Not Sure About These Discs and a few questions....

[Chef]

I was given two discs today by a friend who has "too many" discs.

One was an Elite X Avenger and the other was a Flex Predator.

Are these good discs?

I was watching some UTub videos on driving and watched 7 pros drive. All of their shots hung to the left and came back. Non of them hung to the right ande came back. How do you make those drives?

And I was wondering is someone could explain what an anhyzer and a hyzer is and the difference. I am having a hard time conseptualizing them.

[Adam Schneider]

Originally Posted by Chef

I was given two discs today by a friend who has "too many" discs.

One was an Elite X Avenger and the other was a Flex Predator.

Are these good discs?

Yes, they're good discs, but both of them are probably "too much disc" for you.

Once you're able to throw 300' or more consistently, you'll find that the Predator is extremely overstable; it will fight a headwind and will ALWAYS finish left. The X Avenger is a slightly straighter flyer, but still pretty overstable.

I was watching some UTub videos on driving and watched 7 pros drive. All of their shots hung to the left and came back. Non of them hung to the right ande came back. How do you make those drives?

Not sure what you mean by "hung to the left." And were these forehand or backhand throws?

And I was wondering is someone could explain what an anhyzer and a hyzer is and the difference. I am having a hard time conseptualizing them.

It's very simple: throwing with hyzer angle means that the outside edge of the disc is pointing toward the ground when you release it. Anhyzer means the outside edge is pointing up. Beginners will tend to favor an anyhzer angle because it counteracts the disc's natural tendency to fall off in the direction opposite its spin (i.e., to the left on a right-handed backhand throw) once it loses speed.

[Chef]

They were backhand throws.

When you say overstable, what do you mean?

I actually am having trouble getting more distance with my drive. I have been practicing a lot. I am throwing at a local park by my house and throw until my arm locks up and can not throw anymore. Not sure what I am doing drong but I just can seem to get more distance.

[Sam]

Stability refers to the amount and direction of the bend when you throw your disc. If you are a RHBH (right-hand, backhand), a disc that bends more to the left is overstable. One that bends to the right would be understable. Granted, this is a natural throw not one where you are trying to make it bend.
More stable = more overstable.
Less stable = more understable.
Good luck trying to remember all of this. You will be continuously tested.

As for distance, you are probably concerned with this too quickly. You want to be throwing all of your discs into a fairly tight grouping before you worry about the distance that grouping is from you.

Remember this: Control before power.

[Chef]

what do you mean when you say:

"You want to be throwing all of your discs into a fairly tight grouping before you worry about the distance that grouping is from you."

???

Should I continue practising to drive? What I am doing is just standing in a spot, taking all my drivers and driving one by one. Then picking them up, and doing it all over again.

I have heard that when driving, use only 80% of your strength.

[Sam]

What I mean is that you shouldn't be as concerned with distance at this point. FOR SURE you want to be practicing driving. That said, it does you no good at all to throw 300 feet if you throw 300 feet in the wrong direction.

You should be trying to group your drives into a smaller and smaller area right now. Some of your discs will be understable and some will be overstable so you will have to throw them differently to reach your targeted area. You should be trying to group them together as much as possible when you practice so that you are practicing control before you are practicing power and distance. There is plenty of time to work on distance but you (and all new golfers) should be concerned with being able to throw your discs WHERE you want to throw them more than HOW FAR you want to throw them.

In regards to 80% power, it all depends on the throw. I throw 100% sometimes and 50% sometimes. Depends on what I am trying to do. For control, I would say 80% is probably a good number.

[Ol' Bob]

Remember you are using muscles like you've never used them before when you amp up. There are lots of reasons to stay within your range at the beginning. I didn't have this advice sink in when I started. I did screw up and do one thing right though; I did an internet search on two terms: "disc golf," and "tips for beginners." http://www.alltheweb.com/search?q=%22disc+golf%22+%22tips+for+beginners%22

There's a mother-load of info out there.

I mow a disc golf course. Because I sucked so bad, I actually mowed an area out of sight of the course, and I mowed it far wider than any of our fairways. I spent hours there, throwing upslope and down. I was always going for distance. My drives were as likely to go 45 degrees to the right or left as up the center. I could still toss discs into the woods out of pure wildness. I didn't let that back me off. Though after two years I was just getting up to about 250 feet, it was equally as long a time before they ever started to come under any kind of control. The funny thing was, I was pretty good at the 175 foot approaches. Too bad my drives covered 400 feet to go 200 and get in position for that good upshot.

