[Recommend] [Innova] Looking for a sidearm fairway/distance driver

[ILUVSMGS18]

GStar is a fine FH plastic but I find that Champion is better bc of the reduced risk of griplock due to the reduced grip and more consistant flight path. Thunderbird, TeeBird, TL, Valk, Eagle, Leopard/3, are all good options as is the Discmania FD and FD2. The disc really depends on whether he is willing to learn the FH hyzerflip or not.

 

[VictorB]

Teebird, Eagle, FD2

 

[TheThoughtNinja]

Right now I think he'd do best with no declination, but maybe I could teach him the hyzer flip. Here's what I see right now (in order of most recommended):

Teebird
TL
Eagle
Leopard
Thunderbird
Viking

Right now I'd say I'm leaning towards the TL. I'm afraid that the regular Teebird would be too overstable for him. I have a Thunderbird and Eagle myself and can verify that they would also be too overstable at the moment. A Leopard or Leopard 3 might be great but I'm worried he would be frustrated if they flipped too much. That leaves me with the TL and Viking. The Viking intrigued me. Would it be too fast and therefore too overstable? Or would the small turn make it great for FH?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[SD86]

That leaves me with the TL and Viking. The Viking intrigued me. Would it be too fast and therefore too overstable? Or would the small turn make it great for FH?

You could try both! The Viking comes in DX (inexpensive), and the Viking and TL are different speeds and have different uses; ergo, you (and/or your friend) could get different uses out of each disc. So IMHO it wouldn't be a waste to try both.

 

[august dupree]

That leaves me with the TL and Viking. The Viking intrigued me. Would it be too fast and therefore too overstable? Or would the small turn make it great for FH?

Thanks for all the help!

The Viking and Thunderbird are very close to being the same disc.

 

[dwindacatcher]

Teebird is a great disc. You should probably get one for him and one for you. There is a reason it is in, or has been in probably 99% of forum goers bag. Nobody ever says "I hate the teebird" and take it out of there bag. They say they found something they like better. Which could be the case for you and your friend, but you should give it a try.

But to give more options...

I like the River by latitude 64. I use mine for forehand upshots. You don't have to put much power on it so you can be a little more accurate than with a teebird.

 

[Wordgie]

Teebird is a great disc. You should probably get one for him and one for you. There is a reason it is in, or has been in probably 99% of forum goers bag. Nobody ever says "I hate the teebird" and take it out of there bag. They say they found something they like better. Which could be the case for you and your friend, but you should give it a try.

But to give more options...

I like the River by latitude 64. I use mine for forehand upshots. You don't have to put much power on it so you can be a little more accurate than with a teebird.

I'm, at best a novice, so take my opinion with a grain of salt....

I just started throwing my River sidearm and I love it as much as I do my XL which is what I learned sidearm with.

I've tried sidearm with a TeeBird as well as my TL and had better results with the Star TL. My Eagle was better, but unfortunately I got to cocky and took a risky sidearm shot with it and lost it in the trees.

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

GStar is a fine FH plastic but I find that Champion is better bc of the reduced risk of griplock due to the reduced grip and more consistant flight path. Thunderbird, TeeBird, TL, Valk, Eagle, Leopard/3, are all good options as is the Discmania FD and FD2. The disc really depends on whether he is willing to learn the FH hyzerflip or not.

G* is poo.

I found an uninked 175g G* TeeBird the other day, gave it a few tosses for funsies, and my Champ Leo3 was beefier than that turd. Hyzerflip machine even at half power forehand. I dare say flippier than a fresh max weight DX TeeBird. To me, a good TeeBird should not flip at all. Can't emphasize enough how bad G* is. Even Star stinks nowadays, gets closer and closer to being G* poopy with every run. Champ is even weak nowadays, it gouges like Pro except it bubbles when exposed to heat, even minimal heat from an adjusted lighter. Hard to fix when it does inevitably get the vegetable peeler gouge. Nothing like the old awesome pearly goodness Innova used to pump out. I like Discraft now hahahaha.

But yes, the candy premium-style plastics (Champ, Z, Opto, Lucid, Pinnacle, SP, Quantum, etc) are what most forehanders prefer. And the reason is their inherent overstability when compared to other plastics in the same mold.

 

[walde]

G* is poo.

