Best Techniques to Throw a Disc Golf for Beginners
Disc golf has been gaining popularity among athletes regardless of abilities and age. In this game, you play with a Frisbee or a flying disc and it has to traverse a distance from start to finish. However, the goal is to use as few throws as possible. The biggest difficulty at the start of your disc golf career is trying to figure out the best techniques to throw a disc golf for beginners.
The game is often compared to how golf is played. But the main difference is that players need to throw the disc into a basket rather than hitting the golf ball into a hole. Although the game appears simple at first, there is an art of throwing the disc golf. Finding the right balance of control and power is an important factor here. If you are new to disc golf, check out our beginners blogs here.
Too much power will make the disc go far whereas too little power will not make the disc go far. Therefore, adequate practice is the only way to learn how to throw the disc perfectly. And, a good way is to start practicing and honing your skills. Here we will discuss our best techniques and tips on how to throw disc golf.
How can You Master a Proper Technique for Throwing Discs?
Mastering disc golf becomes easy when you follow certain techniques the right way. For more tips you can check out our beginners disc golf crash course Disc Golf for Beginners: The Basics. You can start by maintaining a firm grip on your disc golf. Use hip rotation while reaching back so that you can extend your arm completely for the throw. Look away from your line of sight. Lead the throw using your elbow and make a strong, big final step. Also, ensure that you follow through as soon as you throw the disc golf. While these techniques might seem a bit complicated, understanding the process of throwing is quite easy.
Throwing is an integral and daunting task for beginners, but following these simple techniques will help you to throw consistently throughout your learning.
1. Importance of Having a Good Grip
Having a good grip is one of the important aspects of having the best technique to throw a disc golf as a beginner. In short, the way of holding the disc will help determine a few important things. It indicates whether the disc is going out of your hand late, early, or even at the right time.
Suppose, if you grip the disc golf too tight, chances are that it will leave your hand late. As such, it will go in a different direction. When you hold the disc golf too loose, it may slip out of your hand. Again, the disc would go in the wrong direction.
Hence, the best way is to grip the disc correctly. It is something that’s not too loose or too tight. The best way to figure this out is if you are throwing it too late or too early. Depending on where the disc is going you can decide how to correct your grip. Below listed are the different kinds of grips that help you a lot. So, pick the one that suits you best.
POWER GRIP – Whenever people drive, they tend to have the most distance with the right velocity and power on those shots. Keep in mind that when doing this you don’t have to throw the disc golf hard or even run on the tee pad to gather maximum momentum. Need tips on discs for beginners? Check out our recommendations here.
You can do the same by following a proper technique that includes a slow walk-up while gripping the disc the right way. The power grip is a kind of backhand grip that helps you drive effectively.
Place your thumb on the topmost part of the disc golf while making your fingers rest on the discs inner side. You can either use two fingers, three fingers, or even four fingers. Choose the one that makes you feel comfortable.
NON-POWER MODIFIED GRIP – You can use this type of grip for approach shots or short drives. To make this grip perfect, place the thumb on top of the disc while placing your index finger around the rim. Finally, settle the remaining fingers on the inside part of the disc at the bottom.
POWER SIDEARM GRIP – When it comes to longer drives, the normal power forearm throw is the most sought-after type of grip for many people. Start by placing your thumb on the topmost part of the disc. Next, place your middle and index finger on the disc inside the ring while pressing it down firmly. Place your pinky and ring fingers a little bit on the discs side.
STANDARD NON-POWER SIDEARM GRIP– It is another way of holding the disc for a regular forearm throw. Using the same grip, hold the disc. Stretch out the middle and index fingers. This kind of grip on the disc uses less pressure while allowing you the best approach shots.
So, which one is best for you? No wonder, there are plenty of ways to throw the disc golf and several techniques to grip them. However, find the one that’s best for you. If you like a specific grip over the other, you can use that grip.
If you feel that the power grip better suits you in almost every condition, continue it. All you have to do is make sure that you like the way you throw. Remember that the more you feel comfortable when gripping the disc golf, the better it will help you throw the disc.
2. Make Sure to Put Your Hips Into It
The second most important aspect of a good throw is how well you rotate your hips. The ability to rotate your hips the right way plays an important role with how you throw a disc golf. With it, you can try as much as you can to achieve much rotation while maintaining the right balance that you need.
To make yourself balanced with the throw, slightly bend at your knees while lowering your body to the ground. Moreover, stick out your bum a little bit. You have to continue doing this while finding out more ways to keep your body balanced.
