Return of the King... Hopefully

[kingjames1014]

"A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day!"
- Aragorn, "Return of the King"

So after being off in the "Crusades" for nearly four years, dealing with injuries, work , personal tragedies and hip replacement surgery, I am ready to think about returning to disc golf, casually at first then competitively.

I have many questions before I return in 2022 after recovering from surgery completely:

1. Basically I began playing self taught.
Should I treat this as someone learning the sport brand new? I want to be better than I ever was.

2. With a new approach comes new equipment choices. So much has changed in four years. Should I just get rid of everything I used to throw and start all over?

3. I now have to think about the health side of playing. Avoid injury. Stretching. Any good advice? Have any of you been in the same boat?

Looking forward to hearing from you folks. I'm anticipating some good knowledgeable feedback and as always thank you. If you need me , I'll be in the Landfill! LoL

 

[ChrisWoj]

I'd recommend regular yoga. The wonderful thing about yoga is that as you advance - you can really begin to master stretching work that doubles as strength training and balance training, both of which can really serve your disc golf game beyond injury prevention.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSfPery7kVE&list=PLBfRLLhSBb-B7ePMJaDWVoKP4pjvR4K6v
This is a beginner playlist from a channel that is very focused on strength and explosion training. Their other playlists can really challenge you, even if you wind up doing it for years.

 

[Horsman]

1. If your body doesnt quite move the same as it did pre-surgery and injuries then you might want to learn how to move your body now so that you dont rely on any old muscle memory that could hurt you. I'd say, start slow so that you dont wear yourself out early and to give your body enough time to get properly sore so that you might have a better idea what movements may cause you some discomfort.

2. Id say to start with what you have and then get more once you learn what holes need to be filled. Discs havent really improved over the past 4 years. Almost every manufacturer out there can compete, just find the plastic blend you like best and go from there.

3. I think ur on the right page. Daily body work will help you stay away from injury.

 

[ray1970]

Whoah there fella. Don't go reinventing any wheels just yet.

Dust off those discs that you used to throw, limber up and stretch before playing, and see if you still have the game you used to have.

Once you do that then you can see where you currently are and where you think you want to be and decide if equipment "upgrades" or technique improvement are necessary.

My free advice and worth every bit of what you paid for it.

 

[ThrowaEnvy]

I agree with trying your old discs.... But look at em first, if you were throwing stupid stable stuff and heavy weights look inside yourself and the forum to see if it's really a good idea. I was self taught kinda and I used to rip a Force 350'.. Because anything slower couldn't contain my power!!!

Used a Comet after discovering DGCR for anything that wasn't a putt. You know like 60' + haha. Now I get my envy's out ta 200', lucky to hit 330' with anything and the fastest disc I regularly pack is an 8 with the occasional insanity 9speed?. Heaviest driver is 167g. It was a little tough finally realizing that 11's weren't in my wheelhouse anymore.

MVP does light discs amazingly well... I pack 155-165g happily, less wear and tear and all the distance. Rediscovered the light fission volts as opposed to FR 170+ and they fit my bag and let me relive the bygone days of crankage with a mold from my past.

SW22 had some stuff about the battering ram and pendulum swing, "the straight and flat swing plane doesn't exist" and he's right. I have multiple shoulder and knee injuries and have been working hard on a pendulum swing as opposed to the Beato way I learned. It's easy on me.

Feel the disc and the weight, find the right motion.. it's probably a good time to try to up your technique and reduce body wear.

 

[ThrowaEnvy]

https://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134415

https://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137985

Check these out...

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Everything you need to know about fairway drivers right here.
https://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140350

 

[ThrowaEnvy]

Everything you need to know about fairway drivers right here.
https://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140350

I that 6 beer helpful or whiskey helpful haha?

 

[Jukeshoe]

Welcome back!

 

[itsRudy]

2. With a new approach comes new equipment choices. So much has changed in four years. Should I just get rid of everything I used to throw and start all over?

Welcome back!

I don't see a big difference in discs and if there were, it's probably minimal effect unless you're an absolute pro. Keep what you have and fill in over time.

Same with form. Keep what you have and refine. Unless it's really lousy and literally hurting you. I think that's how most people go with most anything. Revolutions are great if you have a great new idea that pans out, but otherwise evolve like nature.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Tie dye Champ Grooves are still the best drivers out there.

 

[Dthunderchicken]

Over my DG career I've had a few extended layoffs due to injuries. My fastest return to my game was to restart by throwing the slowest discs I had. This was so successful for me that I rarely throw distance drivers at all anymore.

 

[disco40]

In my experience with subpar back knees and hips..Stretch first thing in the morning, stretch and warm up pre-round for minimum of 3 minutes but ideally 5-10, and if you can stand it, do lots of low impact practice throw motions, like 30 reps.

 

[kingjames1014]

Tie dye Champ Grooves are still the best drivers out there.

Aw man, I just gave the last of those I had to the pet shelter for dog toys.
They were too over stable for me.

 

[kingjames1014]

I'm still doing therapy 3x a week to help build strength and balance. Walking up and down steps at home to help do that.

I bought some discs for my birthday. First time in about 4 years. It felt good.