Can not practicing be a good thing?

Ok I know this sounds crazy, but I play about 2-3 tournaments a month. The last two weeks I didn't play a single casual round or even practice putting. I went and played better then I have in months. I really think it has something to do with not practicing, only because before I moved to where I am not in MS, I was unable to play any casual rounds. Back then I played really well and did without any practice. 

 

Any Ideas on why practice rounds would be hurting my tournament rounds, cause im not getting it at all....

[Rescue]

There was a stretch were I was practicing to much. Trying this, tweeking that...oh gotta try this disc etc...I was also playing quite a bit too. When my game was going south, I took a week or so off to kinda "reboot" my mind and muscle memory. It really seemed to help. IMO it was almost like a sensory overload on my mind and game. Once I had a chance to step back and then just play and not overthink and overtweek my game. It helped, well for me it did.

I think we tend to try too hard and push too hard. Once you pass that limit you can become tight or overthink an easy shot.

[Larry Mann I am]

A lot of the muscles we use to throw are small. They get worn out and then we use the bigger muscles that can almost do the same thing. Making sure before tournaments to rest some is a good idea.

[James Banevicz]

Yes and No.

[AK Discer]

While I agree with being fresh for tourneys, I wouldn't be parallel with NOT practicing.  All the 1k rated players wouldn't be there if that was the case.

[Donny Olow]

It's how you Feel !!!!  Take time off if you need it !!!

[Ghost]

The trick is balance. Too much playing tires you out so you don't have your full game/power for tourneys.  Not enough makes you rusty.  Experiment with how much you're playing/practicing and try to find a balance of keeping sharp without tiring yourself out.

[mark ellis]

Can NOT PRACTICING help your game?

 

The answer, of course, is that it depends.

It depends on where your game is at, how much you have practiced before, what level you hope to advance your game to and why your tournament performance was not working when you did practice.

 

If NO PRACTICE was the key to excellence then first time players would win World Championships in every sport.  To the contrary, we know first time players (those who have never practiced at all) will never win a World Championship in any legitimate, skill-based sport.  Disc golf is decidedly skill based.

 

So how about an established player then.  Can NOT PRACTICING help him?  There has to be a balance between training and rest.  The exact location of that balance probably varies from player to player.  My suspicion is that well over 90% of disc golf players UNDERPRACTICE rather than overpractice for optimal short-term performance and long-term skill development. 

 

The players I know who have long term habits of consistent practice are very damn good.  They got that way by having, well,  the long term habit of consistent practice.

 

In the short term, if a player wanted to play a little bit better than average then Not Practicing might help (or might hurt).  But so might a thousand other things help a little bit as well (meditation, yoga, reading mental training books, thinking happy thoughts, getting a raise at work, dating a new girlfriend, a new putter, vitamins, sports massage, wearing lucky clothes, etc.).  If there were a particular reason for not practicing, like an injury, then it might help, too.

 

For long term skill advancement then Not Practicing is a poor strategy.  For an Amateur, who wants to move up to Pro and win then Not Practicing will pretty much kill your chances.

 

When you take some time off, it is not unusual to play pretty well the first time back.  You are fresh, physically and mentally.  Your expectations are low so you don't feel much pressure.  Your game comes together.  But eventually reality sets in.  That free pass does not last forever and soon you will only get what you have earned and you will have to fight for that.  Eventually you will have to overcome tough conditions, nagging injuries and bad luck.  Disc golf is cruel to the unprepared.

 

 

[Eric Day]

Hahaha I love the thousand other things to play a little bit better. 

 

Info sounds good I do plan to practice again when I can, been tied up in a very slow move to the new house. 

 

I do think the root of the problem is from how and who I practice with. The local players at my current home course are simply not good players....at all.... They are happy with how they play, and I get that. The bad thing is I can play very poorly and still beet these guys by several stokes. So I think im just not really practicing but throwing randomly at yellow baskets lol. Maybe I can figure out a good way to practice without not playing with the locals.

[John Sturtevant]

Taking time off for knee surgery is a good thing. Figuring out how to throw again without hurting my knee has been weird. Muscles that never got sore playing before are now very sore, but I am throwing '50 short of my max and right on my average of about '350.

The bad, well having dreams about playing all the time now. It been a very bad off season for me.

[Jim Coonradt]

Right now is league season so that means that I play twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays. For me that means I really don't have to think about things so that when I do play I can just go out there and enjoy myself. If that happens I generally play well and if I play well I might even win. So there has to be a real comfort level with yourself and your game. Find that, relax and enjoy yourself and you might just win.

[xians421]

I try to abstain from golf for 1.5 to 2 weeks before a big tourney. My arm seems fresher than if I play the week of. Of course this tired shoulder has been throwing for 39+ years so it can use the rest. Of course this time of the year hardly allows for that kind of rest with all the tourneys to choose from.

[xians421]

Clarification: I generally don't drive or play for a period of time before a tournament, but I practice putting every day no matter what. Not that you can tell by my actual putting.