grip lock = massive drive??

[Mikk]

Ok so now that I finaly got my back issue fixed I have found new power in my drives. Odly enough I was thinking that I had backed off the "crushing" drive style I had, and more took to Scott Papas teaching. That is " just throw up to the basket, not at it", I.E. keeping the disc in the fairway and not trying to klii it off the t-pad.

Now I have had a couple of grip lock drives (RHBH) that went well over 400ft, big massive anti-hyzer bombs that just kept going... The first was at Hornings, Canyon course, hole 13. What was suposed to be a nice wide hyzer drive up the hill ended up with a grip lock drive that ended in the parking lot.

The second was yesterday at Lake Fenwick, hole 16. Its a 350?ft drive with a close tight window, with an more open fairway. So I threw my Rampage out the middle, with a bit of anti-hyzer on it. Well I got that darn grip lock again and parked hole 1 basket, about another 100 ft up and right, across the parking lot from 16's basket!!

The realy strange this is that to me, neither drive had any power to it, I mean like zero energy. I just ment to give the disc some spin and get a good 250-300ft fairway drive. I know the Rampage is a fast driver, but that doesnt explain how in the world I got that distance with no effort. Even on my best of drives, trying my hardest, I could barely get that distance.

I'm not shure what I changed in my drive style, but I hope I can get that under control. This morning I did get another good drive at white river. Hole 16s basket has been moved another 90ft? or so farther back from the deep position. Now its a par 4?? and 425ft?? To my total dis-belief I was able to drive my Rampage to the original deep position, then flick (LHFH) my Rival into the basket for a 2.

Its wierd, I did not put any effort into the drive, or so I thought. Even the other players with me said it looked effortless, as I had a stupified look on my face.

I'm not shure where this grip-lock issue came from, but its getting me some serious distance. Mabe I need to get the video camera out and shoot some footage of what I've got going on. Realy all I have done is to keep my run-up as compact and slow as possible, and keep a tight grip on the disc. The harder I try to throw, the worse the drive gets. If I just stick to a slow easy drive, I get grip-lock and a massive anit-hyzer bomb???

[TYVEK]

after reading, i dont think that you didnt have any power in your drive as you say. i think it would be more accurate to say that the power was focused at the proper time of your throwing mechanics.
watch the pros that can throw a mile, when they throw it looks effortless on their average drive, BUT they are still getting 450' distance. at first i was bewildered at how they can throw such a long ways without huge fast gnarly runups. that is until i got a chance to talk with Dave Feldberg a bit one on one. he explained to me where in your throw you should have the explosion of power and where you shouldnt.

the power should only come in at the end of your mechanics, as he says "when your elbow (of throwing arm) passes your shoulder, thats when you explode"

it sounds like you have stumbled onto that body mechanic, thats great! now adjust your runup angle on the teepad and where your plant foot lands and you will start to bomb into the fairways.

[Bruce]

That's just it, clean proper form, and explosion at the hit point. A lose muscle is a fast muscle, as they say.

[tmk]

Mikk, I've noticed the same phenomenon in myself and others ... big distance, way right (rhbh).

I've been practicing one-step throws on my patio (hanging onto the disc) and find that sometimes the maximum "swoosh" comes after my hand comes off line and is rotating to the right. I'm assuming that means the optimal hit point is late; hence, bad mechanics that need fixing.

Probably this, and because you are grip-locking and therefor putting more spin on the disc (ripping it), explains the increased distance.

I'm now working on getting the max swoosh to occur while still on the target line, and am getting personal bests while on the fairway ...

Congrats of the physical recovery!

[KG_MCDGC]

Those who know me, know that I throw nearly every shot with a 2 finger grip. I stayed away from the 4 finger, "power grip", because although I did find a bit more distance I lost the control I was used to. But recently I started to try a 3 finger grip. I've added quite a few feet of distance with less effort. The lack of effort let me concentrate on hitting the right release and lines. I will also concur that the very end of the throw (and what Orion and Feldberg say about when the elbow moves past the shoulder being where you explode) is when I'm my most violent. When I concentrate on being loose until the end, I find that the disc literally "rips" from my fingers cleanly. Grip lock, for me, was always a problem that adjusting the grip helped with.

In order for me to learn something new in disc golf, especially when I've been doing it wrong/inefficiently for years, I start slow. Literally slowing down everything; until my body, muscles, and mind all understand what needs to be done to execute properly.

Good luck!

[Mikk]

I did forget to add that I have always used the 4 finger power grip, however its kinda wierd throwing fairway drivers like this... Thats why I almost always t-off with distance drivers.

[Mikk]

So what i thought was grip lock was actualy a good throw, i just had compinsated my run-up to deal with the pinched nerve in my back. I decided to point my right shoulder just to the left side of the basket when i teed off and bingo!! I got birdys on the first 4 holes at white river, took par on hole 5, then got 5 more birds. My drives were way less violent and unpredictable, and to me it felt as i was driving at about 2% power :-) I even parked hole 17, from the red t-pad, with my star wedge! Thats 298ft.
Unfortunately the new hole 14 layout still kicks my butt. I have only got bogeys so far. However i did get the new hole 16 deep, from the red t-pad, in 2 shots!! Take that!
I was laughing at how easy it was for me to throw big with little to no real effort. Having a pinched nerve im my back for so long realy screwed up my drive thats for shure.