Parks's videos 08/20/08

[Parks]

Here are my videos. Not my best, but I figure I'll learn more from analyzing some average or worse drives.

The first one is me doing the throw from the pec/feel the snap drill. This is mostly to make sure I'm doing it somewhat right so I can build on this. I am throwing with full hip and upper body movement, but from a stand still.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2icdn7fo_dE

This one includes full drives.

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



Please don't just tell me what I am doing wrong, because I can see the more obvious things (bending over in reach back, awkward and long x-steps, low acceleration, etc.)

What I am looking for are ways I can improve, as well as what I am doing wrong. I am looking to fix these problems.

Thanks for any help!

[Aaron_D]

im guessing your getting 340-360 pretty much whenever you want to. Probably 360-375 on your longer drives... anywho--I think you might benefit from keeping the hit closer to your chest. I also dont think you would sacrifice any D by shortening your reach back. You also turn your head away from the target more than anyone ive ever seen. that's going to affect your accuracy more than anything.

overall I would say you look fairly "springy" and loose in the wrist which is good. you definitely have a shoulder lead type throw and if you want to embrace that I would say try and get more 'forward lean' with that shoulder and delay the pull even more--you can have a more pronounced shoulder lead without that straight arm reachback. you are utilizing some lower body, but probably not enough to warrant your current footwork style. try shortening all your steps, but keep the same "bouncyness".

basically what I see is a throw that is could be more compact and efficient. once you are hitting the same D with that more compact throw then you should try opening it back up to give you the opportunity to generate more speed over the larger areas of your swing.

overall you have pretty good technique and its obvious you have put a lot of time into it. i definitely see you progressing much more as you refine everthing. you have all the big stuff down, but its those super small things that take to you 380+.

[black udder]

Doesn't look too bad. I thought that the disc came through across the chest fine and looked like it had some snap on it. Sometimes you lean back during the x-step, but not all the time. It looks like you get your weight over your plant foot and keep the nose down.

What I do believe is that you're not starting your drive with your lower body (legs and hips). It looks like you pull from the chest and follow with the lower body. If you lead with the lower body, then it will naturally delay your pull and put you in a better place for later acceleration.

I would see what that does to your throw and go from there. I suspect the majority of what needs to be done is just refine your timing. It looks like you have a great physique for disc golf.

EDIT: Oh, I think you can drop the pec drill. I believe the intention of that drill is to teach people what "snap" feels like and where you should be accelerating your throw. I think you're past the need for that drill. If I had to comment on the drill, I'd say relax more. Just stand still and pivot in place, close your hips to the left, then close them to the right and throw. Emphasize the feeling and speed vs what appears to be power. It's not about distance, it's about learning what to look for in your normal drives.

[JR]

How tos? Ok here's something. For weight shift forwards your rear leg needs to push so hard that it become almost straight while the right leg remains equally bent at the knee. Just kick the left leg harder so that you'd fall on your face if you weren't pivoting and already moving.

The run up is something I've explained a lot lately. I think it's somewhere in the articles or the technique repair section. Presenting correctly certainly is. Your drives had a hyzer in the reach back and release many times. Your body was tilted to the right and you released any to flat. Mainly anny reducing accuracy. Not spraying all around is difficult to learn when your body does a different thing from your arm. For a hyzer release the leg work needs to have the plant in front of the left leg on the vector of the motion of the x step or better plant to the right of the vector. And left leg.

The how is to run to the right of the target for a hyzer release. Or straight at it minding that the right leg plants between the target and the left leg or to the right of that line. Slowly does it. Once you can perform in slow motion you'll get the idea and then you should be able to do a full speed x step.

[cmlasley]

Nice Modest Mouse for a soundtrack. It somehow feels right with disc golf.

[Parks]

Thanks for the critiques.

It's hailing today, so I won't get to try any of it unless it dries up.

Keep them coming :D

[dgdave]

I hear shorts with flowers on them decrease your D by about 15-20%

I don't really have much else to add. I think the other guys were right. Sorry I just decreased the value of this thread

[Parks]

I hear shorts with flowers on them decrease your D by about 15-20% :)

I don't really have much else to add. I think the other guys were right. Sorry I just decreased the value of this thread

I know, I should've thrown on a headband to compensate and add that D back.

