TL;DR: Your Discs Hyzer too early for one or more of the following:
- Disc is too overstable
- You’re throwing nose up
- Your center of gravity is out of position
Est. Reading Time: 4 Minutes
Reasons Your Discs Hyzer Too Early
There are many reasons to get upset when playing disc golf, but none more frustrating to the player trying to throw far than seeing their disc hyzer too early. When your disc hyzers too early, losing all of its power and falling well before your target, there are more than a number of reasons this could be happening. In this article we’ll go over the reasons your discs end up hyzering too early and some of the ways to prevent this.
You’re Throwing Too Overstable of a Disc
If you’ve watched any “In the Bag” videos on professional players and the discs they carry, you’d be hard pressed to find many of them throwing understable distance drivers aside from their roller discs. Professionals have clean form and exceptionable, consistent power that demands a high level of stability so their discs don’t turn over. Many pros will never have to worry about their discs hyzering into the ground early.
The common theme when it comes to new players and many who struggle to throw their discs far is choosing to throw the wrong disc. In fact, the number one selling disc in 2021 according to Infinite Discs was the Innova Destroyer. The Destroyer is an overstable distance driver praised by all pros that bag it for its reliable stability and long distance capabilities. Naturally, any amateur who sees Calvin Heimburg throw a Destroyer 600 feet will put one, two or more of them in their own bag to emulate that.
Unfortunately, unless you have proper form and control the angle, spin and speed of an Innova Destroyer well, your disc is highly likely to hyzer out too early. Drivers or even the recent overstable approach and midrange discs produced this year will have a natural tendency to hyzer early and die fast. There’s a better chance than not that most amateur players will benefit and learn to throw farther if they instead bagged an understable mold like a Sidewinder or Tern instead of Destroyer or Venom.
Solution: Throw something more understable to maximize distance or control your angle.
You’re Throwing Nose Up
This is perhaps just as common of a reason why players discs will hyzer too early as throwing overstable discs is. Throwing the nose up essentially turns the disc into a wall and will force the disc to stop its flight prematurely. If you’ve ever watched someone with effortless, slow form out-throw you and your friends strong, fast throws, it’s most likely because their disc’s nose angles are down.
Think of the disc as a wing. The more air underneath the wing and the more aerodynamic the wing is, the better the wing will fly. Pushing the nose down essentially lets the disc cut through the air and maximize its flight. The more nose up the disc ends up, the more difficulty it will have flying through the air. Nose down, good. Nose up, your disc will hyzer too early into the ground.
Solution: Focus on keeping the nose angle down by turning your wrist as if you’re pouring a pot of coffee. Keeping the nose down will enhance your ability to throw the disc far and avoid an early hyzer into the ground.
Your Center of Gravity is Poor
Balance is everything. There isn’t a single sport that doesn’t involve keeping some sort of balance or respect to your bodies central point. If you’ve checked off the first two boxes as something that you’re not doing, it’s time to look at your form. Taking a look at the video of Paul McBeth driving in slow motion, you’ll notice he keeps his body low the entire time. From the walk up, through the X-step, into and out of the throw and even following through, McBeth maintains a low center of gravity that is balanced and in control.
Many players, whether it’s due to their feet being out of position or their head moving faster forward than their throw, will find themselves looking up at the pin too early. Just as is the same in tennis, what the head does, the body will usually follow. That is to say that if you’re pulling your head up during your throw, your body will also get pulled and your disc will eventually hyzer too early.
Solution: Find out what’s causing your center of gravity to get pulled out of position and fix that. Once your body is set in place, your throws will feel smoother and your discs will fly straighter towards their targets than ever.
F.A.Q.
Hyzer refers to the angle of the disc when released. If the edge of the disc not gripped is closer to the ground, that’s a hyzer!
Much like a baulk in the MLB or stepping over the line when serving in tennis, when your foot steps out of line or too far away from your disc that is called a foot fault, usually resulting in an added stroke.
Currently, there are no illegal ways to throw a disc in disc golf.
Balling up a flexible disc is now an illegal throw.