The UGLY TRUTH About Why YOU CAN'T Throw Far

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[@Joah1990]

Seeing preteen kids throw 400 shows me strength isn't everything. But it is important. Good form amplifies strength. There is no reason to not get strong

[@robertreed711]

I think it's important to point out that strength does not equal athleticism. There are plenty of bulked up people that are clumsy and completely un-athletic just as there are weak but extremely athletic people.

[@jannejaakkola5836]

This, so much this. I've had this discussion with many people who've been grinding for marathon or maxed out their bench press results and they certainly where in good shape. Give them a ball or have them make some athletic moves and they just crumble. For me Gannon, Eagle and Simon are not super "athletic". One the few players on tour I've seen with that natural athletism is Paul who you can immediately see from the way he moves is an athlete. The one skill that is almost never mentioned that I think guys like Simon and Uli shine at are motor skills / hand eye coordination, which to me is again something else than athletism.

[@johnroberts1009]

Your last paragraph says it all. I believe the same applies in ball golf and even baseball batters. Some can hit a mile and some can’t. You either have it or you don’t. One may improve on form and technique and improve but even after years still can’t be Simon. I am sure we can think of many examples in other sports as well. The longest throwers in disc golf and the longest hitters in ball golf are not always the biggest winners. Like the old saying goes. Drive for show, chip and put for dough.

[@austinjordan2]

Strength and Conditioning coach here. I 100% agree that being a more explosive and generally athletic person will allow for more distance in disc golf. BUT to give some added context on the subject we need to talk about the sport itself and why people have the incorrect opinion that being athletic doesn't matter. Disc golf is a skill based sport. If you aren't good at the skill of the game you will not be good at it. Just like regular golf. Other sports are more general in nature and require less skill to play but overall more athleticism. Think American football, there is not a lot of skill involved in catching or running with a ball. There is some sure, but the real display in that sport is how fast can an athlete react to the other people around them and not get tackled/ do the tackling. The best athletes have the best body awareness and process of information. They just think through things faster. Being a better athlete will allow someone to have way more potential distance AND a much faster rate of skill development than a less athletic person. The most athletic people in the world are generally good at a lot of sports not just 1. When you look at the best players of highly skilled based sports ie golf, you start seeing people who are really only good at that one sport because the skill threshold is so high. There are some exceptions sure. But you never see a soccer player only good at soccer, or an NFL player that isnt halfway decent at a few different sports. You look at the pro discgolf players most of them have only ever played Discgolf at a high level. But the players that have more athletic backgrounds seemed to show up out of no where and got really good very quickly Final point, fans of discgolf forget most pro discgolfers (atleast the MPO players) are tall. Like 6ft 3in tall and taller. You cannot compare athleticism with leverage. A guy who is 6ft 6in with a wingspan of 6ft 8in has more potential to throw far than a guy who is 5ft 6in with a 5ft 6in wingspan no matter how much more athletic the short guy is.

[@HARwinsOUTagain]

Agree with the explosiveness being a key factor. Explosive, mixed with speed and technique gets the distance. I think the “slow is smooth, smooth is far” mantra is great for beginners, but not for a seasoned player who is trying to really gain that distance.

[@thomaswads6254]

I hope people don’t think you have to be a body builder you just have to be somewhat in shape. I remember one of Eagles videos before he hurt his shoulder where he could barely to 10 pushups but was still throwing over 600 feet.

[@thomaswads6254]

@@Arafax funny never said that

[@floundrpoundr]

Resistance band workouts help a lot… speed and agility training is the best. Get strong and fast and snappy waist/hips… explosive

[@stefanelf7794]

I’ve never been especially athletic and I can’t seem to motivate myself to work out in the gym. Disc golf motivates me to get out and exercise because I get to see the discs soar - immediate gratification. I’m grateful I’ve found an exercise form that motivates me. But I’m at a distance bottleneck right now, around 330ft, and it’s hard to get beyond it without any form of strength training. What I can do and have done is improving my form and precision, which means I’ve improved my rating and overall game immensely without throwing farther. Now the question is, could I motivate myself to start working out consistently in order to get a delayed gratification of increased distance? Food for thought.

[@aylarue1536]

I'm a 56 yr old female. I've videoed myself throwing and I look like a lumbering slow elephant. lol My range is about 200'. I 've got a bad ankle and bad knees from playing hard in my life. I would love to explode like Avaliina Salonen but I'm a duddly doo doo. Wished I discovered this game in my younger years, I would've rocked it.

