Team Discraft: Tomas Burvall Disc Golf Bio

	NAME:	Tomas Burvall
	HOMETOWN:	Bollnäs, Sweden
	PDGA #:	11213
	BORN:	1972
	STARTED IN DISC SPORTS:	1985
	Website:	tomasburvall.se
	Day gig:	Psychosynthesis therapist and Imago coach.
	All THAT GLITTERS:	2013 World Overall Disc Champion 2007 World Overall Disc Champion 2006 Swedish Overall Champion 2005 Swedish Overall Champion 2003 WFDF bronze in golf and overall in Santa Cruz. Named Sportsman of the Year in his home region. Many, many additional world titles and top finishes in disc golf, ultimate, discathon and other disc disciplines.

Tomas's Disc Golf Tips

Muscle Memory Putts!
A lot of players really like to play a lot of rounds, which is fun but won't necessarily lower your scores. If you want to develop muscle memory, putting is the trick. You practice from 5,8 and 10 meters and a 8 meter obstacle-in-the-way putt(if you want you can add a 15 meter putt.) The trick is to get really good at these shorter distances. If you make most of them your scores will go down and your rating will climb. It is important to make these shorter putts and know that they will be no problem.

Start early in the season to practice a lot of putts. Turn it into a game with yourself. Take 5-10 putts at each distance and write it down and try to beat it. Do 200 or more putts each day and you will improve. quickly. It does not take a long time. Then when the big events come and you are nervous, the muscle memory will kick in and you will make them anyway. The first months of the year I practice 10,000 putts and the rest of the year will be easy putts. :-) So good luck!

Where the Power Comes From
The real power comes from your back and hip... try not to use your arm too much. You are so much stronger in your hip and the rotation should come from there. Then use your back and at the end your arm. Look for this in players who throw a long way. I'm not very tall, 1 meter and 72 centimetres (five feet, 7.5 inches). In golf and distance I have to rely on my hip and back power. In distance I throw 172 meters (564 feet) with an Avenger.

Straighter Approach Shots
A lot of players have a tendency to start the back swing to low and end to high, especially when they have to use more power. It happens pretty often on drives as well. The solution is not so hard: 1. Bring a friend who can watch you. 2. Pretend that you are standing close to a hedge. The hedge is as high as your stomach. 3. You have to throw with your disc and elbows over it. The will be in your chest area or just below. Your friend can even hold his hands instead of the hedge. It will make it more real. 4. This will force you maintain a consistent arm level throughout the throw. You will be stunned how fast you will learn to throw straight. Good luck.

Focus and relax!
In order to win or do low scores you need to focus, focus and focus. One of the big tricks is focus and relax. You cannot focus all the time on the round. Often we stay pretty focused most of the time during a competition. I say that is a crucial mistake. You will be mentally tired and do bad throws. To stay focused when needed you need to relax in between. We can only totally focus in 5-10 seconds if we do not practice on it. To do the best you can with every shot it is the total focus you need and just then, in the moment. So here is an easy practice of your focus. Close your eyes and start counting your breaths. As soon as you start to think of anything else you start from 1 again. When you can count to 10 breaths without another thought in your mind you have come a long way. It is not as easy as you might think, but you can do it with practice.

So when you are on tee or gonna put, FOCUS like you never have. You can close your eyes just for a second, take a deep breath, and when you open your eyes it is just you and the basket, in the whole world, nothing can come in between and bother you. So take your Focus and Focus. RELAX! and in between shots, relax. Think of other things. Don´t bother about disc golf for a moment...How are my Swedish friend Tomas doing and wonder what they will have for dinner... wonder if it is true that they eat garden snail with sugar... hmmm... and when it starts to be your turn to do the approach shot, come back. Begin to prepare and when it is your turn you have prepared and can go into FOCUS at the right time and make your best shot. So do the breath practice a couple of times a day and apply it on the golf course. You will be a better player for sure and who knows what you will win next time. Good luck. (Read the memorable disc golf moment when I won US open. You will get the feeling.)

COURSES YOU SHOULD PLAY:		When not seeking his next World disc title, Tomas Burvall has been establishing a project to expand disc golf to people with both motion and mental disabilities. It is the first large project of its kind in the world we are aware of. The goal of the three year project is to show that everyone can play and enjoy disc golf.
Course	Comments
Helsinki Island Helsinki, FIN	A fantastic island course with a lot of water and elevation changes.
Berlin Park Berlin, GER	A temp course that goes up occasionally in huge, spectacular park.
Rudans Stockholm, SWE	Very long, difficult holes mixed with shorter narrow holes.
Edora Park Fort Collins, CO	A fairly open course with some water.
Gefle boulognern park, Sweden	Narrow, hard, open, with water, short, long, well kept. It has it all.

