Disc golf is a challenging and rewarding sport that requires a combination of physical and mental skills. As a disc golf player, you must know that practice is essential to improve your game! In this blog post, we'll explore some advanced training techniques that can help you bring your disc golf game to the next level. From building endurance and power to improving accuracy and consistency, this blog will cover everything you need to know to become a more skilled and competitive disc golfer. If you're serious about becoming a better disc golfer, you need to be willing to put in the work and make the effort to improve your skills. The advanced training techniques we'll discuss in this blog post are designed to help you do just that. By incorporating these techniques into your training routine, you'll be able to take your disc golf game to the next level and start seeing real results on the course.
Physical preparation
Disc golf disc throws use multiple muscle groups at the same time and if you want to improve your game, you must work on all of them. Some of the most important muscle groups include shoulders, back, chest, arms and core. Below you will find more about each of the muscle groups and how to work on them without going to a gym.
Shoulders, chest and arms
These three muscle groups are in charge of throwing motion and provide stability. Furthermore the strength of your biceps and triceps will take a role in the amount of power that you can put into your disc golf disc throw. Here’s 3 exercises that can be useful to train these muscle groups.
Pull-ups
Grab a pull-up bar with your palms facing away from your body, and hang from the bar. Pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar, then lower yourself back down. Repeat for desired reps.
Dips
Use parallel bars or the edge of a bench for this exercise. Start by sitting on the edge of the bench, then place your hands next to your hips and lift yourself off the bench. Lower your body by bending your elbows, then push back up to the starting position. Repeat for desired reps.
Push-ups
Start in a plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your core tight. Lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, then push back up to the starting position. Repeat for desired reps
Â
Back
The latissimus dorsi, or lats, and the trapezius muscles are used to generate power and support the throwing motion. Here are 3 exercises that will help you train these muscles.
Alternating bring backs
In this exercise you use bodyweight to train your lat muscles. To do this exercise, you should lay on your stomach and start the exercise by bringing your elbow up and back as far as you can, then pausing and slowly returning your arm back in front. Then do it with other arm and continue switching arms for the desired number of reps.
Belly penguins
As the name of the exercise suggests, you will once again lay on your stomach to do this exercise. Start by lifting your chest off from the ground with your arms by your side and then try to reach down to your right side as much as you can and then back. Then do the same to the left side and back again. Keep doing this for the desired number of reps.
Reverse snow angels
And the last exercise we would suggest you do is reverse snow angels. To do this exercise, lay on your stomach once again. Start by putting your arms in front of and then pick your shoulders up from the ground and move your arms up and down to the side of your body. Keep doing this exercise for the desired number of reps.
Core
The abdominal and oblique muscles are used to stabilize the trunk and transfer power from the lower body to the upper body.
Bicycle crunch
Start in the crunch position with your hands behind your head so that your elbows are bent. Start bicycle crunches by bringing your left elbow to your right knee and then crunch back and bring your right elbow to your left knee. Repeat the process for desired reps.
Â
Heel taps
Lie on your back and put your feet flat on the ground so that your knees are bent and facing the sky. With your hands by your sides try to reach your right ankle with your right hand. Then move back to the starting position and bend to the left trying to touch your left ankle with your left hand. After that, bend back to the starting position and continue this exercise for the desired reps.
Â
Planking
Additionally, we suggest you do regular planking to strengthen your whole core. Imagine a press-up position, just instead of putting your palms on the ground, put your forearms on the ground with clenched fists. Hold for the desired time and then rest and repeat.
Â
Endurance
Another important thing disc golf players have to take into the account is endurance. You have to be able to play the course and sometimes it gets rough and physically challenging. To train your endurance you can go out for running. But we have something better for you. We have found that running through the disc golf course can be an effective way to get yourself through the course faster by combining running and playing the game itself. Just bring a single disc with you and play the course with it. Once you make a throw, run to the spot where the disc landed and repeat until you have run through the whole course. This will not only benefit you by training your endurance, but will additionally help you find out the full potential of the disc you choose to take with you, as you will have to improvise different throws with it for the various landing spots you will end up at.
Improving Accuracy and Consistency
The maximum distance and your record on the course means nothing if you can not do it consistently. A successful disc golf round requires precision in both accuracy and consistency. Inaccurate throws will result in lost strokes and will make it difficult to successfully navigate the course, while inconsistent throws can make it hard to predict the flight path of the disc. We have made a list of different exercises that can help you to improve your accuracy and consistency on the course.
Target Throwing
Set up a target such as a basket or a larger object so you can see it easily in the distance. Practice throwing the disc to the target. Start from a closer range and work your way up. This will help you to focus on accuracy and hitting your target.
Consistency Check
In this exercise you need to set up multiple targets with different distances and try to hit them in succession to train your consistency and accuracy.
Form focus
This exercise is meant to help you with your form. Record yourself throwing a disc and then review the footage to see where you can improve your form. This exercise will help you to focus on the specific mechanics of your throwing motion and make necessary adjustments to make it better and more consistent.
Distance control
This exercise is meant to help you control your distance for the throws. Do it correctly, you will need to set up a target at a specific distance and practice making throws that land close to the target. This will help you to be more confident in different ranges on the course.
Field practice
The weather conditions will not always be sunny when you play. And you have to get ready for all sorts of conditions to keep your game consistent. This exercise is quite simple - just take your bag of discs and go out doing other exercises in different conditions - be it a little rainy or windy. It will help you to stay on track while other players might get surprised by a sudden change in weather.
Developing Mental Toughness
The mental toughness has a crucial part in the disc golf players game and results. Mental toughness involves the ability to handle pressure, overcome obstacles, and maintain focus and consistency in the face of adversity.
Tricks that can be used to improve mental toughness
To improve their mental toughness, disc golf players can try out such strategies as visualization, positive self-talk and goal setting. Visualization involves creating mental images of yourself successfully completing different shots and scenarios on the course. Positive self-talk involves talking to yourself in a positive and confident manner, which can help boost your self-esteem and confidence. Setting clear, specific and realistic goals can also help to focus the mind on what needs to be accomplished.
Staying Mentally Focused during Tournaments and Competitive Games
But when it comes to tournaments, there can be additional strategies to keep you mentally focused in competition. This can involve setting aside time for relaxation and visualization before the game, avoiding distractions, and focusing on the task at hand. It's also important to keep a positive attitude, focus on the process and not the outcome, and to always stay present in the moment.
Conclusion
Getting good at disc golf involves multiple moving parts like physique and mental toughness. Improving your physical skills is essential for achieving success on the course, and requires a commitment to training and practice. From building endurance and power to improving consistency and accuracy, exercises in this blog should be enough for you to start improving your disc golf experience. Whether you are just starting out or already working hard on improving your disc golf game, implementing these exercises in your disc golf practices will make you advance to the next level. Remember that developing your mental toughness is also essential to improve your game and to be able to manage the pressure of tournaments and competitive games. With dedication and effort, you can take your disc golf game to the next level and achieve your goals.