I found an uninked 175g G* TeeBird the other day, gave it a few tosses for funsies, and my Champ Leo3 was beefier than that turd. Hyzerflip machine even at half power forehand. I dare say flippier than a fresh max weight DX TeeBird. To me, a good TeeBird should not flip at all. Can't emphasize enough how bad G* is. Even Star stinks nowadays, gets closer and closer to being G* poopy with every run. Champ is even weak nowadays, it gouges like Pro except it bubbles when exposed to heat, even minimal heat from an adjusted lighter. Hard to fix when it does inevitably get the vegetable peeler gouge. Nothing like the old awesome pearly goodness Innova used to pump out. I like Discraft now hahahaha.

But yes, the candy premium-style plastics (Champ, Z, Opto, Lucid, Pinnacle, SP, Quantum, etc) are what most forehanders prefer. And the reason is their inherent overstability when compared to other plastics in the same mold.

What did I just read?

It looks like you've been playing for 14 years, the OP and his friend have assumingly played for a few months. Do you think their experience with for example a Gstar Teebird would be similar to yours? I doubt they've ever even thrown a Teebird before so they probably don't care what is a "good" Teebird that used to come out a decade ago. Again, they've played for a short while and are just getting to know the game and the disc that is to be replaced/upgraded is a 150g Leopard, which I assume to be in DX.

I have never thrown a Gstar Teebird nor do I like Gstar plastic but if the OP likes it it's none of my business. If he or his friend likes Gstar then I think a Gstar Teebird would be a great choice from what I've heard it being much straigher than say Star or Champ birds. I doubt it will be flippy for a beginner. A Star TL would be a good choice as well but I'm not sure if it comes in Gstar. Premium plastic Leopards are fantastic all-around discs as well.

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

I would suggest other avenues than G*. Its shape retention. Awful. Like one full power tree shot, done. If the OP is a new forehander, tree shots are coming. might as well start seasoning something that will last years instead of months. Something like a Z XL or QJLS or Champion TeeBird maybe. And there are still good Champion TeeBirds out there, it is just a pain trying to hunt down the flat ones. Flatness is paramount to acquiring that true 0 HSS.

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

My 8 year old nephew forehands a 168g Prodigy Proto F7, btw.

He pretty much commandeered it from my collection hahaha. "I like this one!"

 

[wims]

Flat champion Teebirds are pure beef. They are more Banshee than Teebird, no glide, no carry, definitely not a beginners disc

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

Flat champion Teebirds are pure beef. They are more Banshee than Teebird, no glide, no carry, definitely not a beginners disc

I have yet to encounter any TeeBirds that can hold a candle to a nice flat Banshee in terms of overstability. flat Banshees are a thing of the past, though, don't mess with the newer ones, which all seem to be domey. whether or not a Champ TeeBird can work as a learner forehand driver depends on the beginner's arm speed, really. I remember a buddy's GF whose go to driver was a 150 Champ TeeBird. She threw lasers with it, and she had about a 250 ft arm.

 

[jjmiller]

Champion sidewinder

 

[captain jack]

Hey, if he's any good, get him a Champ Firebird, its the number one choice forehand disc for the pros because it is that good

 

[august dupree]

Also, look towards a Champ Starfire. It's the disc that I learned on and many others as well. Not as OS as a Firebird but close.

 

[SD86]

Also, look towards a Champ Starfire. It's the disc that I learned on and many others as well. Not as OS as a Firebird but close.

Or a Star Starfire; specifically, the new Valarie Jenkins signature Star Starfire...

 

[Lurp Nuts]

Those Starfires are so hot right now.

 

[Reniger]

My 8 year old nephew forehands a 168g Prodigy Proto F7, btw.

He pretty much commandeered it from my collection hahaha. "I like this one!"

lol. Cute. My nephew did the same when he visited from OK. He's 14, but he's a ROCKET of a pictcher on his baseball team. 14 years old and he's a starting varsity pitcher. So, I took him out for some discus and he loved it. Ended up in my field for about an hour throwing as the rest of us all had lunch. As they were packing up to leave the next day, I gave him a bag and a four disc starter set. He very shyly asked "Uhh... do you think I could trade one of these for the grey one I threw yesterday?" (Star Beast) I ran to my car and tossed it to him. Ahhh... Good memories.

ANYWAY! OP, G-PD is a great forehand disc in that gummy G-Star plastic. Love me some PDs.