Mister Disc

Disc Golf Grip Tips

February 13, 2023 Mister Disc Leave a comment

This post on disc golf grip, is the third post in a series designed to help you elevate your game. Read the tips clearly laid out for you in writing then reinforce them by watching videos created by professional disc golfers. Read, watch, practice, and improve!

Okay everyone, go ahead and grab a disc…

As a matter of fact, while you’re there, you might as well get a disc from each category (putter, midrange, fairway driver, and distance driver) so we can test out some different grips on each.

This is one of the few disc golf activities you can do in your home without fear of broken lamps and the like…

We might as well take advantage, right?

In today’s post, we are going to look at some specifics on how to properly grip your disc in order to improve performance and stay consistent out on the course.

These videos will NOT get into all the minutiae that can be found on the intricacies of each grip. Rather, they will collectively give a good overview, as well as provide some concepts that you may not have considered yet.

Also, this post will mainly focus on backhand throwing grips. If you are interested in looking at the forehand grip, you’ll be able to find it in this video on forehand approach shots.

As a matter of fact, this post ties in nicely to some of the other posts in this series on accuracy and approach shots. If you haven’t already, be sure to give those a look as well.

For now, disc in hand, let’s get right into some of the particulars of how some of the best players in the game grip a disc.

That way, you can feel confident and secure in your own grips and know that you are taking yet another step to put yourself in position to succeed on the course!

Power Grip versus Fan Grip!

In the first video, we are not only going to take a look at how Infinite-sponsored pro, Eric Oakley, grips a disc for his backhand throws, but we are also going to consider why he alternates grips in a given situation out on the course.

As you watch him alternate between the power grip and the fan grip, I highly recommend you pause the video and try to emulate his grips on the discs.

The video does a good job of showing you close-ups so you can make sure you are getting the grips (fan and power) Oakley recommends for backhands.

But the real take-away, in my humble opinion, comes a bit later on with the following tip…

Grip Tip # 1 – You can diversify your shot selection by changing your grips and keeping the same line!

In other words, you can throw the exact same line on a shot, but get a different result (mostly in the ground play) by switching between power grip and fan grip.

As you watch the video, notice how Oakley keeps the flight path of his two shots similar. Then, watch how he gets distinctly different ground play when the discs hit the ground.

For a fan grip, you can expect less ground play. This can be helpful when you are trying to stop the disc where it lands.

For a power grip, you can expect more ground play, or skipping. This helps when you are asking the disc to go around obstacles and continue traveling towards the target after it hits the ground.

Now, have a look and see for yourself!

Oakley’s last line sums it up well: “if one really needs the ground play, I’m probably throwing a power grip. If one doesn’t, and you want it to sit soft, [I’m] throwing that fan grip.”

In this way, he tells us, we can add diversity to our bags and keep dropping scores out on the course!

Shot Consistency with Grips!

Next up, we have some tips on how to keep your shots consistent.

We do this by keeping your disc golf grips consistent as well.

Our teacher is the one and only Paul Ulibarri.

The video we’ll watch is an entire clinic, but the part on grips comes at the very beginning.

Early on, Ulibarri drops a helpful nugget on keeping your shots consistent…

Grip Tip #2 – For consistency in your throws, place the disc in the crease, or fold, of your hand.

If you press your pinky and thumb together, this “fold” of your hand will reveal itself in your palm. (But you will definitely see it when Ulibarri discuss it at the 1:20 mark).

By putting the disc in that crease each time, he explains, he is virtually guaranteeing himself the same grip for each shot. He also assures himself of that highly coveted consistency for each shot as well.

The added benefit of placing the disc in this crease, he continues, is that it will also greatly help you with your angle control.

We’ll get into angle control in a future post. But if you ever wondered what the pros do in their pre-shot routines (when they hold the disc in front of them at an angle), then definitely continue watching…

That should help add some more consistency to our game with our disc golf grip.

Now, let’s look at how we can use grip to add a little distance.

Grip Tip for Distance!

Last but not least, we’ve got Connor giving us a post for throwing far.

