Driving & Distance

Standstill Drives

Throw with power without a run-up — the best form check.

Why it matters

The standstill is the best form diagnostic in the sport, because it removes every variable a run-up adds and leaves only what your body does with the disc. Most good players throw roughly 80% of their maximum distance from a standstill — so if yours is far below that, the problem was never the footwork.

How to do it

1. Set up side-on, feet a little wider than shoulder width, weight loaded on the back leg.
2. Reach back level and straight, with the shoulders turned away.
3. Shift onto the front foot and brace, exactly as you would with a run-up. The sequence does not change; only the approach is gone.
4. Rotate through the core and let the disc come out late and close to the body.
5. Hold the finish. If you cannot, the standstill has just told you something a run-up would have hidden.

Common mistakes

Key points

• Master power from a standstill before adding footwork.
• Rotate through your core; let the disc rip late.

The drill

Drill · Standstill month — 50 standstill drives per session, no run-up at all. For one month of field work, throw nothing but standstills. Measure your best each session. Almost everybody gains distance on their full run-up during a month where they never practised it, because the run-up was never the limiting factor.

Watch: Adding distance using a standstill throw! | Danny Lindahl Physics of Form ep. 6 — Danny Lindahl

Further reading

• Common Throwing Errors — Innova Discs
• Ricky Wysocki Disc Golf Tips (Utah Open) - Part 3 - Driving — Ricky Wysocki

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