Throwing a light Beast

Im a beginner, 6'2", 160, decent arm strength (im a bowler). I have a 147 gram beast that I had had trouble throwing because it was too light. I have discovered, however, that I can throw it with a three finger grip (thumb, index, and middle finger) 300+ feet pretty consistantly. with decent accuracy, I managed 300+ feet even into a decent wind. Any thoughts? I think I would like to try a 175ish one, which the rest of my discs are around.

[Blarg]

CoolHand:
First of all, you need to define what you mean by saying you 'had trouble' throwing a 147g Beast. Throwing it accurately 300 feet is not what I would call trouble! :D
Beasts, in general, are over stable. This means, with a right hand backhand throw (RHBH), that the disc will tend to curve to the left, even with a flat delivery. However!!!! The lighter the disc, the more likely it is that it will turn over, meaning it will flip over and fly to the right.
Very simply stated, you should try a heavier Beast.
Try some in the low 160's before you jump to 175.
The object is control and distance, and it's best to creep up on both rather than going exclusively for either all at once.


Wish I could throw 300' with anything! You'll be throwing 400' before you know it!

Allow me to clarify. All of my other discs are around 175 grams. In addition, i was not saying that 300 feet accuratlly was "trouble." I meant that I had had trouble throwing it before with four fingers and thumb, but when I tried it with two and thumb,, I could throw it farther and more accurately. My thought is that it creates more snap and I tend to force it less. My longest throw was a hyzer that turned over to anhyzer and then glided for quite some time (with the wind) I estimate around 350 feet (I am throwing right next to a football field so I think that was a pretty good estimate. Most of my throws with it were around 300 feet with my other discs (gazelle, KC cheetah, and exp1) going roughly 275 with one that went about 300 with the gazelle. What do you guys think about a three fingered grip with a 147 gram driver? (im very new to this sport by the way, only played for a few weeks).

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You'll see this bit o' theory over and over in here because there is some truth to it >>> Heavy discs 'can' mask poor technique. Being able to get the most out of lighter discs, 'can' help one to get the most out of heavier discs.
Down-wind and uphill are 2 great reasons to throw lighter plastic...though some variables may dictate otherwise.

What do you guys think about a three fingered grip with a 147 gram driver?



Welcome to the obsession that is disc golf. :)

First, if you've just started playing disc golf, a 147g Beast is absolutely the wrong disc for you to be throwing, but stepping up to a heavier Beast would simply compound the mistake. In fact, throwing ANY driver at this stage is likely to retard your development. I strongly recommend Carlton Howard, DG Hall of Famer and PDGA Rules Committee Chairman's articles on disc selection (http://www.radl.biz/Articles/discselection.html) and getting good in a hurry (http://www.radl.biz/Articles/gettinggoodinahurry.html).

If after reading Carlton's articles you're still dead set on throwing drivers, I would suggest you spend time learning to throw your 147g Beast instead of stepping up in weight right away. Not only will that help you find and (hopefully) correct flaws in your throwing technique, but with proper technique, most people can throw 150-class discs farther than heavier discs.

One thing you should be aware of is that 150-class discs (150g or lower) require more finesse and cleaner technique than heavier discs: too much power, the disc turns over and dives into the ground; too much flutter, the disc turns over and dives into the ground; too much snap, the disc turns over and dives into the ground, so the "trick" to throwing 150-class discs (any disc, actually; it's just accentuated with 150-class discs) is to throw smoothly rather than to throw hard. Rather than trying to muscle the disc out there, slow down your run-up, throttle back to 70-80% power, and concentrate on throwing smoothly. Again, think "smooth" not "hard."

This is not my only disc, and I have learned to throw others before I even tried throwing it. My other discs include a 172 gram roc, which I spent about 5 hours in the quad here at school learning how to throw. I do not throw the beast when I play disc golf, however I experimented throwing it and I found that throwing it with three fingers surprisingly worked best for me. The other discs I have are an Aero, a KC Cheetah, a Gazelle, and an exp1 (the last three given to me used by a local player). After I devealoped confidence throwing the roc, I decided to throw for an hour with the gazelle, cheetah, and exp1 (all around 175 grams). I can throw them all reasonably well, although I am not particularly comfortable withe exp1 because of it's slicker material and unique shape, i think. I can throw the gazelle and cheetah pretty well, and with what I consider decent accuracy. When I got the beast and the aero, I had absolutely no idea what to buy and bought them at total random. The 147 gram beast was the only beast that the store I got them from had and I liked the name better than the other discs. Regardless, within 2 days I had purchased a roc and I think I can throw pretty well, at least flat footed. (I am not worrying about a run up or anything yet).

Cheers,

Luke

edit: curse this form of communication, I wrote an eloquent addendum to this response which I believe further clarified what I was trying to say but it got lost somehow. The summarize, I essentially said that I was throwing neither the beast, cheetah, gazelle, or exp1 in any actual disc golf game. You cannot fault me for at least wanting to try them out, however. The intent of the post was simply that I found it unusual and interesting that I found it easier to throw the light beast with 3 fingers.

HI! I have a 147 g Eagle that i adore when there isn't any wind...... but i do agree with the experts to move up slightly to the 160's before 175.......

I started out with 175...... then i bought a 165 T-bird to see how far it goes..... I am now in the process of buying discs that are between 160-170. The heavier discs are nice to have around for the windy days! :D

Whatever works for you, bro :D

;)

I used the 3 finger grip you are describing for quite some time. I definitely got more distance, but I did not have great control or consistancy. If you can develop control and consistancy, I say use it.

[quickdisc]

I used the 3 finger grip you are describing for quite some time. I definitely got more distance, but I did not have great control or consistancy. If you can develop control and consistancy, I say use it.


Or you could throw a light Orc. I'm throwing one at 159grams.
It fly's fast and straight with a slight left fade at the end.

Experimenting with grips, at least in my own game, is one of the best ways to improve distance and accuracy. For drivers, you basically want one that will allow for the strongest grip between your snap finger and the base of your thumb. The grip that does this best for me is a modified power grip with my pinky stacked on my ring finger. However, any grip will work if it gives you a consistently strong release point for the disc to pivot around.