“Finally!” you say! “Bout time!”

And Connor, when talking physics, is going to be the first to admit that he’s got a few of the terms mixed up. When he says “kinetic energy” he means “potential energy”.

And when he says “grip energy” I’m pretty sure he means “grip pressure.”

But don’t let that take away from his key point.

Grip Tip for Distance – For distance throws, put 95% of your grip pressure between your pointer finger and your thumb.

By putting the pressure at the front of your grip, you are allowing the disc to pop, or spring, out of your hand. This gives it more speed, spin and thus, distance.

He also tells us, with regards to pressure, “You gotta grip that sucker!”

By putting the pressure at the front of your grip you are preventing the disc from coming out too early, and losing a lot of it’s speed/spin.

An important distinction, as I see it, is being able to grip your disc with pressure WITHOUT tensing up your arm.

When you can do that, you can have the fluidity we want in our arm. We can also keep the disc secure so it can burst forth and propel out of your hand.

This takes practice, but is well worth the work you put in.

Give his video a watch and let it crystallize…

Disc Golf Grip Tips – In Summary

There’s a lot of different information out there on grips.

In this post, we tried to give you some disc golf grip tips that would help you stay consistent on the course. They also present some ideas that you may not have considered.

3 Crucial Grip Tips:

Disc Golf Grip Tip #1 – You can diversify your shot selection and determine how much ground play you want, by alternating between power grips and fan grips.
Disc Golf Grip Tip #2 – For consistency in your shots, place the disc in the crease, or fold, of your hand.
Distance Grip Tip (#3) – For distance throws, put MOST of the pressure between your pointer finger and your thumb.

There you have it! Those are three helpful tips on grip! We certainly hope they aid you in your progress!

But maybe you have some disc golf grip tips as well? If so, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments below. Which grips do you use in different situations? Do you have any tricks to help you keep your grips consistent? Let us know this, or anything else in the comments!

Disc Golf Tips

Disc Golf Tips on Approach Shots

February 8, 2023 Mister Disc Leave a comment

This post on disc golf approach shots, is the second post in a series designed to help you elevate your game. Read the tips clearly laid out for you in writing then reinforce them by watching videos created by professional disc golfers. Read, watch, practice, and improve!

Approach shots are an undeniably important part of any successful disc golfer’s game.

Often times, however, they get overlooked in favor of more “intriguing” elements of the game.

The last post in this series gave great tips from pros on accuracy. Check it out here if you haven’t already.

Accuracy, combined with these tips on approaches can blend nicely to make a potent cocktail out on the course.

By shoring up your approaches you can consistently put yourself in position to putt once and start walking to the next hole.

Let’s get right into it, with some excellent advice on approach shots straight from the game’s experts!

Our first tip on disc golf approach shots, has to do with a mental strategy that can greatly reduce the holes where you put up a high number. Let’s look!

Approach Tip #1 – Aim to land your disc in a 25 foot radius circle (instead of always aiming to park it).

Kesler Martin succinctly explains the very important logic to this tip.

Basically, players that always try to park their disc will often be forced to take much more difficult/riskier lines to the basket.

By expanding to a 25 foot radius (or more) you greatly open up your options on various flight paths and dramatically increase the likelihood you’ll take a more sensible line to the basket/landing zone.

This leads to far fewer scrambles and far less strokes added on the course!

Give it a look for yourself below and see if you agree!

After you have this vastly expanded landing zone for your disc golf approach shots, here’s a tip to help you lock in those back hand approaches even more…

Approach Tip #2 – Keep your eye on the target while you throw (especially with backhands).

This tip, provided by Joel Freeman, applies mostly for backhand shots.

For forehands, he explains, you should already be looking at the target so it’s somewhat of a moot point.

Also, because the term “approach shot” can be somewhat broad in nature, this tip applies more to the shorter approaches (Joel tells us to do whatever is most comfortable for you).

For his own backhand approaches, Joel makes it a point of emphasis to be looking at the basket (or target). This helps him hone in much more effectively.

Have a look at the video below, and then try it for yourself!

