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How to Practice Part II by Nick Anhyzer
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In my last article, I mentioned that when you practice you have to be aware of what your body is doing. Most of us have the spare time it takes to improve, but it won't happen unless we practice a certain way. This week I'll introduce you to the first half of a system of practicing that is guaranteed to expose any weakness in your game. Before I lay out the routine that will get your game on track, I want to talk about snap, arm acceleration, and catapulting the disc down the fairway. Unless I mention otherwise, I'll be referring to the backhand throw. Throwing backhand is fundamental to disc golf, and even if you have a great sidearm or overhand or roller, your game still should revolve around the backhand air shot. Unless, of course, your backhand really sucks. Part III of this article will get into the more advanced shots.
SNAP AND ARM ACCELERATION
When you grab a disc and try to send it 100 yards in the air, the disc doesn't know how long you've been playing, or how strong you are. Discs actually don't know much of anything. They only react to how much snap and arm acceleration you give them.
Snap is rotation of the disc imparted by releasing the built up tension in the throwing hand right as you release the disc. The wrist should be held flat as long as possible before release. In Stokely's first instructional video, he talks about the role of the grip and the wrist. Stokely makes it clear that you must grip the disc very hard with the fingers. But he insists that you shouldn't have to try to cock or uncock your wrist-it happens naturally if you send the disc on the right arc. The danger is in losing the resistance built up in the wrist by deliberately cocking it and then uncocking it too soon. Watch a freestyle frisbee player trying to throw a "delay" shot that hovers in the air. He will usually cock his wrist to the point that the disc is resting against the inside of his forearm. This is how you TAKE PACE OFF OF your throw, not how you add power.
Arm acceleration is the increase in speed of the disc while it travels along your target line. The arm can only accelerate if your throw is timed the right way. All energy has to be released gradually from the ground up. Unfortunately, if you TRY to accelerate your arm by using your arm, you'll fail. You have to gradually uncoil the body-first hips, then trunk, then shoulders, then lastly your arm and fingers. If you TRY to snap the disc by gripping the disc hard with your forearms, you will fail. Yes you need to grip the disc hard, but that's your fingers that should be working. If you tense up your forearms, you'll freeze your whole lower arm and there won't be any release of power. The job of your lower arm is mainly to control the angle of release of the disc and to hold on as long as possible to a disc that's accelerating due to the unraveling of your coil from the inside out. All of the arm acceleration you get comes from the center of your body, not your shoulders and arms. You'll know you're on the right track if the disc starts to feel heavier, and your arm swing seems to flow from your body turn.
CATAPULT
The frisbee throw has been compared to a slingshot or a pendulum, but I like to envision it as a catapult. Think medieval device with a spring, a long arm and a huge boulder ready to accelerate through an arc. A lot of beginners or even experienced players who don't throw very far share a similar tendency when they start their throwing motion. Rather than gradually uncoiling from the ground up, they quickly spin their hips and shoulders open, losing the resistance they built up. Chances are they had never created the spring needed to "catapult" the disc through that limited amount of space that we have to impart speed on it. Imagine a catapult built with a really loose rubber band, and yet very weak at the base of the lever arm. That's not going to work. For the player who throws with all arm to develop a firm base and tension to unleash, he has to completely change the way he approaches the throw. That's a subject for another article. But for now, think slingshot, catapult, or whatever gets you to put a lot of force on the disc by using the larger muscles of your body. The best way to know that you're catapulting the disc is if you feel a true transfer of balance from the back foot to the front foot just before you release. Imagine throwing a ball a long way-bring all your weight back, then step, then fire! If you step after you fire then you've got a big power leak that's costing you a lot of snap and arm acceleration.
PRACTICE SESSIONS
So here's the practice procedure I have my players follow when they really want to expose the weak shots in their game. What you need is an open field or park with some trees. Soccer and football fields are good too-but try to avoid landing on asphalt tracks if you don't want to gouge your discs. Football goal posts make great targets from long range, just be aware that your putter will go from brand new to severely tacoed if you nail the goalpost dead center from close range. I'm assuming that most people can find another disc golfer to practice with. This method works best with two players. Don't worry if you're the only disc golfer in town though, you can use a stationary target.
