My Turn for a Snap Question

[shanest]

I don't have a snap problem. It's not like I put off axis torque and flip my discs over or anything like that. I need more specific help in generating ever more snap as opposed to general help about snap in the first place.
The thing is, I don't feel like I'm generating all the snap that I could be. For example, if I leave Rocs or even a Wizard high enough, it will fade when it loses speed where as I've seen the bigger guns in the area put them 20 feet up with spin to take them on their line all the way to the ground like they should. I also feel like my drives could be going just that much further with a bit more snap. When I'm at my hit, I just don't feel like I'm putting everything I can into it, but I don't know what to do to get all the untapped snap that I feel like I have.
Is there any specific stuff that I can do to work on generating my maximum snap? I'm doing workouts to try and develop long, wiry muscles (I'm not exactly a bulky kid), so will more snap come with more muscle mass or is it through other snap specific exercises that I can tap more snap?
Thanks,
Shane

[Blake_T]

first off, it appears you have the wrong mindset when approaching this topic if you want to have a noticable impact on your game.

i have seen your throwing video and would say that you have average snap in relation to players in the top intermediate to middle of the pack advanced.

there are exercises that will help you harness more snap. it's never a bad thing to build fast twitch (explosive) leg muscles that will help you generate more power from the major muscle groups. however, directly relating to snap, the muscles of focus are those that relate to grip strength.

these exercises will help generate more from the current amount of snap, but they will not increase the amount of snap. this development is slow and will probably only be responsible for around 10' per year of distance.

players develop their own technique, refine it, etc. and when most players plateau, they either have snap or they don't (think 350-380' vs. 430-460'). there really isn't a way to add snap without butchering your game for at least a short period of time.

snap is pretty much timing and feel. the keys to adding real snap are to shift your focus from putting velocity on the disc to the process of accelerating into and through the hit with as much snap as possible. this really changes the feel of the throw even though the motion itself may not change much. most people's footwork and upper body rotation are targeted at getting a faster whip. refining snap requires a change that caters to being strongest at the point the disc is ripping out vs. at the peak of the reach back.

experimenting with the bent elbow technique in order to feel and harness your snap potential is the only method i have found for teaching people the feel and how to increase the rip of the disc. most players do not throw pure bent elbow, but will use the concepts in a more traditional throw.

the thing with finally getting very large amounts of snap are that it changes disc flight a lot and a lot of new things pop up that weren't there before. for example, when you start having 425+ power, you'll start hearing the disc "swoosh" through the air as it leaves your hand. this sound is similar to overpowering a putter and rolling it but it's definitely something positive when you are adding snap. also, quite often people will have trouble early on turning over discs they were not accustomed to. when i first began to harness my snap i had to start throwing teebirds and eagles with 45 degrees of hyzer to get them to fly straight vs. throwing them nearly flat before. this was not due to off axis torque, but due to a substantial increase in force on the disc i was not accustomed to.

based on your other posts, you probably don't want to change your technique at all, but success with adding large amounts of snap is dramatic. when i first started toying around with the bent elbow, after i got a feel for it, i was able to throw the same D as i had before but with much less effort. after about 3 weeks i finally "got it" and began getting the snap i was targeting. needless to say, the day i "got it", i went from 360' avg with my old technique to 400' avg on good pulls with the snap based technique. over the next few weeks i gradually added a bit more reach back and found myself throwing 410-425' on good pulls, while my throw looked very similar to my original form.

basically, any revision is a risk, but if you really want to get more snap, the process will have short run setbacks.

you very likely will remain with your current technique, but to really have a significant impact, you'll have to experiment.

i'm finally getting most of my timing back after not throwing for 18 months due to injury and i will be going through the same set of drills that i have in my articles section in order to reclaim the snap i lost after a long hiatus.

[claya]

Shane, it sounds like I had a similar situation to yours. I have been using a full reach back for over a year now and I was maxing at around 420'. That was pretty decent D but I never felt like I was getting my full power/snap/distance out of my throws. I recently switched to a bent elbow technique and immediately noticed how much faster my torso turn is. Along with that, the snap I get now is incredible and I'm hitting 450' (not message board D) with regularity. The moral of the story, experiment experiment experiment and you might reach another plateau.

[shanest]

Blake, right now I'm willing to do that. Two days ago was the last tournament I have for a bit over a month, so I've got time to work on bent elbow since it's summer vacation.
Especially since now I feel like I've really max'ed my current throwing form. Anyways, I'll start giving it work at the course now, hopefully seeing some results. Thanks for the advice to both of you.

[Jobuu]

can you recommend 2 videos on this site that contrast the bent elbow vs a traditional throw? im determined to learn this snap before this summer is over.

[Blake_T]

to plug a pair of local pros:

timmy gill = pure bent elbow

jon drummond = standard reach back technique

[Blake_T]

oh yah, and shanest, it seems your last post slipped past me somehow. good luck w/ the trials and let me know if you have any more questions.

[Chucknplastic]

to plug a pair of local pros:

timmy gill = pure bent elbow

jon drummond = standard reach back technique

Blake, you from MN.?

[Blake_T]

yep. minneapolis