When it was observed that my forefinger sat 'off the rim' and was corrected, it was very uncomfortable and my grip was an iron vise. However, my first throws with the 'new' grip proved to all of us playing that round that it was the right way to go. I got the nose down and distance increased immediately. Now that I find it more comfortable, I have managed to slightly loosen the power grip and I get the sensation of the disc rolling out of my hand and consistency of the release point has also increased. So, listen to Scott and do whatever it takes to get four fingers firmly up against the inside of the rim and the thumb pressed in to the edge of the flight plate. You'll probably start throwing it into the ground early because you've been used to throwing nose up. Lower the reach back, and ta-da!
I genuinely thought I was going insane. I have massive hands (looks the same as you, lanky fingers 😂) and I couldn't get a standard power grip to feel quite right. I thought having bigger hands would make it "easier" but seeing the pinch grip, and trying it now, has been a MASSIVE game changer.
I’ve never understood why the power grip doesn’t work for me. At 6’4” I absolutely have the same issue as you, just not to the same degree I would imagine. I’ve thrown pinch grip the entire time I’ve played disc golf because it just felt right. I also just realised that I only grip with 3 fingers, due to the position my other fingers default to to get the best grip. Very helpful video to bring awareness to grip.
Scott, quite a few years ago you did a quick hour clinic at Sims Park in Euclid, Ohio and that will always be the lesson that changed my game forever. Thank you! And thanks for signing my random disc at that time as well.
I struggle constantly with grip. I like the point you made about tucking it tightly into the palm of the hand as an anchor point thereby eliminating variables.
Hi, I just watched your video, I thought it was great. I just started playing Disc Golf a year ago. My hands are LG and after years of floorcoving (also 64 ys old) I use a 3 finger grip. After all those years of hard work with my hands my three fingers are probably as strong as some people's four fingers.
6'7"! I look forward to looking up to you when you grace our shores in NZ, Scott! I am just a tiddler at 6'0". Further to the disc golf grip: One ultra-important rule you didn't mention is that when you have formed your grip, your index knuckle must be ABOVE the parting line of the disc. If that knuckle is below the parting line, then the vast majority of men do not possess enough ulnar deviation to flatten the disc, and all throws will be nose up.
So i just started 2 months ago and I just cant get anything outside of one finger below, I call it like a pencil grip because it feels like I am holding a pencil in a way... I mean.. is this going to hurt me in the future should I force to get comfortable with more? Bare-in-mind I am a climber and a golfer as well so my grip strength is extremely high
Hi Scott. I just finished this years first round and lets be honest, discs were flying all over the place 😆. Im also 6'6 with long thin hands. I will try to move my mind out of the powergrip and perhaps also griplocks. Thanks for a great video (even if its "old") 👍
As a player who started out flicking, then moving to backhand then having a game threatening injury “breaking my ring finger on my dominant hand+ rupturing 2 collateral ligaments in the same finger” have adapted to a pointer finger, middle finger, pinky finger full friction grip. To most in leagues I play with, have absolutely no idea how I crush 400 with the grip I have adapted to after the injury. “I was throwing 400 accurately with 4 fingers” all im saying is, this is a great video but comfort=execution. The power pocket is real, and you can hold a disc with 2 fingers on a back hand and rip it as long as your form is right. Watch Gannon Burr put out a great video on the power pocket. Give it a watch and look at his grip.
Its gives me so much to think about and use to break past the point of where im at and start shaping things to what is comfortable and works for me. Using power grip is uncomfortable with 4 maybe ill use 3 and see if its the pinky or pointer that needs movin and try the pinch grip i dont think i have ever held a backhand drive like that
Well i also have big ole hands and the power grip does not work well for me. Going to try the pinch grip. Just holding and practice throwing in the house it seems to feel better. Hope it works!
I'd love to see what's going on when released.For whatever reason I'm still stuck at 300ft and try different grips and the actual science of the release is never talked about,what goes on with a perfect release???
Another solid and clear lesson, Scott. Thanks. If you haven't yet, could you do a video that clearly explains "nose down"? Because I've been playing for over ten years and just don't get it. I understand nose-up. I understand flat and its relationship to elevation changes. But, other than nose-down push putting like Ricky and Nikko, I don't understand in the context of a full throw. Thanks for the lessons!
