Fieldwork routine?

[HyzerUniBomber]

I wrote up a blog post about my current routine - which I do about 5-6 days a week.

http://heavydisc.blogspot.com/2013/12/uncle-ricos-fieldwork.html

I am a huge fan of fieldwork. It's probably the only reason I've managed to make any real progress in my game - especially considering that I've got limited free time and can't play rounds from sun-up to sun-down.

I'm really interested in what you guys who have developed a formal routine do, especially if you see any things that I'm neglecting that I should be focusing on.

 

[DiscJunkie]

I used to do a lot of fieldwork during the first year or two of playing.
Now that my game has hit a plateau, I have started with my fieldwork again over the Winter.
I'm interested in everyone's thoughts and routines.
There is a Paul McBeth Youtube video about his fieldwork.
But I'm at work and unable to pull it up.

 

[michael_c]

The Mcbeth video is at the bottom of Uncle Rico's Blog post, but here it is also:

 

[notroman]

I've gone through most of these steps. Pec drills are really good to help you isolate your hit and figure out where power really comes from. Once you got the timing down you don't really need to work on those...Maybe a few during warm up, but that's about it. I wouldn't worry about weight shift exercises (except maybe stand still) until you really isolate that hit point because otherwise the weight shift is kind of meaningless. You really want to lever your body up to the hit point and then explode, and if you don't have that hit point dialed in yet then you're not really building the right levers. I guess it's good to build some rhythm, if nothing else. Accuracy also depends greatly on having a consistent release point so it's not just power... Yeah, as much as that pec drill sucks and as much as you'll want to quit after a few weeks/months you just gotta keep at it. It will click one day.

I also like throwing at soccer goals in the field. I started out originally by throwing hyzer/anhyzer/straight shots from ~150ft out, then moving out farther and farther back until I was out past 300. That was mostly to build up landing zone and ranging accuracies. It didn't do much for hitting actual lines.

For line shaping field work the best practice I found to be actually going to a 9 hole course that has enough trees to force certain lines, and just doing your field work there. It also helps to alleviate some of the monotonous aspects of doing field work in an open field. I like to pack a bag with 10 discs of my choice that day (10 rocs, 10 eagles, 10 wizards, etc) and then just throw all 10 of them on each hole trying to follow the same line (different for each hole, of course). Approach from each disc then putt out anything that's inside the circle (using 5 separate putters). I don't really bother with outside the circle putts at this moment unless I'm strictly working on putting that day. This way by the end of 9 holes you ideally would have thrown ~90 drives, various approach shots from different angles, and attempted up to 300-400 putts. Don't forget to look for alternative lines on a hole if you feel the normal shot is too easy for you (like if it's a 200ft hyzer, and you got it dialed in, see if you can find a 200ft low ceiling straight shot, or 200ft roller, etc). Work on shots you don't have or need to work on if you feel something is too easy.

Main goal is to switch it up to have fun. Separate your mechanics days from your line hitting days. The field is where you get your mechanics worked out, the course is where you can work on hitting lines. Putt whenever/wherever you can. Last but not least, incorporate some sort of a warm-up/cool-down phase to your practice routine. I learned the hard way. You hit your body a lot harder during field work session than you ever can during a full day of disc golf.

 

[HyzerUniBomber]

Main goal is to switch it up to have fun. Separate your mechanics days from your line hitting days. The field is where you get your mechanics worked out, the course is where you can work on hitting lines. Putt whenever/wherever you can. Last but not least, incorporate some sort of a warm-up/cool-down phase to your practice routine. I learned the hard way. You hit your body a lot harder during field work session than you ever can during a full day of disc golf.

I didn't want to drag on my blog post forever and actually killed a section about my warmups... but I do a solid 5 minutes of warming up, including jogging, jumping jacks and rotating back and forth at the hips.

Thanks for the response, I love the idea of doing fieldwork at a course. This morning, instead of doing the soccer field I went to my home course and brought just a driver and a putter and threw the driver only forehand and jogged the whole thing. Putting while out of breath, it turns out... freaking hard to do. But I really wanted a change of pace and I needed a cardio workout.

 

[Darth Anovin]

One thing I like to do for "field work" while actually on a course is this, in terms of helping shape lines: for every shot I have, I identify 3 different lines. A hyzer line, a straight line, and a turnover line. Whether it be from the tee or an upshot, I "see" these lines and throw the 3 different shots. I'll generally pick the worst of the three and proceed from there. Granted, it's not really doable if you have people behind you. But it does however provide you with an opportunity to practice shaping lines in real golf situations, as opposed to simply throwing in an open field.

 

[sidewinder22]

I like to focus harder on one or two things a day, never practice consecutive days on the same thing except putting maybe. I'd say 3 or 4 days max a week for driving practice. Your body needs some rest to process new connections and build memory. You might have made progress but can't tell driving multiple days in a row and might even get less distance. I've found the longer I break between driving practice the further I end up throwing.

 

[tonyroberts]

HyzerUni,

I like your blog post. I do quite a bit of fieldwork, too, but I'm pretty undisciplined about it. I'd like to get a little more organized so your explanation of your routine is helpful.

Let me ask you this. What kind of discs, and how many, do you take to the field with you. I pretty much take my mids and my drivers. First I throw the mids, then the drivers, then I go fetch them and repeat.

