beginner video!

[Mmyersdisc]

hey guys! im new to the forums here and kinda new to disc golf...I started playing back in october of '08 and placed 6th in my first tourny after a few weeks of playing. Anyways, here is a short video of some of my drives in my backyard and at a local course here (me and a few buds)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoFG0k2Lnqg

I think I've narrowed it down to what I have to do..follow through more with my hips and use more elbow extension...anyone give me any pointers on how to shift my weight and follow through more? i can't seem to figure it out with keeping my accuracy...I try to "lead with my hips" and my release point ends up all over the place! thanks for the help so far!!! (sorry for the crappy quality didn't have my better camera handy)

[keltik]

i'll bite.....watch the masterbeato vid......just kidding although that will get mentioned ten trillion times so be prepared....and if you've already watched it.....say so now so the recommendation get's cut to 1 trillion

well you think you should lead with your elbow.....sounds right to me

i'm by no means an expert but i suggest the infamous right pec drill (from the beto vid).....this drill is done from a stand still....it is just a training exercise you can throw like this all the time or add your run-up/address afterwards

anyway from a standing position body facing perpendicular to your target.....just bend your elbow and put the disc on your right pectoral muscle (you are a righty correct?).....then make a karate chopping (sideways like throwing the disc) motion......this will help train your muscles to use the elbow fulcrum more.....now also while you're throwing from the pec really twist your upper body away from your target (you'll be twisting counter clockwise if you're a righty......now you've made a coil like a trebuchet (or catapult) so in order to throw the disc just uncoil.....VIOLENTLY (put try to keep it smooth and fluid at the same time......sounds weird but it works) but really twisting your upper body will force your lower body to get into the action also....unless you've got 8 minute abs of steel you will need to push off from your left leg.....this will put your hips rotating back towards the target and start your upper body doing the same.....remember to keep the disc in tight to the chest.....it's easier to generate rotational speed in a tighter circle.....now after you start rotating you start the chop (also called the hit)....you are just basically throwing the disc.....if you are having trouble visualizing look in the technique forum and you'll see a buttload of info....including the masterbeato vid......now when you are swinging through the violent motion (and you must swing through the hit) kick your left leg up almost ALMOST like a balerina (sounds weird but it works).....this will help your hips release and help you swing through the hit......and it will help you get your weight forward and the nose of the disc down.....wow i hope this makes sense.....it is after 4 a.m. in the old north state

so lets recap:

for building elbow lead muscle memory and lower body assistance...

- disc tight against right pec (preferably right side of right pec)
- body facing 90° from target
- twist upper body another 90° away from target (or as far as you can comfortably)
- load the left leg with weight
- push off with the left leg and twist back towards the target with the hips
- upper body follows (but you should also actively twist the upper body back towards the target)
- make the chop and swing through the hit
- kick up the left leg and lean into it (towards the target)

this is just a practice exercise....i guess when you do your field work or practice throws off the back porch do as many as you can....really concentrate on your body motion and your muscles.....really feel them flex and stretch......work on being fast and SMOOTH......and after a while you can add your reach back back into the throw along with your run-up......

oh and watch the masterbeato vid.....so you can get a visualization.....but above all just keep practicing and keep playing with your friends and critiquing each other....share this site with them......and keep reading....i'm just one voice.....in the learning process also

if i told this dude something wrong please chime in and guide him right.....and don't hate i'm giving my best interpretation of our discussions.....i hope this makes sense

[Craig Smolin]

a couple simple things ...

1. loosen your throwing arm ... tight muscles equal zero snap and "strong-armed" throws

2. try not to do the bull-fighter "ole" follow-through ... follow-through with your arm at or below your waist, this will help get the nose of the disc down.

[JR]

Nice and detailed and long and the usual whining keltik Seriously good job.

[JR]

Leaning back at the hips leads to nose up and less distance. you should be leaning a little forward or being upright for flat releases and a lot more weight forward for hyzers. Heart over the knee at the hit. Check what else I wrote today on other video critique threads about leg placement and stuff. it applies to you too. The most important part is getting snap and that is immensely improved by getting the elbow as far out toward the target as you safely can _before_ pivoting the full range with the legs and twisting with the hips and turning the shoulders. When getting the elbow far closer to the target (almost straight in the upper arm before violently turning with the lower body toward the target) you need to keep the disc as close to the chest so that the elbow bends as much as possible and tensions the arm muscles and tendons for a more powerful opening of the elbow. This gives a lot more distance.

[Mmyersdisc]

ok yes I have watched the masterbeato video lol...so i have to keep my arm close to my chest but keep it loose at the same time? how the F&*$ am I supposed to do that? and I have to work more on getting my weight forward...for some reason im having trouble pushing my weight toward the target. ok, so im standing in front of the target with my right hip towards it correct? and twist my upper body and then my lower body should move with it? im gonna go out to a bigger field tommorow with a friend (the white hoodie guy) becuase he wants to get ready for the tourney we are going to this weekend at ft.wayne so ill get some more video...

