Hey. Pretty new to the sport, and as I have increased my distance, I have begun to notice disc "wobble" as it leaves my hand using a RHBH throw. It eventually settles down, but I'm sure it has to be taking distance off. I checked Blake's website, www.discgolfreview.com (http://www.discgolfreview.com), under the technique repair section and he had an article on wobble with a forehand throw, but not backhand. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. :D

I think it will probably be close to the same reasons for the forehand wobble. Maybe too loose of a grip, not a lot of power behind the throw, who knows? But if it is the Epic, then it wobbles side to side with even the best throw.

wobble = off axis torque.

chances are you have some form of abrupt directional change during your throw, e.g. some jerking motion that is not parallel with the plane of the disc.

focus on pulling cleanly through the shot with a firm grip and ideally it should go away.

Old advice,

Use a midrange (ROC or WASP) to practice drive motion.
This type of discs will show the wobble more dramatically and give you more feedback as you clean up your motion.

Important point. Throw with a drive grip and motion, not a midrange grip and motion. You should not be concerned with where the practice shots end up since the midranges will normally be understable compared to the drivers. You should only be concerned with the initial portion of the flight and how much wobble is seen there.

I am not sure I agree with the midrange advise on this one, It was pointed out to me last weekend that I have off axis rotation in my drive, I have been playing for almost 10 years and had not noticed it becuase the "wobble" only happens for the first 7-10 feet and only when I throw drivers. I tried the midrange with the same grip and style and there was no wobble. for me the problem is that I have a fan type grip for drives and over the years I have grooved it in, the problem is that the base of my thumb does not sit flush on the disc, so there are voids between the top of my disc and my hand. Now that I have seen the problem and understand the solution, I am moving to a power grip for driving, I have large hands and long fingers and the orientation that a driver feels comfortable in my hand will not allow the base of my thumb to be flush, so a re-tooling of my entire grip is going to be needed to correct the off axis rotation. If anyone else has a simmular problem I highly recomend correcting it, you are being robbed of distance. :D

practice throwing a lid far (or a putter if no frisbees are available) and when you can do that your wobble should be gone :D

I've found that I'll get the wobble when I'm not balancing snap with arm. If I try to muscle the disc through my throw without the correct amount of snap, it will give me the wobble.
The trouble with wobble is that although it evenutally locks on to a trajectory, it isn't the correct one and any miscalculations on the tee are magnified 10 fold at the end of the flight, so it is a serious issue. You can also get wobble by not using a condom. You gotta be careful these days. :D

I tried throwing a not stick 9" frying pan , without the handle. :eek: :D

I know this will sound pedantic but the cure for off axis torque is correct throwing technique. I think it was Dave Dunipace who wrote that throwing a disc is like snapping a towel. It doesn't matter how fast you move your arm, but how fast you snap the towel when you get to the tip.

My experience is that off axis torque comes from a motion that results in fast arm speed and low snap speed. That is you are pulling too hard early and not snapping the disc at release.

I sort of disagree with Gary, the reason I advise people to use a midrange is because they are fairly intolerant of bad technique. If you pull too hard early they wobble like heck and go nowhere. A driver is much more forgiving of bad technique.

To get good technique try the following. In the early part of your throw, slow it down and keep it there. Only really crank the disc just as you are getting ready to release. This occurs when you are beginning to unbend your elbow. That unbend should occur as you begin to turn your torso into the throw. Everything that occurs prior to the unbend should be slow and controlled.

Good luck.

Definetely great points regarding arm/snap ratios. I had a problem with this earlier in my disc golf days and I fixed it by adopting a stronger grip to match my arm and provide the snap. I have skinny fingers more suited for guitar playing than the 'ole grip and rip, so when I was using a standard four finger power grip it wasn't strong enough. I read posts by Dave D. and Blake T. and adopted the stack grip a la Ken Climo and went from 300'+ to 400'+ in less than a year, no joke. The 4 finger power grip dominates the sport, but favors the bigger meathooks rather than those of us with more slender digits. All three of my back fingers combine on one strong point of opposition. Something to consider...