My walk-up is slow …
Like, really slow.
I don’t know why, but when I got started with disc golf, I drank the Kool-Aid on the whole “slow is smooth, and smooth is far” thing. I took it. I ran with it. And now, my walk-up is sloth-like.
Right-hand, backhand, I can comfortably hit 350 feet. Getting to 375 feet isn’t impossible, either. When I reach it, I’m not surprised. And I can get north of 400 feet, but that’s a good pull for me.
I’m happy with my distance. But just like you, I’m not opposed to more of it.
Over the years, as I’ve examined my form, I can’t help but feel like my grandma-esque walk-up is robbing me of distance – even if it’s just a few feet. Seeing guys like James Conrad use the teepad as a personal runway has me thinking it might be time for a (literal) change of pace.
If you can relate, check THIS out …
It’ll blow your mind:
That’s Paul Oman.
Oman’s a 1015-rated member of Team Innova. And he’s not one of those random, “charitable” sponsorship cases, either – the guy’s legit. This season, he’s competed in six Elite Series events. He’s earned a top-25 finish in three of ‘em. In fact, last year, at the 2021 Preserve Championship, he took home $1,175 for his 8th-place finish in Clearwater – that’s a “bomber course,” BTW.
I don’t want this to turn into one of those mind-numbing form posts …
But Oman’s style is inspirational for someone like myself.
The six-foot-five Oman has a CLEAR advantage over me, given his height. The lanky levers with which God has blessed him act as a trebuchet of sorts – distance is the end result. Without assaulting the disc like Freeman, Wysocki or Heimburg, cool as a cucumber, Oman hits 500 feet.
Again, the length helps …
But Tristan Tanner’s a normal-sized human being. And while he’s quickened his walk-up since this form tutorial was filmed back in 2020, the dude was yanking well over 500 feet with this as his go-to backhand routine. Injuries have played a part, but he performed better then than now …
You do the math.
In spite of what you might see others doing, you don’t need to be Usain Bolt to throw far. Going at a snail’s pace, no, you might not win any upcoming distance competitions. But you can achieve more than enough distance to throw smart, deliberate disc golf lines …
And then some.
Keep it slow. Keep it smooth. Make Danny Lindahl proud.
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