Trouble with a R>L Headwind

[Timeetyo]

Disclaimer - I've read the very helpful and much-linked discraft article on wind affects, but I am still struggling with this direction more than any other (RHBH). This is most often a problem if I need a fairly straight shot on this line. I get this headwind a lot in my yard during fieldwork and today it was driving me bonkers. Trying to hit the imaginary tunnel to my practice basket and was having very little luck. Using my teebirds for example as I have a good range of stabilities in them:

- Beat, flippy DX bird - If thrown on anything but a hyzer flip this will turn & burn badly due to the headwind. I've made this shot in practice a few times but it is SO hard to get the hyzer angle just right. To much hyzer and the wind catches it before it can flip up and it goes hard left. Too little and it'll just turn over. Just hit one correctly today in the yard and it was a thing of beauty...dead straight down the imaginary tunnel in my yard...but not something I can readily repeat.

- Starlight bird (nicely seasoned)- a bit easier to get the angle right on as it is more stable, but the larger fade makes it very susceptible to having the wind catch the bottom of the flight plate during the fade and sending it wide left. Also less distance (much secondary concern).

- GStar bird (still pretty OS) - The easiest to not screw up, but at a price. To keep it in the "tunnel" I pretty much have to release it flat and very low. It won't turn into the wind (unless its crazy windy) and I need to keep it low enough that it essentially doesn't get the chance to fade out. This costs me bigtime in distance but keeps me out of the imaginary schule.

Now, obviously if I had more room to work with I could use the wind and play the extra fade, but in a scenario where that isn't an option I am having a heck of a time now. So is this just a matter of experience and time to learn the angles needed on that hyzerfip? Is there something else I'm missing? The other recommended line (flex and OS disc) wouldn't be an option as there isn't the room to work with.




http://discraft.com/res_wind06_p2.html

In the case of a right to left headwind (CD, fig. 3), a less stable disc can be thrown with hyzer on a much shallower arc. It must be kept low and allowed to straighten. A more stable disc with anhyzer will turn over slightly in the wind and then hook sharply back at the end of its flight. In both cases it is important to keep the line a little lower than normal. Watch out for the skip at the end of the flight because the wind pushes will be enhancing the natural right to left of the discs flight; the edge of the disc will "open up" to the wind as it slows. Step up to a slightly more overstable disc than you'd choose for normal wind conditions.

 

[Apila]

Right to left headwind is probably the hardest wind to throw into for a RHBH thrower. Too light a disc and the wind will turn it over too much, too understable and the same will happen. If the disc is too overstable, the wind will push it hard to the left. Throw nose up and the disc will get lifted high up in the air.

Personally, I try to throw relatively stable discs into headwinds if I need a straighter flight. For ~330-375' I throw a Teebird low in a slight hyzer and let it turn just a little for a relatively straight shot. The small turn will compensate for the fade. 375'> I hyzerflip or flex stable DDs for a similar flight pattern. I also hyzerflip understable discs if I need to throw with less power, but it really depends on the hole. Usually it's more consistent to throw stable discs.

I reckon you're rather new to the sport. It will take a lot of practice to throw in windy conditions, even the pros make mistakes! My advice would be to get a relatively stable disc (not too overstable), even a new 170g+ star leopard should do the job if you're throwing <330ft unless the wind's blowing very hard. Your G* TB should be fine, but I'd get something with a bit less fade. Throw it flat or in a slight hyzer as cleanly as you possibly can. The more spin you can generate (do NOT try to add spin consciously!) the easier it will be to throw into the wind as it will help to keep the disc more straight and not fade that hard. Keep the disc low and nose down to avoid it getting stalled. Practice, practice, practice. It will be hard to get the proper height and angle at first. If your shots are very low and turn to the ground, try to give them just a little more height. If that's not good either and they still turn more than desired, put a little more hyzer on it.

In the end it doesn't really matter whether you throw flex shots or hyzerflips, the result and the flight pattern are very similar. A flex shot will be easier to keep lower but it's also easier to turn over too much. A hyzerflip will be easier to throw straighter (easier to control how much turn you want) but it's easy to put too much hyzer on it and it won't turn at all and fade too much. Obviously it's good to be able to do both.

What distances are you trying to throw? How far do you throw in calm conditions? Have you considered throwing a mid-range? Rocs can handle headwinds pretty well and are much easier to throw straight.

 

[Timeetyo]

Yeah, I'm new - just started in april. I'm working on the lots of practice - hence the fieldwork examples. Just taking a while to get those angles right.

~230-250 with the teebirds, ~210-230 with mids. The issue is the same with the mids, just at a different distance and with different discs (roc, roc3, foxbat, stingray).

 

[DanJon]

For a R>L Headwind, I throw a very HSS disc that has had some of the fade or LSS beat out of it.

Something like a Champ Teebird, Star Firebird or KC Roc.

 

[DiscFifty]

"- GStar bird (still pretty OS) - The easiest to not screw up, but at a price. To keep it in the "tunnel" I pretty much have to release it flat and very low. It won't turn into the wind (unless its crazy windy) and I need to keep it low enough that it essentially doesn't get the chance to fade out. This costs me bigtime in distance but keeps me out of the imaginary schule. "

This sounds like the best scenario, as it sounds to me...it's a par situation. And when you have a tough head wind, it's not really time to think bird anyway. I say go with the controlled drive and take the par....anytime. I also throw low in any head wind and throw my heaviest discs as well.

 

[Timeetyo]

"- GStar bird (still pretty OS) - The easiest to not screw up, but at a price. To keep it in the "tunnel" I pretty much have to release it flat and very low. It won't turn into the wind (unless its crazy windy) and I need to keep it low enough that it essentially doesn't get the chance to fade out. This costs me bigtime in distance but keeps me out of the imaginary schule. "

This sounds like the best scenario, as it sounds to me...it's a par situation. And when you have a tough head wind, it's not really time to think bird anyway. I say go with the controlled drive and take the par....anytime. I also throw low in any head wind and throw my heaviest discs as well.

This is definitely what I do when on the course, just trying to expand the options in fieldwork and finding it very inconsistent and was kind of hoping I was missing an option.

 

[FriedInTheDesert]

I like to use a slightly understable disc and flip it to flat. Really gotta know your discs. That's why I like to have less discs in the bag.

 

[DiscFifty]

.....finding it very inconsistent and was kind of hoping I was missing an option.

Yah...I'm exactly the same way at times, wanting to discover new lines for a hard hole, etc. What makes it worse is, occasionally I'll have this freak throw that seems to smart bomb itself around every tree and it's impossible to duplicate the shot, so I just think.... fk it... stick with the par and move on. lol..