I’ve watched and listened to hours of disc golf content across YouTube and podcasts over the past few years. Since I started playing about 9 months ago, an increased portion of that has been focused on instructional content: specific videos about form, techniques, tips and tricks, anything to help me feel more comfortable and consistent on the course.
Just like with regular golf, putting is the most frustrating aspect of the game. Particularly in disc golf, where you are approaching this relatively large basket and all you need to do is throw the disc in from 20 or 30 feet (ideally), it looks childishly easy. Yet I have a lot of trouble with consistency. Sure, I can make a few, but overall I’m missing in pretty much every possible direction during my round. In fact, both on the course and during my warmup I am practicing how to miss.
A good solution to this issue in disc golf is to start at a point where you aren’t going to miss. If that’s 10 feet, or even 5 feet, get comfortable with a putting approach and grind away from those short distances. Take 1 step back at a time, and if you start missing, move forward again. This idea goes in hand with the joint phrases Practice makes permanent, and Perfect practice makes perfect. If you are not making a concerted effort to improve what is causing your issues, you won’t develop.
This idea has become surprisingly poignant as I think about my creative projects, particularly this blog. Despite my various efforts at creating processes over the past few years, they go largely unused. I haven’t put in the time to truly practice my writing in this medium. Instead, most posts are lightly proofed drafts written during the week before they’re to be posted. At best I’m practicing the habit of writing, but I’m certainly not developing a routine designed to improve the results.
Realizing that is an important first step. For many years, I’ve made myself believe that writing this blog will naturally improve how I write, rather than just how often I write. With a new thought technology rattling around my head, I can start making serious decisions about what this blog means to me. Is it enough to write a post a week, even if the vast majority of them don’t represent what I believe to be my best work?1Or, when playing disc golf: Do I deserve to be excited about a particularly good shot if it’s the 2nd mulligan of that hole, and the surrounding shots were all pretty awful? Does that satisfy me?
Idealistically, my current approach to this blog is frustrating. I want to be proud of what I write. I want to produce posts that, even if they aren’t profound, are useful or entertaining, and at least coherent. Practically, I am happy that I’ve stuck with this weekly schedule for so long. Moving to a different schedule—say, fortnightly—to allow for greater depth and proof-reading is no guarantee of improvement either. I would tell myself it will, but I could just as easily take 10 days off writing instead of 5, then blast out a quick draft that I’m happy enough with to post in a rush.
To that end, I’m conflicted. Worrying about practice only matters if you’re concerned with getting better. I don’t practice piano an hour each day, because I’m happy enough with how well I play piano. It’s a discussion of values: Do I still value improving and iterating on my writing style the way I once did, or have other passions jumped the queue to a degree that leaves this blog with a lower quality (which it always had, but now I’m aware of it)? Do I accept that I’ve changed to the point where this blog can maintain its status quo and, despite this change in perspective about what the blog is “for”, just keep pushing on?
I’m still not sure.
In the context of my Year of One, I’m inclined to reduce my post frequency and focus on taking time to properly write out my ideas. I want to be more focused, and have something to show for that focus. I’m not making a decision now, but I expect to within the month.
- 1Or, when playing disc golf: Do I deserve to be excited about a particularly good shot if it’s the 2nd mulligan of that hole, and the surrounding shots were all pretty awful?