[Question] Switching it up/taking a break

[cooter]

I agree with what many have already said. Simplify the bag to discs you love to throw. Just the ones that get the most action that you have confidence in. Everyone has those favorites they click with and enjoy throwing. Just use those and go have fun. You might come out in the spring shooting better than ever.

 

[DiscinMiller]

when i struggle i usually simplify. Take out 6-7 discs in my nutsac instead of my 22 i usualkly carry. Take out the decisions, play the smart shots and it usually helps me simplify and play better.

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[anrew18]

Firebird Fridays, a friend and I will occasionally declare Firebird Fridays and you can only take that disc with you. especially fun on heavily wooded courses . Nice break from a rut.

 

[Squirrilah Fish]

I've tried so hard to limit my bag, and I have done so quite a bit. At one point I was carrying 30 diferent molds.
My experience wasn't great. It did lead me to appreciating discs I like even more, and I rediscovered a few awesome discs like the Archon, and FD. But ultimately, I missed my normal discs. And actually a lot of it had to do with weight too. I realized I had a lot of Max weight discs, so in holes where Id usually throw something light and flippy it felt like I was throwing a brick, and way way way overshot.

I have took a few discs out of my bag. The way I see it though is I could likely cover all my shots with just a few discs, but why force a disc to fly a certain way, when another disc naturally flies that way?

What's a good number to have 7? 10? 5?

 

[grotto]

I have took a few discs out of my bag. The way I see it though is I could likely cover all my shots with just a few discs, but why force a disc to fly a certain way, when another disc naturally flies that way?

What's a good number to have 7? 10? 5?

Well, I guess it all comes down to your style of play. I too used to have way too many molds, but I found making discs fly on different than intended lines got me to know my discs better and what they can do. It helps me because the disc I trust always feels the same and given that I have thrown it on so many lines, my confidence increases.

What's a good number? Hmmm. In all honesty, if I was going to play as if every shot were the most important shot I were to ever take, my bag would only have 8-10 discs.

In my normal summer bag, I carry 16-18 and most of them are doubles to take practice shots or a new disc I'm trying. When I sorted it out to play winter rounds, I noticed there were two discs that I couldn't remember ever throwing all summer! Out they went, traded off for another back up disc.

 

[Beener]

What's a good number to have 7? 10? 5?

I have had good success "limiting" myself to what fits in my Nutsac - six discs. These six discs roughly fill the slots: OS fairway (Stag), stable fairway (Saint), US fairway (Diamond), neutral / stable Midrange (Claymore), OS Midrange / approach / utility disc (Suspect) and putter (Warden). I feel I can work all the required lines at my local courses with this setup...

 

[Squirrilah Fish]

I think I'll try this for a while then: although the River and Trident are new. From what I have seen they'll make good additions. Def. need to field work them.
See even trying to limit to molds I like I still wind up with 13

Judge, Warden, Suspect, Verdict, Truth, Witness, Escape, Trident, River, Felon , Freedom, Trespass, Enforcer.

Maybe I can make this simpler:
Warden, Suspect, Truth, Trident, Witness, Escape, Felon, Tresspass,

That's 8 but I will badly miss my Freedom, and Verdict, and Judge, lol. Also I sometimes like a Saint Pro, and a Thunderbird, and a TL3.

Seriously limiting my bag is the hardest thing about this game for me right now.

 

[cooter]

Maybe I can make this simpler:
Warden, Suspect, Truth, Trident, Witness, Escape, Felon, Tresspass,

That's 8 but I will badly miss my Freedom, and Verdict, and Judge, lol. Also I sometimes like a Saint Pro, and a Thunderbird, and a TL3.

Seriously limiting my bag is the hardest thing about this game for me right now.

Looks like the Trident and Felon overlap so you could drop one of those. I would pick between a Verdict or Suspect. I haven't thrown a Witness yet but seems like it's similar to the Escape. Maybe just pick one of those. Why the two putter molds? Which one do you putt with? I think Trespass and Freedom can coexist just fine. Maybe something like this...

Distance drivers
2 Trespass (one overstable, one straight)
1 Freedom

Fairway/control
2 Escape (or Thunderbird)
1 Felon

Midrange
2 Truth (one straight, one beat)
1 Verdict

Putters
2 Warden
1 Judge

 

[Ted Bratton]

You don't have to limit your bag, throw -whatever- you want. It's really not a big deal, practicing well and often is a really big deal! Your discs will sort themselves out naturally if you practice often to prepare for that upcoming event and simply focus on constantly improving your fundamentals.

