Training Regimen

[Warlord]

I'll be working for the next few months in an area that has no disc golf courses. I am still a "newbie" (a 49 year old newbie...but still a newbie)" as I only played around four months before going to New Orleans for six months for the hurricane relief efforts. Before went to New Orleans I was making great improvements in my game....dropping from an average of 68 to one of 59 on my home course.

Since I returned, my scores have been a roller coaster....mostly because of windy conditions. Now, here I am with no course to play. I decided to develop a training regimen to improve my skills.

First, I have access to a wooded area....tall pines....which are not too close, but not too tight either. Secondly, I also have access to a wide open area about 300 feet by 700 feet.

Here's my planned schedule:

Monday-Wednesday-Friday.....Putting and Midrange approaches.
1. Begin by practicing putting into a fish-landing net since I have no pole-holes. I have devised a stand that can keep the net upright.
2. Next....putting around the trees....hyzer and anhyzer.
3, Finally, practice midrange approaches using natural lanes in the trees. Straights, Hyzers, and Anhyzers....sidearm and backhand. The target will be a 4' Traffic Cone.

Tuesday-Thursday.....Driving
For this, I plan to use the open areas with traffic cones placed around 300 feet apart. I chose this distance because I haven't been quite able to hit that distance yet. My idea is to throw eight drives from each end...eight because that is how many drivers I have. I plan on switching from backhand to forearm when I change directions of throws. Note: I have eight drivers....but none of them are of the same type and plastic.

Questions:

1. Does this appear to be a sound approach?
2. How many throws of each type would be a good training session?

If anybody has any other ideas....maybe examples of your training programs, please post them. Remember, I have no basket now....but I will get one, maybe two, within a month.


In closing, I commend everybody here. I've visited several disc golf forums and this one has given me the most helpful tips.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[discmonkey42]

Just remember to keep it fun, and not work. Try and make some type of game out of your drills and go for high personal scores. Don't burn yourself out by "having to" practice each day. Go out every day and have fun. Make a cool safari/object course in that area to play rounds on. You'll still improve and get your repetition in, just in a more enjoyable way. That being said, I'm an addict who putts one hour before dinner every night, throws drives 1/2 hour every day at lunch, throw 100 mid shots twice a week, and play 4-6 rounds per day each of my 2 days off and 1 round before work every morning. I drive my car with a disc in my hand, and there is always a disc within reach at home. Practice basket is in the FRONT yard. Yes, I'm a sick puppy. With an object course and a practice field, you could do a lot.

[roadkill]

Warlord,

Your strategy seems fairly sound. I like the way you plan on alternating between short game days and driving days.

For distance driving, it depends on your current condition. My limit is usually between 40 and 50 throws. At this point fatique starts to set in and the liklihood of injury starts to increase.

My short game days goes something like this.

21 hyzer approaches (225')
21 anhyzer approaches (225)
21 straight approaches (160')
21 airbounce birdie runs (85')
I complete the putts on all these shots

Then I finish with putting
7 from 40'
7 from 32'
7 from 25'
7 from 18'

Be sure to warm up and stretch properly before each practice session. On driving days gradually work up to your all out throws. Start out with a few tosses at 40% then 60% then 80% then 90%. I usually throw about 15 shots between 150 and 330 before I start my all out cranks.

It would be wise to do moderate exercises and stretching each day to gain strength, flexibility and to prevent injury.

Lastly, I may be a little biased here, but get yourself a strength training hand gyro and work with it 10 minutes a day 4-5 days/week. And I know just where you can purchase them at a good price with some extras thrown in. (HINT: Look at my signature )

[LastBoyScout]

You might want to read about the putting info i got from the Bowling Green Ams. http://www.discgolfreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=487
It talks about a better way to practice putting over you fishing net.

As far as your practice ideas, they are great. I personally use a hula hoop tied to a tree to practice hitting tight gaps. I practice straight, hyzer, and anhyzer shots through the hoop.

I would also include driving practice from inside the woods to the traffic cone in the open area. This is to work on immediate gap shots that you have to hit. You can move the distance further back the more you improve.
I would also practice from the open area into the woods. As you improve move your target further into the woods.

Good luck, have fun, and I appreciate your help in New Orleans.

[TexasOutlaw]

When I started, there wasn't a course for 5 hours. I would go out and throw in football fields. For putting, I had an old tire hanging on a rope. I never really practiced in the woods because I didn't want to beat up my discs in a non-course envrironment.

Sounds good though. Try to simulate holes. I would drop 2 days somehow and do some weight training.

[LastBoyScout]

Ture. Weight training will help endurance, stamina, and distance, but i am actually doing a light weight/high rep routine, more for tone and definition on my biceps and triceps. I then use a powerball and sports band to finish my arms off to exhustion. On my trapezius (traps), latissimus dorsi (lats), and obliques i do actual weight training t build and strengthen them. I do heavy weight training on my legs. I like to leg press max weight atleast 15 times or until exhaustion. This builds leg power, and also helps to trick your body into making natural growth hormone and testoterone since it thinks you are always having to lift that max leg press weight. (Old body building trick)

[TexasOutlaw]

That's awesome man. I didn't know you already had a full work out going. I wish I had the time... I know what needs to be done and how to do it, just not when..

Actually, with the time change, I will be able to get out and practice/play more as soon as my body acclimates to the change.

You like the gyroscope?

[LastBoyScout]

You like the gyroscope?

Its pretty nice. Great forearm workout. I also use a grip strengthening gel block from walmart to get a stronger grip.

