Forehand Driver

[Go Beavs]

I'm in the market for a new forehand driver. My main FH driver, Pro SL, has received too much abuse and flies a little unpredictable. I've been playing for a little over a year now and can drive FH about 275-300ft(when my disc cooperates). Question is for y'all is what driver do you suggest for me? I've done some research and have seen that Destroyers are considered good FH drivers, but require a lot of power. Do you think that is too much disc for me? Thoughts?

[Brody Cannon]

Originally Posted by Go Beavs

I'm in the market for a new forehand driver. My main FH driver, Pro SL, has received too much abuse and flies a little unpredictable. I've been playing for a little over a year now and can drive FH about 275-300ft(when my disc cooperates). Question is for y'all is what driver do you suggest for me? I've done some research and have seen that Destroyers are considered good FH drivers, but require a lot of power. Do you think that is too much disc for me? Thoughts?

Try a Wraith. I rarely throw forehand but when I do I have about the same distance as you and I've been using a new Champion Wraith

[dan]

Originally Posted by Go Beavs

I'm in the market for a new forehand driver. My main FH driver, Pro SL, has received too much abuse and flies a little unpredictable. I've been playing for a little over a year now and can drive FH about 275-300ft(when my disc cooperates). Question is for y'all is what driver do you suggest for me? I've done some research and have seen that Destroyers are considered good FH drivers, but require a lot of power. Do you think that is too much disc for me? Thoughts?

At 275-300, try a Teebird or a similar speed disc (fairway driver). Your very best throws with a Teebird won't have quite the distance as your very best throws with a Wraith or a Destroyer, but overall your distance won't be off by much, and you'll more than make up for it in accuracy.

Edit to add:
My forehand is ugly/inconsistent. As such, I use the most stable disc in my bag, a Predator. It can handle the extra torque from my nasty throw, and I know it will come back at the end. I wish I had a smoother forehand so I could use a less stable disc.

[Dizzle]

Personally i use a Xcaliber. But at the clinic before the BSF Avery was talking about how he uses mostly stable discs, such as an Eagle, for throwing forehand. Might try that.

[MOB47]

I would recommend a 170 star wraith or an orc. These two hold str8 lines and go far with minimal effort. Then work in a star destroyer or starfire for max D. Also, I would practice with a firebird or xcal for those skip shots and other hard right turners.

[snap7times]

The comments above are correct, I see you been using a pro SL, why not move over to a CFR Champion SL since you wont be moving too far out of your comfort zone and its much more stable. And go from there ofc..

[Scott]

It totally depends on your throw. If you put a lot of snap on your throw (which is a good thing) you'll probably flip a lot of less stable discs. I can't throw Wraiths, Teebirds, or even Eagles because they all flip over or are too unpredictable. I would start with champion Orcs or Star Teerex. A star Destroyer, especially when beat, will fly quite nicely. The Groove, Monarch, and Force all make nice forehand discs, but I'd stay away from them until you've really developed a good snap and are having consistent success with the others. Until then, these discs will be too stable and won't go as far.

[captain jack]

Originally Posted by Dizzle

Personally i use a Xcaliber.

2nd vote for the Xcaliber here.
I started throwing forehands with Destroyers, but as I added power, they would increasingly flip over and turn to rollers, so I moved up to the Xcaliber.
The wide rims on these discs allow me to gauge a level flight plate better, resting flat between my first and second fingers.

The new Boss disc is a nice forehand disc as well, especially into a headwind, ultra stable in lower weights, which is a quality I cant find in any other disc, but it fades faster than the Xcal does.

I dont like throwing hyzer forehands, its like a golf swing, and its harder to get power from this type of delivery than it is to throw with an anhyzer release. More anny angle means I can add more rotational torque, so the disc goes farther.

This is why I like the Xcal so much.
Even Innova admits this is what this disc is good at.
From the Xcaliber page on thier site;
"Can handle headwinds and throws with off axis torque"

Off axis torque rocks.

I hope Dave makes an even more stable fast disc, like a Max X soon.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by captain jack

Off axis torque rocks.

As long as you're in a field. A little tougher to control in the trees.

[ChUcK]

Originally Posted by captain jack

"Can handle headwinds and throws with off axis torque"

Off axis torque rocks.

I'm not too sure if you understood what Dave D. meant in his Xcal advertisement. OAT is generally undesirable. Translated, the statement reads:

"Can handle headwinds and poorly executed throws."

[Scott]

Originally Posted by ChUcK

I'm not too sure if you understood what Dave D. meant in his Xcal advertisement. OAT is generally undesirable. Translated, the statement reads:

"Can handle headwinds and poorly executed throws."

Nicely put, but I'll argure that OAT is not a bad thing (when that is what was intended).

[Adam Schneider]

Intended? There are times when you intend to make your disc wobble??

[Scotty B]

i like to use the star max and also reach for the Discraft Z flick both of these disc can do the job my first ace came with a Z flick forehand.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by Adam Schneider

Intended? There are times when you intend to make your disc wobble??

OK - I just learned that what I thought was OAT is not.

I was referring to angle of release.

