My disc golf journey has been full of changes. When I first started, I threw LHBH. I'm right handed, but for some reason throwing lefty felt more natural. Thought about this a lot, and the best answer I could come up with is throwing lefty is kind of the same motion as swinging a baseball bat. While it felt comfortable, it certainly didn't feel powerful. If I remember correctly, my drives were maxing out right around 250 feet.
Despite not having a clue what I was doing technique-wise, I quickly became addicted to the game and started playing at least 3 times a week. After a few months, I started routinely getting pain in my left shoulder, and eventually made the switch to RHBH. Basically had to re-learn the game, but it was totally worth it. My distance increased, and after months of play I hadn't developed any nagging injuries.
Nearly two years into my disc golf "career," I witnessed my first forehand drive. It was a completely foreign concept to me. I grew up playing baseball, a pitcher. I had the meanest fastball a 14 year old has ever had. Naturally, forehand shots looked very appealing to me. I still remember my very first forehand drive - hole 3 at Turtlecreek Park in Lebanon, OH with a 175g Pro Starfire. I barely put any power into it and was amazed at how far it glided. Flicked it a good 20ft passed the 300ft target. I've stuck with forehand for distance ever since.
I consider myself somewhat of an expert at crushing forehands. In fact, after modifying my technique this past weekend, I seem to have developed a personally unprecendented level of power and consistency. Below are a few tips for the aspiring forehander. These are by no means meant to be considered concrete rules, but rather some personal guidelines I've established when it comes to power and consistency. Feel free to dispute any of these, I'm definitely interested in a discussion.
1) Stick with 175g discs. Throwing forehand produces much more torque than a backhand throw, thus it can be very easy for your disc to turn over into an unintentional roller, especially consider lighter weight discs tend to behave more understable than their 175g counterparts.
2) Stick with overstable discs for the above reasons.
Now, don't get me wrong. You can still sucessfully forehand 167g understable drivers, but it requires a different amount of force and a different angle of release. You have to really get low and release a sharp hyzer, and hopefully it will turn over just enough to glide relatively flat. Looks pretty, but for me, was entirely too inconsistent.
3) Keep your backswing very compact. This is one of the subtle tweaks I've recently implemented into my game that has done wonders. Your backswing and point of release should be very close to one another. To me, throwing forehand is a lot like throwing a punch. You've got it cocked and loaded right by your shoulder, and then you just...well...punch it through! Previously, I had a pretty wild backswing. I'd start my run up with my disc hanging by my waist, come waaaay far behind, arm fully extended, and then try to whip it straight across. I'm embarassed to admit how long it took me to realize my pointless backswing was the direct source of my inconsistency. Now, I start with my disc positioned at the desired point of release, and bring my disc back maybe eight inches on the backswing. No power lost, loads of accuracy gained.
Time to clock out...will update later!
