Who Taught You?

I just watched this video on YouTube and I have to say that it is a really good video. It demonstrates very well that people develop bad habits and do things that actually hurt their throwing ability and scrub distance. How many of you have seen the weird little skip step in someone's footwork or the arm swoop?

This is the video that I just watched...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-5uHMoYJ6Q

Anyway, I remember exactly when my throw came together. I was out at Cottonwood disc golf course here in Colorado Springs and I ran across the guy who designed our course and was a very good Pro player. His name is T.J. Lawrence. I haven't seen him in a long time and I think that he moved to Denver (or so I've heard). He showed me the X-step and since then I am indebted to him. It was only a couple of minutes of his time but it changed my throw forever. Who knows if I would have ever figured it out without his guidance.

Disc golf is a strange sport and I think that a lot of people think that you just go out, buy some plastic and then throw that plastic at a basket. Bad habits get developed and the sooner those bad habits get broken the better. I always love having the opportunity to teach a newbie because it's a clean slate. They haven't developed those bad habits yet. And although we throw with our arms we set up everything with our feet. Poor footwork is a killer. And bad habits must be broken.

[Chris Fair]

My friends taught me at first but they taught a lot of bad habbits and continue to do them. I started reading a lot online and went to a few clinics. Most notably Mark Ellis, Eirik, and Ben helped me to figure out where my throw would go (in the way of figuring it out, not so much aiming :) ). But what they told me really came together at a clinic with Nate Doss, Avery, and Val. As I listened to them all my martial arts background translated into my throw and I didn't even have to throw as I listened to Nate. It just clicked and I leaned over to my girlfriend and said "I get all of this now, I already knew it". And I did, but I let my friends teaching and a few other bad tips trump what I already knew about kinetic linking. Now I'm getting better every week and went from throwing 270 to 340 in a month and a half with fairway drivers.

[Campbell Harris]

I played quite a few rounds with the top Pro's(late 80's to early 90's)at Vista Del Camino. I don't remember a lot of the names but I do remember Dan Ginnely, Jack Selleh and Johnny Carrol. I don't remember exactly what I learned from them but I'm sure my game improved due to knowing them.

[Rescue]

Mostly, me, myself, and I. That with the articles on discglofreview. Sprinkle in a little here and there from my throwing partners. I am at the point were a trained eye would be helpfull though.

[Senior]

ditto.... And by being a former freestyle/Ultimate frisbee player

[Donny Olow]

Mr. Miaggi !!

[LafnLarry]

I guess in the larger sense, Discraft gets the overall credit for teaching me disc golf through of all those videos on Youtube. Even though I had been exposed to disc golf nearly 20 years ago, I never really learned anything and was never taught anything. I had given up disc golf until those videos peaked my interest again. Since Mark is most frequently involved, I guess he deserves the lions share of credit, both for the videos and the for his lessons in all things disc golf on this web site. But, my thanks also go to all the pros that teach and demonstrate on the Discraft vids. I must have watched each of them five times (My wife keeps peeking in 'cause she can't believe I'm watching disc golf videos over and over. Anyway that's how I'm learning disc golf. Just startin' that lawn mower and popping that towel.

[Jim Coonradt]

I try to help people whenever I see them using bad habits. The other day it was a guy who started out his X-step with the wrong foot and then proceeded to bunch together a lot of small steps. I told him to slow it down and start with the correct foot. Some people gladly accept change while others get stuck and just keep going with what they think "works". One day I played with an ultra newbie on his very first day and it was a joy to give him some pointers and also a bit of praise. For his first day he did pretty well.

I think that newbies should become aware of proper footwork right away because it really does set up the body for the rest of the shot. A friend of mine always gives them the "snapping the towel" or "starting the lawnmower" analogy and that is fine. But it comes across better if they already know how to move their feet.

[LafnLarry]

"start with the correct foot," I'm using the x-step as shown in Dave's Tips on Innova web site. Is that what you mean by correct or is there more?

[Nate L Johnson]

Kids have it so easy these days, with Youtube, ect. :)

Actually it took me 3 years of playing to throw over 250ft :o , started back in 96 -- horrible footwork and throw, wasn't til the internet started to take off that I read articles on the sport and learned x-step and to bring my arm up (used to throw from my waist). There were few that played the course I learned to play on, so no one really to give instruction.

But once I unlearned bad habits and got my footwork down I got alot better in just a short amount of time, so I try to offer advice out on the course as well and get other people involved. I have a cousin that I got started when he was like 10 or 11 and throwing the correct way and I think has become a better disc golfer because he learned how to do things right from the start.

[Yeddie VanHalen]

I think the Dan Beto videos opened up my eyes to a lot of things. Also filming pros & then watching the videos later helped. My next hurdle is the 'heel flip'. I see all the pros flopping their plant foot over which starts the whole driving motion. My plant foot stays planted %^(

[Sam Smith]

I spent the first year or two trying to figure things out for myself. I would pick up a tip from someone here or there, but nothing compares to watching the pros on youtube. I watch the discraft videos over and over and over. In fact Innova has started producing some pretty nice videos as well.

[Donny Olow]

Here is a Great DVD !!!!