[RonTheWhip]

Originally Posted by Scott

It totally depends on your throw. If you put a lot of snap on your throw (which is a good thing) you'll probably flip a lot of less stable discs. I can't throw Wraiths, Teebirds, or even Eagles because they all flip over or are too unpredictable. I would start with champion Orcs or Star Teerex. A star Destroyer, especially when beat, will fly quite nicely. The Groove, Monarch, and Force all make nice forehand discs, but I'd stay away from them until you've really developed a good snap and are having consistent success with the others. Until then, these discs will be too stable and won't go as far.

I'd like to step in and police a few misunderstandings regarding "snap" and sidearms.



First, what do you mean by snap?



Snap is a very frequently used word to describe release but doesn't really mean anything. There are three factors I'd like to examine in order to better understand "snap" and how lots of "snap" impacts a sidearm.



1.) Arm speed. how fast is the arm traveling and therefore how fast the disc is potentially traveling on release



2.) Spin. how fast the disc is spinning once leaving the hand, this is caused by factor number three



3.) Clean Release. how well is the hand imparting both the speed of the throw and the rate of spin on the disc



The flight of the disc and its observed stability is caused by a Spin to Speed (Arm Speed) ratio. If a thrower imparts a great deal of arm speed on the disc, but lacks spin, the disc will flutter and the flight of the disc will be UNDERSTABLE. This is poor technique and this is why many people throw overstable discs (Firebird, Predator, XCal) to compensate. If the thrower imparts lots of spin without much speed than the disc will fly either neutral (like its intended flight path) or overstable. This is good technique and why players like Nate can throw Orcs so far without flipping them over. In Fact, Nate can barely flip over a sidewinder and still get 350' on his sidearm. The reason for this isn't because he has such good "snap" as most people would say (and I would say is a meaningless term), its because he as such clean release and a high spin to speed ratio. But I suppose snap is easier to say and why it has become part of the common vernacular.



Disc Selection:



Speed over Spin - Predator, Force, Firebird, Monster, XCal

Speed and Spin - Pulse, Surge, Wraith, Orc, Destroyer

Spin over Speed - Surge SS, Wildcat, Valkyrie, Sidewinder


My advice would be to figure out what you do more, throw fast or impart lots of spin on the disc and pick a disc in the corresponding stability ranges. I personally fall into the equal spin/ratio and throw a Pulse for most sidearm shots. I also like to throw the Force with anhyzer for max distance and Predators for control hyzers.

Avery doesn’t throw turnover shots with his sidearm and throws Firebirds and Eagles for short hyzers. Xcals for long hyzers I believe.

Nate throws Orcs and Firebirds for most if not all of his sidearm shots, but is playing around with an XCal.

Colin throws Orcs, Firebirds and a Destroyer for maximum distance.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by RonTheWhip

I'd like to step in and police a few misunderstandings regarding "snap" and sidearms.



First, what do you mean by snap?



Snap is a very frequently used word to describe release but doesn't really mean anything. There are three factors I'd like to examine in order to better understand "snap" and how lots of "snap" impacts a sidearm.



1.) Arm speed. how fast is the arm traveling and therefore how fast the disc is potentially traveling on release



2.) Spin. how fast the disc is spinning once leaving the hand, this is caused by factor number three



3.) Clean Release. how well is the hand imparting both the speed of the throw and the rate of spin on the disc



The flight of the disc and its observed stability is caused by a Spin to Speed (Arm Speed) ratio. If a thrower imparts a great deal of arm speed on the disc, but lacks spin, the disc will flutter and the flight of the disc will be UNDERSTABLE. This is poor technique and this is why many people throw overstable discs (Firebird, Predator, XCal) to compensate. If the thrower imparts lots of spin without much speed than the disc will fly either neutral (like its intended flight path) or overstable. This is good technique and why players like Nate can throw Orcs so far without flipping them over. In Fact, Nate can barely flip over a sidewinder and still get 350' on his sidearm. The reason for this isn't because he has such good "snap" as most people would say (and I would say is a meaningless term), its because he as such clean release and a high spin to speed ratio. But I suppose snap is easier to say and why it has become part of the common vernacular.



Disc Selection:



Speed over Spin - Predator, Force, Firebird, Monster, XCal

Speed and Spin - Pulse, Surge, Wraith, Orc, Destroyer

Spin over Speed - Surge SS, Wildcat, Valkyrie, Sidewinder


My advice would be to figure out what you do more, throw fast or impart lots of spin on the disc and pick a disc in the corresponding stability ranges. I personally fall into the equal spin/ratio and throw a Pulse for most sidearm shots. I also like to throw the Force with anhyzer for max distance and Predators for control hyzers.

Avery doesn’t throw turnover shots with his sidearm and throws Firebirds and Eagles for short hyzers. Xcals for long hyzers I believe.

Nate throws Orcs and Firebirds for most if not all of his sidearm shots, but is playing around with an XCal.

Colin throws Orcs, Firebirds and a Destroyer for maximum distance.

How do you generate spin? The best way I've found is by "snapping" my wrist at time of release.

That's some good stuff, by the way.

[Adam Schneider]

Doesn't more spin also translate to more "glide," whatever that is? I know that if I have to get a midrange or putter to really fly with very little arm motion (for example, if I'm stuck under some tree branches but want to make a run at the chains from 6 inches off the ground), I give it some extra spin, and the throw is all wrist.