Q: I've been playing for a few years now and I constantly try to get better. I drive RHBH and over the past 2 months, I've been turning over my drives, (discs immediately leave my hand understable) and it's DRIVIN' me nuts! I've been using mostly Beasts, Firebird-L, Eagles, and Wraiths as my main drivers for the last year or 2 with consistent results. My friends say I must have changed my delivery, my angle of release, dipping my shoulder, ect... but I am sure my release is the same. I have recently been trying more overstable discs like the Avenger, the Max, and the Teerex, and the understability issue is lessened, but I don't get the distance I used to with my Beast or Wraith, (with these I could consistently reach 350 ft., I can get the Teerex up to about 320). I have always liked the feel of discs in the 168-171 weight range, do I need to up the weight on my favorite discs, forget about my old discs and move up to more overstable discs, adjust my delivery, change my angle of release, or just start rollin every drive!!!???? I'd love some advise.

A: The answer to your question touches on many fundamentals of the game, Let's review these first. Then we'll attempt to tackle your specific problem.

If everything else is equal:

Lighter discs not only fly farther, they're more understable. The faster you throw, the more to the right your disc will fly (for righty backhanders) The more worn your disc is the more understable it will fly.

The good news is that you're almost certainly throwing harder, which makes your drives turn over even more. You can always compensate for too much turn by throwing more overstable discs, heavier discs and newer discs. But compensating in any of these ways ignores the root of your problem, which in your case lies in your follow-through.

An easy way to gauge your follow-through - which is closely related to your angle of release - is through the position of your thumb right after you throw. For a righty backhander, if your thumb is pointing all the way over to the right with the palm up, you're getting "over" on your disc for an anhyzer release. This sounds like what you're doing. On the other extreme, if your thumb is pointing straight down, your disc is hyzering out left. Beginners do this all the time.

The ability to change our follow through is what separates the great players from the rest of us goofballs. Great players make small adjustments along the throwing dial between anhyzer (thumb pointing all the way over to the right) and hyzer (thumb pointing down). And one of the major points along this dial is finishing with your thumb pointing straight up upon release for a flat, straight drive.

My advice is two-fold. One, go out to a field with your drivers and practice throwing with various angles of release. If you're persistent you'll soon master the various drives - hyzer, flat and anhyzer - as well as how to make small adjustments in between. Two, bring a friend to videotape your throwing motion, paying particular attention to where your thumb is pointing after the disc leaves your hand.

Seeing yourself throwing will tell you more about your game than reading about it online or listening to the criticisms of your playing buddies. And if you're like me - and pretty much every other player we've ever filmed - you'll get a good laugh at how you really look in action. You'll also immediately see what you're doing wrong.

Sincerely,

Torque Novitski, Marshall Street