Now let’s look at some tips for disc golf approach shots that is more tailored to the forehand…

Forehand Approach Shots

Now that we’ve discussed some strategies for the backhand approach shots, or upshots, let’s shift gears to the forehand approach shot.

Having a forehand approach shot in your bag of tricks can be critical to expanding your options for lines to the basket.

Our next series of tips from Dallin Blanchard, will help you to lock in your forehand approach shots so you can feel more confident out on the course.

Dallin starts out the video by stressing how he appreciates that, with a forehand upshot, you are facing the basket and that you use minimal motion (not a lot of moving parts) to complete the shot.

The motion is straight back and straight forward. Then he gets to his first tip…

Forehand Approach Shot Tip #1 – Use your typical forehand “stack” grip for forehand approach shots.

Dallin goes on to explain that he usually holds his disc a little more loosely for approaches, but he is sure to keep his grip the same.

This is just one less thing to think about on the course, and quite helpful to know!

His tips come fast and furious in this short video. After discussing forehand grip, he gets right into alignment for the next tip.

Forehand approach shot Tip #2 – Keep your shoulders, body, and feet lined up parallel to the line you want your shot to follow.

For a RHFH, he explains, you will usually want to make sure this line is aiming to the left of the basket (so the disc can naturally fade right towards the basket at the end of its flight).

This brings us to our third and final tip in this 2-minute video.

Forehand Approach Shot Tip #3 – Keep your palm and forearm pointed towards the sky throughout the entire shot.

By doing so, you are eliminating the possibility that your wrist will roll over and send the disc flying way off-line at an unwanted angle.

This is a very common problem for players attempting forehand approach shots. By keeping your palm and forearm pointing to the sky throughout the shot, you take this undesirable wrist-roll out of the equation.

Now, have a look for yourself so you can start incorporating these tips into your forehand game!

Now that we’ve gotten a look at some excellent tips for backhand and forehand disc golf approach shots, let’s take a look at upshots from a very common distance on the course, and see if we can’t dial it in to save some serious strokes!

The 100-Foot Approach Shot

Now you are in for a treat!

Follow me into the time machine as we go back many years to Infinite’s first video in collaboration with the one and only Paul Ulibarri!

In the video below, Paul runs a clinic on 100 foot approach shots.

At the start of the video, when he’s addressing the group, he says this: “I think it’s probably the most important part of the game; getting up and down from 100 feet.”

That’s a strong take from a strong player. Probably a good thing you’re here reading and watching then!

In the footage, he will focus on backhand approach shots, but it’s not too much of a stretch to keep the forehand approach shots in mind as well.

He’ll also briefly mention 150’ and 200’ approaches as well, so be sure to work those into your practice routine too!

Most of his instruction is at the beginning of the video, but he’ll throw in nuggets throughout so it’s worth a full watch. At 1:17, Ulibarri gets right into his first tip.

Ulibarri Approach Tip #1 – Get into an athletic position.

For this one, it’s less about what he says and more about what he does. What he says is that he squares his shoulder towards the target.

What he does is spread his legs a little wider than his shoulders with his knees slightly bent and his weight on his forefeet.

As you watch, look how he bounces subtly to accentuate that athleticism and engage his leg muscles.

This is the athletic position you want to be in for your upshots (and any other shot really).

Quickly afterwards, he moves on to his second tip…

Ulibarri Approach Tip #2 – Keep Your Eye on the Target.

We’ve heard that tip before from Joel Freeman earlier in this post!

Nice to know that other top pros are doing the same thing. Must be a good tip that we should probably all incorporate!

This tip, from Ulibarri’s perspective, seems to be from that 100’ range. He goes on to explain “from this distance, you don’t want to be turning away from [the target] and then coming back.”

That would just introduce more variables and extraneous movements.

Moving on, we quickly get a different bit of advice we haven’t heard yet.

Ulibarri Approach Tip #3 – Get The Nose Up on your Disc!

Ulibarri explains, “Getting the nose up means that I’m going to have touch going into the basket…”

He says that coming in nose up makes it far less likely that you’ll be soaring the disc way past the target for a far more difficult up and down.