If you had an enormous mixed hypothetical bag of 50 random discs but gave them no thought and instead focused on your fundamentals, making entirely instinctual choices, you would rapidly shed down to the "optimal" "perfect" "content" bag you desire probably between 5-20 discs. The number of discs, number of molds, weights, plastics, and the specific discs themselves are -completely arbitrary- and a waste of time and thought. You could spend the free time you spend thinking about discs on other hobbies, family, friends, work, etc. etc. which gives you the opportunity to take a mental break from disc golf to help keep you hungry to play and prevent burning yourself out. No disc is better than any other disc, they are all simply different, and your bag will never actually be "optimal" "perfect" "content" or even "stable". Nearly everybody's bag changes all of the time even if they make it a point not to change because discs wear, become lost, and people change and so their taste in discs change. There's nothing wrong with picking disc A over disc B for any reason, even if you just"like it better" or "think it's cool".

You will not get any edge from this forum or spending time or thought on your disc choices, do it only for fun. I find it pretty fun. If you think about your discs and this forum too often and it bothers you even a little then it is a hinderance. Just be content with all of the beautiful, perfect discs you already own, probably enough to fill a few stocked bags, and instead focus on disc golf itself. My .02

 

[cooter]

I agree with you Ted but it's just an experiment for Mr.Fish and one I believe holds merit. Just something to try out for a few rounds. Can't hurt. If he comes to a 300' hyzer hole and only has one disc in the bag that does that shot then it takes the extra mental strain of "which disc" out of the equation and hopefully in turn helps him relax and have fun with his bros. Some of my most fun rounds in recent years have been 3 discers with friends. After we play the first round of the day sometimes for the second we do the 3 disc challenge. No heavy bag and no disc selection thought. They actually get pretty competitive and very fun.

Most people go through plateau stages. Just remember your worst rounds now are better than your best rounds used to be.

 

[Squirrilah Fish]

Part of the problem I think is I throw every shot, and I know most people do, but it's pretty eve for me as far as Backhand, Forehand, Thumber, Tommy

But I was able to get my bag down to a number I like. And makes sense. I basically took my favorite course, and made a list of 18, and put down what disc I would want off the Tee, I also looked at other options, Overlap, ETC.
So I have:
Warden x 2 (short and long putter)
Suspect x 2 (Approach) light/heavy
Fugituve x 2 (US mid) flippy/s curve
Truth x 2 (stable mid) heavy/light
Verdict (OS mid)
Witness x 2 (US fairway) flippy/ s curve
Thief x 2 (stable fairway) heavy/light
Escape x2 (stable driver) OS bomber / straighter
Felon (utility)
Trespass x 2 (OS driver) OS bomber / Forehand S curve
Bolt x 2 (Distance Driver) heavy / light

So 11 molds, can cover my favorite 18. Have all my mids, which I use more than anything, and only 20 discs total. And my bag holds 35, so lots of room for snacks.

I need to do field work to see if the Escape/Bolt overlap. (If I can get an Escape out that far)
Also see if I can cover those tight tunnels with an Escape over a Thief, even though they're similar in number they fly way diferent. The Witness doubles as a flippy fairway, and distance driver, I can get my lucid out just as far as my mamba (380-400') if I cut a mid it would likely be the Truth, and that's just not going to happen.

 

[Squirrilah Fish]

i may try the 3 disc thing. I used to do stuff like that all the time, but my gane has gotten so much more serious as I am starting to compete. But my best 3 would be:
Classic Suspect (approach and putter)
Fluid Truth (shapes into anything pretty much)
Fuzion Escape

I'm going to try those 3 tomorrow. See how I score. I've seem stuck at +2 on my course lately, the best I have done was -6 which is a 1000+ round at that course. But I've also had +12 recently

 

[grotto]

I did the same thing recently (Bio Suspect,KC Roc and Fuzion Escape)

The Suspect is my favorite up shot disc and I can putt with it.
The Roc is my go to mid
The Fuzion is long and powers own nicely for Fairway.

I was pretty impressed with my score and noticed there were only a few shots where I wished I had a different disc. Its always fun to test myself, even if I have to make my own game for the testing.

 

[cooter]

i may try the 3 disc thing. I used to do stuff like that all the time, but my gane has gotten so much more serious as I am starting to compete. But my best 3 would be:
Classic Suspect (approach and putter)
Fluid Truth (shapes into anything pretty much)
Fuzion Escape

I'm going to try those 3 tomorrow. See how I score. I've seem stuck at +2 on my course lately, the best I have done was -6 which is a 1000+ round at that course. But I've also had +12 recently

Sounds like just messing with your bag had reinvigorated a spark for the game. I go thru those weird unexplainable slumps too but usually when I come out of them I'm shooting better than ever and have learned something new about my game.

My friends and I are pretty competitive as well. We play the first round with full bags trying to beat one another then our three disc round is supposed to be laid back but ends up competitive as well and always fun.

 

[Squirrilah Fish]

Ya I just played through a good practice round. Did a lot of tests I the Trident. That's a sweet disc. One thing I noticed is that my putting practice is really paying off. I wasn't hitting all my first putts, but on 2nd and 3rd tries from the same spot I was hitting putts I would never hit in the past. I was also hitting first putts from distance I normally hit them on more consistently. It doesn't feel like all the putting I do is helping, but dropping 2 50'ers on my second try twice today felt good.