If you’re new to the game of disc golf or want to improve, you might be wondering how to extend your throwing range. While there are various methods to do this, mastering increase arm speed techniques is a crucial component of the equation. In any sport, both seasoned athletes and amateurs aim to get better. Additionally, there are other components to developing oneself in any activity, including speed, strength, technique, and form. Both of those elements are relevant to disc golf. How to boost arm speed, though, is perhaps one of the game’s least-known mechanics.
I will go over arm speed in this post and why it matters in disc golf.
Your throwing distance can be increased by speeding up your arms. After all, the faster your arm moves, the quicker the disc will lift from your grasp. As a result, the disc will have more momentum and spin, both of which contribute to a longer distance.
What Does Disc Golf’s Arm Speed Mean?
When I first started playing disc golf, my first thought was always how quickly the disc moves when I heard the word “speed.” I had no idea that there was another speed that was important in the game: arm speed.
When I toss the disc, my arm crosses my body at a pace determined by my arm speed. The more power I put behind the disc, the farther it travels. I can throw farther if my arm pulls through the pull more quickly. Greater flying lengths are only possible with faster arm speed, which also contributes to the disc’s momentum and spin.
Generally speaking, the greatest strategy to get the longest, quickest, and most stable disc flight is to maximize both arm and disc speed. But there isn’t much I can do about it because the speed of a disc is mostly governed by its speed rating. However, I have perfect control over how fast my arms move. There is also a means for me to enhance my arm speed.
Increase Arm Speed: How Do You Do It?
I’m glad you wondered! The following are the greatest techniques for increasing arm speed:
- Ensure appropriate foot alignment and hip action.
- Turn your shoulders completely around in your reach-back.
- Maintain composure
- Strengthening your back muscles and core
In order to improve your arm speed, you need to know not only what to work on but also how to concentrate on those important areas. I’ll go through each in more depth below so you can see precisely how to make improvements. Do this now!
Activate Your Hips
Even though it may sound strange to talk about using your lower body to quicken your arms, throwing a disc effectively involves more than just the upper body. Your hips, core, and legs provide the majority of the force for a throw. Your body may generate greater force behind a throw by using these strong muscle groups.
Try loading your hips, which involves moving your weight from your back legs or hips to the front during the throw, to activate your hips. Get low and knelt down. Your hips are seen as being in a closed position once they are loaded (that is, your hips are more perpendicular to the throw than facing it). Your hips are not fully loaded or open until they are facing the throw direction, at which point the kinetic energy is released. Your upper body is forced to move towards the intended target as a result of this hip swivel, which causes your arm to become a whip.
Turn your shoulders
To extend your throw, whether you start with a forehand or a backhand, you must rotate your shoulders. Your upper body is further exercised by moving your shoulders after your hips are loaded. Keep in mind that these movements are complementary rather than occurring simultaneously. Actually, the hips and core contributor to the shoulders’ throwing power.
As you draw the disc back, rotate your shoulders in the direction of your back leg. Ensure that your shoulders are level and “actively” relaxed; they should not be tight or shrugged. To gain an extra bit of windup deliciousness as you continue the reach-back, move your head toward your back leg and away from the target. Throughout this action, your disc should be level and parallel to the floor. As you are ready for the pull-through, completely extend your arm.
Rounding is a prevalent problem in disc golf and must be quickly discussed before moving on since it may completely ruin a throw’s power and distance. When the body of the player is between the disc and the target, it occurs. When the shoulders rotate too soon, the lead shoulder closes in tightly to the body, causing the disc to follow a curved or round path. Click here for a full look at how to avoid rounding. Finding the rhythm that works for you and your throw requires practice since timing is key in this situation.
Perfectly follow through
You’ve loaded your hips, twisted your shoulders, and completely extended your throwing arm away from the target. Applying both rotational and linear force—the latter of which is known in disc golf as the “pull through”—is essential to maximizing the power behind a throw. It starts with drawing the disc directly in front of your chest and consists of many precisely timed motions after that. When moving the disc toward the release point, it should ideally be slightly below your pecs or chest area. To maximize the force of this action, your elbow must be bent 90 degrees.
When thrown correctly, the disc will experience simultaneous rotational and linear forces that will cause it to accelerate more quickly, increase its speed, and eventually increase its distance traveled.
Boost Your Lats and Core Strength
Given how much has been said about using the upper and lower bodies to boost arm speed, it should come as no surprise that building strength in certain muscle areas may help one develop throwing power. Although disc golf involves the entire body, from the head to the feet, the core and lats play a major role in the game. Your core, which consists of your abdominal and oblique muscles, is what allows your body to rotate. The biggest muscle in the upper body, the latissimus dorsi starts at the base of the shoulder blade, reaches out to the sides, and terminates at the lower back.
Planks, crunch bicycles, ab crunches, and oblique crunches are all great exercises to improve your core. Other excellent methods for strengthening the core include yoga and pilates. Try performing dumbbell rows, dumbbell pullovers, and pull-ups/chin-ups to develop your lats. Your arm speed will grow as you gradually add more weight to your exercises, but you may achieve the same result without them. For instance, using resistance bands at home to perform the lat pull simulates using a machine at the gym.
You’re putting yourself in a position to avoid serious injuries by exercising and training consistently (remember to stretch before and after exercises!). In disc golf, longer, harder, and more accurate throws are a direct result of having stronger muscles.
Conclusion
I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the techniques for boosting arm speed. I assumed the throwing arm would be the main point of interest. But the entire body contributes to the force of a solid disc golf throw. I was able to boost my arm speed by first learning how to engage my hips, twist my shoulder, and go through the appropriate throwing action. My body feels like a whip. The action from one end is significantly slower than the motion from the other end, which is forceful a