10 minutes: Warm-up with an ultimate disc or putter. Play catch with someone, unless you're by yourself. If you're alone, like I said, just set up a garbage can or decent sized tree to aim at. Start off about 40 feet away, gradually moving to 150 feet.
30-35 minutes: Throw a midrange disc about 180-220 feet, depending on how big of an arm you have. Push yourself to the point where you might consider using a driver, but don't quite need all that distance. If you're up to it, continue to play catch but switch to a Roc or MRV. Mix up your throws between these backhands:
-- Straight, fast shots that finish left-the safest approach. You'll have to start the disc flying to a spot about 20 feet to the right of your target. This is the approach shot that you almost never get to throw on a course, because the designer knows this is the easiest route.
--Big hyzer shots-for getting around trees, controlling the angle of the disc, and for avoiding trouble on the left. Throw this higher and more right-aim more like 80 feet right this time and fifty feet in the air on these. This throw takes more arm speed and less snap. I wouldn't try catching it barehanded.
--Snapping the disc a little harder for the soft turnover shot-the direct route-a harder shot, but the ones the pros like to throw. Weaker players will need to throw a Stingray or Cobra on this one.
--High soft anhyzers that helix back to the left after slowing down to a crawl-the finesse shot, tough to pull off but useful on lots of holes. You'll probably have to release this with the outer edge slightly up and with the nose slightly up, or it will anhyzer right into the ground about halfway there. This is the shot that right handers really need on most courses, especially if they don't throw sidearm. (That shot will be covered along with all of the other throws in part III of "How to Practice")
--When you're going through these drills, pay attention to which throws you're more consistent with. Bring this knowledge to the course and know your limitations. Always play within yourself. Master the four shots in the order I gave them to you. If there's danger left AND right(there usually is)it's better to be able to lay up off the tee box with a good controlled hyzer every time than to always try to turn the disc right and have it hyzer directly into the trouble on the left.
--5 minutes: Stretch out, run around, lay on the ground, just stop throwing for a few minutes. You need to get your arm accustomed to throwing and resting, like on a golf course. Insert small breaks between practice throws too. Playing catch provides this natural pause between throws, and it's fun to catch a disc that's been in the air for 70+ yards.
That's it for the first half of your practice session. Nothing complicated, just a lot of approach shots. These shots should develop into the cornerstone of your game. "When will I throw huge drives?" you ask. Next time. Just remember- your ability to throw an overstable disc a long way with control will develop out of your ability to control an Aviar or a Roc over 250 with control, but rarely the other way around. Ken Climo loves to throw the Roc and some guys like Steve Rico even throw a Magnet off the tee on longer holes. Learn the basic shots first and you may not have to try so hard to throw 350 with that CE or Z disc you just bought.
USE MIND CONTROL
This week try to introduce someone to the game. This sport needs grassroots efforts to spread its wings, because there's just about zilch in the way of newspaper, radio, or tv coverage to promote the sport. Very few mainstream sponsors outside of disc golf have invested in the game. As long as the sport is free and the only gear required for a good round is 4 discs and a box of fig newtons, few large companies will try to prosper from the game. Courses will remain free or extremely cheap, and tournaments will be popular among people who play. Disc golf just doesn't have the makeup to be a mass market spectator sport-but it can still be the most played sport.
Most people who don't play laugh when they hear about disc golf because it's so foreign to the non-playing public. Heck, there was even a time when I hadn't heard of disc golf, but someone converted me. Relatives often question whether I've been brainwashed, and some have tried to "deprogram" me, with no success. I got most of them to try it, and now they convince their friends to play. If we want more courses and more respect, we have to recruit more members. Now go start building your disc golf cult!
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Disc Golf (also known as "Frisbee Golf" and "Folf" or "Frolf" and even "Disk Golf") is played much like traditional golf. Players throw flying discs (golf discs or Frisbees®) from a tee area toward a Disc Golf Basket or Target. The object: complete the hole by putting your golf disc in the basket in the fewest number of throws. Formalized in the 1970s, disc golf is governed by the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA). There are more than 1,750 disc golf courses worldwide, with over 1,400 in the USA. |
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