Discing Up

[JTacoma03]

Difficult question to answer.

Let's say you're working with a Teebird. You could get your throws with the Teebird out to 350', then try a faster disc from there and probably see an increase in distance, so 350' with a TB is enough things going right that you can get some utility out of a faster mold.

However, 350' with a Teebird is not at all pushing what that disc is capable of, so at that distance you aren't maxing the disc out and you don't need to disc up to get more distance. There is nothing stopping you from learning to throw a Teebird 450' if you really want to.

The question is more or less how much time and effort are you willing to put in to increasing your distance? That is what it will come down to. Some people don't ever drive with a putter, some of us are not satisfied with driving a putter less than 400'. It's not a question of what the disc is capable of as much as it is a question of what you are willing to be capable of.

I've always found this to be an interesting and controversial concept - what a disc is "capable of"

Theoretically a disc is capable of infinite flight...but it's the thrower that has the attributes of capability, not the plastic.

I think a more useful way to put it to the OP is like you're saying: how much time can you dedicate and what are your goals? 400' is humanly possible with a Teebird no doubt, but if you're not playing on the pro tour is it necessary?

Food for thought

 

[hangwind]

Disc up when you are done discing down.

I am starting to disc up for different throws. Archon for sidearm, light Wraith for distance, Banshees in different stages for mid duties and headwinds, different putters for $ , water and driving, Firebirds for out to sea and a HARD return, Roadrunner and Monarch for rollin.

Disc up to a faster driver as you learn how to drive farther.

No teacher, no lesson, just sayin, that's what I do.

About 20 discs carried, potential to use them all in a round except the two or three extras.

I don't need to carry more but I'm always looking to learn something new.

 

[rupet]

No one should be throwing speed 13 discs unless you can get your TB 400' or so.

 

[Clempson13]

OK. I disc'ed down and recently disc'ed up so I'm going to chyme in.

You disc'ed down in the first place because your drives sucked and you had crappy distance and control all around right? Disc'ing down forces you to correct things such as grip, stance, reach, follow through, and footing. If you don't then you aren't going to keep up with the guys throwing the fasts discs that you play with when you carry putters and mids in your bag.

I realize I needed to disc up when I reached a plateau where my discs just weren't getting any further out, didn't matter what i did. i was pushing my mids out +280'ish, putter 250'ish, and fairway drivers 350'ish. So i threw a speed 13 driver in the bag and went out to an open field and i was getting maybe 10 more feet past my fairway drive. WTF. I had improved in every aspect of form. Why was i not crushing 450' drives??? That's what disc'ing down does right?? Wrong, discing down helps correct form flaws that prevent you from LEARNING how to throw a high speed disc.

So i learned. I slowly reintroduced the faster disc, I only carried one, and only threw it on a second tee shot once or twice a round. This is where i learned other form techniques. You absolutely have to involve a pivot twist in your throw (driven by the off foot kick forward); you absolutely need to stay "on top" of the disc upon release. Now i can drive ~400' with a fairway driver, and i know i have yet to properly throw a max D driver, but they still get out +400'. I hyzer flip my midrange fuse now for anything in the area of 300'. And i didn't learn a single bit of how to push a disc out that far until i disc'ed up.

The technique required to throw each level of disc a "max" distance is completely different. you are crazy if you think you are going to learn how to throw a speed 13 driver by throwing putters. BUT using the slower disc and generating distance with them will correct your form to where you are able to begin learning how to throw that fast disc. Bump up when you feel your form is good and you are ready to start learning.

 

[DeadEye]

No one should be throwing speed 13 discs unless you can get your TB 400' or so.

Discing down is good and all, especially if you're trying to learn good technique.. But the thought that you shouldn't touch a high speed driver until you can throw a putter 300 or a TB 400 is just completely asinine. Do you really think that every competitive person that is pro or at least competitive 'disced down' the entire time until the very last tournament before they went pro? No. It's a great practice and it will really help your game in a long run, but stop with the hole "don't ever throw a fast disc! easy distance is bad!"

 

[shoe59]

wow... I throw my putter around 250-260, my roc 260-280 and my teebird around 290-310--- I guess i should stick with that combo

You'd be doing yourself a favor to stick with those for a while. If you've only been playing less than a year, just work on your control and form. Try to gain consistency. The distance will come with time.

Fast drivers will ruin your form if you're not capable of throwing them. In other words: If you get used to throwing fast drivers, when you go back to the putter/mid/slow driver shots, your muscle memory might not be 100% in tune with the slower discs.

I'm with mike, if you start hitting 350' on a consistent basis with the teebird, that would be a good time to start messing around with faster stuff.

 

[JTacoma03]

The technique required to throw each level of disc a "max" distance is completely different. you are crazy if you think you are going to learn how to throw a speed 13 driver by throwing putters. BUT using the slower disc and generating distance with them will correct your form to where you are able to begin learning how to throw that fast disc. Bump up when you feel your form is good and you are ready to start learning.

Very well said.

 

[Nowski]

disc up when you want man. throwin putters wont help you throw speed 13 discs further, your gonna have to learn how to throw faster discs and if you feel like you can handle faster discs, go for it. i stuck with t birds, valks and old mold beast till i could get those out to 375 and then bumped up to faster discs. learn how to hyzer flip for distance, and dont throw overstable discs like destroyers. maybe go for a lighter weight archon or wraith

 

[garublador]

The real issue with the fast discs is that it's much easier to get them to fly well with OAT than it is with actual power. If you focus on driving with them it will make driving with putters, mids and fairway drivers much more difficult and you'll end up with the same (if not less) max D. If you're already focusing on throwing the slower discs and want to see what throwing a faster disc is like it won't do any harm. Chances are you won't see a whole lot of benefit except for headwinds and long hyzers and you'll have less control.

Clempson13's experiences mirror a lot of other people's experiences, including my own. Once difference is I don't see any benefit to throwing anything faster than speed 10 becasue I can't get a good grip. If I were to throw a Nuke and a Teebird in the field 10 times each (and I've done this before) I expect the average distance to be about the same, the Nuke to go farther once, shorter 5 or 6 times and the same distance 3 or 4 times. The Teebird would go farther than average once, shorter once or twice and the same distance 7 or 8 times. If I threw an Orc or OLF I'd get one or two longer throws, 2 or 3 shorter throws and 6-8 average throws. The real difference I'd see with the Nuke or Orc is that they require a lower line. So if I'm on the course and it's an open shot I'd pick the Teebird for the most consistency. If I was at my average Teebird length and had a low ceiling, I'd pick the Orc. I'd probably never pick the Nuke.

It's sort of the irony of discing up after discing down. You expect a lot of difference but you won't really see it unless you're throwing your fairway drivers far, which means you're getting your distance drivers up to speed.