TheBeardedFatGuy
Birdie Member
I've been playing for nearly a year now and, like a lot of newbies, I've wasted a lot of time trying to muscle the disc into flying far. After watching an instructional video that showed the throw from reach back to follow through, I started doing this move sans disc in an attempt to improve my form, and I noticed something interesting. When I do this disc-less practice throw, I can whip around a lot faster than when I'm holding my driver (172g Champion Tern), presumably because I'm not having to accelerate the added mass of the disc. You wouldn't think a little disc, even if it is 172g, would make for a slower throw motion. So I got to thinking, if I throw a lighter disc, will my throw motion be faster and my disc accelerate more, resulting in increased distance? Well, I got my chance to find out by accident. To get my exercise in, beat the heat of summer, and avoid the crowds, I've taken to hitting the local course at 6AM each morning. An unexpected advantage to doing this is that, after a wind, I'm the first person to find lost discs blown out of trees overnight. Of course I always call the owner and drop the disc off at the local pro shop for them to pick up, but I also take advantage of the situation by throwing the discs on one or two holes where there's no chance of losing them just to 'test drive' them and see if they are something I might want to pick up for myself. One day I found a 165g Tern I didn't immediately recognize as a Tern because the stamp had been removed (and it was a different plastic than my own). My test throws were impressive (to me anyway). Remember, this is the same disc I usually throw, just 7 grams lighter. I had always gone on the assumption that lighter discs couldn't go the distance. Inertia equals mass times velocity, and if you drop the mass, the inertia drops, making it easier for drag and wind resistance to stop the disc. But, increase the velocity and you increase the inertia, increasing resistance to drag and wind resistance. Since lighter discs are easier to accelerate...you get the idea. Like a certain video we've all seen explains, you can throw a baseball farther than a bowling ball (high mass, low velocity), but you can't throw a ping pong ball (low mass, high velocity) farther than a baseball. Logically, there should be an ideal weight for each person's throw, where the benefit of added velocity from lower weight vs the increased inertia from higher weight hit the pea of the bell curve and produce a maximum inertia where neither less weight nor more weight will benefit you. If I could afford it, I'd buy every weight of my favorite disc in 4 gram increments and throw over and over until I discovered which weight works best for me. I can't afford to do this, but I did buy a lighter weight (159g) GStar Tern and a GStar Daedalus in the same weight. Besides just being curious to try the Daedalus, I figured that since it has the same numbers as the Tern, but with a 13 speed compared to the Tern's 12, if the Tern becomes too understable at the lower weight, the Daedalus might be a better fit if my throw acceleration actually increases with the reduced weight. I'l take both discs out in the morning and see for myself if lighter is better.
I've kind of wandered from the original topic of this post (kind of like my drive wanders - hah!), but if what I've noticed about throwing with an empty hand or a lighter disc really makes my throw move quicker, it raises the question: In getting from the reach back to the follow through position, which is the better focus to take, using your muscles to throw with strength, or moving quickly? I've read that there are two types of muscle fibers, those that lend to brute strength, and those that lend to quick response. Personally, I seem to do better when I focus on moving through my throw with quickness instead of even paying attention to what my muscles are are aren't doing.
What do you think, strength or quickness - which is the winner? Also, what has your experience with lower disc weights vs heavier been?
I've kind of wandered from the original topic of this post (kind of like my drive wanders - hah!), but if what I've noticed about throwing with an empty hand or a lighter disc really makes my throw move quicker, it raises the question: In getting from the reach back to the follow through position, which is the better focus to take, using your muscles to throw with strength, or moving quickly? I've read that there are two types of muscle fibers, those that lend to brute strength, and those that lend to quick response. Personally, I seem to do better when I focus on moving through my throw with quickness instead of even paying attention to what my muscles are are aren't doing.
What do you think, strength or quickness - which is the winner? Also, what has your experience with lower disc weights vs heavier been?
Don't get me wrong...strength IS important in disc golf, but not bulk muscle. I still lift weights (have to at my age to promote muscle growth) but it's nothing but low weight & high reps. I would recommend this approach compared to fewer reps, heavy lifting.