[keltik]

yes your right hip will face the target......stay on the balls of your feet more too that will help with the push

your body is all connected together......if you twist one thing and try to keep what it's connected to stationary it hurts when you get to a point....unless you are double jointed.....but yes your hips will follow your shoulders and vice versa

try to find a video of Barry Schultz talking about being smooth and you'll see how he twists his upper body (it's on youtube)

oh and about keeping things close and loose at the same time is usually referring to your grip.....your arm will be kinda tight because it's keeping the hand and the disc close to the body.....but your hand will not be death gripping the disc until you are about make the hit.....your hand will be tight on the disc and the disc will rip out of your hand (literally) because of centrifugal force.....and it's easier to create these forces through rotational speed if your body is turning/twisting in a smaller circle

remember this exercise is to train your body into leading with the elbow and developing rotational speed late in the movement and to get your hips and legs involved......you'll have to work on your timing with your runup and reachback to make it all silky smooth....

[JHern]

Nice sound track. We should all do that more often in these videos. Your throws look like mine did recently. I think you'll learn a lot just by watching the vids yourself. Get your hips into the action more. Also elbow out, etc., like the previous posts say. More important, find some really good players, and join a round with them. Get a feel for their timing and snap, and emulate that shit, man. Ask for critique in real time. This is always when I improve the most. You will too.

[Mmyersdisc]

ok, so I went and got some more footage...ill upload it today after work...tried leading with the elbow and it messed my accuracy all up! I hit every tree on the damn fairway! LOL they felt good coming out...but when i try to lead with my elbow I normally have trouble with my angle release becuase im focusing on my arm instead of keeping my wrist straight..im gonna go out to a field today i think with my buddies and get some more footage then ill compile another video lol...on a good note! I threw my roc yesterday about 250' but wasn't quite near the basket :-/

[bcsst26]

ok, so I went and got some more footage...ill upload it today after work...tried leading with the elbow and it messed my accuracy all up! I hit every tree on the damn fairway! LOL they felt good coming out...but when i try to lead with my elbow I normally have trouble with my angle release becuase im focusing on my arm instead of keeping my wrist straight..im gonna go out to a field today i think with my buddies and get some more footage then ill compile another video lol...on a good note! I threw my roc yesterday about 250' but wasn't quite near the basket :-/

Hang in there. Distance will come before accuracy. Keep working on it and the accuracy will come. As you always read two steps back one step forward.

[black udder]

couple things.

Make sure you rotate your lower body first and make that rotate your upper body.

Try to pull in a straight line. You reach back 180 degrees from your target and then throw on that line (for a straight shot - and we'll start there first).

All you need to do with your arm is keep it in place while your lower body rotates, then your upper body rotates and your arm will naturally be pulled into your body. Bend your elbow to keep the disc close and when it gets into into your body, then you pull. Keep the disc held against your wrist/forearm until your arm momentum throws your wrist open. At that point the disc should eject from your hand.

The "feel" you're aiming for is one where you can actually feel the disc being pulled by your arm and then at the end, you never feel it go. it just sort of shoots out at mach 2.

[Beetard]

I Really liked your 3rd throw. You walked through it very smoothly just like masterbeato was talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvCLhN03oDg

[Beetard]

(In case you read what I wrote a minute ago, never mind)

Your throw at 1:23 kicked ass. It looked like you got great arm extension; you got that disc out in front of you before it left your hand. Seemed like you had a strong pivot and everything faced up.

I'm not so bright, and when I first watched it, I thought it was your friend who did that throw.

[Mmyersdisc]

ya...I thought that looked like my best throw that day haha..although it went to the right of the basket a bit into the woods but it went pretty far....I got some more footage from yesterday im putting together...today it felt really really great releasing..I actually heard a "snap" when it came out of my hand!!!! my accuracy is what im focusing on...im leaving the disc nose up and its tough working on 20 things at once...leaving the disc nose up is killing my distance...although I almost aced a hole lol...my buddy and I both landed right next to the basket!...when I was releasing the disc correctly it felt like it was going alot farther...its just my release..im pretty sure im following through now...ill put my video up in a minute...still tweaking it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvnuKWAcYK0 Hopefully the music issue is resolved before you guys watch this...here is my facebook link with the original music...
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php ... j=58217881

[JR]

Try to bend forward at the waist by about 20 degrees to get the nose down. You really absolutely need to get your elbow closer to the target by a lot before you start unbending the elbow. At least 8" further along with everything else being the same except priming for that waist forward bend. The elbow needs to bend so much that the forearm touches the upper arm when the elbow is pointing at the target with the upper arm being in line with the target. You also fail to keep the disc close to the body and moving in a straight line when you open the elbow as early as you do. You need to make the elbow chop a lot later while concentrating on the closeness of the disc to your chest. It is hard don't worry about it. It feels unnatural at first to everyone but it's easily 50' worth of extra distance with nose down throws when it works fine. so it's very much worth the trouble of learning it. For many people it takes weeks to months worth of field practice to get this working so don't get frustrated and give up just because it's hard and takes a while. It's of supreme importance to your game not only for the D but also accuracy both with full and moderate force in the long run. So there are very few things more important than this to learn in disc golf. That's why laying out so bluntly. This is a fundamental part of good form and even more importantly a gate keeper to scoring well and learning how to throw different lines and controlling them and learning shot selection. So that you can pick the shot with the highest probability of success and perform with repeatability.