[@julianseyal]

PREACH!!!! Disc golf needs this to be legit. I have instantly gained distance with less effort. Doing verbatim what you do eating more protein, less garbage, and exercising not skipping legs, core, and functional movements

[@HaikesXO]

Dylan cease only throws like a little over 300 and he’s about as athletic as you can get. I’d argue form is more important than raw athleticism

[@thomak28]

So what gives to the distance or helping towards that, ordered by relevance: 1) Technique (yeah, you can argue here this and that, but without the timing etc you cant throw far. I mean like 500+ feat) 2) Height or wingspan (think about the why children or women cant throw as far as grown up big tall males in average) 3) Physique or explosiveness, what ever you called it (no doubt, it is really important, take a look the David Wiggins Jr. physique, it's just impressive) 4) Flexibility (probably same important as physique , in order to get the positions to throw far you need to be flexible and younger you are more flexibility you can get from you're joints)

[@loganjitzuboy1065]

When I was boxing 4x a week in my 20s my drives were insane. Now 40 I just use kb and they are a game changer too

[@Jon-wo4ni]

Can you add some strength training videos? So true about strength training. I’m 62. Pretty good form. Stuck at 300-350. My son who doesn’t have as good of form,but is 25 can throw further than me. I need to fix that.

[@_MR76_]

That is very good point indeed. And more years you gain the more important thing it is to keep you in a good condition.👍🏻

[@mikereynolds4728]

I saw rainbolt. I’m a GeoGuessr fan also. Strength and speed does help. I am having problems with my knees and shoulder. I just got an mri yesterday. I have been doing physical therapy and I have more control and distance just from that. I can’t play much do too several joints swelling after playing one round. I have probably gained 50ft distance after about 6 weeks of pt. I am close to 400 on both backhand and forehand now. I was stuck at around 320 so I agree working out does help along with range of motion.

[@loganjitzuboy1065]

Running is hard on the body. I would focus on HIIT high intensity intraval training. And if you want to run focus on short burst sprints

[@Jim3Mix]

I agree that information on strength training would be useful for disc golf since specific exercises are somewhat different for each sport. However, I’m not so sure about changing the “mindset” of the DG community. People play sports for lots of different reasons-some want to become pros, some want to get healthier, and some want to just go out and have some fun. Each person already has a mindset related to why they are involved in the sport; that mindset governs how they approach the activity. All mindsets are valid from that point of view. I consider myself to be a recreational player, and I do want to improve my overall health. I walk a lot every day, I eat healthy foods and get lots of sleep, and I play disc golf about once a week. My abilities as a DG player have improved since I started playing two years ago, I love the sport, and I am noticeably healthier! I have reached my initial goals for DG, and I haven’t done any weight training. If I want to get better at DG to compete at amateur tournaments, weight training is an option. However, I won’t go there without a clear goal in mind. Also, people should only do weight training with a professional trainer. It’s too easy to hurt yourself!

[@robertjones1730]

Hear me out, why waste time building muscles you don't use? If you were into arm wrestling, doing any leg or other arm muscle training would be useless. I built a 10' long wooden ramp using a 2x12 and two 2x4's. It touches the floor at one end and is waist height at the other. I made a rolling cart on it to put various gym weights on and I hooked a disc to the rolling cart with some paracord. I pull gym weights up the ramp using ONLY the exact muscles I use for a throw, brace leg, abs, lower back, shoulder and triceps. I didn't even use it faithfully and went from 300 to 400 in 6 months. The disc snaps out of my hand more noticeably and it seems like it's in the air forever compared to before. I get way more birdie opportunities and I've noticed I'm using 8 and 9 speed discs for max distance instead of 11 and 12 because they go just as far and land in a tighter area. I'm building the exact athleticism I need for more distance. I'm currently a 49 year old throwing a Star TL3 400' but not stopping there...

[@jeremyfrost3127]

Great video - and congrats on putting in the time to your fitness! This is 100% accurate: technique will only get you so far. At some point, strength training will yield greater returns. Strength training the entire body is the way to go.

[@mikebeireis3990]

What about stretching and flexibility? How important is that compared to being strong? I mean, someone who is jacked but cant touch their toes has a lot if trapped untapped potential not due to lack of strenght.... and w this point in mind I guess a better question might be do you think if a pro disc golfer had to pick between extreme strength or extreme flexibility which one do you think theyd pick for the purpose of throwing farther?

[@bearislandjosh5279]

I was a powerlifter and was throwing 400 with poor form. Then I had a spinal cord injury and had to go through rehab etc and have a paralyzed left hand. With the injury and surgery etc, I lost most of my strength and explosiveness. Once I was able to start back playing again, I couldn't throw 200. I've been trying to get good form and I have improved, but I'm fifty now and with a bad and cut up spine. I can reach 300 on a really good throw, but I have not been able to get any further at all no matter what. I kind of suspect that I physically won't be able to at this point.