I have found it helpful to place some small flags in the field at 150, 200, 250, and 300 feet. I want to make sure all my throws end on or near the flag line. Previously, I was just throwing for max distance, and some were going wildly right and others far left. Having some kind of target out there is a big help.

Right now, the snow is piling up, so I'm not sure how to progress with the field work without loosing too many disks. I need to build a forehand, so maybe I'll start out working on 100-foot shots with that and building from there.

 

[b-mart]

I don't really have a fieldwork routine, but I've been thinking about it because my game is God awful right now. I managed to play a round at Pier in Portland this morning with one par. One. If I hadn't hit a tree I would have overshot that hole by 200' and bogeyed that one too though...

I'll definitely be using these ideas to get started. There's an elementary school by my house with a great field work field, and the property where I work has 5 acres of wooded goodness to shape lines in. And finally, I live right by a 9-hole that is great for work on approaches and putts (but not so much driving). So I was thinking about getting out there and working my different discs. Now I have ideas on how to make it productive.

 

[HyzerUniBomber]

Let me ask you this. What kind of discs, and how many, do you take to the field with you. I pretty much take my mids and my drivers. First I throw the mids, then the drivers, then I go fetch them and repeat.

I have done it a bunch of different ways. Mainly, I just bring out my current bag and throw that, plus I have 5 anodes that I add in as my driving/approach putters.

I dragged out 30 discs over the weekend and it was reallly great. I had sorta forgotten about a few discs that going back to after a while are flying really well for me.

I really like throwing putters. It seems to point out if I'm not pulling around the disc or I'm adding OAT or anhyzer... and perhaps most importantly, if I'm not keeping it nose down.

 

[HyzerUniBomber]

I like to focus harder on one or two things a day, never practice consecutive days on the same thing except putting maybe. I'd say 3 or 4 days max a week for driving practice. Your body needs some rest to process new connections and build memory. You might have made progress but can't tell driving multiple days in a row and might even get less distance. I've found the longer I break between driving practice the further I end up throwing.

Absolutely dead on with what I've found. Once I started taking breaks (a day off, sometimes 2) drives felt more effortless to get 400'. If I just kept trying to throw, throw, throw - I felt like I was throwing "harder" with less distance.

 

[jrawk]

I haven't done field work in a while, but like others have said, it helped me progress rapidly from month 1 throwing wild 200ft drives to month 24 throwing accurate 350ft drives.

My setup was pretty simple. A flip-cam on a tripod, a 100ft tape measure, some flags, a stack of putters, a stack of Comets, and a stack of Teebirds. Three times a week I took to an unmarked high school field and marked out a 300ft straight line with a flag in the ground every 50 feet.

I would start with all stand-still throws, trying to land my putters at 50ft for a couple sets, then 100ft, then 150, then as far as i could throw them, video recording the last few throws.
I would switch comets, still from stand still, and aim for the 100, 150, 200ft marks, then as far as i could throw them, video recording the last few throws.
Then came the teebirds froma stand still... aim for the 100, 150, 200ft marks etc.

After that, i'd switch to x step and throw for pure distance while trying to keep everything in line, video recording all the throws. Every once in a while i'd grab halos, destroyers, katanas, etc and see if i had gotten any more max distance. at the 1.0 year mark i had to add an extra flag at the 350, then a 400ft at the 1.5 year mark. I only ever threw farther than 400ft once, it was a lightweight pro katana with a healthy tail wind.

Anyway, i haven't done this in a few years since moving away from that high school field, and have plateau'd out. On the course I can throw between 325 and 375ft accurately, repeatedly with speed 10 drivers and push 400 with speed 11/12's, but not very confidently. I try to focus on putting more now and approaching, which i can do in my back yard

 

[jrawk]

forgot to say, the most helpful thing i did was record myself and watch them after each session and figure out things to work on for next time, like angle of release, over-rotation, timing and weight shift.

 

[HyzerUniBomber]

I use a little Canon point & shoot about once a week to record various shots. It's pointed out that most often I fail to keep the disc flat on the reach back and that on shorter shots (150-200') I fail to rotate on my heel, which stops my hips from pushing through. The thing is that I wouldn't notice it because the disc was going where I wanted it to, but I would torque my knee over and over and start developing bad habits.

Other stuff like nose up drives, bad follow through - I tend to notice it without the camera because the disc reacts very poorly.

 

[Smigles]

I used to bring all my discs, backup discs and everything, to the field, and work on lines and consistancy.

Nowadays i just bring my bag. Each disc in there has a special line I use it for, and I just drive empty the bag and always go for the lines I have the disc for. So my 5 putters i throw 2 anny, 1 straigth, 1 sligthy hyzer one full hyzer. Same for midranges, fairways and distance drivers. I picka basket and throw the putters from 250, mids from 300, fairways from 350 and long distance from 400. I expect to be inside the circle with most of my throws.

Approaches are the main strengh of my game, so I just practice them in practice rounds. I used to do all sorts of skill shot challenges though with buddies, making impossible holes and trying to get it as close as possible with skips and rollers and overheads and all sort of things.

And then of course putting, you can never do enugh putting...

But I dont do more than 3-4 empty the bags per day any more. That's 60-80 drives. That's way more than you do on an entire tournament day. My back starts hurting if I do 100's of drives every day for a prolonged period.