And Modest Mouse is the soundtrack to everything, not just disc golf :D

[J-Man]

I'm just trying to figure out where you were throwing
I noticed you take your eyes off the target, many do, I don't. I don't know if it adds or decreases, but it helps me pinpoint my snap point.

[black udder]

I'm just trying to figure out where you were throwing
I noticed you take your eyes off the target, many do, I don't. I don't know if it adds or decreases, but it helps me pinpoint my snap point.

I don't believe it matters if you take your eyes off your target. What matters is if you have the coordination to throw without that. Most folks are able to do so with good success. What's important is that you get your head around (and I believe you do) before you pull through.

One of the downsides to the overzealous run ups is that you don't get the consistency you do from a compact x-step. With a compact x-step, you know where you'll be at any given point in your throw and thus, taking your eyes off won't reduce your acuracy because you're not wild or out of control.

remembering that you're throwing in a straight line from your reachback to your target is a good idea - instead of a straight line across your chest (since your chest could be pointing way off target). One of the things that makes Barry Schultz' throw so unique is that he reaches back away from his body, but pulls in towards it. You'll see he's in a straight line from reachback to rip, but just not what you'd expect compared to other throwers.

[Blake_T]

i only have time/energy to point out random stuff at the moment... up way too late tonight.

on your right pec throws...
1. widen your stance. your legs are so narrow that you are basically starting weight forward and aren't building any weight transfer or leg power. start with em slightly wider than the shoulders.
2. you need to develop a sense of the stages of the throw. there's 2 distinct upper body rotations. turned away to 90 degrees. 90 degrees to faced up. you are kind of spinning around like it's 1. the pull across the body happens between the 2 rotations.

you would probably benefit from starting at your left pec and then moving in a straight line forwards from the left pec to the right pec between the 2 rotations.

on your full drives...

your reach back peaks way too high... in that you've already passed beyond the good back position (which you are at, but you keep going) and reach a point of squared/level shoulders.

the timing of your last step is kind of awkward. appears like you are taking too large of a step, but i think it's just that you aren't getting forward quickly enough.

try to stay more upright during your footwork. it appears you are leaned forward too much which might be why things don't seem right. it's hard to "be athletic" when you are bending at the waist.

the later half of the throw looks better than the early half... which is a good thing. you'd benefit from establishing visual contact earlier. will help you focus your power. use the left pec drill for that.

you'll need to tackle those things before you can really benefit from working on hitting it harder. your timing isn't bad, but it isn't all that good. once the body positions are cleaner, there's some things to build upon. i might suggest completely re-working your x-step starting from the end of the throw and working backwards.

willing to wager right now you are going ~360' controlled with the occasional distance driving clipping ~400-410'?

ps: don't put so many of em in slow motion. i can pick it all up from full speed throws... slow motion takes too long and makes it harder to see timing. 10 full speed and 2 slow motion vs. 10 slow motion and 2 full speed will keep my attention more focused.

[Parks]

All good advice. The part about developing a sense of stages in the upper body rotation definitely makes sense, as I occasionally hit myself in the chest with the disc by rotating too early or mess up my timing by rotating too late.

willing to wager right now you are going ~360' controlled with the occasional distance driving clipping ~400-410'?

Yeah, that's about right. I threw at a football field and got one throw 25 steps past endzone to endzone the other day which put me ~435', but I was sadly hitting closer to 340-350' most of the time. A couple more just shy of 400'.

Its like I'm either firing on all cylinders by feeling the hit, getting my hips into it, and getting the nose down, or I'm a sloppy mess. I don't seem to spend a lot of time in between.

Tomorrow I will work on the left pec thing. I've been working on compacting everything a bit on Aaron's advice and it seems to be helping some with consistency.

[Blake_T]

occasionally hit myself in the chest with the disc by rotating too early or mess up my timing by rotating too late.

hitting the chest is usually caused by the elbow not coming through early enough.

[JR]

occasionally hit myself in the chest with the disc by rotating too early or mess up my timing by rotating too late.

hitting the chest is usually caused by the elbow not coming through early enough.

Another thing is to not forcibly trying to get the disc grazing your chest like I have on many occasions. With me the reason is often also not utilizing the hips to turn early enough. And/or not turning quickly enough with early enough beginning. That's because I have a hurt back that I have to baby. Often times it leads to not using the hips much at all. And throwing the disc to a totally wrong direction. Spraying to many directions depending on timing and quickness of the mistake. If I manage to not hit my left side with the disc.