What are your favorite streches before playing?

I am coming off of a serious shoulder/bicep injury and wonder which (if any) stretches do you find to be the best before you play?

[RiX]

I started using a "Elastic Band" for warming up and stretching... works great and helps to keep me warmed up while waiting to tee off....

[Donny Olow]

Try Yoga !!!

[mark ellis]

Being old, I stretch a lot before starting to throw. I have 3 rubber bands in different tensions I use and I stretch them using both arms. I do a bunch of leg and back stretches, too. Basically it takes 10 minutes of stretching before I move to playing putter catch, then on to hard drives. In a tournament setting I want to throw for at least a half hour before the round starts. An hour is better.

I have one implement that I sometimes use and sometimes don't, depending on how I feel. It is a one inch thick round metal bar (rolled steel I am told) about as long as a baseball bat and covered in hockey tape. I swing it gently like a baseball bat until I warm up then swing harder. The thing weighs 10-15 pounds (guessing) and is a good full body stretch/warm up.

I like watching the young whippersnappers step out of the car and throw long bombs without a thought. But they can party all night then play well the next morning. Maybe I could have too during my youth. I don't know. I can't remember that far back.

I do remember reading an interview of a marathon runner. He was asked his stretching and warm up routine. He replied that the first mile was his warm up.

[Bill Burns]

Mark,

Do you have special rubber bands? The wons I have only stretch about 6-12 inches before they break, then they hurt my fingers. Do you where special tape on your fingers so they don't get hurt? It only takes me about a minute to strech and brake three rubber bands, and that's not much of a workout.

And I remember jumping out of the car,, just in time to start, when I was younger, and throwing pretty long drives. Sometimes they were even in the right direction!

mark ellis said:

Being old, I stretch a lot before starting to throw. I have 3 rubber bands in different tensions I use and I stretch them using both arms. I do a bunch of leg and back stretches, too. Basically it takes 10 minutes of stretching before I move to playing putter catch, then on to hard drives. In a tournament setting I want to throw for at least a half hour before the round starts. An hour is better.

I have one implement that I sometimes use and sometimes don't, depending on how I feel. It is a one inch thick round metal bar (rolled steel I am told) about as long as a baseball bat and covered in hockey tape. I swing it gently like a baseball bat until I warm up then swing harder. The thing weighs 10-15 pounds (guessing) and is a good full body stretch/warm up.

I like watching the young whippersnappers step out of the car and throw long bombs without a thought. But they can party all night then play well the next morning. Maybe I could have too during my youth. I don't know. I can't remember that far back.

I do remember reading an interview of a marathon runner. He was asked his stretching and warm up routine. He replied that the first mile was his warm up.

[Bill Burns]

Which flavor do you think is the best? Do certain types have an emetic effect, helping you stretch your stomach muscles?

Donny Olow said:

Try Yoga !!!

[Monica]

I have the elastic fitness bands---they really do a great job and you can get them in varying degrees of tension. I am trying to focus on core body and upper back at this point. (That coupled with switching to throwing right handed after a torn bicep). Gone are the days of just "hitting it" with any sport. I guess with age comes the appreciation that we are lucky enough to be moving and enjoying a great day...but dang...I am not that old!!! :)

Bill Burns said:

Mark,

Do you have special rubber bands? The wons I have only stretch about 6-12 inches before they break, then they hurt my fingers. Do you where special tape on your fingers so they don't get hurt? It only takes me about a minute to strech and brake three rubber bands, and that's not much of a workout.

And I remember jumping out of the car,, just in time to start, when I was younger, and throwing pretty long drives. Sometimes they were even in the right direction!

mark ellis said:

Being old, I stretch a lot before starting to throw. I have 3 rubber bands in different tensions I use and I stretch them using both arms. I do a bunch of leg and back stretches, too. Basically it takes 10 minutes of stretching before I move to playing putter catch, then on to hard drives. In a tournament setting I want to throw for at least a half hour before the round starts. An hour is better.

I have one implement that I sometimes use and sometimes don't, depending on how I feel. It is a one inch thick round metal bar (rolled steel I am told) about as long as a baseball bat and covered in hockey tape. I swing it gently like a baseball bat until I warm up then swing harder. The thing weighs 10-15 pounds (guessing) and is a good full body stretch/warm up.

I like watching the young whippersnappers step out of the car and throw long bombs without a thought. But they can party all night then play well the next morning. Maybe I could have too during my youth. I don't know. I can't remember that far back.

I do remember reading an interview of a marathon runner. He was asked his stretching and warm up routine. He replied that the first mile was his warm up.

[kindofabuzz]

I don't really stretch per se, but I do warm up for 20 minutes or so on the practice basket at my course.

[Bryce @ Treebangers Disc Golf]

I stretch my arm into the cooler, then proceed to do deep elbow bends, then repeat with the other hand :) Good to go!

[Muddy]

I would recommend stretching both biceps and triceps after a few warm-ups...or even before. I usually do most of my streching prior to the round or on the first tee waiting for the 2 minute call. If I get time I'll try to stretch my back out to loosen it up prior to the rigors of 2 27-hole rounds in some cases. On hilly courses I'll try to get some leg streches in so that my legs don't tire as easily when going up and down the hills. My best recommendation is to first check with your doctor about what streches you can do based on your injury and secondly finding the streches that work best for your performance.

[Monica]

What do you all do for the core? I am told I "throw like a gurl" (girls throw with more skill than gurls) and don't use enough trunk rotation...so I am trying to get it all lined up, warmed up and ready to throw like a real girl....that and taking a few advils before I start...

[Tino "SilverBack" Medina]

I have a nasty rotater cup issue. I can actually throw my whole shoulder out and it will rotate onto my chest (nasty). Trying to put off surgery. I like to find a hogh branch and hang or dangle from it, seems to stretch the shoulder out really well.

[AVMtnDiscMan]

Here is a very interesting article on stretching that was in the New York Times a few weeks ago. It sort of debunks the idea of traditional stretch and hold...and claims that a more kinetic/stretch warmup may in fact be better. Not disc golf specific of course, but I'm sure you will still find it interesting. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.htm...