Winter Discin'

[HarrisonH]

Is it just me, or does the winter kill distance? I can't tell if it is the fact that I am playing less (still out there at least 2-3 times a week), or the dense air, but I felt like it's harder to achieve snap until today, when I realize my finger hurts from hucking, and generating audible snap, but I'm still not getting the distance I did about six weeks ago. Still having fun, but maybe I'm just craving the warm summer months too much...

[mine all mine]

Colder air produces shorter throws. It's not just your brain playin with you, it's also mother nature. Expect shorter shots in the winter followed by huge/amazing shots in the summer...if that is in your wheelhouse

[DexterHawk]

I actually think that the loss of distance has more to do with cold hands and grip loss than any air conditions.

[Uhlman]

All of what was said plus....
Your arm has more mass to move because you are wearing more clothing then you would in the summertime... unless you are one of those people that wear a parka, and thermal underwear year round.

[Ol' Bob]

It's the denser cold air and the drag it produces. Yes, there may be other factors, but these will vary with the thrower. The one thing that will get everyone is the density of the air. It's not as bad as playing underwater, but that's the principle involved. It's why more home runs are hit in the middle of summer.

[D.L.]

ATP conversion declines with temperatures away from 40C.

Cold muscles move slowly, warm muscles are quick, over-heated muscles are slow again.
That, and everything else everyone else said. I think mostly it's the clothes, mass and motion etc.

[DMajor]

Here's why I throw like a sissy in the winter.

Cold muscles are less flexible and fluid. It's pretty hard to get fully warmed up and stay that way when it's in the thirties. Not to mention you have to slow your footwork down alot in the winter so as to not fall on your ass on the slippery ground.

One thing that is helping me gain distance this winter is playing less and lifting weights. My arm is starting to feel fresher than it has in a long time. I couldn't do a pull up prettty much all last year due to fatigue and soreness in my throwing arm. I can do pull ups pain free now and my arm is less sore after throwing than it has been in a long time.

If you feel like your game has plateaued or your not getting any better in the winter, you should try playing less and training to increase overall athleticism. Works for me and makes me enjoy the days that I actually get to play more.

[CarlitosBonitos]

In the winter... I have a lot less traction for footing and I cant dig in and torque as much which hurts my distance... just one more reason why summer is too short!

[Ol' Bob]

RE: baseballs
...with all other factors constant, a ball hit on a hot, 95 oF (35 oC) day will travel a further 20 feet (6 m) than the same hit on a cool, 45 oF (7.2 oC) day.

How the added factors of lift and glide of a golf disc affect distances, I can't find. I knew someone would have looked at the physics of baseballs and golf balls. I have to believe, from my own experience, that the effects are more pronounced with a disc. I assume lift, as well as spin, suffers while the drag increases.

RE: golf balls
Six yards lost between 85 and 65 degrees but 28 yards lost between 55 and 35 degrees.

Of course, both golf balls and baseballs are normally propelled by being hit by a hard surface (so the temperature of the ball, as well as the bat or club, could be a factor). As one site I read said, the best test would be with a throwing machine.

Another interesting fact I keep running into is that higher humidity means less drag than in dryer air.

[LakeStevensBA]

I agree my game can have a few strokes added to it in the winter. However I feel it has nothing to do with the clothes or weather effects on a disc.

On most cold winter days, my Coors Light or Budweiser will freeze during the round. Because of this, I am forced to upgrade to the more expensive and higher alcohol content beers like Diamond Knot Industrial IPA or a Snow Cap. Because of the massive amount of calories these beers have, I usually put on an additional 10 pounds of winter belly.

It must be that beer induced winter girth that is throwing off my center of gravity and adding strokes to my game. Hmmm..
:chug:

[HarrisonH]

Nice to hear all the responses, and nicer to see that it's not all in my head! I like the idea of working out a bit more this season... I'll have to take advantage of my roommates bench press and bulk up a little to make up for the lost distance, and (hopefully) have an explosive summer! Cheers!

[Adam Schneider]

Yeah, I think it's less to do with aerodynamics and more about grip, muscles, clothes, etc.

As Bob said, it's difficult to find hard facts about this stuff because a disc's flight is much more complicated than a ball's: you need SOME density of air, but not too much. Obviously, you can throw a disc farther in earth's atmosphere than you could in a vacuum -- but if the air were twice as thick as normal, that'd be a hindrance. Somewhere in between is the sweet spot... but even then, it might depend on the disc (overstable vs. understable, etc.).

[Uhlman]

Nice to hear all the responses, and nicer to see that it's not all in my head! I like the idea of working out a bit more this season... I'll have to take advantage of my roommates bench press and bulk up a little to make up for the lost distance, and (hopefully) have an explosive summer! Cheers!
when "bulking up" make sure you are drinking pleanty of water and don't forget the lower half of your body.

[Ol' Bob]

when "bulking up" make sure you are drinking pleanty of water and don't forget the lower half of your body.

Yeah, keep that. How else could you get rid of the excess water?