First Video for Critique

[terazen]

I've been playing for almost 6 months now and after improving a lot initially I have pretty much been stuck with my driving. The Dan Beto video's got me from driving 180-200ft to 240-300ft, but the last month or two I haven't really improved much. Can anyone give me any pointers for things to work on?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx8rI0-24SI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIFAOupPIpo

Also this may be dumb, but I've noticed that I can drive as good as 330-340 according to the markers on the course tees sometimes. Are the distances measured from the tee to the basket in a straight line or do they measure by the path the disc goes around the trees and all?

[JR]

The plant step is way too far left and tilts you to anhyzer and you make it worse by leaning right at the waist. You can get the disc several inches closer to the chest and the elbow farther toward the target before straightening the elbow. Both add power generation. You should push much harder with the left leg and twist quickly with the hips and really whip that forearm straight after the disc passes the right pec. Each of these will increase your distance significantly. Everything together coordinated means accuracy and is much more difficult to learn. Most can't stay coordinated and time the things right at full power straight from your current level. It takes a lot of effort. Usual rule of thumb is 10000 throws to get the basics right and several thousands more to really get good.

Most need to climb one barrier at a time and can't run before they can walk so it's easier to not do 100 % power everywhere at the beginning. Once one part is automatic so that you don't need to think of performing it at high power levels you can move to adding more power elsewhere. Mind you that it's way too easy to mess up previously functioning parts focusing on new things. Therefore using the camera can expedite things. Viewing immediately after throwing should really help.

[terazen]

Thanks for the tips JR. I have one question about the hips part. I haven't really started trying to get my hips turning too quick yet because I thought that would come when I learned how to do more of a reachback and turn my back to the basket. Is that where most of the hip power comes from or should I be able to work on that now?

[JR]

While it is true that some power addition can be had from yanking the hips as hard as possible to maximum left at the reach back it's even more true that extremely few can master it. It's a very jerking motion which usually in this form driven sport twists everything to a false place. Since this is more of a accuracy sport than maximum distance one it's better to save trying that until your golf form is better and still using it only for maximum distance open fields.

What everyone should do with the hips is to twist left somewhat at the reach back and allow the hip to return to neutral and pause there for a while (torso 90 degrees left of the target) during the elbow punch forward. Until the disc is at the right pec area and not really using the waist area muscles at all. Because you need those later and they need to start as loose as possible. And you have a free lunch from the reach back tensioned muscles returning to relaxed state automatically returning your hips to neutral along with the leg action. Once the elbow is far ahead of the right side toward the target you start the hip explosion accelerating basically almost or as hard as you can. The power is used for not tensioning your muscles but moving as quickly as possible. If you feel like you're doing sit ups you need to relax the muscles in that area. Unless you're moving really fast and the tensioning comes from having the twist 15+ degrees right of neutral. That's only natural and isn't harmful if the disc is already out of your hand.

Almost all of the hip induced power addition to the disc should come from the quick late acceleration of the hips twisting to the right after the dis has reached the right pec area.

[terazen]

I changed a couple of things now which has helped a lot. I've gotten out to 345-355 a few times now and I've noticed a few things on my better throws that has given me questions. I used to pitch when I played baseball and so I'm used to stepping at what I'm throwing at, but it doesn't seem to be the case with discs. If I do a runup in a direction about 30 degrees left of what I'm aiming at I get more distance from what I'm assuming is increased hip rotation before release. Is this right or should I be running up towards the target and planting my right foot left of the direction I want to throw?

Also from baseball I'm used to having my entire arm and wrist pointing at what I'm throwing at and my arm being fully extended on release. From numerous video's I've watched this doesn't appear to be the case. Can someone explain this to me? Maybe it's youtube but it appears a lot of people release the disc with the arm pointed about 45-60 degrees left of the target and the wrist about 15 degrees left of the target. The fps on youtube isn't that great and the motion is mostly a blur at that point of the throw in most videos. The Avery Jenkins slow motion video and Bradley's slow motion snap video is where I noticed this.

[JR]

It's a distance throwing technique sacrificing repeatability and possibly accuracy to double pivot. That comes from running off line first pivoting with the left leg then the right. Some have the power to not having a straight arm getting far enough I and most don't.