How To Create Your Perfect Off-Season Training Regimen

The disc golf OFF-season is upon us. Depending on where you live this can mean many things. You may need to put your snow boots on to play a round or you may be able to throw in sandals (lucky you!). But regardless of your environment, the winter months are a great time to focus on training. Training takes many forms and I urge you to personalize your practice to ensure you have fun and derive positive results. Training has countless benefits of which fewer injuries, increased health, and more time on the course are at the top of the list.

Training takes many forms and there is no “right way” to train in the off-season. We are all unique individuals with a vast array of likes, needs, and body types. This article focuses on expanding your views of what “off-season training” implies and gives you seeds to formulate your own program.

Cross-Training, Strength Training, and Flexibility

The off-season is a great time for training your body. There are many ways to train your body for disc golf and one of the most important is cross-training. Merriam-Webster defines cross-training as a way “to engage in various sports or exercises especially for well-rounded health and muscular development.” Cross-training is intended to develop strength across your entire being and not just in disc golf-specific muscle groups. This allows parts of your body that may atrophy due to lack of use to strengthen and counteract muscle groups that are overused in disc golf (ie; shoulders, elbows, and hips).

I live in the great white North and am able to cross country ski throughout the winter. This is a wonderful example of cross-training as it is a total body workout. Are there activities that you already do that can be used as cross-training? If not, pick an activity you are interested in and go for it. The key is to keep it fun and derive physical benefit from the activity.

Strength training is another activity that can be used for cross-training but also for disc golf-specific muscle groups. The backbone’s connected to the… you get the idea. In the Disc Golf Strong video below, Seth Munsey gives instructions to strengthen your shoulders, hips, and core as Ricky Wysocki demonstrates the exercises. These simple but effective exercises will have your body ready to execute and minimize injury when your season is back in full swing. If it works for one of the world’s best it will work for you.

Flexibility is often overlooked as a means to improve your game. Look at some of the world’s longest throwers (ie; Eagle McMahon, Simon Lizotte, Thomas Gilbert, etc). Do their bodies scream physical strength? The answer is in their flexibility and form. Eagle McMahon is known for his daily yoga and nutrition regimen. In this video, McMahon shares his pre-round routine for gaining strength and flexibility. Granted it is his pre-round routine, this is also a wonderful framework for offseason strength and flexibility training. Again, if this works for one of the world’s greatest players it will work for you.

I also highly recommend this stretching (yoga) practice from Claire Porrata. It is disc golf-specific and stretches and strengthens all of the core muscle groups. Again, see what works for you to personalize your practice. Make it fun and enjoyable!

Disc Golf-Specific Training

Physical training for disc golf is extremely important. If we want to get better at the sport we must treat it as a sport! This involves putting in time away from the course. Seth Munsey over at Disc Golf Strong has many great videos to put together a program that suits your needs. Check out the video below from Munsey for a simple exercise to work out your shoulders and core for disc golf.

The off-season is also a great time to develop skills. Field work and putting practice are your main weapons for growing your game. Do you live in a climate where you can get outside throughout the winter? If so, you’ve got it made. Here are some tips to play in wet conditions. If not, get creative. If it is too cold or snowy or wet for much of your winter it would be wise to bring your disc golf training indoors. A basement is a great place to start. If you don’t have a basement talk to a friend who does. It can also be highly beneficial to train with a partner. I recommend getting a net to throw into so you can continue the “feel” of releasing a disc throughout the winter. Also, If there is space, place a basket in the basement and putt as space allows.

Mental Practice

Mental practice may be the most beneficial practice of all. After all, as Yogi Berra put it about his sport of choice,” Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical.” Well, something like that! Your mental game is what allows you to execute shots that the body already knows how to do. The key is to set yourself up for success by making informed decisions about shot selection and then getting out of your way. But how to do this?

One of the best practices for mental training is visualization. This video from Optimal Performance Lab lays out options for how to personalize your visualizations. The science is clear, mental training has many of the same benefits as physical practice. This is an incredible cognitive breakthrough that can be put to good use during the off-season. The key is to settle your mind through a calming practice and then begin your visualizations.

Take Time Off

Take time off! Even if you live in a warm environment and it is easy and enjoyable to play a round throughout the winter months I urge you to take time off. Taking time off has two benefits:

1. 1. Your Body Gets a Rest From the Impact of Disc Golf
2. 2. You Develop Excitement and Passion To Play Again

Taking time off is an energizing practice in and of itself. It allows your passion for the sport to shine through as you practice disc golf abstinence. Then, once you come back to the course, a revitalization ensues. I live in the snowy North Country and practice abstinence every winter. Yes, it can be arduous at times. However, via cross-training and other practices, my passion for the sport increases after taking time off. Is it Spring yet?? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Bringing It All Together

There is no right way to spend your off-season. Depending on where you live there may even be no off-season! But regardless of your climate, I urge you to focus on various aspects of your game/life throughout the winter months. Finding the right combination of training, mental practice, and taking time off will do wonders for your game. The off-season is upon us as winter looms. Enjoy whatever training regimen serves you best and come back to the sport feeling healthy and rejuvenated.