first time drive video, another to follow shortly.

[rhatton2]

hi all,

Am going to make a film this weekend showing current driving style - forehand backhand and overarm, but until then comments on this one would be good. This was about 6 months ago in very windy conditions and was really just a mess about round as an introduction to the course rather than for a driving critique, however some shots do shoe the rather flawed technique quite well, hole 5 was around 95 meter drive into a headwind.

My technique has had a number of tweaks since as I have discovered this site and forum and hopefully the next video will show that, as distance and accuracy have both improved.

Makes more sense with the sound on!

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

Enjoy.

[JR]

Interesting looking courses. No point in critiquing old form so carry on with the current form video!

[rhatton2]

Right got there in the end!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYWXI-ffzBc

The backhand drives weren't very long (we hadn't really warmed up when we took these, next time I will do it at the end of a round) all between 75 - 90 meters, but this was driving uphill.

The forehand I think was about 80 meters, I took the video two weeks ago but have only just put it together so can't totally remember.

The video was taken at my beautiful local course Quarry Park, and if any of you are ever over in the UK you should definitely check it out, just outside of Leamington Spa near Stratford upon Avon.

[JR]

That hop in the beginning doesn't add power but makes body control more difficult because of robing brain processing power. try to get the disc farther back in the reach back by straightening the elbow more. It adds power. You do twist the hips back in the reach back but you stop twisting to neutral and turn with legs only just like you don't turn the shoulders. Those result in massive loss of power. You run from rear right to front center of the tee which is anhyzer run up. But you throw a hyzerwith the arm. Hyzer is more accurate and repeatable coming from left ending up right. Pulling closer to the right pectoral muscle and getting the elbow farther away from the side gives more power. Another power source. Try to accelerate faster with arm after the dis comes to the right pec which is a fairly hefty power addition. That's helped by keeping the muscles as loose as possible until you start to pinch the disc with the index finger and the thumb once the rear of he disc has passed to right side.

[rhatton2]

Hi thanks for this,

The hop has just crept into the game over the last couple of weeks. I think its come about as a result of trying to get a bit more energy in the drive, I know what you mean about brain processing power though. At Quarry park we are very lucky to have long flat astro tees and its been fine on this, but when I play at other courses and try the same run up on uneven turf it throws me out completely, I will try to take this out of the game.

I will try practicing with different run up starting positions. I have always gone from right to middle even when attempting hyzers, and have never been that good with that shot so this is probably why.

I'm a bit lost on what you mean by twisting the hips to neutral and not turning the shoulders? Could you explain more (sorry to be a pain!) Do you mean I need to plant the leg more, twist the hips thorugh it and then spin round the leg? I think what you're telling me is that I reach back but when I step though my legs, hips and shoulders all move to gether as one instead of there being a pivot around the hips - is this correct? Looking at it in slo mo it doesn't look how I imagined the drive!

I took a bit more video last night, and its posted here at half speed again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otET8o2Q8o0

These were longer drives than the first video, three were 330' and up the other two were midranges around about 220' - 275'

The first drive though had something i thought I had taken out of the game last year, my arm whips up instead of through at the end. This has always seemed to generate more power (I and noone else around me can work out why) although it s not very repeatable and isn't something that happens on purpose. This was strangely the longest drive of the three. Any idea why this would increase distance on my usual throws - not that its something I want to incorporate I have just been curious for a long time

[JR]

You got it right that your torso is turning with and by the legs when you should have the rip when your hip and shoulders have turned somewhat to the right of standing in normal upright stance with explosive quickness. Quickness of motion not tension of the muscles being the key to more power. Your running direction was ok for a flat throw cheers! But 10-15cm to the right in the plant step doesn't hurt. Especially for mild hyzers. In the last throw follow through was lower than the actual throwing motion prior to rip so the disc got off axis torque and flipped anny.

I haven't tried following through with an upswing. Maybe the added power has got something to do with with your right shoulder blade colliding with the back muscle. Perhaps some stretching may improve your motion range and ease of follow through. Warming up that area may also help a bit. I swing my arms in tandem front to back palms slapping each other and rotating the arms 360 looking from the side backward and forward and one arm going forward the other vice versa and switching which arm goes which way. Often more than 10 times for each motion. A quicker and more certain fix would be concentrating on allowing the arm to twist from the shoulder joint ending with the thumb down. Consistently with a smooth unimpeded follow through as far as the arm swings from the generated force. You should accelerate the arm after the disc has left the fingers. One component of that equation on top of power generation increasing and acceleration with the arm occuring late enough is to not have anything breaking the speed of the motion. Don't try to use muscle power to stop the follow through.

[rhatton2]

Wow,

pretty much all I need say!

I have had 3 rounds preceded by practice sessions since trying the suggestions above and boy has it made a difference! Whilst the distance overall hasn't suddenly dramatically improved, the accuracy and consistency of distance on the drive have allowed me to shoot only my second par round at my home course followed up with a 3 and a 4 over par.

I haven't filmed myself again and will do this soon, but I am certain now that I have the hip rotation working, I slowed the drive right up and took all off the tension out of the throw till the disc was past the chest, planting the foot firmly and making sure it was only my top half pulling through , this coupled with the right pec drill before each round made a massive difference. The accuracy was unbelieveable, I have been throwing just my star destroyer on flat line drives and it keeps landing in at worst a 10 meter diameter of where I am aiming at a distance of 90-100 meters, now if only I could learn to putt I could rip this course up!! Its meant I have gone from at best 2 or 3 birdie chances a round to at least 8 or 9 and I have had a couple of birdie putts at holes I have never been close too before (tight gaps over 2/3rds of the distance to the holes both of which are over 100 meters away.

I still need to work on keeping the elbow away from my body and I think keeping the disc closer to the pec as it comes through, but so far its been a dramatic improvement, thanks so much for the advice.

I also still have a bit to do with the plane of the arm and eliminating OAT. This is still noticebale on drives with my midranges. I have tried the clapping front to back and this is now part of the warm up routine, does anyone have any other goods drills for getting a smooth flat follow through?

Thanks

Rich

[JR]

Congratulations!

[rhatton2]

cheers! Another 4 over par last night and so close to my first ace on a hole I would never have thought of! I don't want to go to work at the moment and as I drive past the course on the way every day the temptation is killing me...

[JR]

cheers! Another 4 over par last night and so close to my first ace on a hole I would never have thought of! I don't want to go to work at the moment and as I drive past the course on the way every day the temptation is killing me...

Excuuuuuuuuse me! Haha.