[@eoghana315]

It's coordination plus explosiveness. Most of the top players are the play all the time, never work out types because they're explosive enough and extremely coordinated because they've been playing since they could walk.

[@oneopinion6806]

To be fair they play so much, do so much field work, even so much putting, that it in itself is conditioning. It might not be Aderhold-esque, but the muscles needed are being worked quite a bit. Back in college 20+ years ago I had very little cardio, didn't work out at all other than some pushups and situps, but was around 400' drives when need be and most notable to my point I could throw all day and the only thing that got tired were my feet. (I'd add youth is also an inherent boost to athleticism us 40+ year olds no longer have.)

[@jannejaakkola5836]

I mean I think it is obvious that being explosive helps you throw basically anything further. I also think that pros are very aware of this and most are now actively working on the physical aspect of the game. Just look at how popular the Disc Golf Strong is and how many players he's working with. Paul has been the frontrunner on this, but when even Eagle and Simon started systematically training on their body a couple of years ago, it became the norm among pros. The thing I would just say is that you don't need to go to gym specifically and building strength does not equal more explosiveness. We've all seen these lanky 14 year olds throwing bombs and then struggle to lift their bags off the ground. I really feel like having good technique, having good mobility / flexibility and being loose are just as important as being explosive. Maybe once you go past 500' it starts to bottleneck the potential. Of course happy to see your progress and it is visible. Just feeling good and feeling fast makes you already play better so it's all good.

[@ViJt-oq5nq]

Being 6'5" and have a 10" longer wing span over the avg dude is just an athletic advantage from having longer levers. The advantage alone can be enough to move an average player from launch speeds in the 50s to speeds in the 60s. But yea, form is King. Looking at avg height players that are throwing as far as the lanky guys is who we really should be studying.

[@jannejaakkola5836]

@@ViJt-oq5nq Ofc. I guess the point I was trying to make was, that you really don't need muscle mass or maximum strength. You don't need to lift your max or do long slow series. You need explosiveness which you get from more explosive exercises like different jumps, running stairs or explosive reps at gym. I was just thinking that imho, Simon, Eagle and Gannon are all kind of clumsy on their feet and definitely not what I'd call athletic or explosive (the legwork part). They all have great technique and potentially explosive upper body, but that's hard to tell.

[@ViJt-oq5nq]

@jannejaakkola5836 Yea I get you. You need both tho, the strength training is needed not for just muscle mass but to improve tendon strength, joint strength, stability, balance etc. So when you do get explosive, you don't go ripping something lol. But also look at AB hitting 90+ mph backhands but not the other's with a similar frame? Over the years you can see AB has really packed on some muscle mass compared to the others. Eagle might get there now too since he started eating Meat and getting more protein. Simon is just rocking the dad bod now lol.

[@jannejaakkola5836]

@@ViJt-oq5nq Sure. The only thing I'd say is that while AB has been getting into a better shape, he's exactly what I would expect a disc golfer to look like. His muscles are very lean and I doubt his max results at the gym are that high. If he would be in any college basketball team, he would be the leanest guy there and basketball isn't even a sport for the biggest muscles like football or baseball. So training for AB-like frame will absolutely help you. Ofc guys like Ezra and Drew are bulkier, but I think they throw far despite the muscle mass not because of it.

[@ViJt-oq5nq]

@@jannejaakkola5836 Yes, there is a point where increased muscle mass starts to impede flexibility and speed. It's a balance you gotta find.

[@michaelcushman]

IMO, hip abduction power is key. This enables a strong, fast lateral push and hard brace. I ice skated daily 3 or 4 months a year plus tumbling, basketball, and diving. I was only 140 lbs, but explosive and a top distance thrower in the late 70' Now, at 69, I picked DG up again and I too am working on building mobility and explosiveness, aiming for a comeback at 70 MPO. (It is much harder and slower to see results now). Yet, I am seeing improvement. Hip abductors matter most, and that is why some less than strong players, not so athletic players, can sling it, imo.

[@andrewn5614]

Me... I have the explosive stuff. But being old and stuff now has timing and form off. But man when I hit it's so nice

[@bruceleo2607]

Weight loss and strength training has helped improved my distance along with for work and understanding disc flight and choosing lighter weight discs.

[@Mdjagg]

Climbing and DG have a lot of overlap. Fingerboarding helps both a lot.

