Brief history of my disc golf experience: I've been throwing for about eight years and never really took it seriously until this previous summer. For the most part I golfed with one or two friends who knew as much about the game as I did but we always had a blast and just played for fun, never keeping track of score or taking it too seriously. We taught ourselves everything about the game, knowing only the disc had to make it to the basket, and making up everything in between.

I only threw forehand shots (except when putting) for basically the first five or six years I disc golfed. Backhand throws never really "clicked" for me until I started playing courses that required slow accurate shots...in other words backhand shots. After I learned the basics I essentially gave up on the forehand shots for the accuracy of the backhand.

Video I made yesterday of my different forms. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y53C8EB6Rk)

My backhand driving form is pretty ugly and my knee and shoulder have suffered as a result of it. It wasn't until I saw my form on video that I realize I throw more like a bowler than a disc golfer. I had zero follow through. Throwing RHBH my right shoulder always ended facing the target.

So I'm wondering what it is about my form that I need to correct so it doesn't feel "natural" to throw like a bowler. I notice my head tends to pull hard to the right just before the release and I think that has something to do with it. I also think I lean back slightly with my old form which causes the "bowler leg."

To force a follow through, I lean forward over my front foot as I release. It seems to do the trick but I just can't get the power I can with my old form. On a good day with my bad form I can break 500' with my drives...with my new form it's tough to even break 350'. The new form I'm using, however, is much more accurate and reliable.

I used to be a baseball pitcher and I could throw FAST so I'm familiar with transfer of motion and balance. I just need to understand what I'm doing wrong to correct my form. Unfortunately, I don't know anybody who lives around here who is anywhere near as good as me (and I'm not good...probably like an 800 rating) so it's difficult to get any kind of constructive criticism.

Thanks for any help and input. Oh and thanks for reading that novel I just wrote...

First of all wasn't there anywhere else you could throw from besides a frozen stretch of road. I'd like to see your form where you have firm ground underneath you, like from a fairway or thawed teepad. It looks like your new form is just a slowed down version of your old form which is good. Slowing down is keeping your left leg from flying back every time (that and the frozen asphalt). You're keeping it low and pretty straight which is also good. Try to keep your momentum going straight forward thru the release by pulling your left leg thru after release. This will keep you from spraying. Hope this helps

The ironic thing is that a street is the only place I can throw right now without being hip deep in snow. We normally get about 100 inches of snow over an entire winter here. We're already up over 120 inches this winter...with two and a half months to go.

It was actually warmer and less windy yesterday than it's been for a while. It was 12 degrees with practically no wind. I also had on a $200 pair of winter hiking boots that grip ice with no problem. If I had done that in my disc golfing shoes I would have fallen on every throw :P

I feel like I am falling off the right but the problem is I'm not too sure how to continue forward rather than too the right. I'll just have to slow way down and practice it then keep speeding up my throw. A couple of those sprays were intentional because I wasn't using just drivers...I was using discs that I don't mind getting beat up by the cement. My goal was just to try to get them to land in the street so I wouldn't have to go wading through the snow. I was about 75% successful :P

Yeah just slow way down and concentrate on walking that left leg thru after release. Then increase your speed as you feel more confident.

Plan B: Move to North Carolina :D

The biggest thing I noticed was the footwork. Look online for pictures or videos of the x step. Basically you're gonna take a step forward with your right foot, then your left foot crosses your right foot behind you then another step forward with your right foot to plant and throw. This is supposed to open up your hips and allow you to get more lower body into the throw, similar to hitting a baseball. Upper body wise everything looked nice and fluid.

you aren't getting any power from your legs. also, it looks like you are touching the disc w/ your off hand during the reach back, stop it.

check the articles at dgr. they have a forum solely for video critique, you'll probably get more of a response there.

this (http://discgolfreview.com/resources/articles/mored.shtml) would be a good start.

it looks like you are touching the disc w/ your off hand during the reach back, stop it.



