If you want to play disc golf at the top of your game it is important that you perfect the backhand drive. There are very few good players who are not backhand dominant from the tee box. There are 6 parts to a backhand drive, they are grip, stance, reach back, pull through, footwork and follow through.
There is not much disagreement that the best grip for a good backhand drive is some variation of the power grip. There are several variations on the power grip that the top pro’s use, but they are still a power grip. If you are not using a power grip on your drives, watch this video by Dave Feldberg and learn to use the power grip for your backhand drives.
When talking about stance, I am referring to your disc golf stance at the point of release of the disc. For most shots you want to have your feet facing perpendicular to the target and your front shoulder pointing at the spot that you want the disc to start to fade at the end of the flight.
The reach back is one of the keys to power on your drive. From this point forward smooth and controled is critical to a long controlled drive. You want to reach back as far as you can while staying balanced and in control of your body. Turn your head and shoulders back to increase reach back. Your weight should be mostly on your back foot at this point.
Getting from the reach back point to the pull through in the backhand drive is probably the hardest part to synchronize your movement while staying balanced. You want to start the turn with your head, shoulders and hips. As you turn your arm will be pulled forward, keep the disc close to your chest as it comes forward, when the disc gets to your shoulder you need to snap the disc and accelerate the disc. At the point of release you want your weight to be shifted to the front leg.
The run up for a backhand drive should be started with one step and progresses to 2 steps, then learn the X step to add more distance and power.
The final part of the backhand drive is the follow through; it consists of allowing a smooth and natural extension of the movement you completed in the pull through.
Watch the video links and watch the video at the end by Minnesota local disc golfer Dan Beto and work on the steps in pieces, don’t try to change everything at one time. Remember that smooth and controlled will get you the most distance and the most accuracy. Check out Disc Golf News for all news disc golf everyday.
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Comments
Very informative artice - excellent video.
Ok I dig! Im going to try this asap!
Thanks! I'll be looking for the forehand drive next.
I know so little about this sport, but I am going to attempt some of these techniques.
Good information. I need to practice.
Watching the folks do this in my skiing area will never be the same
I'm new to disc golf. This article is awesome! Thank you!
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