Consistency Problems

[Crunkjuice]

I'm not a tournament player, but play about 3-4 times a week at various local courses and i've got crazy consistency issues. My home course, i usually throw 2-3 under par, but in the past few weeks, its varied from 6 under to 6 over. I could play the same hole 5 times in a row and get 5 different drives. The biggest issue for me is accuracy of shots. I can mask it fairly well on drives, but midranges is where i'm losing the most strokes due to inconsistency.

How do you guys suggest I improve my consistency?

[cubeofsoup]

Just slow down in general. Aim to throw everything at a smooth 75% power. You'd be surprised the distance you retain with a much better feeling of control. Visualize the shots as much as possible and focus on clean, smooth releases.

[itlnstln]

As cube said, slow down. On top of that, though, reduce motion. If you're using a long reach-back, for example, try a shorter one. I can push Teebirds out to around 400', but I don't reach back particularly far. If I try to reach back like, say, Avery Jenkins, my drives go all over the place (and lose power as my timing is off). Same with runs up. If you are taking six or seven steps, you might be setting yourself up for failure. Try four or, better yet, get your standstill down. Focus on the hit, too. If you hyper-focus on the last moment of the throw and focus on flinging the disc on a very specific line, you will be surprised how much more accurate you are not to mention a seemingly disproportionate amount of power you generate as you focusing your energy on a specific focal point.

All of that said, there's nothing like a shit-ton of (well-directed) field practice.

[Crunkjuice]

All good advice, and probably very accurate to my issues. I definitely jumped into a good group of regulars and tried to imitate them really fast which worked a bit. Thinking about it, i probably skipped a bunch of steps (and experience) trying to mimic those guys so i should take the foot off the gas so to speak and get to some fundamentals.

When you say focus on the hit, what do you mean exactly? Is that the moment of release?

[JR]

Welcome. Try to pull in a straight line and have the right thumb nail pointing at the target when the disc rips out because that is where the disc will go. That requires the footwork, hip twisting and shoulder turning working in unison with the elbow straightening after the disc has reached the right pec or you'll flail the arm in an arc. Make sure your knees are a little bent on each step so that you can shift your weight to at least upright and maybe a little forward when there are low hanging branches in the way. Push fast not hard with the left leg (important difference because the hard command from the brain tenses up the leg muscles and slows the movement) so that you'll ensure shifting the weight forward. Push the wrist down very hard once the elbow starts to straighten. Look at the target before you start to move and in the reach back turn your eyes as far right as they can go so that you'll see the target as early as possible during the throw and try to look exactly at what you're aiming at both sideways and height wise. Look at how Nathan Doss aims visually in putting he uses the center line of the disc to aim exactly where he is throwing to you can do the same in pre shot planning for a drive. Do a mock throw before the real one and concentrate on the height of the disc in the reach back and the rip point. For a line drive both need to be at the same height. In the throw make sure the disc height stays the same all the way through. See my signature for footwork.

You have so much things to check on based on these tips that it is best trained on an open field where you'll get more shots in than on the course and finding a flaw you can throw another attempt at fixing the issue immediately. Have fun!

[itlnstln]

When you say focus on the hit, what do you mean exactly? Is that the moment of release?

Correct; the hit is the precise moment in time the disc rips from your hand. Focus on the last several inches of the throw up to and including when the disc rips out of your hand (and the pull through post-rip). When you nail flinging the disc on a line, it's a lot easier to gradually start adding things like a longer reach-back, more run up, etc.

[Crunkjuice]

Well, i just got back from a round and things have definitely improved . Slowing everything down, visualizing the disc line/flight, and thinking faster not stronger were the big things i noticed. I didn't focus too much on specific throwing techniques, as i didn't want to overcomplicate the round. I also took a bunch out of my wind up/run up and my accuracy leaped up a whole bunch. I lost distance on my drives, but since my accuracy was much improved its a worthwhile tradeoff until i work and get my distance up. I guess i'm just goint to have to take it slow for a while until i feel comfortable taking the power/speed to the next level.

For field work, i'm going to want to practice just hitting a specific line repeatedly, then when im comfortable, increase the power correct? Any good drills i should run?

[itlnstln]

Well, i just got back from a round and things have definitely improved . Slowing everything down, visualizing the disc line/flight, and thinking faster not stronger were the big things i noticed. I didn't focus too much on specific throwing techniques, as i didn't want to overcomplicate the round. I also took a bunch out of my wind up/run up and my accuracy leaped up a whole bunch. I lost distance on my drives, but since my accuracy was much improved its a worthwhile tradeoff until i work and get my distance up. I guess i'm just goint to have to take it slow for a while until i feel comfortable taking the power/speed to the next level.

For field work, i'm going to want to practice just hitting a specific line repeatedly, then when im comfortable, increase the power correct? Any good drills i should run?

Check out the "Disc Golf Techniques: Driving with Dan Beato" video stickied in this subforum. What you will find (at least I did, anyway) is that once you get the hit down, building strength is a lot easier since you can tell when your increasing distance while maintaining the hit. There is a lot of minutiae discussed in this forum, and it's relevant when you are making small tweaks to an already good form, but in the beginning, focus on the hit then build slowly from there. As long as you do that, you will progress in no time.

[isobar]

i'm surprised no one's mentioned Putting. How consistent is your putting? Do you make 90% of putts inside 20'? If not, that is a huge part of your variation in rounds. I am in the same boat as you, I played two rounds one day, my first round I shot -11, my next round I shot -2. Thats a pretty significant difference and the biggest thing was my first round, my putting was in the zone. The next round, I missed a 15' birdie putt on hole 1, leading to a spiral of comical missed putts due to waning confidence.

When my putting is on, I am very good and can compete with anyone I've seen at my home course. Problem is, my putting is only on one out out 5 rounds I play. I just bought a house last week, and my first purchase after I get all my maintenance and such taken care of will be a nice bucket to practice my putting with.

PS, yes I know you mentioned midrange accuracy as well. I got my confidence in my midrange game back by playing a few rounds a week of "Worst shot" where I'd throw two shots a hole and always take my worst shot. You get into some pretty sticky situations and learn to bail your ass out quickly.

[Crunkjuice]

Putting is definitely an issue, but its not as glaring or annoying to me as my accuracy issues. Missing a 15 foot putt? Yeah thats a bit crappy. Throwing a 150 approach the right power but thrown off target killing your short putt opportunity? That just makes me feel dumb and im working to fix that first.

I like the worst shot idea way to play solo. I'll try that out next time i play.