On the road to repeatable releases
August 15, 2017 by Matthew Norton in Instruction with 0 comments
One of the most frustrating aspects of disc golf is the constant search for consistency in your throw. Sometimes you’ll be hitting your lines perfectly, and then the next day — or hole — you’ll be slightly off. Here are a few tips to help you have a consistent release point on every shot.
Slow Down. In order to have a consistent release point, you need to have near-perfect timing with your form. Slowing down helps greatly with this.
Watch how Paul McBeth runs up with almost the same speed while throwing three different shots. He starts each run up at the same pace and then accelerates to the necessary power for each throw. This allows him to keep a consistent motion while having maximum power and accuracy.
Line Up. This is a classic talking point on how to have a consistent release. When you’re throwing a hyzer, you should be lining up your x-step to move from back-left to front-right (for a right-handed backhand thrower) to really force that angle. When throwing an anhyzer, you should be lining up from back-right to front-left to rip over on the disc as you pull through. Finally, as you would expect, straight/flat shots should be lined up straight up and down the teepad.
Keep Your Head Down. Just like in a golf swing while hitting a ball, you need to keep your head down throughout your pull, release, and into your follow through. Lifting your head early causes your shoulders to lift, which usually results in grip-lock and late release. A good tip is to wait to lift your chin/head until your off-shoulder begins to move across your body right after you release the disc. Watch how Eric McCabe waits to lift his head — even when he’s throwing a tee sign.
Watch Your Feet. Your stance is the first chance you have to properly line up your shot. Pay attention to your footwork throughout your shot while playing a casual round. After you throw a really good shot, try and look at where your plant foot is and think back to the rhythm that your body was moving at to get there. You want to try and repeat that motion on every throw. When you throw a bad shot, look at where your feet are facing — that is probably where your disc went.
Use Disc Speed to Your Advantage. Everyone should have a comfortable throwing power that is easily repeatable; for this example it will be at 75 percent power. Let’s say you throw a mid-range at 75 percent and it goes 300 feet. To take advantage of disc speed, try throwing a putter at the same rate: It will probably fly shorter than the midrange, maybe 250 feet. Now, try throwing your distance driver at that same 75 percent. Since it’s a faster disc, it will most likely go at least 350 feet. If you’re able to repeat the same throwing power with different discs in your hand, it’s much easier to stay controlled at various distances.
Throw Discs You Know. This might sound obvious, but you need to be throwing discs that you know very well in order to consistently execute shots. Every player should have a go-to putter, midrange, and driver that they can confidently use to hit tight windows and throw straight shots. These are the discs where you can just put your head down, throw the shot, and know that it’s going to be flying in the right direction. Confidence is key.