And for those of us that like to make a run at the basket from this distance, if you do so nose up, you can potentially have your cake and eat it too!

By running the basket nose up, even if you miss you can help ensure the disc is landing softly past the basket without leaving yourself a lengthy putt.

Later, at 9:07, he confirms that this nose up shot is specific to the closer approach shots (about 150’ and in).

“When you move out,” he explains, “and you start feeling uncomfortable with that nose up, stop doing it.” He re-emphasizes, however, that he “really highly suggest[s] it,” for those closer approaches.

So, how do you keep your nose up on an approach you ask? Paul’s got you covered!

Ulibarri Nose Up Approach Tip – Keep Your Wrist Above Your Elbow!

“What that does is it forces you to get the nose up,” he explains.

With your wrist above your elbow, he demonstrates, it’s impossible to throw the disc without getting the nose up.

Now, with these tips, Ulibarri tells us we are ready to throw the shot. He reviews his previous tips (athletic position, eye on the target, and disc nose up) before adding one more into the mix!

Ulibarri Approach Tip #4 – Be Sure to Follow Through!

“Now in order to throw any shot [the] most important thing is follow through…” he tells us.

Later in the video, at 5:45, Paul comes across a player that isn’t following through yet.

“When there’s no follow through, it’s all arm,” he informs us. He goes on to elaborate that this can put undue strain on the arm, which can eventually lead to injury.

“Your whole left side of your body needs to come over the top of your right,” he explains as he physically demonstrates it to this player.

Always follow through,” he tells us. Whether it’s a 10-foot putt or a 500-foot drive, we should always be following through on our shots.

A Few More Thoughts Before You Watch!

For a good portion of the video (starting at the 3-minute mark) Ulibarri puts it on the players and has take practice approach shots.

“Now I want you guys to do it,” he says.

As each player in the clinic steps up to try out their shot, a few points jump out to me in the viewing. Look for them yourself as you watch, because I think it will be helpful.

The first thing that jumps out to me is the alignment. In tip #1 Ulibarri mentions lining up parallel to the target.

But, as each player steps up to take the shot, Paul is consistently adjusting many of their shoulders to better align them.

That tells me that the players think they are aligned, but may not actually be.

This is best demonstrated with the 4th player to shoot (the gentleman in the purple shirt at the 3:50 mark). This player will take 3 shots. In the first two, watch the alignment of his shoulders and where the shot goes.

Then, on the third shot, Ulibarri physically adjusts his shoulders, and the shot goes right on target!

Bringing it to our own games, if your shot is going off the line that you were aiming for, it’s probably worthwhile to take a moment and film yourself to see if you have an alignment issue like this player did.

We’ll come across other points of emphasis while watching the players throw (like the importance of follow through) but at the 5-minute mark, Ulibarri drops another nugget for us.

Ulibarri Approach Tip #5 – Before any event (or round), Play Catch!

“If you play catch from 100 feet and in before every round, those strokes are going to disappear,” he explains.

“Cuz it’s practice, and it’s fun practice. How often do you get to play disc golf and you get it thrown back to you?” he speculates. “Right?” he finishes.

As usual, you’re very right indeed Paul!

Finally, at the 7:45 mark, one player asks Ulibarri about grip and he weighs in with his last tip…

Ulibarri Approach Tip on Grip – Do What Works for You!

He explains that he was told many times that fan grip is best for approaches.

But then he watched McBeth win multiple World Titles in a row using a power grip approach.

Shortly after, he decided to switch back to the power grip himself for his approaches, because that is what he preferred all along.

Rather than force the fan grip, because he was told it’s better, he went with what he felt most confident with (hence his tip).

He notes that a lot of his fellow pros use power grip for the approach, while others use the fan grip.

What it boils down to, he opines, is picking a grip that you feel comfortable, confident and consistent with.

“Put it in your hand, [and] the way your hand naturally goes around the disc,” he says, “that’s your natural throw, and I say stick with that.”

