The Newest Greatest thing you just figured out

[jubuttib]

I spent the whole winter not achieving anything w.r.t. putting. 20 putts from like 15-20' and I'd barely hit 2 or 3. Then I actually get out and play a bit, and suddenly I can putt. I've been sinking pretty much everything within 20' and usually at least grazing something up to 30'. This has been going on for a while now, and I do have an idea about what's causing it, but it still freaks me out.

 

[Frank Delicious]

I just figured out that I can almost everything a normal non-top 20 pro can do.

 

[bents]

I just recently figured out what I think is an important body mechanic for driving. JR always says "brace the right leg" and I misread this to mean "stiffen the leg". Stiffening the leg holds it fixed relative to your body, so when you're rotating, a stiffened leg rotates with you. But what I figured out he meant was to hold the leg fixed relative to the ground, with your body rotating around it. The same muscle action while lying still would produce a hard inward (counter-clockwise) rotation of the leg.

I've only been able to try this twice (stomach flu...) since I figured it out, but it definitely felt more powerful than what I was doing before. It makes sense physically, to "rotate against" your fixed leg, and I'm surprised I hadn't figured it out before!

 

[bents]

By the way, this hard inward rotation is exercised a lot in pilates classes. I'm not naturally strong or coordinated, I'm much more of a slow-twitch muscle guy. (I'm naturally very very talented at bicycling, but it's not nearly as much fun as disc golf!) So if I don't do some strength training, I turn into a noodle-arm with back pain. I'm finding that pilates is a great way to strengthen most of the important disc golf muscles: all kinds of abs, obliques, lats & other back muscles, hip rotators & flexors.

It's slow, so probably not doing as much for explosive power as an explosive-power-specific workout, but the slowness allows time for concentrating on good form and balance, which maybe helps with coordination and mental focus on the course.

 

[Varsi]

I just recently figured out what I think is an important body mechanic for driving. JR always says "brace the right leg" and I misread this to mean "stiffen the leg". Stiffening the leg holds it fixed relative to your body, so when you're rotating, a stiffened leg rotates with you. But what I figured out he meant was to hold the leg fixed relative to the ground, with your body rotating around it. The same muscle action while lying still would produce a hard inward (counter-clockwise) rotation of the leg.

I've only been able to try this twice (stomach flu...) since I figured it out, but it definitely felt more powerful than what I was doing before. It makes sense physically, to "rotate against" your fixed leg, and I'm surprised I hadn't figured it out before!

This!

I hadn't really been focusing on anything in my form lately but after watching this Feldbeard video I found some quite different feelings from my drives. I was shocked how easy it was too.

 

[Stringbean]

I finally figured out how to throw sidearm (again). I had figured it out for a day and then lost it halfway through a round. That was two years ago.

 

[CaddyJeff]

Thinking of putting more in the sense of shooting 3 pointers(I should hit something metal, "airballs" unacceptable) and less in the sense of ball golf(if you miss, make sure it is a small miss)

I am a scratch ball golfer and the "going for it" mentality in disc golf was hard for me to wrap my head around for a while, so I left a lot of my putts short or hit the lip of the basket since I was trying to "miss small".

Does that make sense?

 

[Steady 26542]

Yes, it makes sense. I have always been a more conservative player. I refuse to blow by on putts. If I miss, I miss short. I can live with that...

 

[JR]

It sounds like you guys should learn to attack softly. That means giving yourself a chance to get in while minimizing the blow by distance. A guy that has mastered it will get some more putts that go in than you while not increasing danger of missed second attempts by a lot so in the long run they should score better. It depends on the form what you can change in the putt that helps in minimizing the blow by distance or you might need to switch putting style altogether for the runs that won't miss far. The larger your easy make distance is the less dangerous it is to blow by a little while still not compromising your chances of making it with the first shot altogether. Normally a soft attack needs some sort of arc in the flight path however small the minimum is and great power input control and distance estimation ability.

 

[CaddyJeff]

Yes, it makes sense. I have always been a more conservative player. I refuse to blow by on putts. If I miss, I miss short. I can live with that...

I hear you, and I do kind of agree, but next round you get the chance, try to tell yourself that you aren't going to leave any putts short....you would be surprised how much more of a chance you give the disc to go in. It all kind of depends on how I'm feeling standing over that 10-15 footer, if I have confidence that I can make the comeback putt I don't mind missing a bit long.

 

[JR]

That is why wrote my above reply. No matter what putting style one uses a sharp end acceleration helps and adds a lot to putting accuracy.

