For newer players high glide discs are awesome....gives you easier distance and rewards clean throws rather than overly torqued throws.
But when you can throw hard and far, even when powering down, then you need discs that are consistent. Not every disc is meant to go your max distance.
So first of all, lets just use a player that throws a max distance driver 400' (12/5/-1/2 disc), so that we can use that as an example throughout this discussion.
So why would you use a max distance disc then with a glide of 3? Why not just throw a speed 7 or 9 disc with normal 5 glide or something like that to get that distance? Is it just a wind thing? A trajectory height thing? Do low glide discs go just as high in the air as a higher glide disc? Or do they usually fly lower overall?
High glide discs are harder to range, if you throw them just slightly too hard or slightly too high they can overshoot your landing zone by 30'+. Also high glide discs are far more affected by wind, often they'll get more of the "elevator" effect when they suddenly jump up and down several times during the flight.
So you're saying high glide discs are touchy to distance? Are you saying if a high glide disc with a normal hard throw goes 360', but if you really get a hold of it, it will jump up to 390-400? Or possibly turn over right too much if you really ripped on it? And what does the "elevator" effect have to do with overall accuracy and distance? Does it make the disc possibly lose or gain distance if it's going up and down? I have seen that happen to some of my throws sometimes going downwind. And then conversely, do low glide discs NOT have the elevator effect? Do they stay dead flat the entire throw? And does that mean they always go about the same distance with a super reliable flight path?
Low glide discs are far more consistent to throw. If someone can throw 400'+, then a 300' shot is nothing for them. If they throw a glidey midrange then they may go way too far for 300'. But if they throw a lower glide OS mid, then they can throw it hard and it will stop in that same distance range basically every time, plus it will be less affected by a moderate wind in any direction.
Ok, so now you're sort of answering more of what I was asking above. Still not a 100% sure, but understanding more. So lets say I throw a Lat 64 Compass 280ish on most throws. But... if I really get a hold of it, or throw it a tad high, it can easily jump more in distance and glide another 20-40' past that distance. But that a MD4/5 will almost always go around 280, even if I rip on it?
With drivers there are inherent advantages from the speed, like being able to throw a lower line that gets out there on velocity. So even if say a speed 10-12 super OS and low glide disc only goes as far as a neutral and glidey mid for the same player, that driver will be able to do it far lower to the ground and ignore basically any wind condition or some poor torque during the throw.
Ok! I see where you going with this. Can we play a little name that disc/distance game, so I have a clue about how much distance the low glide takes off of a certain disc speed?
So using our example above of a max 400' player. Lets say they throw a max D driver 400, then a super OS high speed driver around 370-380, then a Control driver speed 9 around 330-360, then a speed 7 glidey FD around 310-330 and longer mids in the 270-300 range. So, knowing that, what would that player expect to throw a speed 12 driver, that has a glide of 3-4? And is the height of the throw the same or lower? Same goes for this same player throwing a speed 9 low glide control driver. How far would they expect that disc to fly compared to their normal speed 9?
Like I see Kevin Jones and Simon using a TON of speed 9-12 low glide discs in addition to their normal glide 5 discs in that speed range. And all I get out of it, is that they throw those when the wind is howling and/or they need to make 100% sure the disc goes straight and finishes hard left. NO chance of turning over right AT ALL. But I don't play much in the wind, and I don't have any problem throwing my current discs hard left if I need too. So is a speed 9 or 11 low glide disc something I wouldn't really need? Or is it something I should carry? At least 1 maybe? And would it be better to have a speed 5, 7, 9, or 11 low glide based on throwing those numbers above (not that I throw that, just using that as an example)?
Basically if you have the power to throw a lower glide disc without really exerting yourself too much, then it has far more consistent results. I don't like mids without much glide, but the super glidey ones are really hard for me to control every time. You have to find a balance for your arm speed and play style. At a certain point you don't need every disc in a certain speed class to go as far as possible...some discs can go too far and glide too well to be consistent if you're not looking for max distance out of the mold. For example I wouldn't use a Sidewinder as a fairway/control mold even though it being a speed 9 is kind of that "control driver" spot in the market now. It just goes so much farther than most fairway drivers and so much farther than mids, that it makes a problem of having too big of a gap from midranges. But that's an example for my arm speed, play style, and bag arrangement how something in a speed class may have too much glide. But a Sidewinder could be a distance turnover disc or a roller.
So I'm sort of understanding all of this, but still, not completely sure. It "seems" as if it's micro differences and that players that have huge bags that can hold 20 or more discs, just want a ton of the same mold, but in different plastics, different levels of beat in wear, and ever so slightly different results. Is that about right? So my last question is, what would be a few good low glide discs to add to my bag? Not so much which disc, but what speed and glide? As of right now, my entire playing bag consists only of glide 5 or 6 discs. And I'm thinking it might be helpful to add maybe 1-2 low glide discs in the mid range, fw, control driver or max d driver positions? In order to allow me to have a few discs I know I can throw low, hard, and far, but always go the exact distance I want.
