A couple distance throws

[mikes919]

So this is the first time I've ever actually recorded myself throwing. I'm a little rusty and these throws didn't feel quite right, but it was starting to rain so I had to call it.



Throw #1 is with a 172 ESP Flash and the distance was measured at ~410' (I was throwing from a measured distance past a football field). The second throw was with a 171 Champion Teebird and the distance was ~380'.

A few things definitely surprised me about my own throwing motion.

1. My stance is way wider than I thought at release, and my weight is way further back than I thought. I know these throws felt a little upright but I didn't think I was that far back. I need to relax, take smaller steps and let myself just move forward instead of tightening up. It's locking me in place and limiting my distance.

2. I don't really pivot on my heel, more like the entire outside of my foot. Maybe I should work on lifting my toe a little more and that will help me move through the pivot.

3. My pull is very high across my chest. I always knew it was pretty high but this looks ridiculous. Part of it is that the camera is only 2 feet off the ground, so it's making it look more extreme than it really is. It also makes the throws look like I'm putting a ton of anhyzer on them but I'm not. They both came out relatively flat, maybe a very slight anny on the teebird.

[JR]

You are correct in your analysis except that pull height is ok people throw successfully with an even higher line and annies tend to rise vs a flat throw. If you bent the knees more you could push weight forward more because for me at least an anny needs a harder push with the left leg than a flat throw. Probably because of the tilted angle in the run up is not as efficient for the leg muscles vs being upright. Even though moving the leg from the hip joint toward the target during the plant step is the reason for the long stride a lower stance help a little in not being able to kick the right leg so far in front of the body before the leg touches the ground. I wouldn't worry about anything more than the toe height in the pivot because you rotate on the outside of the sole just because of the right to left running direction of the anny. You began to accelerate the arm fast around the left pec and you are powerful enough that you seem to be able to maintain good acceleration to the end of the throw so not starting from the right pec is probably just fine but for snap practice you should test what happens for you with an arm acceleration point when the front of the disc is as close to the target as the right side. And then the rear of the disc. Which version maximizes your plyometrics of the elbow and the wrist and gives the most explosive acceleration in the latter half of the elbow straightening motion to the rip? Which version gives the most distance? Then you know the limits of your power generation and lines shaping capability better.

[dgdave]

Use a stronger grip. Don't grip harder, just stronger.

Look at your hand on the follow through. It's wide open like you let go of the disc instead of letting it rip out of your hand. This was some of the best advice for gaining distance without changing much else.

[dgdave]

And don't worry about pulling through high if it works for you. I pull though my upper chest almost by my neck.

[JR]

Do you get slips to the left? If you're indeed releasing without pinching the disc like a mother in the end that should make a difference because at your power the grip strength caps your distance. At that power you can't be too loose any more with the grip if you want more distance. I concur that the hand looks like it is too easily opened.

[mikes919]

Yes I have definitely zeroed in on my grip as being the biggest problem in my throw. Played 18 today and made sure to really focus on keeping my grip strong through the throw. Back to hearing that nice "snap" as my fingers pop closed after the disc comes out, which is definitely a good sign. Was throwing my fairway drivers 350 on a nice easy low line, but struggling with the distance drivers again. Maybe I'm tightening up too much when I go for distance. Its ridiculous to me that I can easily throw a teebird 350 through a gap, or muscle a firebird to 350, but I'm struggling to break 400 with a max distance driver in an open field. Right now the only thing that is working is hyzer flipping my most understable flash for D. Not getting the snap like I used to.

[keltik]

Yes I have definitely zeroed in on my grip as being the biggest problem in my throw. Played 18 today and made sure to really focus on keeping my grip strong through the throw. Back to hearing that nice "snap" as my fingers pop closed after the disc comes out, which is definitely a good sign. Was throwing my fairway drivers 350 on a nice easy low line, but struggling with the distance drivers again. Maybe I'm tightening up too much when I go for distance. Its ridiculous to me that I can easily throw a teebird 350 through a gap, or muscle a firebird to 350, but I'm struggling to break 400 with a max distance driver in an open field. Right now the only thing that is working is hyzer flipping my most understable flash for D. Not getting the snap like I used to.

that sound actually means the disc is slipping out of your hand early and robbing you of distance.

[JR]

Gripping hard early tenses the arm muscles making the arm move slower. Having that popping sound slips out slightly before the full pivot. Even though it is still very likely that the disc is flying in a good direction. So for the next test try to have a loose grip (super loose) in the beginning of the throw and send the conscious command to pinch hard when you start to chop the elbow. Then try pinching with the middle finger too not just the index finger and the thumb. Then try changing the timing of the pinch to earlier and later to see the distance differences to find out your optimum. The pinch should be very hard. Probably as hard as you can. If nothing else works try slowing down the arm pull early and if it doesn't work then don't accelerate hard with the arm from the right pec but rather where Climo shows in FCGU clinics on Youtube.

[keltik]

I actually got to see the video and yeah you are weight back and nose up. but you're still getting good distance (going by stated distance). you are doing a lot of things right. how is your control? are the discs landing where you intend or are they off line?

like dave said don't worry about your pull line height. that differs from person to person. as long as the disc is doing what you want it to do it doesn't matter if you pull from your neck or your knees.

[mikes919]

I actually got to see the video and yeah you are weight back and nose up. but you're still getting good distance (going by stated distance). you are doing a lot of things right. how is your control? are the discs landing where you intend or are they off line?

like dave said don't worry about your pull line height. that differs from person to person. as long as the disc is doing what you want it to do it doesn't matter if you pull from your neck or your knees.

Control is decent. I'm less rusty now that I was when I shot the video, I've gotten out and played a few more times and it's feeling better. Mostly I'm hitting the lines I want with my midranges and fairways, but I'm all over the place with my distance drivers. The shots in the video were on line, and weren't really nose up. I was putting them up pretty high for distance so maybe it looks that way. But they weren't stalling out or anything. My most common miss would definitely be a slip out to the left. Next time I play I'll focus on the grip a lot.

[mikes919]

I switched to a three-finger grip for distance throws the last time out and saw a huge improvement. Still sticking to the 4-finger grip on controlled drives but I am really liking the 3-finger for D. Something about the way I have to manipulate my grip to get my pinky under the rim on the wide-rimmed discs really weakens the grip. Without the pinky underneath I can really feel a solid pinch under my thumb and I saw an immediate increase in D. I was putting my 172 ESP Flash and a brand new 174 Star Destroyer within 5-10 feet of each other consistently around 430-440'. I don't know where I got this 174 Destroyer from, but I think if I pick up one closer to 165 I will really start bombing it. I'm also getting more weight forward so I'm sure that's helping.

I'll get another video the next time I go out, I was having some nose-up issues with midranges after 18 holes and I'd like to see where my form is breaking down when I get tired.

[JR]

I was pretty sure that you had more distance in you and i think you have just started realizing your true potential. You should try longer discs now meaning speed 13.

[archimedesjs]

Is it just me, or did it look like he was throwing nose up annies? 410'? Would love to see the flight path of the disc in your next vid.

[mikes919]

Is it just me, or did it look like he was throwing nose up annies? 410'? Would love to see the flight path of the disc in your next vid.

I was throwing high anhyzers because they were stable discs that I was throwing for distance. I'll do a down-the-line view next time as well.