Spaghetti Arm Technique

[JHern]

An old school distance thrower told me something interesting recently, which was "pull the disc through on a straight line, but make your arm spaghetti around it." I've been playing with this concept a little, and beginning signs look promising. You never know when something is going to click, when somebody says the right thing that gets you over a hump. Right now I throw 375'-400' consistently: I most certainly don't have big snap. Just playing around with it, the spaghetti arm really seems to help get things into a rhythm, and if I just allow my elbow to get forward before I pull my shoulders around, with my arm doing the spaghetti thing, the forearm position and everything else gets jammed into a configuration where there is no other option but to whip around hard. It's difficult to describe the feeling, but it is much more violent than I'm used to...it makes the blood run to my fingertips, especially when I practice the motion without a disc in-hand. If I hold onto it well enough through the burst (requires a good grip!), then I can get an extra bit of power out of it. I haven't come to a new equilibrium, just yet, but looking forward to gaining some more distance.

Anyone else heard of this approach or similar advice? I guess its the same as just relaxing your arm until going into the hit, but for some reason this concept is gelling more than others.

[JR]

If i understand his meaning correctly, that is the shoulder pause combined with trying to keep the arm muscles non tensioned until the right pec position. From there on the mental stance of trying to move the arm as fast as possible will automatically make the arm muscles work and the tendons stretch and it is ok, you shouldn't fight that. The where, when and how the forearm muscles work is very different from trying to squeeze the disc and punch the elbow straightening powerfully like lifting weights. I don't have success that way and lose distance from trying to do that. I lose explosiveness from the arm motions, if i try to guide the arm muscles in anything else than the pinch and often there it's not that great. A conscious pinch is difficult to time and often weaker than an automated pinch from not dropping reflex.

[kern9787]

I've used basically the same technique to teach beginners how to utilize their body for power rather than trying to focus in their arm. It's worked well for me.