Playing better after time off?

[ash81]

Been almost a year since I've played religiously. I got a few rounds in but I can count them on one hand. Took time off to deal with personal issues and got back to the game as a form of relaxation and stopped trying to worry about all the technical stuff I was obsessed with and I swear I play way better. Still have lots of room for improvements but anyone else noticed this type of phenomenon? Since I've calmed it down a bit my putting is better and I don't try to overpower shots. Just smooth and clean through the hit with a thumb press down wrist down kinda throw...it's no 350' drive but they're way more consistent and clean.

 

[armiller]

I always noticed this with basketball. Stop playing, come back, and there was always an initial period of good shooting. The problem was that the honeymoon didn't last as long as I would have liked. So in a few <days, weeks, or months> you might notice playing worse than ever...

 

[sidewinder22]

Yep. Time off can be a good thing sometimes.

 

[Major Tomahawk]

The phenomenon that you speak of is called the Reminiscence Theory.

 

[corin_brown]

Played 10-20 PDGA events a year for about 4 years. Stopped in 2015. Got my rating up to 880 by that point. Played my first PDGA event in 18 months a few weeks ago, in the snow, cold af, after almost zero practice. For my first round, I posted a 914-rated round. True, that's only a handful of strokes better than a 880-rated round but at least it's not any worse.

 

[StevenSeagal]

I believe reoccurring negative thoughts ("I suck a putting and am going to miss this putt" for example) can turn into a mantra of sorts and overtime have an ever increasing impact on your game. Time off gives you the opportunity to "reset." About a year ago I was starting to obsess with getting more and more distance out of my FH because that's all I threw. I completely dropped my twice a week FH field work sessions to finally develop a backhand and in that time my FH got WAY more consistent.

 

[DiscFifty]

I've experienced the same thing. I think it allows the mind to reset and wash away all the over thinking that can occur in this sport. We all know we play better when we are relaxed, stress free, etc. My problem is, after a few weeks, the dreaded over thinking starts to pop back in. lol..

 

[JOwens]

I play daily, and have even noticed an improvement when I take 1-2 days off or during the oh so brief cold snap I took almost 2 weeks off. My drives got longer and my upshots got metal a lot more often.

 

[ash81]

Yeah! I started playing just to play again and dropped the rigorous field work I was doing and it's a little different now. I just try to think about not throwing so hard I can't hold onto the disc and just pinch my thumb down around my chest or so and I do lots better. Carry less discs so I'm not hauling my backpack. The results are fantastic.

 

[ash81]

Less discs = less choice anxiety. I still try good form but my head isn't cluttered with trying to be perfect at every point. Not worried about distance as much. I'm mostly carrying mids so I'm not attempting large ambitious lines. Just focusing on getting to a relaxing putt distance. Less analysis paralysis.