Yep I agree 100% asSome players have hands small enough like me where the pinky finger will not touch the disc but 3-4 fingers is best like you said. Other advice is also sound, The fully having disc in the hand, and the thumb placement, the grip types. I use a Power slant grip for all full on Distance shots as I have small hands and a true power grip is never going to work as I feel then the disc is too locked into my hand where grip lock in then the issue.
I've recently started doing a weird thing where I start the throw with four fingers then as I'm completing my pull, I shift to two fingers and it's making my drives fly way straighter and more consistently. Maybe going a little less far but staying on the fairway.
Hey Scott! What I would love to see addressed is something I heard right after I started playing less than a year ago. That is, let the disc tear itself from your grip as opposed to actively releasing it. More specifically, would this apply to an older, noodle armed player like me. PEACE!
That would hold true more for a fan/pinch grip. That's where you hear the 'snap.' It's kinda hard to do with a power grip, where you have to 'release' the disc more than having it slip out at the end of the throw. I have HUGE hands, but fairly short fingers, so a power grip is a no-go for me; unless I want to play the next fairway over, 90 degrees to my right. The grip has a lot to do with the angle of the disc, also. Try both grips and notice how much more hyzer the disc has with a fan grip. Release a disc 'flat' with a fan grip and then try a power grip. At the same perceived release angle, the power grip is going to come out with less hyzer. I think the reason a lot of lower arm speed players use a power grip is to compensate for the majorly overstable, high-speed discs that so many people use. It's a lot easier to 'force over' a disc to anhyzer with a power grip.
I have opposite, if i powergrip, disc is way more hyzer angle than when i i fangrip. 🤔🤔 Actually almost impossible to get anhyzer angle with powergrip, assume u now how to push disc nose down with your wrist.
Placement of Thumb...."Rule of Thumb?". 4 finger grip=grip lock, for me. They say if you pull through correctly, you can't hang on to the disc. That rule does nit work for me. I use a putter like, fan grip. Oh, I'm 73 and throw fairly consistently out to 180'.
What's weird is I use a pinch or a power grip, depends entirely on how wide the rim is. Know I know what to call them! Thanks for this video, it's gonna help me teach my friends :)
I have thought about 1 thing about my grip for a while now, i can’t seem to understand if i should be having a really loose and relaxed grip or a stiff were i really hold the disc. When i warmup without a disc and only use my hand i keep it relaxed and i feel the blood pressure on my fingertips, but when i keep my hand as how i would grip a disc quite firm i don’t get that feeling of pressure. Is it a correct answer to this or is it just individuell? Because i feel like if i hold the disc like i didn’t have it in my hand i lose power but if i hold it with pressure it also feels like i’m losing power..
@@ScottStokelyDG Okey thank you for the answer Scott! The thing with pressure on my fingertips when i'm loose in my hand, should i just ignore that? ive watched your videos and when you talked about the snap you said that it's supposed to feel like pressure in the tip of your finger. Do you achieve that feeling with a firm grip?
I haven't ever been able to throw a power grip worth a crap. I hear this stuff about the disc ripping off your fingers and I dont think my fingers are weak enough to allow that to happen at an arm speed I can produce, if that makes sense. I grip lock it every single time for 20 years. Im just now taking this seriously, it was just a passtime most of those years, but I'd like to get good enough to join a league so I can make some friends and compete. I still have yet to find anything really explaining release thoroughly
Thanks for the great tips! Quick question: Is there anything wrong with letting the index finger hug along the outside rim of the disc? I find that to be a default of mine, but don't seem to see anyone else do this.
Doing this myself and trying to better my game by learning the "correct" way. I still can get a pretty good distance but I feel like learning the 4 finger powergrip will be better in the long run.
@@Girigo94 I agree, just recently started to use a more traditional grip for drives by moving my intex finger down and gripping with the rest of my fingers - pinkie . Definitely takes some getting used to but found where you lose some accuracy (especially as you adapt to the grip), you make up in range.
Grip is definitely a part of the game where there is not a universal answer. If at all possible there are rules but variants have to be allowed because no two hands are identical.
I’m hoping someone can explain the logic or physics behind this idea. Your fingers are simply holding onto the disc to pull it forward. The power comes from other things. Is it that you might lose grip and have your fingers come off and not transfer all of that force? If our discs didn’t have lips, I could understand that scenario. It seems to me that having a smaller and more toward the edge hold would impart more spin. I picture my pinky and extra fingers causing drag as the disc leaves my hand.