Now, let’s synthesize all Ulibarri’s advice by watching him run his clinic below. Afterwards, be sure to practice these tips and apply them to your own games!

Disc Golf Approach Shots – In Summary

That was certainly a lot of information!

Approach shots are so important, however, that we feel it’s absolutely worth it.

Here’s a quick run-down on the tips we covered in this post regarding approach shots.

Tip #1 – Aim to land your disc in a 25 foot radius circle (instead of always aiming to park it).
Tip #2 – Keep your eye on the target while you throw (especially with backhands).
Tip #3 – For Forehands, use your typical forehand “stack” grip for approach shots.
Tip #4 – Keep your shoulders, body and feet lined up parallel to the line you want your forehand shot to follow.
Tip #3 for Forehands – Keep your palm and forearm pointed towards the sky throughout the entire shot.

Go out and practice those and see how they feel! Then come back and look at some of Paul Ulibarri’s tips on the 100-foot approach shot.

Here those are as well…

Tip #1 – Get into an athletic position.
Tip #2 – Keep your eye on the target.
Tip #3 – Get the nose up on your disc by keeping your wrist above your elbow.
Tip #4 – Be Sure to follow through!
Tip #5 – Before any event (or round), play catch!
Tip on Grip – Do what works for you!

There you have it folks! Those are some great tips on approach shots from some of the top experts in the game!

We hope that you find them to be useful, and that they take some serious strokes off your scores.

Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Which tips did you find most useful? Which tips do you plan to use right away?

Are there other tips you find helpful for disc golf approach shots?

Tell us about it all in the comments below!

Disc Golf Tips

Disc Golf Tips on Accuracy

February 1, 2023 Mister Disc One comment

This post on accuracy in disc golf, is the first post in a series designed to optimize your opportunities to absorb and learn the content that will elevate your game. This series will have tips clearly laid out for you in writing which will then be reinforced with videos by professional disc golfers. Read, watch, practice, and improve! Let’s begin!

If you are reading this post, I applaud you. You are serious about taking your game to the next level!

We all love the distance (and don’t worry, we got you there too!).

But the last time I checked, the object of the game was to get the disc into the basket in the fewest strokes possible.

And how much good is that 475 foot bomb going to do, if you smack a tree 50 feet in front of you and send it careening off into the bowels of the woods? Not so much help there…

Same thing if you throw that 475’ shot out of bounds, or 150 feet off line. That’s no good either.

No, if you’re serious about low scores, then throwing your discs accurately is what’s going to get you there. Then, once we’ve got a firm handle on accuracy, we’ll add that distance in. Then, you’ll be a true force to be reckoned with!

So let’s get going and start getting you that pinpoint accuracy to drop your scores.

This post will give you videos AND lay out the written highlights for you to review. That way you can be sure you’re downloading these lessons into your brain and carrying them with you onto the course… Let’s get started!

In our first video on accuracy, we meet one of disc golf’s rising stars in Cole Redalen.

Cole starts us off by highlighting the importance of accuracy to scoring those birdies. (Like I said, you’re in the right place!).

As you’ll see in the video he is working on a straight shot in a direct line with the basket. For this shot he is using a neutral putter. This brings him to his first tip for accuracy.

Accuracy Tip #1 – Make your walk-up be in a straight line with the direction of your release.

For a straight shot, you want to be moving your body along that straight line to the target. That means your walk up, and X-step are all along that same straight line.

If you are throwing a hyzer line, you’ll be going diagonal from the back left of the tee box to the front right (for RHBH). And the opposite is true for an analyzer line (Back right of teebox to front left for RHBH).

But really, it all boils down to one thing: Make your walk-up be in a straight line with the direction of your release!

Cole does a good job of demonstrating this tip before getting to his second tip on accurate shots.

Accuracy Tip #2 – On your reach back and follow through, keep your disc in a straight line with the basket.

After Cole shows you two examples of his pure form, throwing the disc straight and true, he goes on to emphasize this second tip on accuracy. He also gives a helpful visual on what not to do (note: this is a prime visual example of that dreaded term we call “rounding”) and shows how problematic it can be for accurate shots.

