Numbers game

My first real trip to any store to buy discs was a Dick's Sporting Goods up in Pennsylvania this past July. I was with my brother and my son, trying to pick out a couple discs so that we would each have about 3 or 4 to throw. They only carried Innova discs, which is fine by me, I've learned to enjoy throwing a lot of them...A LOT, of them.

As we got to the endcap display of discs, I could see that my son was getting a little excited. Now, above the racks of plastic is a graphic and one panel with some information vital to learning about the discs. My son recognized this immediately.

"Take a picture of that. We're going to need

that," he said intently. He was talking about this.

More specifically, he was focusing on the part referring to the flight ratings in order to begin to understand the characteristics of each of the discs we would encounter. We're kinda nerdy that way.

Now that Paul McBeth is no longer associated with Innova, and the ratings have changed slightly, it looks like it's time for some new signing. Let's get the talk started about disc flight with Speed, Glide, Turn and Fade.

I feel the need... 

Now, don't get all Top Gun out of the gate. Speed is a little bit of a misnomer for the beginner. This term refers to the ability of a disc to cut through the air, when thrown properly, at the necessary release velocity. Ratings go from 1 to 14, with 1 being the "slowest" and 14 being the "fastest." Putters range from 1-3, Mid-ranges 4-5, Fairway and Distance Drivers carry the rest of the load from 6 to 14. Again, just because you've decided to grab a Star Boss with a 13 speed, does not mean that you will throw the disc any farther than, say, an Eagle at 7 (with similar other traits) if you don't have the arm speed and technique to maximize the effective flight of the disc.

As a novice, I would recommend not going beyond a 10 speed disc. It's not worth the effort. The benefit of higher speed discs is the narrower leading edge and flatter crown, especially if you're dealing with a headwind. These may prove more useful than your starter Leopard in this case. You'll be able to get the most from your discs rated a speed 8 or lower to start out. Speed, and distance, will come in good time.

Let it glide

The second term is glide, rated 1 through 7, and relates to the ability for a disc to maintain air underneath and carry, or glide throughout it's flight. Glide is more important for beginners than speed since you may not be able to generate enough power to maximize speed, but once in the air, the disc will maintain a solid flight. This is also beneficial with a tailwind as the sleeker distance drivers won't have as much mass to catch wind and get a good push forward. I have thrown putters almost as far as fairway drivers with a nice breeze at my back.

Just a quick example. In the early stage of your game development, you may spend a great deal of time with putters, whether as approach or short tee shots that require a very "straight" line. Given the options in this category and all other qualities being similar, you may opt for a Dart (speed 3, glide 4) over a Classic Aviar (2,3) or even go all out with an Aero (3,6) to favor more glide. Food for thought.

There is a season, Turn, Turn, Turn...

...And a time for every disc, under heaven. That joke was for the Byrds (fans.) Showing my age a bit there, but that's the next attribute. Turn refers to the disc's ability to "turn" to the right during the early, or high speed portion, of its flight. The higher your release velocity, the more your properly attributed disc will turn. Tough for beginners. I don't get much turn at all yet from my discs that as supposed to act that way. (More about that later...) Discs that turn the most will be rated -5 and those that turn the least will be zero, although the ratings go to plus-1.

A little turn can be helpful for new players learning to throw. It can be a natural motion to release with the side of the disc that is furthest from your body to be lower than the side closest to you. Experienced players do this intentionally and it's called a hyzer. A disc with a -2 or -3 turn may assist in getting the disc flat for you starting out, as well as keeping it in flight longer and adding distance. That's one reason for the Leopard in the starter pack; it has a -2 turn. I have also heard that the Roadrunner (meep, meep) can be a good disc for beginners (a driver with -4 turn, which also makes a good roller...which will come later, or unintentionally with a bit of luck on a poor throw.)

Fade to black

Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that extreme, but it is the last call for flight numbers. Fade occurs at the end of the flight, referring to the disc's tendency at lower speed to move to the left (for right hand backhand throws, RHBH.) As a novice, pretty much all of your shots will end in a fade of some sort.

Keep in mind, turn and fade will be right early and left late for RHBH throws. If you toss a forehand flick, these attributes will be reversed. (turn left, fade right.) Complicated enough? We've only begun to scratch the surface, but we've got time. I'm in no rush...well, almost.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

This is one of my favorite quotes, attributed to Mark Twain but who knows for sure. In the future I may get really crazy and throw out a bunch of numbers, so I just wanted to make sure we'll be on the same page. But that brings me to a semi-wrap up point.

I have some links littered throughout this post so you can have a gauge for the flights paths to which I am referring. Innova has lots of resources on their site. As you research flight paths (down each page, the tab next to stats,) pay great attention to the dotted line. If you are a beginner...YOU ARE the dotted line. That's the path that is shorter and always seems to end up going farther to the left. Yep. I wasn't happy about it either, but it's OK. We're going to get better.

Tap-ins

Now that you know what the numbers mean, you'll know what to expect from each disc and what results you can expect to get (dotted line. Sorry. Didn't mean to rub that in.) The only way that you'll truly know where your discs are going, is to throw them...A LOT.

Innova has a wealth of information. Their videos are great. Kinda like watching movies in science class, only much more fun. You can learn by watching here, or the pros on YouTube. You can also watch my videos as I learn the game, develop my form, explore disc golf courses and have fun. I have one specifically on speed, glide, turn and fade, with more to come.

Keep absorbing, immersing yourself in the game. Get out there and throw some flippin' discs!