[@ViJt-oq5nq]

I think a lot of us also need to have a different mindset in separating the form into smaller pieces and just training parts of the movement in isolation. Also, rowing is fantastic for cardio and overall conditioning. Edit. Slingshot has an excellent video showcasing the work he's done with his personal trainer.

[@dblevins343]

To be fair, you also already had great form. Form is extremely important and for some of us, we are extremely slow learners. Im most likely decently explosive. Im a dude in my mid-20s who mountain bikes and enjoys racket sports like Tennis and Racketball. With that said, my max distance currently is 330 and my average is closer to 270. I throw a Jade as my max distance disc and I do a decent amount of field work. The issue here is my form is still total garbage because I struggle to change. When working on form, I like to use fairway drivers so I can dial things back a bit to focus on technique, but even then I make a lot of mistakes. Even when focus9ng on only one change at a time.

[@stuartschwenke6656]

simple question: how fatigued are you midway through a tournament? Or at the end of day of disc golf? In reality, how many of us could carry the bag, play a 10,000ft course with hills, and be explosive through the entire round? If you push paper like I do during the week, and then try to be a hero on the weekend, at what age will it all start to fall apart? healthy athletic options exist.

[@andrewgalamb2395]

I think of athleticism as the power input to the throw, and form as the efficiency. Jake Wolff has a lot of power available, but his form is so inefficient that he has a weak throw. Someone could have the best form but low athleticism and that would also end up with a weak throw. It's up to the individual to understand the weak link is holding them back to achieve the most improvement. I agree that athleticism in the disc golf throw is not talked about enough.

[@RaleighRich]

Strength & athleticism is not as important as accuracy, consistency, angle manipulation & wind read. They're super important! It's golf! Play for birdie, ensure the par. Know your discs, trust them & keep battling knowing your strengths. Look at Gannon Buhr, Joey buckets, Andrew Marwede. They're all tall & skinny compared to other golfers ( no offense). They are also amazing because of experience & accuracy & the other skills I mentioned. Field practice & putting practice is the key!

[@rootman9627]

I highly recommend the Total Gym

[@Pullapelle]

As in every sport, you need max power to be explosive.

[@brandonklemets2958]

A few notable Big Fella's like Chandler Fry are throwing 500+ and Garret Gurthie has bombed 700+. Athleticism isnt your weight and strength isnt the size of your muscles. Power to weight ratio is broadly a good way to look at it. Before I play I do a large set of low weight exercises focusing on explosive motions through the full range for arms, shoulders, and back. Try single arm bent over dumbbell rows with 10lb's for 20 reps before a round and tell me you dont feel better while playing.

[@remysmith6021]

Playing a course with lots of hills helps too 🤝

[@d4v1dTV]

I guess this would explain how Carter Ahrens throws 400 feet with a PUTTER 😂

[@StoutageGaming]

I think that actually treating yourself as an actual athlete, and dedicating yourself to the gym and being good with your diet will go a long way in your disc golf performance.

[@tillman40]

And age is a factor. Its a young man’s game

[@oskarnorman176]

Not if you ask Scott Stokely

[@IceBergTV]

Scott is tall and an elite athlete. Ive seen him throw 600

[@tillman40]

And the golf course is shattered with players with torn labrum’s and elbows. A rare bird makes it through

[@CatchMeOutside361]

@@tillman40I’m 40 this year and won’t give up til I break the 400ft marker 😅… I’m at 375 so wish me luck! Also I’m 5’5” so all things physics are working against me lol

[@SkyyWalkerr28]

@@CatchMeOutside361just watch Emerson Keith 😅 I’m 5’7 so I feel ya. I can sometimes crack 400. Trying to get consistent 425

[@drtbke]

It comes out in the moment, almost like you’re blind for a split second and you “umphh” it into your throw, or swing in traditional golf.

[@Act1onJonny]

Don't forget to train stability.

[@magnusgranlund3138]

Spot on.

[@artotunkkari9684]

Being old and short doesn't isn't also beneficial as throwing big distance. I have always being athletic and played many sports. My main sport had been volleyball witch is very versatile sport. You also have to be flexible. My max distance is now little over 400 ft. My youngest Sony who is now 14-y old throws further. Played baseball since 6 years old and he is very athletic and explosive.

[@CherryB0mb333]

Most people that work with OT don’t get better because OT does everything they can to avoid the athletic aspect.

[@worc2187]

You know what's crazy- the emphasis on distance. If you throw 300, hit a line, and putt you're going to crush most the competition. I work out and have for years. Stretch, meditate, and ect. But these are totally different things. You need to actually practice disc golf. My dude- if you don't practice putting then you're trash at disc golf or crazy gifted. But that is terrible advice. If you want to be good at disc golf it absolutely helps to work out and eat well- but you MUST practice the skills. If you want to win any tournaments you need to be out there practicing at least your putting every day.