I actually almost just quit the sport, when I saw someone tattooed "disk golf" on their knuckles. I'll continue playing, but I don't think I can continue watching this. 👊🏻😆
Ive watched a few of Scotts vids now. Everything he teaches feels so awkward. Especially his forehand technique about ripped my shoulder off the way he does it. He is a huge guy and his mechanics are just different from most players i think.
It could be the old story of picking up bad habits from the beginning. Most people wouldn't think of playing ball golf without having some beginner lessons. Unfortunately, a lot of people never get instruction on good technique for disc golf from the get-go. You can always pick and choose little tidbits of info from a lot of different high-caliber players. Everyone is a little bit different, but Scott gives sound advice.
I had no idea I was using a pinch grip. This was illuminating, thank you.
Scott Stokely is the man. His videos pointed out all the mistakes I was making and watching him my game has improved so much!!!
I love the Grym X from Kastaplast!
When it was observed that my forefinger sat 'off the rim' and was corrected, it was very uncomfortable and my grip was an iron vise. However, my first throws with the 'new' grip proved to all of us playing that round that it was the right way to go. I got the nose down and distance increased immediately. Now that I find it more comfortable, I have managed to slightly loosen the power grip and I get the sensation of the disc rolling out of my hand and consistency of the release point has also increased.
So, listen to Scott and do whatever it takes to get four fingers firmly up against the inside of the rim and the thumb pressed in to the edge of the flight plate. You'll probably start throwing it into the ground early because you've been used to throwing nose up. Lower the reach back, and ta-da!
Appreciate your expertise. Getting back into the sport after 15 years and cant wait to improve my game, thanks Scott
I genuinely thought I was going insane. I have massive hands (looks the same as you, lanky fingers 😂) and I couldn't get a standard power grip to feel quite right. I thought having bigger hands would make it "easier" but seeing the pinch grip, and trying it now, has been a MASSIVE game changer.
I’ve never understood why the power grip doesn’t work for me. At 6’4” I absolutely have the same issue as you, just not to the same degree I would imagine. I’ve thrown pinch grip the entire time I’ve played disc golf because it just felt right. I also just realised that I only grip with 3 fingers, due to the position my other fingers default to to get the best grip.
Very helpful video to bring awareness to grip.
Scott, quite a few years ago you did a quick hour clinic at Sims Park in Euclid, Ohio and that will always be the lesson that changed my game forever. Thank you! And thanks for signing my random disc at that time as well.
I struggle constantly with grip. I like the point you made about tucking it tightly into the palm of the hand as an anchor point thereby eliminating variables.
Hi, I just watched your video, I thought it was great. I just started playing Disc Golf a year ago. My hands are LG and after years of floorcoving (also 64 ys old) I use a 3 finger grip. After all those years of hard work with my hands my three fingers are probably as strong as some people's four fingers.
6'7"! I look forward to looking up to you when you grace our shores in NZ, Scott! I am just a tiddler at 6'0".
Further to the disc golf grip: One ultra-important rule you didn't mention is that when you have formed your grip, your index knuckle must be ABOVE the parting line of the disc. If that knuckle is below the parting line, then the vast majority of men do not possess enough ulnar deviation to flatten the disc, and all throws will be nose up.
Can you give some more details.
Which knuckle?
Where is the "parting line"?
So i just started 2 months ago and I just cant get anything outside of one finger below, I call it like a pencil grip because it feels like I am holding a pencil in a way... I mean.. is this going to hurt me in the future should I force to get comfortable with more? Bare-in-mind I am a climber and a golfer as well so my grip strength is extremely high
great intro and thanks for all the tips mr stokley
The pinch grip makes sense to me in terms of a cleaner release. Going to give it a go.
Hi Scott. I just finished this years first round and lets be honest, discs were flying all over the place 😆. Im also 6'6 with long thin hands. I will try to move my mind out of the powergrip and perhaps also griplocks. Thanks for a great video (even if its "old") 👍
Thank you. This video was very helpful.
Excellent job giving guidance and explaining how to start and where to go from there. Thank you.
