Look: The ‘modified power grip’ Paul McBeth uses for approaches

Paul McBeth can do no wrong.

That’s how I see the man, at least.

I started with disc golf in 2005 at Hunter Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was addicted to the sport for four years, before moving to Córdoba, Argentina for two years. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but disc golf wasn’t all that big in South America. Upon my return, I moved to Utah only for “life” to happen for five years. After getting married in 2015, I was back in the sport.

I don’t care how jaw-dropping Kristin Tattar’s dominance currently is within the FPO division, 2015 McBeast is the epitome of peak disc golf performance at the highest level of the sport.

This really happened:

• McBeth played in 26 total tournaments throughout the 2015 season.
• McBeth won 20 of them, including four then-Majors and two X-tier Majors.
• McBeth finished in third place twice – his worst two performances of the year.

Nuttiness.

* Note: To review the entirety of Paul’s 2015 season for yourself, click here.

So when I discover some random nugget of McBeth brilliance online, I can’t help but try and adopt it myself. No, not all of them work for me and my game, but given the man’s stranglehold on the sport, the juice is always worth the squeeze – the dude clearly knows what he’s doing. From there, as a blogger, I feel it my duty to share McBeth’s know-how with the masses.

And with good reason …

The man’s YouTube channel is awfully quiet.

Today’s tip hearkens back to the days of SpinTV and the 2013 interaction of baby-faced McBeth, complete with a faux hawk and diamond-stud earrings – the frosted tips are nowhere to be found, sadly. It’s about the version of the “modified power grip” McBeth uses for backhand approaches.

He used it then; he uses it now.

For your own backhand approaches, does a power grip feel like it’s a bit too aggressive for what you’re wanting to achieve? Furthermore, does a fan grip feel like it’s perhaps not quite enough?

Check out what McBeth’s working with …

Following suit is a cinch:

• Grip the disc with a traditional, four-finger power grip.
• Keep your pointer and middle fingers loose against the rim.
• Conversely, press your ring and pinky fingers firmly into the rim.
• Leave your thumb atop the flight plate in the position most comfortable.

Also, if you prefer the three-finger power grip for distance-driven, backhand hucks, the above can easily be adjusted. Simply pinch the ring finger tightly against the rim, while the other two stay loose. As you’re accustomed to doing, the pinky finger will curl into the palm of the hand.

Power and accuracy.

This grip balances both.

Using it, watch McBeth throw a Champion Roc3 to Avery Jenkins from 300 feet away …

The man barely moves to catch it.

As for my brand of disc golf, McBeth’s modified power grip doesn’t feel quite right. I prefer a traditional-looking fan grip, as it allows my throwing hand to cover more of the disc’s surface area. In turn, this gives me greater control of the disc – that’s how I perceive it, at least.

I’ve shown this to more than a few buddies, though.

For a couple, it’s completely transformed their backhand approaches …

Maybe it’ll do the same for you.

Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.

Editor’s Suggestions:

• The most awkward shot in disc golf
• The sidearm: What’s a ‘split grip’ in disc golf? (and how it helps)
• Dave Feldberg’s weird tip for dominating rainy rounds of disc golf

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