As Greg Maddux once famously said during a Nike ad back in 1999:
“Chicks dig the long ball.”
These days, throwing far is essential in professional disc golf. Players do it a number of ways. Right now, it’s trendy to look like you’re throwing hard in an attempt to gain more distance.
I mean, if you want to throw a disc a long way, huck it hard, right? Cale Leiviska, a touring professional since 2004 and member of Team Prodigy with over 100 wins, begs to differ …
And he throws a lot farther than you.
Nicknamed “Dr. Smooth,” Leiviska throws his backhand with a simple, unmistakable style:
A lesson in smooth with Cale Leiviska.#discgolf pic.twitter.com/KNzFOXUqZd
— PDGA (@PDGA) March 12, 2022
Leiviska’s shots don’t wobble. He’s known for piercing tight gaps and throwing as straight as an arrow. Without the added theatrics of “trying hard,” this is all possible because of the spin he puts on a disc. The entire time, his body is under control. There are no sudden movements.
Cale’s power pocket, the time between a golfer’s arm extending straight backwards and its movement forward to release the disc, happens in perfect tandem with his X-step. It’s one motion, rather than a series of jerky ones. The result is a disc that spins fast and travels far.
Take a look at a few other guys who also spin the disc well:
All four of these players throw a long way, but they differ from Leiviska in how they do it. Watch ‘em throw again – you’ll see a slight pause at the beginning of each power pocket.
They’re shifting their weight onto the back foot before exploding forward to release the disc.
With over 18 years in pro disc golf, Leiviska has mastered his OWN way of doing this …
He lowers his center of gravity and moves his weight forward throughout the X-step, rather than pausing before acceleration. This allows him to maintain balance, guaranteeing more control over the disc at the time of release – it’s that accuracy that leads to these kinds of records:
From one legend to another, Nate Sexton sings his praises of Cale Leiviska as the longest active cash streak comes to a close 🙌 #jomezpro #discgolf pic.twitter.com/apAcbYsmly
— JomezPro (@JomezPro) March 2, 2022
If you’ve been in disc golf at least 15 minutes, you’ve heard the following:
“Slow is smooth, and smooth is far.”
Let’s pull a page from Cale’s book and follow the adage – he knows what he’s doing …
Now you do, too.
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Excellent tips and video. Thank you!
Thanks for reading, Mercy!
Luke’s a great writer – love his work 🙂