In The Disc Golf Bag: Drivers
Disc	Comments
ESP Crank (174 gm)	This is a marvelous disc. You just let is go and it just keeps flying. You do not have to throw is hard and it flyes fast. This is the disc for beginners to drive with or experts to fly a long way with little effort.
Z Zombee (178 gm)	A easy nice touch and and it flies straight all the way to the basket. A very nice glide. Beginners and well everyone will like it a lot.
Z NUKE (174 gm)	In a headwind I can rely on it with no hesitation. It is nice to throw longer than the others in head wind :-)
ESP NUKE (174 gm)	It just flies and flies. It goes so fast and easy. I It just bumped my old go-to driver. The pink is the best.
FLX NUKE (174 gm)	I love the sweet grip of the FLX Nuke. This disc goes the furthest. That says it all!!!
Z NUKE OS (174 gm)	The best disc in storms or hyzer shots. Lands and eats its way in the dirt, arrrr. It will stick and stay after the big bomb.
Z Stalker (174 gm)	Flies well and glides well. Goes a long way with enough power. You do not have to push it to the max to make it perform. Just enough power will make it go straight to the basket and because of that it is easy to aim exact as well. Do I have to say more :-)
ESP Avenger (170 - 174)	This is my favorite driver. I can rip it so hard and it will always comeback at the end. I have a nice pink one (easier to find when it goes far) that I throw when there is no wind or a little tail wind.
FLX Surge (172 gm)	I like the feel of it and that it is reliable and fast. Yes it is nice! I think it will be thrown by the next world distance champion.
X Avenger (174 gm)	A nice sweet X Avenger. I like my discs heavy around 174 g. I got it for the long drives. It goes very far and is predictable. For me it is not overstable but I can rely that it will come back at the end. In distance I threw it 172 m (564 ft). I carry second Avenger X 174 g that is new and I do not use as much. Only when it is windy or I want to make sure it comes back.
Z Flash (174 gm)	I love it for its glide. Without very much power it glides nicely over 330 feet. It is also great in a tailwind for me. I carry a second copy that is a little beaten. It will have an easy normal turn to the right for me as a right handed thrower. If I hold it down in the release it will go right but come back.
ESP Flash (174 gm)	This disc glides super smooth and forever. Actually I got it first from Chris Max Voigt last summer at the WOC. He throws it 205 meters. That was really impressive. I tried it and I like it so much I might use it for distance as well as for disc golf. I think it might be possible to throw over 180 meters with it.

In The Disc Golf Bag: Midrange
Disc	Comments
Z Buzzz (174 gm)	It goes so straight it almost hurts. Just love how it glides in between the trees. It is a must for me when it is narrow. It still goes 300 feet straight. I have two Buzzz with me just in case someone steals the first one when it is lying there under the basket and I'm at the tee pad.
FLX Buzzz (178 gm)	A disc you want as a friend in the wet and cold. Always perfect but outstanding the the going gets tough.
Ti Drone (173 gm)	Just love it. I have to say it again. I just love the Drone. Hard wind, tail wind, head wind, storm or hurricane. On your approach it will come back and turn left (for a right hander). You just put it out there and then it turns left and find a parking space under the basket. Perfect for shots around 90 meters.

In The Disc Golf Bag: Putt and Approach
Disc	Comments
X Soft Challenger (173 gm)	Love the grip and the chains do too. Especially when it is warm. I have been falling in love the Challengers. They work great for approach shots as well.
FLX Challenger (173 gm)	It is back and I like it in the little colder Swedish weather. Always a good nice grip for putting and approach.
Pro D Soft Magnet (172 gm)	I got my old wonderful Soft Magnet back. With the nice lower rim I can get good speed on those long puts and the soft makes it stick in the basket. I´m sorry I left you for younger ones but now you are back to stay :-)

MEMORABLE DISC GOLF MOMENTs:
My win on the last hole in US Open over Scott Stokely when he was on the top. But my World Champion gold in Overall and Discathon 2013 in Sweden was pretty great. Home crowed and world elite was there. It still gives me shivers. After all theos years of traning and after those injuries I was back in the top of the world. Yes! it felt so good!!!

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