[@coleredmond4993]

Lifting weights and running does not translate directly to the disc golf course. Being athletic on the course is completely different. Being explosive has nothing to do with muscle strength. Gannon is a long, lanky dude. Garrett Gurthie is a short, husky dude. They bith throw a mile and are explosive. Muscle mass does not matter.

[@thediscgolfdude8607]

So that’s why you don’t throw far… I have been watching your videos wondering why I throw so much firther

[@nataledinatale1198]

Amen!

[@IceBergTV]

Let me know your thoughts! Do you agree/disagree. Why?

[@mooseymoose]

Nah it's technique, 100%. I actually throw significantly less explosively than I used to and went from 300ish to 450+ drives. I have seen 12 year old kids that are no match for me physically throw 500 feet. As a lifelong martial artist and athlete I know a bit about technique and its importance in relationship to generation of kinetic energy. The funny thing about what changed my throw was that it was 180 degrees from "proper" energy generation in martial arts. To throw a good punch or kick the energy must transfer into the ground, but for a disc throw the body mechanics are exactly what would get you creamed in a sparring match. Floaty base, long smooth telegraphed motions with NO GROUNDING. I'm 51 and throw way farther than I used to at 25, definitely not as in shape now either.

[@ryanf4502]

@@mooseymooseI agree, technique is the most important thing. I was throwing 450+ when I was underweight at 120 lbs, 5’ 9”. And now I’m 155 lbs and much stronger and I throw around 400-430 because my form is just worse than it was back then since I don’t play as much. My buddy is 16 years old and throws 500-550’ and he’s like a 5’ 10” 135 lb string bean. Technique is everything.

[@Salsaprime]

I don't agree 100%. There's some big dudes that throw bombs. Look at Eric G Disc Golf, Eric Jenkins, even when Overthrow was bigger he was still crushing. On FPO, look at Eveliina Salonen, she's bigger and outdriving many of her competitors.

[@mooseymoose]

@@Salsaprime I never said it was impossible to throw with power, but it is not necessary.

[@joejett3995]

I get more out of 8 seconds of ODG and I did your entire video. Trying to discredit someone else to build yourself up is unnecessary unethical and discrediting to yourself. Your point is valid, but I couldn't hang till the end of your video, it was too boring and focused on too much side issues other than your main topic

[@markshackleford7848]

Why not work on putting

[@IceBergTV]

Disc golf got a lot more fun when I could have birdie looks on pro-level par 3s. 350+ feet

[@PatrickKnorr]

@@IceBergTV agreed. And better putting doesn't mean much if you can't land within putting range anyway

[@kingnanaki8227]

Sorry, but I have seen 13 year olds rip discs 400+, as well as my six hundred pound life type morbidly obese people do the same. I have also seen fairly old individuals who are well past their athletic prime rip them as well. I think you are giving good life advice, people ought to take care of themselves by working out. However, correlation is not causation... the only thing your comparison shows is you improving over time... But, is that do to form improvement, practice, confidence, disc selection (you should have used the same disc...), training, or some combination of all those listed.

[@baustin612]

can't really disagree with this more to be honest.

[@sierra734]

Tfs❤

[@dmv1-301]

😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@saltyfresh9984]

Youve lost all credibility! Age, strength, explosiveness, all can have a small factor....but does not matter at all....ive proven it a thousand time's, i can show you a 13 year old who can lift 50lbs in weight but can throw almost 600 feet..and i can show you a girl who is not strong or explosive at all...but can consistently throw consistently over 500.....and i can show you a 65 year old man who has no run up at all but throws a 450ft stand still......yall are so full of crap with yalls teachings its not even funny. Correct form, grip, and most important of all is spin.....get those 3 things correct and anybody can throw over 400 i dont care your size, strength, or age

[@Discgolf3r]

Im more athletic then all those names i cant throw as far as them

[@IceBergTV]

If that's the case your form is really bad! Work on that and you'll be a beast

[@Discgolf3r]

@@IceBergTV guess i should run .8 miles watch ur mediocre form videos for help

[@Tetrafiyed]

You probably think you're more athletic but you're really not. And your form is definitely way off too

[@Discgolf3r]

@@Tetrafiyed so you probably think you are good at disc golf but you look really nerdy and fragile. You play video games and you are holding cats in your photo. Enough said. You should stick to video games not anything athletic related lol

[@Discgolf3r]

@@Tetrafiyed my comment was deleted but you should stick to your video games and holding cats.