Allow me to make myself clear on something …
It’s possible to mess with form TOO much.
The pursuit of the perfect huck can quickly become an obsession. For the most part, disc golf is fun. Most of us aren’t going on tour anytime soon. If tightly wound, pop a chill pill. Still, if you truly enjoy something, it’s natural to want to improve – to achieve your best self on the course.
But even with bad form, it’s not hard to reach a satisfying level of mediocrity. The difference, however, between hanging around in MA2 and actually competing for wins in MA1 may very well be your willingness to take your form from something comforting to something correct.
Here’s what sucks …
Forehand or backhand, en route to making a much-needed form change, there are some growing pains. So much so, the game you’ve come to associate with fun, laughter and relaxation? Forget about it: To some extent, you’ll find stress, anger and frustration – it’s part of the process.
I share this from a place of personal experience …
It’s easy to pick apart my backhand form. For years, my “style” had the Cynthia Ricciotti look about it: Straight-up walking backwards, reaching WAY back on a beeline and stabilizing the disc with the off-hand during the reachback. Hey, it might (kind of) work for her game …
But it didn’t for mine: I’d plateaued.
So, for the first time in years, I decided to tinker with it …
Things got ugly.
For a solid, four-week stretch, my timing was off, and my distance plummeted – it felt like I was back at square one. I was doing this to improve, but things seemed to be trending in the opposite direction. Fun-filled casual rounds were replaced with hours of field work. I can’t even begin to tell you how tempting it was to simply go back to what I’d known (and loved) for so long …
But I didn’t.
[Start Slow Clap Here]
I saw things through.
Today, my form is tidier – my game’s better, too.
That was three or so years ago, and you know what? I’m still not great at disc golf, but I’m proud of the progress I’ve made. Moreover, nearby parkgoers 100% think I know what I’m doing …
Good enough for me.
* Note: If curious, Danny Lindhal’s YouTube channel proved instrumental in helping out.
If you want to make a form change, do it.
This O.J. is always worth the squeeze.
Hang in there.
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