Any Ideas??

Every year the members of Team Discraft are expected to submit information for their page on the Discraft website: advice, tips, the discs in their bag, memorable moments, etc.

I am in the process of authoring the new stuff and I am interested in what you dudes (and dudettes), my close, personal friends and extended, sort-of-close friends might recommend. I wrote for a while last night but my computer somehow erased it. I am taking this as a sign that whatever I wrote was less than brilliant. So now I open this up for suggestion. What would you be interested in, if anything?

My current page on the website is heavy on insults and sarcasm. You can view it at Discraft.com. Many of you who know me realize that it was done in fun but a new reader may not understand it. So part of my new approach was a kinder, gentler version of playing and practicing tips.

My page is already longer and more wordy than the other, far more talented Pros. Should I edit it down some, or a lot or expand it? On reading the accolades section, I thought my page was too braggardly so I was thinking to scale it back.

So I'm looking for any feedback or suggestions. You can respond publicly or privately, as you wish.

[Jamestown]

How about some tips on How not to fill old. I dont know about you but after a tournament Im wore out.

[Joe Gabris]

No holds barred Mark that's just how you are, and don't go changing. Myself personally I want some good tips, and not the same old stuff. In the few years that I have been enjoying this sport, I've found a few things that I consider so key to my game that I won't disclose this info to just anyone, especially my closest competitors. Those are the things that I'm looking for :-) You seem to have a solid mental game, not only keeping your head on straight under preasure, but also have the ability to make other people loose their mental game (go out of their mind). Any tips on this would be helpful ;)

[MIDiscGolfer]

I found that I was able to learn a lot more form your blurb than the others because there was so much more info. Maybe something on how you were able to learn the forehand drive. Alot of people strugle with that one.

[MIDiscGolfer]

Well Mark I'm working on blowing the knee out. Trevor keeps making me play Grand Woods at night in the snow and ice, so it's only a matter of time. You should come play with us sometime as long as you don't draw me as a partner you should do pretty good. :-D

[stevo]

play disc whatever it means to you. in the system or out. with the big companies or not. play,enjoy your friends, soak up the courses...throw, keep moving. compete or not. keep score or not. play with others or not. play. throw.

[mark ellis]

It is an amazing world we have. Disc golfers in Australia, Japan and Europe know the quality of the peanuts at White's Acres as soon as I do. Fortunately they have more challenges getting to them than I do.

Thanks for the feedback, ideas, props and irreverence. I have learned that anyone with a strong or distinctive personality will drive a certain percent of the population crazy and I recognize that I certainly do. So I've never expected or sought universal approval but I'm happy that my approach works for some of you.

It seems to me that certain ideas come across better in some forms than others. Teaching throwing techniques works better by video than words. Actually a video personal page for Team Discraft would be fun to try but at the moment words and pictures are what I have to work with. The suggestions of jim and beatz actually fit an idea I proposed for a Team Video. Get together 6 Pros and put them in two teams of 3 players each then play Worst Shot against each other on a tough course. Even the Pros will get in terrible spots eventually. I think it would useful to see the Pros discuss strategy from the deep shule then watch them try to get out of it in differing ways.

Some strategy probably comes across well in words if the words are well chosen. Joe Gabris wants to hold back some secrets and wonders about mentally disrupting competitors. Joe, the best way to get better is to be pushed by the people you play with all the time. When they get better so will you so helping them is to your advantage. And while I'm not a psychologist, the easiest way to intimidate opponents is by being supremely confident. Not talking confidence but showing it.

Trevor noticed I have taught little about backhands. One day you will see me drive backhand and that mystery will be revealed. I don't demonstrate much singing or dancing either for the same reason. :)

Russell wondered about the towel in my hand. It comes from a principle Ron Russell taught me. Play the way you practice. In practice I wipe down discs between shots (grip is critical to forehanders) and don't take the time to set down the towel. Russell also mentioned Ken Climo (its great just to be mentioned in the same sentence with the Champ). Ken is very smart and fine teacher of the sport and has been generous with his advice to me. I expect to learn a lot when I see his video with Dave Feldberg.

jd (Jim Daniels), fresh from his nap wonders about weight lifting but clearly knows more than I do. That's why I have a personal trainer because I don't know enough about that stuff. I have noticed in my training that we constantly do different exercises but every session deals with strength, endurance, flexibility and balance. And what I do seems very similar to what the athletes in the different sports also do as well, so I'm thinking total body training is more important than sport specific training.

I have given thoughts to authoring a gaming blog through this site. I also know that practice and practice gaming will be interesting to only the most motivated of golfers. So if I go there, do I try to lure in more than the 10% or so who are interested or do I just focus on them?

I'm going to try to make Donny Olow's wish come true for more than just his benefit. I like John Hodgkins idea so well I plan to use it. Hey DC, it's all good. If you make jokes you have to take jokes and I've been known to make jokes.

[mark ellis]

Hey MIDiscgolfer,

I have the formula. Blow out your right knee so you can't drive backhand anymore. It worked for me. :)

Ok, the real answer is that forehands are very tough to learn and take a lot of practice for most players. The margin of error is so small that releasing a bit off results in bad shot. Rollers are the similar in this regard. Even with practice, if you decide to throw a forehand at a key point in an important round it may bite you and destroy your confidence in the shot.

So here is a fun, relatively painless way to start. On day one plan to spend an hour practicing. Get a buddy, hopefully someone about equally skilled in forehands and equally motivated to improve the shot. Take 4 putters, 4 mids and 4 drivers to a field. Spend 10 minutes at 50 feet with putters and play catch. Spend 10 minutes with mids at 100 feet, then 10 minutes with drivers at 200 feet. For the last half hour work on any of the distances you wish. With each disc try to throw it straight and clean. Day one practice is done. You will likely learn that each of the three shots ( putter, mid and driver) is very different and you are probably much better at one than another. Right. That's why we have you try all three. Don't worry,eventually all of them will work.


For day 2 go back out with the same buddy and play a course. All shots outside of 50 feet are mandatory forehands. Play match play (non-carry over skins). Bet either one penny per skin or one trillion dollars per skin. Keep track of the scoring.

After day 2 you will either be vastly better at forehands or hugely disappointed and discouraged. If it is the later then it means your form is fundamentally flawed and you need someone to look at it and fix it. Find an experienced player to help you, then go back to the day one schedule.



MIDiscGolfer said:

I found that I was able to learn a lot more form your blurb than the others because there was so much more info. Maybe something on how you were able to learn the forehand drive. Alot of people strugle with that one.

[Pat Burke]

Mark- I am sure you could add a ton of info. However I just read your page and it was pretty long. I beleive it has a ton of good stuff and I would not even edit it if I were you unless you have better advice,viedo, or what have you! If you really want my opinion I would leave it as is. And p.s. I love the memorable story