I practiced a few times and you're right I do but I never realized it. I basically carry the disc back with both hands until I start moving it forward.

Is that against the rules or is it just hurting my form? Or both?

And thanks, I'll check out the link. I haven't seen that before and hopefully it can explain why I'm not getting any power from my legs.

you did go from taking a seemingly random amount of steps in the first group to mostly a 3 step approach in the 2nd

slowing it down helps that aim..now get your top in there for some more D - reach back

Just a quick update...

I did a few throws today and focused on using my legs and reaching back further and all kinds of other stuff. My accuracy was non-existent but I feel like I'm generating more power than ever.

I turned over a Pro Destroyer that is barely beat in at all like it was a roadrunner on a hyzer release. I couldn't believe it when I saw it. I've never turned that disc over on a hyzer release as long as I've owned it. It turned over and buried in a snow bank about 150 feet after the release.

I managed to also throw an FLX Surge about 400 feet (the benefit of throwing in the street is that you can use Google Earth to measure your throws :P) on a low line drive...it was just about 45 degrees off from the direction I was aiming :P

Thanks for the help everybody. I'm starting to really feel what's going on in my form and what I need to do to correct it.

your lower body is very muted. especially in the first 4 throws. there is no followthrough with your legs. this gets better in the new form as far as your upper body is concerned, but the lower is still muted in approach, throwing motion, and followthrough. partially can be the weather, but make sure youre taking full potential of your legs with both the approach, and by getting a bit lower on your throwing motion so that you can use your core and legs to generate power as well. then make sure your hips and then your legs follow through. you may have to consciously pick up your left leg and swing it around in order to get comfortable doing this. your reach back is shorter on the new form than the old. try to keep your head and shoulders down a bit lower to get the full potential out of your armspeed and followthrough.

it looks like there is some unused potential engergy in your hips and legs, try to tap into that.

Make sure you are pivoting on your right foot too instead of keeping it planted on the ground. This will help generate a better followthrough with the lower body

I feel like I'm generating more power than ever.

I turned over a Pro Destroyer that is barely beat in at all like it was a roadrunner on a hyzer release

Don't confuse power with torquing your arm/wrist. IMO, the best way to improve form is to work with a putt/approach disc (Aviar, etc.). Work on throwing it long distances, flat, & with not a lot of height. Then work on throwing hyzer and anny shots. When you go back to your drivers you'll find that you've added a bunch of distance and control. You may also find that the latest disc-du-jour is more stable then you'd like.

As for the footwork, I'd try slowing things down to about 25% of your current speed (i.e. almost 1 step per second or slower). You are currently flailing around a bit. Concentrate on staying on the balls of your feet (that's the thing near your big toe, NOT the heel) and delivering a smooth throw that constantly accelerates after the pull back. You can experiment with using the heel on your plant foot but that causes knee issues for some people.

So I've been practicing a ton with the advice that everybody gave me and I've added a lot of consistent distance to my throws without feeling like I have to rip my arm out of the socket.

I realized that if I added a fast run up it forced me to get my lower body involved and it helped me with my balance to continue forward, rather than to fall over to the right.

I used to have a run up but I moved and started playing on courses with gravel tee pads that made it dangerous to run up, and I lost that part of my throw.

We had a massive thaw here recently and this soccer field where I usually throw had lost the majority of its snow, so I decided to record another video today.

The video quality is pretty poor. I don't have a camera of my own and my girlfriend's camera is for pictures, not video. So it's nearly impossible to see the flight of the discs, but my form is what I wanted to focus on.

