and you can't hit your left side if you miss with the left leg push power or reach back a little more than you could with a straight line reach back. The thing is that the best aiming method for accuracy i've found is the late acceleration from halfway from the right pec position toward the rip added to by the feeling of the weight of the disc. It is a matter of what clicks for you if Dunipace's tip of aiming at the target with the nail of the thumb helps because that is exactly what aiming with the weight of the disc leads to as long as you don't get slips.

You mentioned grip locks with wider rimmed discs and slips with thinner ones? Sounds like either overestimating the big disc and underestimating medium disc demands or a mental adjustment need. You throw plenty far with wide rimmed discs so you don't need the mentality i'm gonna rip hard and early to get enough speed on them gritting your teeth. If you do that you've lost before you pull. loosey goosey goes farther and you definitely must not start the arm pull before the plant step lands because that will often lead to a grip lock.

 

[JHern]

Simply work on pulling the disc in a straight line, and releasing it down that line. Also, do your run-up in the direction you're throwing. You'll have to slow down and practice shorter shots, play catch or something, and then work your way back up.

 

[Stringbean]

My accuracy improved greatly with field work. A soccer field works great. Grab 5 or so mids/putters and walk about 100 feet away from the soccer goal. Try to get all 5 in the goal. When you can do that consistently, Do it again from 150 feet. Keep adding distance as your accuracy improves. This is a great excersice for building muscle memory and confidence.

 

[Widdershins]

My accuracy improved greatly with field work. A soccer field works great. Grab 5 or so mids/putters and walk about 100 feet away from the soccer goal. Try to get all 5 in the goal. When you can do that consistently, Do it again from 150 feet. Keep adding distance as your accuracy improves. This is a great excersice for building muscle memory and confidence.

Sage advice. There are no style points on the scorecard. Whether you park the shot forehand or overhead or roller or use this disc or that or recite a mantra or sing the national anthem in your head, a park job still gives you a drop in putt. Since you never know which line will be available it is best to be competent at them all.

Consistent, long term practice using whatever form works for you will yield positive results. If you practice better than your competition they need greater skill or uncommon luck to beat you.

 

[Justinthrowsfar]

I have resolved my aiming issue. My early releases stemmed from turning my head too early to watch my shot. My shanks to the right were due to starting my throw, before my plant foot was on the ground. I experimented with focusing on planting my foot first, and THEN starting my throw. I hit my line every single time, with 2 near aces, and I set a new course record at one of my local parks(yetter park, -10). I watched a video of myself throwing from the other day, and I was able to pinpoint the issues. I'm very excited to have fixed this, thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[JR]

Beers! Err cheers!

 

[ReDisculous]

Glad you got it figured out! I remember reading about not turning your head to watch your shot a while back, but I don't remember the specifics. What do you do with your head now, and what do you focus on with your eyes, now that you have fixed the problem?

 

[Justinthrowsfar]

I actually just keep my head facing the same direction my chest faces throughout the throw. I'll look at my intended line, until I turn my body back before the plant in my x-step, at which point I'll keep my head/neck facing the same direction as my chest. I just focus on planting my foot now before I attempt the pull, then go through my normal motions. I'm not consciously looking at anything now, I am so focused on the feel of the hit, that I don't even see anything until after I release. My eyes are open, but I'm not seeing anything, if that makes sense? Focusing all my attention on planting that step, and THEN going through my motions did the trick. Before, when I was really trying to crush it, I was starting to pull before my foot hit the ground, so when it did I was already 3/4 of the way through my throw, and I was tossing them hard, and far, but to the right. Usually I'd say this new form tweak was a fluke event, but I played 18 holes on a fairly wooded course, where there was no room for error if you missed your line, and I hit it every single time, no matter how hard I threw as long as I focused on waiting til my plant foot landed. I'll upload some video of the early release, and my shanked drives shortly. Both were taken at Warwick, in NY...wish I had this epiphany then, it's not a fun feeling to run out of bogey beads every single round, lol.

 

[Justinthrowsfar]

Here is my early release: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZFBUP_iK84
Here is my grip-lock: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6_sYaeT6M8