I was throwing a teebird for the first time this weekend, and some funny things happened. Sometimes I would get a great straight shot with a tiny low speed fade. other times I would get a very wobbly left to right dive (I'm right handed). Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

I was throwing a teebird for the first time this weekend, and some funny things happened. Sometimes I would get a great straight shot with a tiny low speed fade. other times I would get a very wobbly left to right dive (I'm right handed). Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong?


How do you release the disc ?

I try to release it completely level from a tight curled fingered grip.

I try to release it completely level from a tight curled fingered grip.


Are you releasing it above , below or level to your shoulder ?

No need for all these questions. If you're releasing the disc - and it wobbles out of your hand - you are imparting torque to the rim that is not in the same plane as the flight plate.

The reason this happens is because your wrist is rotating during release. You can see this physically by noting on such throws that your palm/forearm is facing up after release. Your clean throws will have your thumb pointing up. Work on releasing so that your palm opens to your target - and not to the sky - and your wobble should go away.

on the shots that went left to right try getting more snap on the disc, snap = spin = more stable disc

That's part of his problem - trying to crank it and get more spin on the disc often results in the sort of wrist rotation that makes for an "unclean" release. Just work on being smooth. Power and distance comes with fluidity.

I'm no expert but I did see him throw this weekend (It was pleasure playing with you, Jay) -- you were throwing new, unfamiliar plastic (a blue Pro TB, right?) -- I've had inconsistent results with the new Pro plastic; one throw stable, the next understable, the next overstable.

Technique-wise, I couldn't see anything wrong, except maybe you curled/cocked your wrist back. I've found this actually reduces power and leads to inconsistent drives. There are also some different grips to try; I like the 'flip the bird' grip. You also were throwing hard enough to start thinking about throwing a 'flattened hyzer' -- refer to the Distance Secrets (http://www.pdga.com/msgboard/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=69738&page=4&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=120&vc=1) thread on this board or Blake T's site http://www.discgolfreview.com

Ken

No need for all these questions. If you're releasing the disc - and it wobbles out of your hand - you are imparting torque to the rim that is not in the same plane as the flight plate.

The reason this happens is because your wrist is rotating during release. You can see this physically by noting on such throws that your palm/forearm is facing up after release. Your clean throws will have your thumb pointing up. Work on releasing so that your palm opens to your target - and not to the sky - and your wobble should go away.


I think you called it man. Thank you, and thank you to Ken for your observations. Its kinda hard to see myself throw, so telling me what you saw really helps. It was a pleasure to see you par that Borderland course.

I've also been thinking about getting a training video. Anybody have opinions on which ones, and the effectiveness if any of such a training device?

Scott Stokely's videos are great to help you learn proper technique.
http://thedstore.com

Its kinda hard to see myself throw, so telling me what you saw really helps. It was a pleasure to see you par that Borderland course.



It's a bit geeky, but one thing that has really helped me is to videotape myself (oh stop it! - I mean while throwing discs :p ). The standard camera doesn't have a high enough frame rate to catch some of the subtleties of the release, but it will definitely show you if you are flipping your palm to the sky, etc.

It's actually a pretty fun thing to do with a friend or two one afternoon, b/c you can bring your laptop, download the clips, and study you pulls frame-by-frame over a cold one (or two, or three...).

Yeah, the Stokely video was the one I was looking at. I also think that the videotaping of myself (throwing discs) is a great idea. Now all I've got to do is run into someone with a digital video cam and a laptop. Shouldn't be too hard in this day and age.
thanx guys.

Get the 1st Stokely Video. It is great.