As a player who started out flicking, then moving to backhand then having a game threatening injury “breaking my ring finger on my dominant hand+ rupturing 2 collateral ligaments in the same finger” have adapted to a pointer finger, middle finger, pinky finger full friction grip. To most in leagues I play with, have absolutely no idea how I crush 400 with the grip I have adapted to after the injury. “I was throwing 400 accurately with 4 fingers” all im saying is, this is a great video but comfort=execution. The power pocket is real, and you can hold a disc with 2 fingers on a back hand and rip it as long as your form is right. Watch Gannon Burr put out a great video on the power pocket. Give it a watch and look at his grip.
Its gives me so much to think about and use to break past the point of where im at and start shaping things to what is comfortable and works for me. Using power grip is uncomfortable with 4 maybe ill use 3 and see if its the pinky or pointer that needs movin and try the pinch grip i dont think i have ever held a backhand drive like that
Another great video.
Well i also have big ole hands and the power grip does not work well for me. Going to try the pinch grip. Just holding and practice throwing in the house it seems to feel better. Hope it works!
Thank you again for a simple and clean explanation of grip(s)! Much appreciate it. ❤️
The pinch grip feels better for me. I also have long narrow fingers and with the power grip the disc dont feel as sturdy in the hand. Thank you Scott
I'd love to see what's going on when released.For whatever reason I'm still stuck at 300ft and try different grips and the actual science of the release is never talked about,what goes on with a perfect release???
Another solid and clear lesson, Scott. Thanks.
If you haven't yet, could you do a video that clearly explains "nose down"? Because I've been playing for over ten years and just don't get it. I understand nose-up. I understand flat and its relationship to elevation changes. But, other than nose-down push putting like Ricky and Nikko, I don't understand in the context of a full throw.
Thanks for the lessons!
HI SCOTT how can i stop showing the flight plate to the camerA?
Yep I agree 100% asSome players have hands small enough like me where the pinky finger will not touch the disc but 3-4 fingers is best like you said. Other advice is also sound, The fully having disc in the hand, and the thumb placement, the grip types. I use a Power slant grip for all full on Distance shots as I have small hands and a true power grip is never going to work as I feel then the disc is too locked into my hand where grip lock in then the issue.
I've recently started doing a weird thing where I start the throw with four fingers then as I'm completing my pull, I shift to two fingers and it's making my drives fly way straighter and more consistently. Maybe going a little less far but staying on the fairway.
Hey Scott! What I would love to see addressed is something I heard right after I started playing less than a year ago. That is, let the disc tear itself from your grip as opposed to actively releasing it. More specifically, would this apply to an older, noodle armed player like me. PEACE!
That would hold true more for a fan/pinch grip. That's where you hear the 'snap.' It's kinda hard to do with a power grip, where you have to 'release' the disc more than having it slip out at the end of the throw. I have HUGE hands, but fairly short fingers, so a power grip is a no-go for me; unless I want to play the next fairway over, 90 degrees to my right. The grip has a lot to do with the angle of the disc, also. Try both grips and notice how much more hyzer the disc has with a fan grip. Release a disc 'flat' with a fan grip and then try a power grip. At the same perceived release angle, the power grip is going to come out with less hyzer. I think the reason a lot of lower arm speed players use a power grip is to compensate for the majorly overstable, high-speed discs that so many people use. It's a lot easier to 'force over' a disc to anhyzer with a power grip.
I have opposite, if i powergrip, disc is way more hyzer angle than when i i fangrip. 🤔🤔 Actually almost impossible to get anhyzer angle with powergrip, assume u now how to push disc nose down with your wrist.
One thing I struggle with is when I have a firm grip I tend to tense my arm during backswing. I believe the goal is firm grip, loose arm?
I’ve had my hand I front if my disc instead of on the side. Nice to know I’ve been doing it wrong for 4 years.
Thanks Coach
Placement of Thumb...."Rule of Thumb?". 4 finger grip=grip lock, for me. They say if you pull through correctly, you can't hang on to the disc. That rule does nit work for me. I use a putter like, fan grip. Oh, I'm 73 and throw fairly consistently out to 180'.
What's weird is I use a pinch or a power grip, depends entirely on how wide the rim is. Know I know what to call them! Thanks for this video, it's gonna help me teach my friends :)
I also have super long fingers and the pinch grip has always felt more comfortable, do you get less power with the pinch grip versus the power grip?
