I need to do something but unsure of what. I see people on here who have only been playing for a few months and are throwing over 300' yet I have been playing for almost 4 years now and have only broken 300' a few times. My average score for a round is about 65. I need to completely relearn how to throw...any suggestions? What about hypnotism?

Get a driver and save the Aero for upshots. :)

My average score for a round is about 65.

If that's on a par 54 course, it sounds like you need to get your par putts a lot closer!

....nothing beats a 150-200 foot controlled upshot! ;)

The best way to learn to throw far is:
1) Read everything on Blake T's site (discgolfreview.com)
2) Go to an open field for half an hour every day and huck plastic. Don't forget to follow through!

The best way to learn to play is at your local course's league event. Almost every course has a weekly random draw doubles event -- you'll develop your game while developing the disc golf community.

Best thing that I can recomend is what my "coach" tells me about my throw to tell other people.

Throw frisbee hard. (yeah yeah its a golf disc not a frisbee, but it sounds better)

Quite often I see people throw with their elbow curled and the disc pointed towards their chest like they are going to throw an Ultrastar. I see their disc go way high and fall left (righties). I try to explain that your arm is like the shaft of a golf club, the disc is the face of the club. You need club head speed to go far. Try practicing throwing as hard as you can with an overstable midrange, this way you will not have to chase your discs as far and you can get more control out of it.

Their are different types of grips, primarily a control grip and a power grip. Look on Juliana's webpage linked on Innovadiscs.com to learn the grip. I use a modified "3 finger" power grip for extra stability since I tend to break my wrist.

As an alternative you can learn to throw sidearm/forehand. This style of throwing creates much more snap behind the disc causing it to rotate faster and stay aloft longer. I know many people who throw farther sidearm then they do backhand.

If nothing else works, try lighter discs and these new wide rim drivers that have came out lately. Discraft; Crush, Flash, Flick. Innova; Beast and Orc.

Good luck, and remember, distance is not everything. I can throw 440+ feet, but my putting stinks. The more consistent your game the better, it is better to take 2 200ft shots to get to a basket and drop in for par, then to throw 400ft end up 20ft to the left of the pin and miss your putt. At least in my opion, sometimes having a big arm can get you in trouble, just play against me in a wooded tournament.

thank you all for the advice....I play everything as a 54, though the course par is around 64-66. One course I almost always get 60, and another I have to really plead with my discs to stay below 70. I am going to have to read blake t's articles again. The thing about the elbow..I don't know if it's some sort of genetic defect, but when I try to do a straight pull threw I get no control and only about 40% power. The thing about using a mid...it's odd, my dx rocs go almost the same distance as my predator, xs, and eagle (sometimes farther, sometimes shorter) even with my putter I always put it around 240' Once again, thank you all.

Quite often I see people throw with their elbow curled


Which in and of itself is not bad technique, in fact it can be good technique if executed properly. Yes, I'm a big proponent of the elbow back instead of reach back, so I'm biased. But as others have said, read Blake T's site.

Fork grip (hold your disc like you hold a fork)
Reach back (like your going to back hand some one)
Think nipple to nipple (pull strait across your chest)
Snap your wrist like your snapping a wet towel
Follow through

[/QUOTE]Which in and of itself is not bad technique, in fact it can be good technique if executed properly. Yes, I'm a big proponent of the elbow back instead of reach back, so I'm biased. But as others have said, read Blake T's site.

[/QUOTE]

Highest rated and the farthest throwing player in TX throws "bent elbow"...Nolan Grider.

Of course I still don't get it. :D When he throws it looks completely effortless.....sometimes I just get sick of watching :o(only because I can't do it).

I don't use any run up, just walk up and throw. Don't focus on anything, don't strain, just throw and follow through. I know a few others that throw "bent elbow" and do the same thing and get it quite far without trying. Maybe it has something to do with smaller people...I'm 6'4" 245 the others are like 5'9" 160

If nothing else works, try lighter discs and these new wide rim drivers that have came out lately. Discraft; Crush, Flash, Flick. Innova; Beast and Orc.



Why no Gateway listed? The Illusion is VERY comparable to the Flick and one of the best Forehand discs out there.

If done right, bent elbow IS almost effortless.

Bent Elbownians: 2X [former] Doubles [with Climo] Champ Bob Dodge; DISCussion's The Forgiven One; Discsport icon Crazy John Brooks.

I am going to have to read blake t's articles again.



I find the "Technique Repair" section of his website to be one of the most useful resources. Reading and understanding the articles is good, but won't always help if you're having problems. If you can pick one problem at a time and fix that you'll eventually start throwing farther. Just remember that fixing a flaw in your technique won't always give you an instant improvement. Many times you have to give up consistancy or distance in the short run to improve your throw in the long run.

Buy the Scott Stokely book, forget the site written by an intermediate player. Scott's book can help players of all skill levels improve their game.

Buy the Scott Stokely book, forget the site written by an intermediate player. Scott's book can help players of all skill levels improve their game.



Buying Scott Stokley's books and videos is a good idea but you'd have to be a fool to ignore Blake's site.

Don't forget Dave Dunipace's distance secrets.
Might as well go to the source, so to speak.

