What Next?

[Darklord]

Blake,

As an older player(almost 50) I have recently improved my drive consistency by dropping back to gazelles. I have resisted the urges tro cheat and throw the newer faster discs. This is particularly difficult in tournament play when I see what my peers are throwing. I usually meet or beat their faster discs. I wonder what I could do with a little more speed, but don't feel I have completely mastered this disc yet. I can throw max wt kcs to about 290' and dxs to around 310. What discs would you suggest for the next step and when should I take it?

[Blake_T]

my advice is to work your way up without making big jumps in speed unless you are able to maintain fairly constant stability.

most 50+ year olds (i play with about 6 of them) generally favor similar styled discs.

the group you fall into has:
gazelle, cheetah, cyclone, polaris ls, raven, pegasus, banshee, x-clone, etc.

next step:
xl, x2, teebird, eagle, jls, firebird, leopard, TL, etc.

2 steps:
valkyrie, viking, xs, reaper, archangel, dragon, sidewinder, roadrunner, etc.

3 steps:
old beast, wildcat, talon, predator, monster, etc.

4 steps:
orc, starfire, orion ls, flash, crush, etc.

5 steps:
wraith, teerex, surge, spectra, etc.

my advice for your next step would be the dx valkyrie, which would probably add 30' right now to you. discs beyond that i can't say if you would be able to throw them consistently and accurately far. another d bump will happen if you start moving towards lighter weights.

[Darklord]

Thanks Blake!,

I will take your advice.

[Bradley Walker]

There is no way a Leopard is faster than a Cheetah.

Do you mean the Leopard is more stable? I can believe that...

[Woodchuck]

I got a 8x Kc Pro Cheetah off ebay for $10 last week, this thing is great I love the old school stamp on it too. I always thought the leopard was less stable than the cheetah

[Blake_T]

leopard speed varies a lot as their profile varies a lot. cheetahs were fairly uniform.

however, in terms of behavior, leopards have more wing-like behavior than cheetahs, which are more standard design of the era. i guess my overall is that: they are much different to throw and i feel that discs like the leopard, jls, TL, XL, etc. are from a slightly different family.

[TexasOutlaw]

Sounds like you're ready for your next step. Try a valkyrie like Blake suggested. My progression was cyclone (which is where you are now), xl, xs. I probably would go to an xs.

Also, I still tend to favor slightly lighter weights 167 or 168. Even as I attempt to step up in weight a bit, I still carry a 169 with me (actually I think my beat to hell avenger is 165).