Myth of the suddenly flippy disc

[andrew]

You throw a drive that goes way right of intended (RHBH), which reminds you that you'd hit a tree pretty hard with that disc recently. So on your next use, you angle it hyzer and it goes left. The throw after that, you give it less hyzer and more oomph causing OAT and the disc goes way right. Shortly thereafter, that disc gets shelved. Eventually, you revisit the disc and it flies exactly like it did before that fateful day.

I've come to realize discs don't break in as fast as I used to think. They just like to play games with your mind....

[kern9787]

Dx rocs are notorious for this. I've hit stuff with them hard often. Taco'd a few in the middle. I have to remind myself that i can just bend it back and keep throwing it like normal.

[inthedrift]

I have a MOLF like this but I really do think it just lost considerable stability due to recent whacks. It still looks newish but doesn't fly so. Perhaps I should pull it out tomorrow and toss it again to see if I'm wrong.

[JHern]

I had a sweet Pro-D Wasp that became suddenly flippy, not too long ago. I nailed a tree full force just off the tee. It was badly tacoed. So I bent it back, and the next hole I threw it off the tee, nice and clean, and it turned way over and into a lake...it never did that before (which is why I was teeing off with it on that particular hole).

I've also had other discs that were really over-stable when new, and then took a few good whacks and began to fly very straight, fairly suddenly. For example, a Champion Banshee, a Sparkle Hurricane, a Pro Destroyer, etc.. The Champion and Sparkle discs stayed stable, they didn't become flippy, but the Pro Destroyers I've own eventually became way too glidey and understable, sometimes quickly.

[Mark Ellis]

Myth? I don't think so.

Discs will change stability over time but the change may be gradual or appear suddenly. A disc can stay at a certain level for a long time then just jump a level of stability from one throw to another even without hitting anything. It can work the opposite way too. I have had flippy discs get more stable all of a sudden, I'm guessing from being stuffed in a bag at a funny angle.

Both of these things have happened to me in the past couple weeks. Discs which were staples in my bag and well tested and trusted for what they did suddenly changed stability. The flippy disc (Rogue) easily reverted back to where it was by me re-working the rim (bending it down). The overstable disc I did not bend because I valued the changed flight. It is a Z Crush and I like them better as they break in. I can always put a new, strong one in the lineup-and I did- but a straighter one is easier to shape lines with.

I also have discs that I want to break in more and I have been waiting years for this to happen. And still waiting. I have a Z Tracker and a Z Flash which I use on shorter lines and tight tunnels which will be more useful when they drop a level of stability. They have each hit lots of trees and both get a lot of work. Factoring in practice I have thrown them hundreds of times. So far they just refuse to change. I could try to artificially hasten the pace but there is no way I would risk it.

[JR]

FLX has become flippy suddenly but it is stiff and slicker these days vs the original blend so that might have changed.

[Stringbean]

Could weather play a factor in the sudden stability changes? For instance, on a hot humid day, the disc warps into understability. A cold front passes through overnight, and the next day the disc warps back into stability with cool, dry air.

[andrew]

The only way I can think to test if it's just mental is to try and have somebody else throw a suddenly flippy disc during a casual round. Like, they hit a tree, and you say, "oh, that was bad luck- here, throw this one, I think it'll work great for this shot..." and then see what happens. Ethically dubious, but it's not like you're having them try a cyanide capsule...

[zj1002]

It's mental because of poor or evolving form

I routinely rotate QOLFs and make an effort to revisit ones I previously considered flippy. They always end up being my go to OLF when the get a revisit

[JeffzeNub]

When throwing warm up shots, I just usually throw a few of my really stable discs in a short flex and see what they do to determine their stability. My flippers have always been fairly consistent though, sometimes they come out early, or just hold a long straight line instead of turning, but that is just me not throwing consistently(especially heights).

If I rock a tree pretty hard with a stable disc, I will use a back up disc when I have a shot that definitely needs to go left, for the remainder of the day.

[garublador]

I agree that it's not as common as some people claim, but there are some discs that tend to break in unevenly and will get squirrley a lot faster than others. Every Illusion that I've thrown I lost because on one throw it just decided that instead of acting overstable it would just turn and never come back. I have a XTra in Elite pro plastic that lost a bunch of HSS in one hit, but didn't get flippy (it actually got pretty awesome). The Pro Teebirds, TL's and MOLS's I've had seemed to get squirrley really quick, too. The DX Orc is probably the worst one that I've thrown for this. Granted it's probably a combination of poor technique and the disc beating, but if a disc goes from tolerating my bad technique to not tolerating it in just a few hits then I think it qualifies.

[Frank Delicious]

Orcs in every plastic besides champ seem to turn flippy rather suddenly.

[Steady 26542]

Pro Teebirds, TL's and MOLS's I've had seemed to get squirrley really quick, too.

Got any of those MOLS's? It takes me quite a while to get mine beat in decently.

[garublador]

Pro Teebirds, TL's and MOLS's I've had seemed to get squirrley really quick, too.

Got any of those MOLS's? It takes me quite a while to get mine beat in decently.

I doubt I still have any. I found they took a bit to break in, but then they'd go from the sweet spot to squirrley really suddenly rather than really quickly. I was always left wondering if this would be the throw that put it over the edge. I didn't have any confidence in them.