brand new player needs advice

[zealot]

so ive been disc golfing for 5 days and i like it.

and by 5 days i mean every day since i started. so i guess i like it a LOT. i got some pars, even more bogies, and a few birdies (some of the puts i made in-game made me freak out, i had a 20ft uphill shot yesterday that rocked)

i need some tips, heres what i have...

star starfire 165g - my main driver
DX Wraith 175g - for holes that need more fade and windy drives
DX Rhyno - 175g, i think im in love with this thing....

annnnd.... b/c i had to spend more money before i knew what i needed, i got a DX Goblin thats like 162g i believe.... i dont like it much

anyways im good with sidearm shots, and ive been tryin to get more towards control over trying to power it out there, b/c everytime i try to add too much power i blow the shot... im not too good with backhand, i cant seem to get any power at all when i need it.... another thing thats wierd, is sometimes when i just practice my backhands, the goblin ends up just as far as my drivers.... not all the time just part of the time...

so what are your serious tips for beginners and can anyone help me with my backhand?

also, ive had some people tell me the rhino is great from anywhere under 200 ft.? what are your opinions on this?

i found an article on backhand so im grasping it more, but i still need help on how an s-curve is performed. thanks in advance guys/gals

[Rooster]

READ ALL THE ARTICLES!!!!!!!!!

ditch the starfire in favor or something slower and in DX plastic(i.e. gazelle).

and practice practice practice........

[zealot]

i read all those articles like start to finish : }

and i like the starfire,,, why would you say not to use it specifically? are other discs, like the one you mentioned, just that much more accurate? ive gotten some great drives with this....

and i know people say to start off simple but i love this game and id like to condition myself as fast as possible. whenever i start playing a skill game that i like, i instantly want to be one of the best...

guess where im going before work?

[Rooster]

i say ditch the starfire becuase it won't teach you good, solid form. high speed drivers mask form problems. any permuim plastic will fly more overstable than it's DX counterpart and you will compensate for that by throwing anhyzers(tilting the disc upwards in your hand). if you start with slowerdiscs in cheaper plastic you will learn how discs fly, be more accurate, and learn better form.

also, the reason your gobin is as long as your drivers is becuase of form. see the thread titled "why is my buzzz my longest disc?"

[garublador]

and i know people say to start off simple but i love this game and id like to condition myself as fast as possible. whenever i start playing a skill game that i like, i instantly want to be one of the best...

From an equipment point of view, learning with slower discs in the low end plastics will be the fastest way to learn. The faster, wide rimmed drivers like the Starfire and Wraith will teach you bad habits and hide flaws in your technique that will slow down your progress. Once you improve, you'll find that the wide rimmed drivers are also less accurate than slower discs and you probably won't even use them all that much. Get good at throwing putters and midranges off the tee. You'll definitely use them a lot.

Most importantly, have fun.

[The Clergyman]

Whatever you settle on (I agree with the DX though) stick with it for like two straight years. Resist the urge to buy the trendy plastic or whatever and learn to throw one disc and putt. I've seen this question on other websites and this is consistantly the answer. I've even heard "Learn to throw a Roc and an Aviar first." When they say learn to throw I don't think they are implying this will take a month or so. Be in it for the long haul. Learn what one disc does before you learn bad technique.

[ParanoidPiranhasDave]

Know that it's a lot like ball golf, in that you can go out the first few times and amaze yourself every now and then, even with poor form. But after a couple of weeks, your lack of progress will become more and more frustrating, leaving you with some bad habits cemented into your muscle memory.

Read Blake's articles, and listen to whatever he says in this thread.

I've been playing since mid-April. I'm no beast. I'm no pro. But with the help of the articles, and a few weeks with just a wizard and a roc, I'm shooting well enough to keep the game fun when I'm playing with the local big arms.

[coogs]

My advice to you is to focus on constantly practicing your form and try not throw like the big-armers.

I wish this was something I had done, instead, I tried to throw big right out of the gate and it seriously hurt my form. That resulted in a months-long setback to fix the poor form I had.

Practice your putting as much as you can; practice your driving in a field, not on the course. Get to know your discs. If you're the type that has insecurities, overcome them and ask local pros for advice, if any such pros are around your area.

Good luck.

[krusen]

Re-read the articles on this site from time to time. After you figure out one tip like wrist position, you may forget something about reachback for example. There is a lot of information there and it's nearly impossible to understand it all from just one read. Sometimes it takes a lot of throws just to understand what Blake is talking about.

Throw discs that are less stable. The biggest reason you are having a problem throwing those discs backhand is that they are too stable. A beginner can put a lot more speed on a forehand throw than a backhand. For that matter, it's also better to hone your forehand technique with less stable, slower discs. Memorize the universal flight chart.

I played for years without knowing how to throw properly. When I finally found this site, it took me quite a while to change bad habits (actually I'm still working on it).

[zealot]

today i played 9 holes in louisville on a course i hadn't played. it was much much harder, pretty much all woods. i put all my knowledge to the test and managed to throw some nice long curvers exactly where i wanted to. my putting and short-midrange shots need work the most right now i feel. i really really like driving forehand tho, and its working so well for me i use it whenever i can. i dont know if i want to mess with stable discs, i really have a knack for physics and curving my wraith or starfire doesnt feel too hard. the only time i mess it up is when my form isnt right. and when my form isnt right i can feel it when the disc leaves my hand.

i also i threw a bunch today in a field outside my apartment. thats def. what i should do instead of playing all the time. theres a telephone pole out about 275-300 ft that makes a good target.

my backhand form came a long way and i really like the goblin and ryhno now.
however, im a QUICK learner. and by quick i mean i figured out s-curving forehand today and had a ton of success with it. i put my wraith like 10 ft. from the telephone pole a few times, and only had VERY few botched throws. my friend thats played for over a year said he was really impressed with some of my throws today so that made me feel pretty good. i have to say the reason i didnt like the goblin before is prolly because it goes EXACTLY where you throw it. after gettin my backhand form in much better shape i can toss this one really well from midrange.

heres a quick question someone might be able to answer,,, is there any way to feel your center of gravity a little better or keep your form when standing on an incline?

thanks for the advice guys.. im loving this game

before this site, i was throwing my discs where i wanted about 50 percent of the time. after all the great articles and tips i can now say its going where i want about 75 percent of the time,,,, i feel so much better at this already! (ill keep updating my progres)

[Blake_T]

is there any way to feel your center of gravity a little better or keep your form when standing on an incline?

shorten up your step if you are using footwork. otherwise start over your front foot if you aren't using a run up.

[zealot]

so the weights should leaning on the front foot, straight down like im on my last step then right? what should i do with my back foot? place it like im in my last step of a run up or just try to be comfortable on it? (btw, thanks so much to anyone who gives up a little time to help me. i really appreciate it)

and heres a big question... i want to 'stock-up' on a favorite disc so i can throw a bunch at once before retrieving them.... people have been raving about the orc, but i was thinking of getting the wraith dx in like a 172 and 168 as well so i can get used to the flight pattern more. i can really throw my wraith i have now FAR for my ability and im actually getting a lot of consistency now.... what do you think? which dx disc should i buy 5 of to practice with?