I'll lay money you'll get onto it sooner than I did. Whether that's the case or not, sounds like you're already addicted. The good thing is, we all can quit any time we want to.

[jevon]

Check out the resources here: http://www.discgolfreview.com/

[Adam Schneider]

Discgolfreview.com definitely has some helpful articles, but I'd take it with a grain of salt, and here's why: Those people are fanatics who assume that you're going to take your disc golf game VERY seriously, for the purpose of winning tournaments. Sometimes I think they're not having very much fun.

So I'd listen to their articles about footwork, grip, nose angle, etc., but when start to they tell you about "disc minimalism" -- that you should only be throwing 3 different molds, but in various stages of wear -- feel free to tune them out. I think part of the fun of disc golf is trying out dozens of new discs and seeing what they do!

Of course, it all depends on your ultimate goal...

[JMan]

Hey Chef,
You'll like the X Avenger, not too stable and X plastic breaks in quick. I'd dump the FLX Predator, way too stable (backhanded it will go way left real fast). Now don't get me wrong on the Pred, I love them but use an X, and Discraft doesn't make them anymore. Try a DGA Tsunami instead. As to annie and hyzer throws, it's just easier to show you this stuff, but I'm more than willing come next Saturday at the Hobbit Huk at Hornings. And let me say read the articles at discgolfreview they are sound and are a great starting point. Where you decide to take that information is up to you, lots of guys there are hyper focused on playing to win, but just as many I speak with are into the game for fun. Back to discs, I throw Discraft, exclusively - keep the X Avenger, dump the FLX Pred. See you at the Hobbit Huk.
J

[Kevin Madrid]

Here is Stu web site to disc lessons... http://www.aracnet.com/~stuart/lesson_frameset.htm

[TreeLove]

Originally Posted by Chef

...What I am doing is just standing in a spot, taking all my drivers and driving one by one. Then picking them up, and doing it all over again. ....

Wow, man, that sounds boring as hell. Why not go play some disc golf?

[Chef]

Well, I live up in Seattle and the traffic SUCKS. So, the closest is an open park. That is where I am learning to drive.

[Tim]

Hey Chef, whereabouts are you? I'd be happy to give you some pointers some time. I'm by no means a top level pro or anything, but I can at least help show you the proper mechanics of things. BTW, consider yourself lucky you have a park you can actually use, I've got a GREAT park right next to my place, but it's always filled with kids playing soccer or baseball by the time I can get to it.

[Chef]

Tim: That would be awesome. I live near Bellevue. When do you want to get together? I played white river on Sunday and that was cool. I have played at skyline and also juel park.

Let me know, Feel free to call me at 360 261 2055.

I do need help with my driving form. Just cant figure it out.

[Chef]

Do you get ectra points of you hit a kid? Just curious

[Scott]

Funny - when I was working in Bellevue last year I found myself with a little bit of daylight at the end of the day, but not enough time to get to a course. Several times I would go to Bellevue City Park downtown and work on driving. I spent more time expaining to people what I was doing than actual driving.

[Chef]

Scott:

Funny thing you mention that becaue when I went to the park this evening with the wife, we were practicing driving and a dog comes running along and takes the disk...... damn dog. Spent too much energy chasing the dog.

People in Bellevue are...well.... snobish.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by Chef

Scott:

Funny thing you mention that becaue when I went to the park this evening with the wife, we were practicing driving and a dog comes running along and takes the disk...... damn dog. Spent too much energy chasing the dog.

People in Bellevue are...well.... snobish.

Yeah, a little.

Are you at the park in downtown, or another one?

Funniest story I have from there was the guy that stood and watched me throw for about ten minutes, then picks up one of my discs and starts walking away, very casual. I start to run him down and he says, "Oh, I didn't know this was yours".

[Chef]

I am at a park in Medina but I know what park you mean. I used to work across the street from there.

There was a lady that asked us if we were training our dog to fetch those frisbees. Hell.... do you SEE a dog following us? NO!! We then told her we play disc golf and she asked what in gods earth do we use to hit the discs with.

sigh.....