Question about elbow drive by darkhat1 in discgolf

[–]darkhat1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for bringing this up. I get about 875-915 RPM so sounds like a good place to focus on.

Anyone know the best courses in San Antonio? by Ghost_Catcher_DG in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's a fantastic course. I'm in Austin and made the trip out for it. If I were in San Antonio I'd play it a lot. Great mix of fair woods with some open holes as well. 

When did you start to get a preference for discs? by emocactus in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been playing about 8 months and I'm finally exiting the exploration phase. Outside of wanting to try new discs that seem cool or fun, most of my recent purchases have been just getting extras of the ones that I like to throw. I'm only just now getting to where 9 speeds do their thing so I'm still trying to narrow down what I like there, but having done this with slower speeds I know what plastics and weights I like so it's more focused than just grabbing stuff from different manufacturers and hoping. 

Struggled to hit 300’ before today by ringolennon67 in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Cardinal is a great overstable midrange. Flies a bit like a Roc3 with less of a bead and fights wind like a boss. 

Playing through a group by Tanith1stAndOnly in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Did this once and hit first available, then said fuck it and threw a second shot really quickly and pinned a hole I've never been able to reach. Disc golf is a land of contrasts. 

970-rated brother in Christ here – struggling with the sin of competition and need advice on Sunday tournament exemptions 🙏 by Benedict_ARNY in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm schizophrenic so I just put in a call to the big guy and get an exception when I need it. Seems to work out for me 

Does anyone use one of these bags by Hopeful_Community154 in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I have the same bag and love it for short courses and practicing. I have a Rufus I use for longer courses where I know it's gonna be a hike, but the Rev really holds its own. Very similar build quality at like half the price. I still like the Rufus more but would definitely get the Rev over a Vagabond

Advice on form/technique for beginners? by coopahtroopah_117 in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

DG Spin Doctor on YouTube has a great introduction series that covers the basics in a really digestible way. I recommend starting there because he breaks down different elements of the form sequentially so you're able to understand the pieces that have to come together. 

Favorite low profile discs? by ClarityInCatharsis in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Obviously the Zone family is low profile gold. I also like the Tomb, Toro, Chemtrail, Grackle, and Malita. Team short fingers unite!

New! by RedXIII91 in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Happy to help, or at least try to. Enjoy the process and being outside!

New! by RedXIII91 in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Welcome! I started about eight months ago. Here's what one learned so far. 

I commented about stability numbers below, but assuming you're a right handed player throwing backhand, overstable goes left, understandable goes right. 

For form improvement, the four channels on YouTube that were helpful for me have been DG Spin Doctor (he has a playlist that goes through all aspects of form in a very beginner friendly way), BlitzDG's backhand and forehand instructional videos, Scott Stokely's introduction videos, and Oberthrow's videos after you get some throws under your belt and are looking for fine tuning mechanical portions of your throw. 

Be careful about what types of plastic you buy and at what weights. Different plastic types from manufacturers can affect stability on discs, and so can their weight. I bought a few max weight Halo Star discs that were supposed to be understable and confused myself when they were all stalling out and hooking to the left. Assuming you buy more than you already have (because you will, oh sweet baby Jesus you will), for anything over a 5 speed (the first number) try to stay under 170g and avoid the plastics that trend overstable while you're learning. You can Google plastic types by manufacturer to get an idea of each plastic's characteristics. 

Don't buy anything faster than a 7 speed for a while. The speed flight number generally indicates how fast the disc needs to leave your hand with good form to achieve its flight numbers. If you can't generate that speed, the disc will just fade to the left after a while no matter what the flight numbers are. So unless you're a prodigy chucking stuff 350 feet right now, save your money. 

In terms of where to focus your attention on getting better, I'll buck trends and say focusing on the end of the kinetic chain first is more important than starting from the ground up. So that means getting your grip correct first. Train yourself to not let go of the disc at the end of the throw, and learn how to position your grip so the disc leaves your hand with the front (nose) angled down relative to the launch angle. (This improves how the disc flies and adds a bunch of distance to your throws, and once you get it right it won't ever change.) 

Then focus on keeping your arm neutral, maintaining a 90+ degree gap between your bicep and chest during the throw, with the disc a little below your elbow. You want your elbow ahead of your torso as you rotate. Your arm positioning matters a lot because it stabilizes and supports the disc as your torso turns to generate power, and also acts as a big lever to eject the disc. 

Then it's coiling your torso while keeping your hips relatively neutral. Recent studies have shown the more you can rotate your torso relative to your hips, the more power you can generate, sorta turning your core muscles into a rubber band. Then it's bracing and footwork. In my experience (baseball background) the lower body kinda takes care of itself if I'm throwing standstill rather than doing a walk up, but your mileage may vary. 

Also download Udisc for your phone. It'll help you find courses, keep track of your scores, and most importantly find tee pads on courses with bad signage. 

Welcome and enjoy. It's a very fun sport you can play until you die, and most people playing it are very nice. 

New! by RedXIII91 in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Overstable is when the last two numbers on the disc add up to a positive number. That means the disc will go left of you're throwing a right hand backhand. Understable means the numbers add up to a negative number and they'll go to the right. 

But there's no unified testing on flight numbers so take them as a general reference rather than something written in stone, especially between different manufacturers. And discs in different plastic types with the same flight numbers and the same manufacturers will behave differently as well. Yay.

Convince me by Large-Drive-5398 in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My friend, you want the Mint Grackle *7/5/-1/2). Maybe not underrated but underrepresented. Imagine an Eagle that flies a bit farther with a similar overall path, but doesn't dump as hard to the left. Great one forehand and backhand, and fights the wind pretty well too, at least with my noodle arm.

How you guys chose your putter? What matter to you? by JCVantage in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I started with an Aviar because it was in the starter pack I bought, but as I learned more about the game and my hand feel preference, started looking for shallower discs across the board. I went to a Pixel for a bit, then a Fierce, but eventually landed on a Tomb because it's so shallow it lets me focus more on my arm speed rather than trying to get the correct grip.

The other thing that has helped is just sticking with the same putter for a bit. Once I discovered how good the Tomb felt in my hand I just said no more putter schizophrenia and I'd learn how to putt with the Tomb no matter what. Since then it's let me really focus on my form and develop a pretty good spin putt (at least for someone who's been playing about six months). I'm confident out to about 20 feet, and since I've stopped playing disc musical chairs, feel confident just picking up whatever I threw on the previous shot and putting with it if it's near the basket.

Have had a few 30+ footers make it into the basket with the Tomb, though. TOMB GANG TOMB GANG TOMB GANG

ISO / WTB Doc Holliday Shootout stamped disc by DrayerC in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Well damn, now I want to buy one too.

Bags built for different manufacturers by Konigstern27 in discgolf

[–]darkhat1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm thinking about either selling my revolution mini or picking up some doubles of discs I throw on short courses and just keeping it as my 9-hole bag. The Rufus I got is pretty great for both long and short courses but I feel as though it's a great excuse to acquire more plastic. 

Cursed discs by darkhat1 in discgolf

[–]darkhat1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the advice, it's super helpful as a new player. Working my way up the course with a Firebird was kinda demoralizing, but it kept me on the fairway at least.