Logically, it makes sense. If you want your disc to follow a straight line to the basket, you should keep it on that very same straight line the whole time.

Otherwise, If you pull it back behind you and off that line, it is going to be far more difficult to release at the precise time that will get it heading towards your intended target.

Now that you’ve read up on these two tips, have a look at Cole’s explanations and let it crystallize in your mind!

Those two tips should help tremendously. But there’s more information to be had!

In our next video, there is a very important tip that is closely related to the previous two tips.

It has to do with foot placement so you can ensure that you won’t round and will be able to keep that disc on a straight line as you pull through towards the basket.

In this video Eric Oakley talks about 3 things that all pros are doing on tour. The first “thing” leads us to our third accuracy tip.

Accuracy Tip #3 – Do NOT keep your feet parallel to the line to the basket.

As you watch the video (this tip starts at the 4:30 mark) it all makes sense. If your feet are in a parallel line with the basket, then when you reach back, your body will be in the way of that straight line you want to pull through on (tip #2). This leads you to twist and contort during your shot and seriously hampers the likelihood you’ll keep that disc on your intended line.

Instead, Oakley explains, put your front foot forward. This allows you to create space for your disc to go back and follow through on that line to the target.

Watch the whole video, because it’s helpful (and funny!), but if you want get right to the spot where tip #3 resides, start watching at the 4:30 mark.

We’ve got one more tip for you on disc golf accuracy, but I don’t want you to worry about holding it all in! We’ll be sure to review all the highlights at the end of the post for you as well… For now let’s check out this last tip for you to take with you!

Another video that is going to help you with your accuracy (and distance) helps stress the importance of your follow-through.

In this video, Infinite Discs sponsored pro, Eric Oakley, really stresses the importance of follow-through for effective backhand driving accuracy (and distance).

At the start of the video, Oakley gives a nod to pro legend JohnE McCray, whose very deliberate follow through helps demonstrate its importance to accuracy and distance. This brings us to our next tip.

Accuracy Tip #4 – Keep your follow-through continuing forward on the same line as your pull-through.

When you are practicing this tip, play around with really exaggerating the straight-line follow through. In this way you can find the amount that works best for you in your new and improved form.

Some of you may be wondering: How does this help with power as well as accuracy?

As it turns out, this tip has multiple benefits because it adds power to your form as well.

Eric Oakley explains how by saying, “it really takes all of my momentum and puts it into the disc…”

Now, watch Eric Oakley for yourself and see how keeping that follow-through in line with your pull-through will keep those shots accurate, with an added boost of power as well!

Disc Golf Accuracy – In Summary

As we said at the start, accuracy is an oft-overlooked, but absolutely crucial part of any complete player’s disc golf game. With so many obstacles on the course, how could it not be?

And while most players are looking to add that coveted power, you’re here and looking to drop your scores. Well played.

Thinking about it further, this is a far more logical sequence to follow. Once you have the accuracy, then you can focus on adding distance. The reverse just leads to bad form and more headaches.

So, let’s quickly review our tips on disc golf accuracy. Then, you can feel confident hitting those tight lines the next time you’re on the course.

Disc Golf Accuracy Tips:

Tip #1 – Make sure your walk up is in a straight line to the basket.
Tip #2 – On your reach back and follow through, keep your disc in a straight line with the basket.
Tip #3 – Do NOT keep your feet parallel to the line to the basket. (Instead, have your front foot staggered out in front or forward).
Tip #4 – Keep your Follow-Through continuing forward on the same line as your pull through.

There you have it folks! Combined with practice, those tips are sure to help you navigate past trees, through mandos and around any other obstacles that are constants in our beautiful game!

If you need a refresher on any of these tips, be sure to come back to this post and reread/re-watch the content any time!

Also, we want to know your thoughts, so be sure to comment on this post as well.

Were there any tips that you found helpful or new to you? Are there other tips you find helpful for your own disc golf accuracy? Did any of these tips result in some tighter lines for you on the course?

Be sure to let us know this and more in the comments!

Disc Golf Tips

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