Absolutely, grip is individual. I set multiple World Records with a pinch grip.
Wow, really nice intro
I have thought about 1 thing about my grip for a while now, i can’t seem to understand if i should be having a really loose and relaxed grip or a stiff were i really hold the disc. When i warmup without a disc and only use my hand i keep it relaxed and i feel the blood pressure on my fingertips, but when i keep my hand as how i would grip a disc quite firm i don’t get that feeling of pressure. Is it a correct answer to this or is it just individuell? Because i feel like if i hold the disc like i didn’t have it in my hand i lose power but if i hold it with pressure it also feels like i’m losing power..
There's no way to quantify the firmness of the grip. You definitely want it to be firm. But how firm is completely up to each individual.
@@ScottStokelyDG Okey thank you for the answer Scott! The thing with pressure on my fingertips when i'm loose in my hand, should i just ignore that? ive watched your videos and when you talked about the snap you said that it's supposed to feel like pressure in the tip of your finger. Do you achieve that feeling with a firm grip?
I haven't ever been able to throw a power grip worth a crap. I hear this stuff about the disc ripping off your fingers and I dont think my fingers are weak enough to allow that to happen at an arm speed I can produce, if that makes sense. I grip lock it every single time for 20 years.
Im just now taking this seriously, it was just a passtime most of those years, but I'd like to get good enough to join a league so I can make some friends and compete.
I still have yet to find anything really explaining release thoroughly
My Online Complete Disc Golfer class would definitely fix this for you.
Thanks for the great tips! Quick question: Is there anything wrong with letting the index finger hug along the outside rim of the disc? I find that to be a default of mine, but don't seem to see anyone else do this.
Doing this myself and trying to better my game by learning the "correct" way. I still can get a pretty good distance but I feel like learning the 4 finger powergrip will be better in the long run.
@@Girigo94 I agree, just recently started to use a more traditional grip for drives by moving my intex finger down and gripping with the rest of my fingers - pinkie . Definitely takes some getting used to but found where you lose some accuracy (especially as you adapt to the grip), you make up in range.
I also do this! I feel like I won't have any control with 4 finger power grip.
@@laraabbott143 I felt the same way. Takes some practice and getting used to, but can definitely help especially if you struggle with distance.
All I have to say is stokely is the man. Knows his shit and would like to meet him one day, seems like a cool cat!
This guy is pushing old age and can still throw 600 backhand and 500 forehand. Held the world record in both in the 1990's
Is it acceptable to have your index finger wrapped around the outside of the rim?
That's exactly how I grip. And I am 5'8 with smaller hands lol If I power grip. The disc does not come out and I grip lock constantly. It's weird
I call your "pinch grip" and "Power Fan" ... and I use it for mids and putter drives
Stokely "The King of Oak Grove"
The only thing ever I don't agree with you on. "4 fingers". I recently removed my pinky and it elevated MY game.🥏
Grip is definitely a part of the game where there is not a universal answer. If at all possible there are rules but variants have to be allowed because no two hands are identical.
Those kastaplast discs are sweet, huh?
i feel like we scared him at the beginning.
i don't think anyone has explained why more fingers helps distance.....
I’m hoping someone can explain the logic or physics behind this idea. Your fingers are simply holding onto the disc to pull it forward. The power comes from other things. Is it that you might lose grip and have your fingers come off and not transfer all of that force? If our discs didn’t have lips, I could understand that scenario. It seems to me that having a smaller and more toward the edge hold would impart more spin. I picture my pinky and extra fingers causing drag as the disc leaves my hand.
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I actually almost just quit the sport, when I saw someone tattooed "disk golf" on their knuckles. I'll continue playing, but I don't think I can continue watching this. 👊🏻😆
2 finger backhand and 1 finger forehand for me
Ive watched a few of Scotts vids now. Everything he teaches feels so awkward. Especially his forehand technique about ripped my shoulder off the way he does it. He is a huge guy and his mechanics are just different from most players i think.
It could be the old story of picking up bad habits from the beginning. Most people wouldn't think of playing ball golf without having some beginner lessons. Unfortunately, a lot of people never get instruction on good technique for disc golf from the get-go. You can always pick and choose little tidbits of info from a lot of different high-caliber players. Everyone is a little bit different, but Scott gives sound advice.