[Question] Good discs for Thumbers and Tomahawks?

[RomServo]

I've recently started getting down a decent roller shot and I'd like to start working on overhand shots like thumbers and tomahawks soon. What types of stabilities are good for thumbers? Also, are those same stabilities good for Tomahawks? If not, what are? Thanks!

 

[wims]

Very overstable control drivers are good for those type of shots. It's possible to use high speed drivers as well, but it's kind of awkward to grip them with the thumb on the inside of a wide rim. Typical thumber discs include discs like the Firebird, XXX, Felon etc

 

[etdefender19]

I love the Avenger for thumbers
I have it pretty dialed in from 150-200 feet

 

[Hampstead]

I play with a guy who works some crazy thumber voodoo with a Flick and a Nuke OS.

 

[mmblink86]

the more overstable the disc, the longer it takes to pan. understable discs pan faster.

both OH shots can be thrown with understable, neutral, or overstable discs. play around with release angle, and you'll find some pretty cool shots.

start with the fairway drivers you have. if you want to try some new discs, eagles are awesome overstable-neutral OH discs & leopards are pretty sweet for those neutral-understable shots

 

[zendragon]

XXX is the best OH disc there is. It holds the distance record for OH, and for us mortals is just plain awesome.

 

[Broken Shoulder]

the more overstable the disc, the longer it takes to pan. understable discs pan faster.

both OH shots can be thrown with understable, neutral, or overstable discs. play around with release angle, and you'll find some pretty cool shots.

start with the fairway drivers you have. if you want to try some new discs, eagles are awesome overstable-neutral OH discs & leopards are pretty sweet for those neutral-understable shots

Agree. Quick flipping understable discs can be very useful so don't overlook them in certain situations.
Throw them all and see what they're capable of.

 

[Kodachrome]

All discs are good for thumbers, tomahawk and rollers. Just like all discs are good for backhand shots. Depends on the line you want.

 

[Quinum]

Firebirds are my favorite

 

[TahoeMac]

I have two dedicated thumber disks. Both in bright color champ plastic because they get beat and can be harder to find since they land on edge. Firebird for slow roll distance, and a Valk for faster/tighter lines that finishes right(right handed).

 

[RomServo]

I have two dedicated thumber disks. Both in bright color champ plastic because they get beat and can be harder to find since they land on edge. Firebird for slow roll distance, and a Valk for faster/tighter lines that finishes right(right handed).

Oooo... i have an extra valk i'll try for that! Thanks!

 

[RomServo]

Very overstable control drivers are good for those type of shots. It's possible to use high speed drivers as well, but it's kind of awkward to grip them with the thumb on the inside of a wide rim. Typical thumber discs include discs like the Firebird, XXX, Felon etc

You say very OS control drivers. I have a Thumderbird in Champ, does that qualify?

 

[RomServo]

I play with a guy who works some crazy thumber voodoo with a Flick and a Nuke OS.

I actually have a flick i dont throw because well i just cant yet. ill bring it to thumber practice and see what i get. Thanks!

 

[RomServo]

the more overstable the disc, the longer it takes to pan. understable discs pan faster.

both OH shots can be thrown with understable, neutral, or overstable discs. play around with release angle, and you'll find some pretty cool shots.

start with the fairway drivers you have. if you want to try some new discs, eagles are awesome overstable-neutral OH discs & leopards are pretty sweet for those neutral-understable shots

That makes sense actually. Thank you!

 

[BenBVDiscGolf]

Discraft flick and gateway spirit

Both meat hooks. Gets that barrel roll quick and to the pine.

 

[RomServo]

Both meat hooks. Gets that barrel roll quick and to the pine.

Hmmm... well, im sorry but im just gonna have to admit that i dont understand what you're saying here. can you rephrase that please?

 

[Timeetyo]

Agree. Quick flipping understable discs can be very useful so don't overlook them in certain situations.
Throw them all and see what they're capable of.

This is very important.

The default answer you'll get is a big beefy OS driver of your choice (nukeOS, XXX, FAF firebird, etc.). This is because the OS discs take longer to turn (flip, whatever you call that) and finish, and therefore will get the most possible distance. I don't have a huge OH throw and I prefer a FAF firebird for pure distance. The best I've seen personally is my buddy who throws ~375-400 tommies with his nukeOS.

Now back to the quote. The thing is MANY times I'm throwing OH I don't care about distance, its about hitting a specific shape (usually because I'm off fairway trying to make some magic happen and save 3). For this I want that disc that will fly X feet, then head left....then finish through that next gap. For this reason I throw most of my fairways for OH shots based on how fast I want it to finish. In terms of range from longest to shortest, it goes FAF Firebird, domey firebird, G* thunderbird, (new) stable * teebird, (beat) G* teebird, sidewinder. Depending on where I'm stuck I could be grabbing either of the above to make the shot work.