 

[Terrence]

I'm finally making a better percentage of putts inside the circle! The past few solo rounds I focused on quickening my putting motion: making the push from the back foot to the follow through seemingly instantaneous. Chains, chains, and more chains! I've had the mechanics, balance, and finger spring all this time, but the stroke was far too slow, which caused me to bend at the waist and drop my right shoulder. I would often miss putts badly high and to the right (right hand thrower).

 

[luma1]

No matter what putting style one uses a sharp end acceleration helps and adds a lot to putting accuracy.

Just like in ball golf. I'm a scratch player too, and just like on those downhill 5-footers, you still have to accelerate through the ball, or in the case of disc golf you have to let the disc spring out of the fingers. Otherwise you will pull your putt (left in golf, right in DG).
One thing that I discovered through the Feldbeard putting video(https://vimeo.com/19847946) is that it really helps to leave the elbow out of the equasion. I have not figured out how to really push putt, but I actually don't want to. I have just started to feel the disc leaving the hand in a pitching motion upwards instead of throwing it with your elbow. That has caused me to miss right far too often. Now I have practiced to just open my right hand when releasing the putt and let the fingers spring forward so the disc gets some spin. I just have to go my arm up along the pole. If I have to straddle it's still along the pole which will feel left of normal, but from where I start the straddle it's straight up. I still wouldn't consider myself that good of a putter, I get about 80% from 25', but I'm pretty confident now with my push-putt-derivation. Also, it will go by max. 6-8' on level ground, even I don't miss those...

 

[7ontheline]

I just picked up a good tip, "Remember to breathe".

I often find myself out of breath going up and down hills around here. I normally breathe through my nose and I think when I allow myself to mouth breathe I'm taking in more air so my heart isn't racing as much when I get over my putt. Stupid right, damn allergies :lol:

Also, many folks around here don't use a lot of mosquito spray because the gnats are attracted to it. Try some smelly lotion like Avon's skin so soft around you neck and head unless you have tinnitus and aren't effected by the buzzing. :wink:

 

[Star Shark]

I'm not sure what I learned yesterday at Sylmar. I threw two rounds. One with my full bag, wherein I shot +4. The other, as an experiment, in which I only threw my Icon Clutch. During the 2nd round, I shot -2. What that tells me, I have no idea other than triples are bad, mmkay.

 

[itlnstln]

I'm not sure what I learned yesterday at Sylmar. I threw two rounds. One with my full bag, wherein I shot +4. The other, as an experiment, in which I only threw my Icon Clutch. During the 2nd round, I shot -2. What that tells me, I have no idea other than triples are bad, mmkay.

It tells me you're probably over-thinking your shots. That, or your choosing less-controllable discs where more control is needed but then, that might just be a product of over-thinking the shot.

 

[Star Shark]

I'm not sure what I learned yesterday at Sylmar. I threw two rounds. One with my full bag, wherein I shot +4. The other, as an experiment, in which I only threw my Icon Clutch. During the 2nd round, I shot -2. What that tells me, I have no idea other than triples are bad, mmkay.

It tells me you're probably over-thinking your shots. That, or your choosing less-controllable discs where more control is needed but then, that might just be a product of over-thinking the shot.

The course is fairly short. I don't throw much faster than Patriots and Rivals on it. My form just sucks lately. I could have been 5 under with just the Clutch there. Had 2 unnecessary bogeys and missed a 17' birdie putt (granted there was a thick tree in the way).

 

[vw02]

Been working on my BH for about a year now, it's gotten a lot better but i still had some release issues. Tried moving my thumb a bit more towards the edge of the rim the other day and boom, consistent, smooth releases. Was so pumped. Now I feel like I can start trying to throw with more than 60-70% power and get past the 275ish mark w my leopards.

 

[JR]

Where on the Leopard is your thumb relative to the wing/flight plate transition? Leo is not a hard but not the easiest driver to release cleanly. Normally slip issues tend to arise the closer the thumb is toward the outer edge of the disc so some get help from moving the thumb toward the center from the wing/flight plate transition. Much in means slower arm whip from too tight muscles slowing down the arm movement. Too much thumb in toward the center can be a problem for clean releases.

 

[iacas]

No matter what putting style one uses a sharp end acceleration helps and adds a lot to putting accuracy.

Just like in ball golf. I'm a scratch player too, and just like on those downhill 5-footers, you still have to accelerate through the ball, or in the case of disc golf you have to let the disc spring out of the fingers. Otherwise you will pull your putt (left in golf, right in DG).

The best putters are decelerating in golf at impact, or reach maximum speed (no acceleration or deceleration) at impact. Trying to "accelerate through impact" is one of the worst ways to putt - distance control becomes an issue.

Not a disc golf post, except to say that it's another way in which comparing two sports doesn't really work.