When you stay balanced, rotation of the hips becomes easy. As a result, it will give you overall velocity and power when you throw the disc.
3. Reach Back
The reach-back technique is quite simple and probably one of the best techniques to throw a disc golf for a beginner. To make this technique successful, you have to diagonally reach back making an angle of about 45 degrees towards your back leg and the ground.
Hence, the more you get hip rotation before the throw, your chances of reaching back increase. That way, when you have adequate reach back, you get more velocity, momentum, and power.
All these elements will contribute to the power needed to throw the disc. But you will need a completely extended arm so that you can maximize the things just mentioned. Try doing that always while continuing to go deep as you throw.
4. Look Away From Your Target
When you have entered the reach-back position, never get into a situation where you can see the target. It may seem a normal phenomenon to get acquainted with the target. Instead, you have to look at the disc.
There is an advantage to doing that. When you stay away from the line of sight, you allow for more hip rotation. As such, the disc will have more velocity and will cover more distance overall.
5. Lead with the Elbow
When you come back from the reach back, you begin your throwing motion. This is an important step that needs attention. How you throw the disc gets determined in this step. When you come around the disc for the throw, make sure you are leading the throw using your elbow out.
For the next motion, the throw has to be more in a straight line following the throw. Also, there will be less circular motion. You would want the lead elbow to push through the throw.
Apart from that, you want to keep the disc close to the chest. Because of that, you will have a lot of velocity and maximum control of the disc. In short, you can have a more whipping motion on your disc.
6. Final Step
Everyone wants to feel the sheer excitement when it comes to throwing the disc right way. This is why the final step that you take at the end of the drive is crucial. However, the final, big step, in the end, isn’t hard.
That’s because the momentum of your body is carrying you close to the step. After stepping out, make good use of your back leg. Push off hard as you can to give your body the additional velocity on the throw. What is interesting to note is that the overall distance can increase by about 20 feet.
7. Follow Through
While you are about to complete the throw, release the disc after planting your foot. During the release of the disc, allow your arm to complete the motion. This is known as follow through.
It is a simple process where you allow both your body and arm to engage in follow through. It’s the motion that comes out when you are still performing. The follow through allows your body to move through the motion while you move or spin yourself along the direction of your throwing.
How Can You Improve Your Disc Golf Throwing Techniques?
Below listed are some basic drills that come in handy when it comes to improving your disc throwing techniques.
* Stand firmly with your feet and shoulder wide apart. Also, ensure that your weight is balanced perfectly.
* Consider grip. If you are letting go to early you need to hold the disc tighter, and if you are releasing the disc too late you need to loosen your grip.
* Holding the disc at your chest level, push your arm behind you.
* Release the disc while bringing your arm forward. Make sure that your arm stays parallel to the ground.
* Finally, snap your wrist and follow through with the arm to make the disc spin more with maximum velocity.
What are the Common Mistakes that Many People Make when Throwing Disc Golf?
One of the common mistakes that most beginners make when throwing a disc is not doing the follow through just after the throw. As a result, the disc doesn’t go as far as it should have. This results in a poor shot.
Another common mistake is that many beginners fail to grip the disc correctly. As such, it causes the disc golf to spin without much control. So, the disc will land in a place where you didn’t want it to go.
Lastly, many beginners make the mistake of not keeping the wrist and arm in a relaxed state when throwing the disc. Because of it, the disc will come out of the hand prematurely. Also, it won’t go far as expected.
Mental Tips that Help you Throw the Disc Better:
There is no denying that practice makes perfect and consistency is key. But you need to be mentally strong if you want to achieve success in throwing the disc effectively.
VISUALIZE YOUR SHOT – Imagine that the disc is flying high and hits the target. When you visualize such things, you can focus better on the shot. You are more likely to succeed.
STAY RELAXED – When you are tensed, the muscles tend to underperform. Hence, take deep breaths before going out to throw disc golf.
HAVE CONFIDENCE – Believe in your ability to make a successful shot. It helps you stay focused while executing the throw properly.
In Conclusion
One of the important factors involved in throwing a disc golf is not to let initial failure frustrate or discourage you. All you need to do is stay patient, practice a lot and follow the above-mentioned techniques.
All the techniques mentioned above work together in sync. None of the steps work alone or are important compared to the other steps. That way, if you lag in one of them, it can throw you off as a whole. Therefore, practice these best techniques to throw a disc golf for a beginner.
Your aim should be to hone your technique and finish the hole in fewer throws. Most importantly, you should have fun playing disc golf. When you do everything correctly, you are on your way to becoming a pro.