My best advice is START by practicing with most of your fairways to get a feel for the shapes and distances you are getting and go from there. Once you get the shot dialed in you can do some crazy stuff that makes your buddies curse you out when you save that 3 from horrid locations.

As for your question on thumbers / tommies - in theory there should be no difference (other than R>L vs L>R) assuming your technique is the same. For me, this is incorrect as I can't get as much power on tommies as I can on thumbers so I have to choose different discs for similar shots as a result. No idea why, its just more natural for me. Interestingly enough, my buddy is completely opposite and gets much more power on his tommies (which he attributes to being a pitcher). Your mileage may vary.

 

[RomServo]

This is very important.

The default answer you'll get is a big beefy OS driver of your choice (nukeOS, XXX, FAF firebird, etc.). This is because the OS discs take longer to turn (flip, whatever you call that) and finish, and therefore will get the most possible distance. I don't have a huge OH throw and I prefer a FAF firebird for pure distance. The best I've seen personally is my buddy who throws ~375-400 tommies with his nukeOS.

Now back to the quote. The thing is MANY times I'm throwing OH I don't care about distance, its about hitting a specific shape (usually because I'm off fairway trying to make some magic happen and save 3). For this I want that disc that will fly X feet, then head left....then finish through that next gap. For this reason I throw most of my fairways for OH shots based on how fast I want it to finish. In terms of range from longest to shortest, it goes FAF Firebird, domey firebird, G* thunderbird, (new) stable * teebird, (beat) G* teebird, sidewinder. Depending on where I'm stuck I could be grabbing either of the above to make the shot work.

My best advice is START by practicing with most of your fairways to get a feel for the shapes and distances you are getting and go from there. Once you get the shot dialed in you can do some crazy stuff that makes your buddies curse you out when you save that 3 from horrid locations.

As for your question on thumbers / tommies - in theory there should be no difference (other than R>L vs L>R) assuming your technique is the same. For me, this is incorrect as I can't get as much power on tommies as I can on thumbers so I have to choose different discs for similar shots as a result. No idea why, its just more natural for me. Interestingly enough, my buddy is completely opposite and gets much more power on his tommies (which he attributes to being a pitcher). Your mileage may vary.

Nice! Thank you for all that. And its true im not necessarily shooting for distance with OHs just shot shaping and get out of trouble shots. Although, if it does turn out i can get some D out of my OSs i wont argue with that either.

 

[armiller]

The thing is MANY times I'm throwing OH I don't care about distance, its about hitting a specific shape (usually because I'm off fairway trying to make some magic happen and save 3). For this I want that disc that will fly X feet, then head left....then finish through that next gap.

Agreed. The beauty of the tomahawk (aka hammer if you ever played ultimate) is the lines you can hit. I've thrown two beautiful get-out-of-trouble tomahawk approaches with my Polecat in the last two days. I wouldn't recommend it as a tomahawk disc per se, but it certainly came in useful.

So yes. As time timeetyo said, learn to throw multiple discs. If you're trying for max D, use the standard overstable discs (I like a Ti Flick these days when I'm going for distance). But if you're trying to improve your game, learning to throw proper backhand and forehand drives will help more than overhand. But the OH stuff will help tremendously in selected situations on the course, so learn your discs and release angles and all that.

I do notice my overhand is very consistent. I threw my first ace last weekend with a Z Predator on a 220' hole. It's a nice throw to have available.

 

[discoe]

Thumbers are a big part of my game. I use them in the open field up to 350'. They are also great for weaving lanes in the woods. I used to use Firebirds (the flatter the better), but I've recently changed to Lat 64 Sparks. They are smaller and feel better in my hand. I have smaller hands, I can't eat Whoppers :|.

Some advice, don't use max weight. Overhand can be a huge strain on your shoulder. Keep in mind a baseball only weights about 142 grams. I find that 170 grams is what I'm comfortable with.

Also, take your time and ease into it. Don't rip a thumber cold-- Warm up. I have had it happen on occasion that a buddy watches me throw one and park a hole, and say "I can do that." I tell him to throw it easy, he tries to rip it and proceeds to tell me how much his arm hurts the remainder of the round. I threw a baseball for 20 years of my life. So be careful and stretch.

Check out Matt Dollar, Brian Schweberger, and Terry Gallops. They've all got nasty thumbers.