[Pagan]

That being said, I'm an addict who putts one hour before dinner every night, throws drives 1/2 hour every day at lunch, throw 100 mid shots twice a week, and play 4-6 rounds per day each of my 2 days off and 1 round before work every morning. I drive my car with a disc in my hand, and there is always a disc within reach at home. Practice basket is in the FRONT yard. Yes, I'm a sick puppy. With an object course and a practice field, you could do a lot.

Thought I was the only one that drove flicking a driver in the car, and played at least one round every day before work! I don't practice putting before dinner though. Can I still claim to be an addict?

Pagan

[didihitatree]

I have a question. How do you all practice your drives? I'll go out and throw 1/2 hour of putts two times a week but drives are in issue. Throwing 2 discs and then walking 300' feet to pick them up doesn't seem particularly time-effective. Do you all buy 5 or more of the driver you prefer?

Also I'm sure that forearm strength probably helps a bit, if you have technique and need that extra 10'. But trust me, it's not going to drastically improve your game. I have a tremendously strong forearm due to 20 years of tennis (I played D-I in college, was a nationally ranked junior). On top of that, I'm a drummer, and a guitar player. Both my arms look like Popeye and my right forearm is all out of whack.

I'm like a fiddler crab or something with just one gigantic right forearm. And I can't throw very far at all. And in fact, all my farthest throws (and it was the same with tennis) feel much more effortless than the bad ones-- that's how I know they're good.

[LastBoyScout]

And in fact, all my farthest throws (and it was the same with tennis) feel much more effortless than the bad ones-- that's how I know they're good.

Its because your using your full body. If I have to throw without moving my feet, I can throw a sidearm and a backhand shot both pretty accurately. For a backhand D shot (say im in some thorns and cant move) I can big arm it 300 feet without moving. You should have some D without the run up, but no where near as far as without it.

[Weebl]

With no run up i can get a driver out to 370' where my consistant drives are 390'-400'. The only thing the X-step gives is a bit more momentum from the start to transfer into rotational inertia, if you have explosive legs then you should be able to static throw fairly far. Just make sure on the reachback your hips and shoulders are completely closed.

[LastBoyScout]

With no run up i can get a driver out to 370' where my consistant drives are 390'-400'. The only thing the X-step gives is a bit more momentum from the start to transfer into rotational inertia, if you have explosive legs then you should be able to static throw fairly far. Just make sure on the reachback your hips and shoulders are completely closed.

Im just talking about standing there. No leg movement. and I just draw my arm back while keeping my head straight at the target. This is about 200 feet and accurate. Moving and using my weight shift and leg power i hit 300 feet. I have to do a x-step to hit 380 and a 2 step run up lets me hit 400 feet. You should be throwing further than you are with a run up. Sounds like your just not connecting with your whole body on a run up (or im not connecting like I could on a stationary throw)

[roadkill]

I have a question. How do you all practice your drives? I'll go out and throw 1/2 hour of putts two times a week but drives are in issue. Throwing 2 discs and then walking 300' feet to pick them up doesn't seem particularly time-effective. Do you all buy 5 or more of the driver you prefer?

I usually throw 7-10 discs at a time then retrieve them and throw them back. The tighter the grouping the more time effective it is. I can throw (and retrieve)40 drives in about 20-25 minutes.

Also I'm sure that forearm strength probably helps a bit, if you have technique and need that extra 10'. But trust me, it's not going to drastically improve your game. I have a tremendously strong forearm due to 20 years of tennis (I played D-I in college, was a nationally ranked junior). On top of that, I'm a drummer, and a guitar player. Both my arms look like Popeye and my right forearm is all out of whack.

Granted there are lots of other muscles involved in the throw, but your forearm does control grip and is the main contributor in imparting spin on the disc. If you are a drummer you should have fast hands. I knew a drummer who had a cannon of an arm in disc golf. You probably have some timing and/or coordination issues to work on. The backhand throw in disc golf is fairly similar to a one handed backhand shot in tennis. If you had any kind of power or control with this shot in tennis you should be able to pull this strength over into your golf game.

And in fact, all my farthest throws (and it was the same with tennis) feel much more effortless than the bad ones-- that's how I know they're good.

This is further evidence that yours is a timing issue rather than a strength issue. When we try harder we tend to get out of psynch. The most common problems are a backswing that is too fast or the forward swing begins too fast.

Last year I had some success in focusing on delaying my snap. I realized that I started pulling hard at the moment I started my forward swing. I discovered that if I started the forward swing slower and gradually accelerated my arm and snapped hard at last possible moment I was hitting peak arm speed at the hit instead of before the hit. You need to create a whiplike action. The larger muscles like the legs and back set up the whip and the forearm muscles do the cracking of the whip at the hit.

I believe if you invest some time with 7-10 drivers in an open field experimenting and tweaking at some point a light bulb will go off when you accidently do it right. When this happens you could probably add 60-80' on to your drive if not more.

[jiwaburst]

I have a question. How do you all practice your drives? I'll go out and throw 1/2 hour of putts two times a week but drives are in issue. Throwing 2 discs and then walking 300' feet to pick them up doesn't seem particularly time-effective. Do you all buy 5 or more of the driver you prefer?

I have about 15 drivers, many different models. I grab a stack of them and go in a field and throw. I set a mark about 325 feet away and try and hit it., going back and forth on the field as I do. Sometimes I throw the disc from where it lands, instead of gathering them all together continuously, thereby giving my eye the practice of estimating the distance and angle.

The field is two blocks from my house and is huge.

Some days I'll just throw putter/midrange discs at a target, just a box or a sweatshirt.

The different model thing doesn't bother me much yet, but I do is try and move in an order from understable to overstable e.g.

Best distance driving practice for me though is when I grab about 6-8 drivers that are straight. Then focus way far on the horizon as my target, then relax and don't try to throw it there, but do have it in my head as the target. Slowly I am learning to translate this to the course.