Let me know what you guys think of my adjusted form.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bpVq9FNg14s&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bpVq9FNg14s&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Your footwork is still off. Try positioning yourself perpendicular to the target instead of facing it. Your not getting much of a reach back and your legs and hips aren't able to add much because you're almost facing the target. It's not possible to reach back when you're facing the target. From the hips up, you should be rotating away from the target. The throwing motion is uncurling the rotation in sequence - hips, midsection, shoulder and arms smoothly and rythmically so that you have maximum speed and force at the point of release. You don't reach back with your hips, waist or shoulders much at all. Just your arm. Think of your arm as a whip. Ideally, you get that whippin snap at release. That requires the correct grip. Your tendons in your forearm should almost act a a rubber band - stretching and then snapping back. Right at the snapping is when you want your release. I'd keep playing with your footwork by altering the starting position. Some people find it hard to start with their side facing the target because they can;t get momentum. Some poeple do a bit of a run up and bounce to get themselves oriented right in relation to the target. You release with your shoulders pointing straight at the target and follow through. Here's a link to the best site I've found for viewing other forms:

http://www.discgolfreview.com/resources/videos/

There are vidoes of the drive and putting technique of most of the top pros. Probably a couple hundred videos. (You'll notice that there is variation among every player. You'll also notice that if you've read a pro's description of how they drive and the video of their drive, they are different. It's hard to describe with precision.)

I appreciate the feed back.

I've been reading that site for driving technique because I really want a form that just takes the load off my shoulder. I am completely incapable of knowing how to move my hips based on how I see other people doing it. When I dance...people die...

I've been focusing on trying to use my body as a whip and having my arm be the "snap" but I obviously need more work. I don't want to and I have no need to drive longer than I am now, but it would be nice not to have to run up just to throw that long. Plus, the less I have to move, the more accuracy I have.

I think my reach back is probably the key at this point from the practice I've been doing. I've been trying to point my back foot away from the target, then twisting my hips through while reaching back as far as possible. It will probably just be a while until I can get that feeling ingrained in my throw.

Regardless of what I'm trying to do with my hips, my head always wants to point at the target which is causing that "leaning to the right" that is causing turn over on discs that shouldn't turn over.

I can't wait for the winter to be over so I can practice "properly" every day.

There are vidoes of the drive and putting technique of most of the top pros. Probably a couple hundred videos. (You'll notice that there is variation among every player.

Be sure to check out the small guys and women players who require excellent form for distance (rather than rely on long arms / levers and/or raw strength).


I don't want to and I have no need to drive longer than I am now, but it would be nice not to have to run up just to throw that long. Plus, the less I have to move, the more accuracy I have.

Have you worked with throwing a Roc or Aviar for distance yet (suggested by my previous post)? Seriously, this will immediately show any flaws in your form. In particular, it will highlight if you are getting enough spin on the disc and if you are smoothly accelerating the disc. Many people do not throw smoothly and that results in accuracy and inconsistency problems. They often compensate wrist torque or overpowering problems with a heavy stable disc.

There are vidoes of the drive and putting technique of most of the top pros. Probably a couple hundred videos. (You'll notice that there is variation among every player.

Be sure to check out the small guys and women players who require excellent form for distance (rather than rely on long arms / levers and/or raw strength).


I don't want to and I have no need to drive longer than I am now, but it would be nice not to have to run up just to throw that long. Plus, the less I have to move, the more accuracy I have.

Have you worked with throwing a Roc or Aviar for distance yet (suggested by my previous post)? Seriously, this will immediately show any flaws in your form. In particular, it will highlight if you are getting enough spin on the disc and if you are smoothly accelerating the disc. Many people do not throw smoothly and that results in accuracy and inconsistency problems. They often compensate wrist torque or overpowering problems with a heavy stable disc.



Today is the first day we've been without snow where I live so I decided to record a video of my throws with mid-range discs.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HDBugmOdS4M&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HDBugmOdS4M&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

My shoulder and knee feel much better after every session than they would have in the past. I feel like I've finally got "disc golf drive" form down and regardless of my distance or accuracy, I don't have to hurt myself to throw anymore.

Great advice with the mid-range discs by the way ;)