Training for the Gridiron Field Goal World Record Pursuit is continuing, and this session was all about one of the biggest variables I need to figure out before the official attempt: which disc gives me the best combination of distance and control.
Right now, I’m testing two Innova drivers — the Orc and the Wraith.
Both can give me the distance I need, but distance alone isn’t enough for this record. I still have to put the disc through the uprights, which means I need to be able to throw hard without losing the line.
That’s really what this stage of training is about.
I Know I Have the Distance
Our first training session gave me a really useful starting point.
For the Gridiron Mini Field Goal, I successfully made throws from 65 metres, which is beyond the current 64-metre Open World Record.
For the full Gridiron Field Goal, I had several close attempts from 133 metres. The current Open World Record is 131 metres, so I know the raw distance is there.
That changes what I need to work on.
I’m not trying to prove that I can throw far enough anymore. I’m trying to figure out how to make that distance repeatable and controlled enough to hit the uprights when it counts.
That’s where the Orc and Wraith come in.
Finding the Right Disc
The Wraith has a lot of distance potential and can handle a powerful throw, which makes it an obvious candidate for this kind of record.
The Orc gives me a slightly different flight and may offer a little more control depending on the wind and how I’m releasing it.
At this point, I’m not trying to make a final decision after one or two sessions. I want to throw both, compare them in different conditions, and pay attention to what actually happens rather than deciding in advance which one should work better.
There are a few things I’m watching:
- Which disc gives me the most usable distance?
- Which one holds the line better?
- Which one gives me the best margin for error?
- How do they perform in different wind conditions?
- Which one can I trust when I’m throwing at close to full power?
That last piece is probably the biggest one.
A disc that can fly 140 metres doesn’t help me much if I can’t consistently keep it between the uprights.
The Records I’m Chasing
I’m currently training for both the Gridiron Field Goal and the Gridiron Mini Field Goal records.
For the Mini Field Goal, I’m going after the Open and Over 35 records.
For the full Gridiron Field Goal, I’m going after the Open record and also looking at the possibility of establishing an Over 35 record.
Lucas Luha is training alongside me for the junior records, and we’re continuing to track our benchmarks as we go.
The official attempt is still ahead of us, but this part of the process is where a lot of the real work happens.
World Record Mindset in Practice
This is also another good example of what I mean by World Record Mindset™.
The world record gives me the target, but the training tells me what needs to improve.
In this case, the answer isn’t simply “throw farther.”
I already know I can reach the distance.
Now the challenge is control, consistency, disc selection, and being able to reproduce the throw under pressure.
That’s why personal bests are so important. Sometimes the personal best is a bigger number. Sometimes it’s greater consistency. Sometimes it’s solving a technical problem that gets you closer to the larger goal.
The benchmark tells you where you are.
The target tells you where you want to go.
The work in between is where the pursuit really happens.
I’ll keep sharing these training sessions as we continue testing discs, pushing the distance, and preparing for the official attempts.
Every world record starts with a personal best.
