Wrist bend on James Conrad

[DRBDiscGolf]

So I've always wondered about proper wrist technique. I've read before where bending it doesn't help. But this photo of James Conrad shows otherwise. Does anyone have good clarification for me?

https://www.tvguidetime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/James-Conrad.png

 

[drk_evns]

You can "pre-cock" your wrist if you want. You just want to avoid actively trying to open/muscle your wrist. I like to keep a pretty straight and firm wrist and allow it to bounce with the throw.

Also, while James is an incredible disc golfer (obviously), he's not the pinnacle of backhand form.

 

[elmexdela]

and whats up with that sloppy follow thru run

 

[ThrowBot]

Is the wrist curl a sneaky way to get more spin on the disc? I think we're all aware how important it is for discs to spin.

 

[Bush122]

I was under the impression that you don't want to pre-cock your wrist because you lose out on the "tendon bounce" of the swing. The image you're showing is when the lag of the swing has already hit James's wrist so it naturally curls back like that. If you try to preset your wrist like that you'll need insane grip strength to keep it closed through the hit, whereas if you stay loose & allow the swing the lag it through you'll naturally hit that point.

 

[seedlings]

Is the wrist curl a sneaky way to get more spin on the disc? I think we're all aware how important it is for discs to spin.

More spin means less turn and more stability overall for a given disc. Doesn't mean more speed or distance, necessarily. Arguably, less spin with same speed will give more full flight.

 

[HyzerUniBomber]

pre-curl is most likely a physical cue to not start throwing the disc (or opening the forearm) too soon. Conrad gets the disc way deep into the right pec vs somebody like Ezra.

 

[foxdawg10]

and whats up with that sloppy follow thru run

Ya, he will never get anywhere with that, lol.

It is definitely not orthodox but he makes it work.

 

[hawgdriver]

I've tried this over the last week and like it. If nothing else, the cocked wrist help me more clearly feel the whip. And the feel of the whip helps me to allow that more relaxed biomechanical cascade (or some other jumble of words trying to explain the feel of a loose, but precisely-timed, arm whip). If I feel it better during my swing, maybe my brain latches onto that feel a little easier.

 

[txmxer]

James is James. He does things that few others can or should do. If you are long lanky AND athletic like a high jumper or hurdler, you might want to look at what he does.

But there are lots that throw as far or farther and don't have such an extreme (unique) form.

He might be losing some distance from that wrist cock for all we know.

 

[gwsmallwood]

I was under the impression that you don't want to pre-cock your wrist because you lose out on the "tendon bounce" of the swing. The image you're showing is when the lag of the swing has already hit James's wrist so it naturally curls back like that. If you try to preset your wrist like that you'll need insane grip strength to keep it closed through the hit, whereas if you stay loose & allow the swing the lag it through you'll naturally hit that point.

I've tried this over the last week and like it. If nothing else, the cocked wrist help me more clearly feel the whip. And the feel of the whip helps me to allow that more relaxed biomechanical cascade (or some other jumble of words trying to explain the feel of a loose, but precisely-timed, arm whip). If I feel it better during my swing, maybe my brain latches onto that feel a little easier.

I just started figuring this out today. I just started in August, and I've been actively working on getting better for about a month now. I wasn't pre-cocking the wrist, but I was paying attention to keeping a bit looser grip that allowed my wrist (and the rest of my arm for that matter) to stay relaxed as well as keeping my hand on the outside of the disc for as long as possible through the 'pull'. I could feel the hand collapse toward the forearm as I got to the end of the pull and I could finally feel something like a snap at the end of my extension.

First time I've been able to get a putter out to 200' and I did it with far less effort than it was taking me to get them to 150' before. It was really an ah-ha moment. So that's what it feels like to not 'muscle' my throws.

 

[Rastnav]

First time I've been able to get a putter out to 200' and I did it with far less effort than it was taking me to get them to 150' before. It was really an ah-ha moment. So that's what it feels like to not 'muscle' my throws.

You can definitely still muscle a putter out to 200. The jump from 150 to 200 for me coincided with a less nose up throw rather than not pulling early (muscling). Just at a guess, your concentration on your wrist has promoted getting a less nose up release.

I believe the tell would be whether your distance is coming from a throw that stays flatter and lower, and doesn't tend to rise quickly and then hyzer out fading rapidly (to the left for a RHBH).

 

[gwsmallwood]

You can definitely still muscle a putter out to 200. The jump from 150 to 200 for me coincided with a less nose up throw rather than not pulling early (muscling). Just at a guess, your concentration on your wrist has promoted getting a less nose up release.

I believe the tell would be whether your distance is coming from a throw that stays flatter and lower, and doesn't tend to rise quickly and then hyzer out fading rapidly (to the left for a RHBH).

Could be. I do know I can feel a stark difference. It's possible I'm still muscling things a bit, but I don't feel it anymore. I can actually feel it when I'm trying to use my arm too much now.

 

[Bush122]

Could be. I do know I can feel a stark difference. It's possible I'm still muscling things a bit, but I don't feel it anymore. I can actually feel it when I'm trying to use my arm too much now.

I would highly recommend filming yourself if you don't already to see. It's good that you can feel a noticeable difference - it makes adjusting easier going forward - but you always want to be sure you're moving forward on the right path. There have been multiple times where I thought I fixed an issue because I felt something completely new only to look at the footage and realize it's not actually anything better.

As my form has progressed I've come to realize how difficult it is not to muscle throughout the throw. You can muscle any part of your body and it'll mess up your kinetic chain. I think it's just easiest to conceive of/feel in the upper body since it's so close to the disc (and so many of us struggle with it!)

 

[sidewinder22]

So I've always wondered about proper wrist technique. I've read before where bending it doesn't help. But this photo of James Conrad shows otherwise. Does anyone have good clarification for me?

https://www.tvguidetime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/James-Conrad.png

James probably has to curl his wrist more than most because his transfer from his body is less efficient as he needs his long fast runup to throw far.

Most top throwers talk about the wrist only moving like 1-2 inches and have much more efficient body mechanics traveling up the kinetic chain. Force dissipates over distance, so a tighter spring is also more efficient at transferring force.

 

[hawgdriver]

Force dissipates over distance

What do you think about a CG 'hop' (lack of better term) prior to max effort? What I mean is getting really tall and even a calf-raise type push-off on the x?

Apologies for the OT!

 

[sidewinder22]

What do you think about a CG 'hop' (lack of better term) prior to max effort? What I mean is getting really tall and even a calf-raise type push-off on the x?

Apologies for the OT!

Talking about like a Brinster hop:

 

[hawgdriver]

Talking about like a Brinster hop:

wow, just watched him...that's extreme! Same idea, but more in control.