Since starting disc golf I find that most (approx. 70%) of my drives sail initially, followed by a stall and hard fade. This happens with backhand and forearm throws. Just by observation, I would guess that I am losing close to 50% of my distance. Normally, a good drive will go around 250' but these maybe go 125-140.

80% of my drives are backhand....the rest forearm.

Several people have told me that I could be "getting the nose up." I usually throw with a slight hyzer, so I tried a flatter angle with little or no success. I read somewhere that an anhyzer may help me with the problem.

I also thought that it could be that my swing/pull could be the culprit...thinking that there may be an "uphill" angle present due to a dip of my back (left) shoulder. I made a few throws at low speed but I really didn't see a problem there.

The drivers that I throw are:
Champion Beast (175)
Champion Valkyrie (175)
Eagle (175)

Fairway Drivers:
Viper (150)
Cheetah (170)

The problem is more prevalent with the distance drivers, but is still there with the Viper and Cheetah with any kind of a distance throw.

I use a slow, steady "x" step for my drives.....mainly because I am old, fat, and uncoordinated. :D

I have no problems with my Aviar P&A or Aurora MS on up shots....but I don't use the "x" step with them....more of a skip step with about a 3/4 turn away from the target window (that way I can keep my eyes on the target), and my accuracy with those are pretty good for somebody getting back into the game after a 28 year hiatus.

Is this normal for a newbie? Has anybody here seen the same in their observations of new players? Is there a cure-all? And....finally, should I just go out and throw til I get it right?

Would also like suggestions on instructional videos or books.

Check out Blake T's "technique repair" at:

http://www.discgolfreview.com

here's a direct link to your specific problem.

http://www.discgolfreview.com/resources/technique/bhproblemsleft.shtml#stall

--D

Thanks DallasDG.....I'll go through the list. I'm sure that one of those are the fix.

Disc Golf sure ain't the same as it was in 1978.....throwing Master Frisbees into concrete culverts at Veteran's Park in Shreveport.



Any good courses in the Carrolton area? I have friends there that used to play at Vet's with me in Shreveport.

As usual, the links to Blake's resources provide some awesome help. I offer this as a supplement to the "pulling the disc at an upward trajectory" section.

Blake is correct in his article when he sates that the problem is easy to fix and visualize. However, my personal experience has shown that upward-trajectory release is also the most common cause of nose-up release among new players.

My response assumes that when you say that your drives "sail", you mean your disc, after release, flies upward into the air, hangs for a moment, then falls to the left, and maybe even travels back toward you a bit.

This is, as you have guessed, caused by a nose-up release. Although there are many causes, some very subltle, I frequently encounter one obvious problem, with a solution that's easy to work on. Lots of people come to disc golf after years of throwing Ultrastars and other catch discs on beaches and in back yards. Many of these people have taught themselves backhands that begin at waist-level.

If you attempt this in disc golf, the natural sweep of your arm will pull the leading edge of the disc into the air, causing the "sail" you described. If your disc is at waist level at the beginning of your throw but at shoulder level at the end of your throw, you probably have this problem.

Alternately, it's possible to have the "sailing" problem if your throw starts and ends at waist level, or starts at your shoulder and ends at your waist. In these cases, your disc might seem to magically pop up into the air after travelling straight for a brief period. This pop up is known as "air bounce," and can be either intentional ("I'm trying to throw from waist to waist") or unintentional (as described by Blake in the wrist-rolling section of the above-linked article).

The quick fix to these problems? Try starting and ending your backhand throw at shoulder level. This is the default throw for most disc golfers, as it tends to keep the disc level.

If your throw is already shoulder-to shoulder, then Blake's article is about the best you can do to fix your problem. If your throw isn't shoulder to shoulder, I would suggest trying this change before some of the more subtle ones listed on Blake's site.