Scott's instructional material is cetainly worth checking out, but I found it a bit 'dated.'
For example, he describes how he sometimes gets a loud 'pop' when throwing a disc and refers to this as a bad thing.

I got a loud pop once when driving...i stepped off the end of the teepad and rolled my ankle :( :o Moral of the story is when playing in the fall after it gets done raining, be cautious of your footing

Don't forget Dave Dunipace's distance secrets.
Might as well go to the source, so to speak.

Scott's instructional material is cetainly worth checking out, but I found it a bit 'dated.'
For example, he describes how he sometimes gets a loud 'pop' when throwing a disc and refers to this as a bad thing.



I think he knows some people try to get the "pop". I don't think everyone gets the pop, or tries for that. It is not the only way to throw and Scott really does know what he was talkin' abuot. His "method" works for him (and others). Dave's works for some, but not all! It's what works for the individual that matters!

Why no Gateway listed? The Illusion is VERY comparable to the Flick and one of the best Forehand discs out there.

[/QUOTE]

Sorry, I just do not throw Gateway, so I am not really familiar with their discs, so I would do no good recommeding one. I have heard from many golfers that Gateways, being predominately overstable are not neccessarily good for beginners. But be sure to know what you throw, I am positive there were many people who started out throwing Gateway and did/do just fine.

We have a local pro, Joe Thacker, who managed to tie for 19th at USDGC! When he throws he hardly uses his upper arm at all. Most of his power comes from his forearm and wrist snap. I have seen him effortlessly throw 550ft and you could tell he had alot more still in him. But he is the only one I know that throws like that.

Buy the Scott Stokely book, forget the site written by an intermediate player. Scott's book can help players of all skill levels improve their game.



Buying Scott Stokley's books and videos is a good idea but you'd have to be a fool to ignore Blake's site.



Too True, Blake's site is the future for people who are learning how to play disc golf, and for people who want to know more about it. Who cares if he is an intermmediate player, the man knows his stuff, more than anyone i know. I know an advanced lady who has read Blakes grip article and has totally changed her game for the better. Shes throwing almost 40 feet further and more accurate as well. I wouldnt be surprised if in the future he is working for innova or another company tutoring others on disc golf technique. Bluntly, he knows his stuff, plain as that.

thanks for the props jj and all. most of the instructional info i learned through other players who are much more experienced than i and i have to give most of the credit to them. Dave Dunipace, Jon Drummond, Chris Sprague, my disc golf mentor Lightnin' Lyle, and a slew of others have been very patient in answering questions for me and helping me pass on info. hopefully one of these years i can stay major injury free and finally develop the consistency needed to compete at a high level. the thing to remember is that my ability to execute the throw does not reflect my ability to understand/teach throwing mechanics :)

thanks for the props jj and all. most of the instructional info i learned through other players who are much more experienced than i and i have to give most of the credit to them. Dave Dunipace, Jon Drummond, Chris Sprague, my disc golf mentor Lightnin' Lyle, and a slew of others have been very patient in answering questions for me and helping me pass on info. hopefully one of these years i can stay major injury free and finally develop the consistency needed to compete at a high level. the thing to remember is that my ability to execute the throw does not reflect my ability to understand/teach throwing mechanics :)



Word. Blakes stuff is very informative to all skill levels. Part of your game suffering of late? Check out what Blake has to say. Betcha it helps!

There are a couple of other things to consider. I play advanced masters down here and I read a lot about players poping it out 400 feet. I've seen very little of it. I know of only two local players that can do it consistently (Matt Hall and Jim Davidson, there may be more... but not many). I watched the top card at Texas States this year with Nolan Grider, Eric Tracy, Ron Russel and Matt Orum; I saw them thow over 400 feet once, off the top of a 100 foot high hill. I've only seen one advanced masters player consistently throw over 350 feet (granted I haven't watched more than 30 or so play and am rarely anywhere near the top card). It seems to me that distances are highly inflated, period. Even the guys who throw up there rarely do so, there is little or no need for it on an actual course. All the talk about distance is simply that, talk. It's all about muy matcho.

It took me two years of hard work, reading Blake and Dave's stuff and watching videos constantly and applying what I learned to get over 300 feet consistently. The best thing I got out of that matterial was that good technique doesn't just make you go further, it makes you more acurate. The key to good golf is accuracy. Watch the guys who win. They don't do it will long drives, they do it with dead accuracy on their drives, upshots and putts. Don't get me wrong, distance is good, but it's not what counts most.

My driving is pretty good now, I average about 330 and can hit 370 on occasion. This year at States, on average, I pretty much outdrove everyone I played with. I finished third from last. Every guy I played with had a better short game than I did (my short game in practice is fine, tourneys freak me out). Those guys that all came out ahead of me threw from between 280 and 350 (average closer to 300). None of them were monster throwers, but they were all accurate and could make the disc do what they needed it to do.

You want a better game, yes, polish your drives (for acuracy not distance), but more importantly, work your short game every day, that's the difference.

The best thing I got out of that matterial was that good technique doesn't just make you go further, it makes you more acurate.


No, it does both.