Form Tips, but Not for Distance.
I'm at a point in my game where I'm mostly getting the distance I need, but I'm trying to get more reliable at hitting lines. I started looking at the form of the top players, past and present to see if I could find patterns from players who are better in the woods, or who have more repeatable lines, and I'm having a hard time seeing anything in common.
Here are a few examples:
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Calvin is probably the most consistent player this year, but his throwing form is jerky. While it has elements needed for power, his footwork (ankle roll) and upper body I would never point someone toward to learn from.
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Isaac Robinson, who looked like he never missed a line at worlds, has a funky snap-back, which flies in the face of the "reduce unnecessary movement" for more accurate throws. He's also not the farthest thrower for his size, just hits his lines all the time.
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Ricky Wysocki, who has had the most dominant season in recent memory (2022), has tweaked his form and it looks closer to what I would consider "pure" form than most top pros, but still has some elements that just look weird. He has tons of power (more than Calvin, I would argue) and is pretty consistent.
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Simon Lizotte has the cleanest form of any pro. He's smooth, has (and to a greater extent, had) lots of power, and it looks effortless. However, he's not the most consistent high level player, and I'm left to wonder whether that's strictly mental, or if it is something mechanical. I would say his upper body is perfect, but his tiptoe lower body is different than a typical x-step.
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Paul, obviously has had the longest streak of consistency and power of any player in the last two decades. However, his swing-back looks a lot like rounding, and again, isn't the kind of form you would push people to mimic. Is it his body positioning that makes him so consistent?
So what are the elements of a repeatable drive? Does throwing form matter as much as simple body positioning and being comfortable with any throwing form? Is it just raw practice and knowing how each throw feels and where it's going? A guy like James Conrad is great in the woods, and conventional wisdom would say that his long runup would have a greater tendency to have problems. Is this even true?
Anyone have thoughts on this?
Posted Oct 15, 2023, 5:08 PM UTC