If you think a Frisbee is simply a round plastic disc you throw back and forth, the same way every time, then you haven’t been enlightened to the full possibilities of it. Aside from their value in exercise and recreation, Frisbees can provide an outlet for creativity on both the manufacturer’s end and on the Frisbee enthusiast’s end.
Disc Diversity:
Frisbees, also referred to as discs, come in a large variety of sizes. I have seen them as small as a drink coaster and as large as a garbage can lid. Some are made out of a material that can glow in the dark. Their mostly flat surface creates a convenient canvas for just about any design the manufacturer can think of. Companies can use them as an advertising tool by ordering custom made Frisbees that come equipped with the company name and logo on top. Just imagine how many times a Frisbee is thrown poorly or gets caught up in the wind. Often it will land near someone not originally involved in the Frisbee catch who would then notice the advertising. Hopefully, they won’t notice the advertising because it hits them in the head or knocks over their iced tea as they sunbathe. One thing you won’t see much diversity in is the Frisbee’s shape. It is the shape that allows you to do so many different things with it.
Freestyle, Golf, and Ultimate; Three Different Frisbee Personalities:
Think of “freestyle” as a Frisbee toss on a double dose of caffeine. There are organized competitions for this. The goal is to create as many tricks as you can. Tricks can come in the form of different throws, catches, and they can even be done while the disc is still flying through the air. An example of a mid-air trick could be tapping the Frisbee underneath multiple times with different parts of your body to keep it in the air. Another example can be done while three people stand in a triangle formation. Person A throws to person B, and person B then taps the Frisbee on the side to get it to change direction towards person C. If done properly, person B never fully catches and throws the disc. Throws can be altered by positioning your fingers and thumb in different positions along the top, bottom, and edge of the disc. Basically, any throw variation that reaches the person you are throwing to, and doesn’t sprain your wrist in the process, can be viewed as a success.
There are also competitions that involve owners and their dogs rather than 2 or more people. Granted, the skill in this revolves around how the dog catches the disc. I don’t think a version of the competition where the dog throws the Frisbee back to its owner ever caught on. Some popular tricks involve the dog running and jumping off its owner to catch the Frisbee higher in the air or doing a backwards flip as it catches the disc. Often the dogs in these competitions are breeds like the Border Collie or Jack Russell Terrier.
Frisbee Golf is an interesting twist of the original ball and clubs sport. The general idea is the same. You start at a tee location and try to reach a final goal. Only in Frisbee golf the goal is a metal “basket” several feet off the ground on a pole. The challenge would be significantly more frustrating if players were expected to get a Frisbee to fit down a regular sized golf hole. A serious Frisbee Golf player can collect a variety of different Frisbees specially designed for Frisbee Golf. A Golf Frisbee is slightly smaller and denser than a regular one. You wouldn’t really want to have a catch with a Golf Frisbee unless you wanted to increase the odds of breaking your knuckles. The reason for the denser composition is so it can fly farther and be less susceptible to winds. But some Golf Frisbees are made to fly a greater distance than others and there is even a special one you use for putting when you get closer to the basket. The same frustrations that plague regular golfers can cause problems for Disc Golfers. Your drive can be stopped short by a tree limb. You can accidentally throw your first “drive” shot at just a slight angle so it goes way off course. Or you may miss your “putt” shot by just an inch.
Ultimate Frisbee is the closest thing a Frisbee enthusiast has to soccer or football. Teams complete on a field to reach their respective end zones without loosing possession of the Frisbee. Each play starts with one team throwing the Frisbee to the other. When a member of the receiving team catches it they must stop where they are, like a basketball player who has stopped dribbling the ball, and throw to one of their teammates. Each person who catches it throws until one of their teammates makes a catch in the end zone or a member of the other team intercepts the throw.
Things to Try:
Ground and wall skipping: If you throw the Frisbee with enough force and the proper angle it can skip across a brickcement wall or hard ground several times before it finally reaches the person you are throwing it to.
Solo catch: If you find yourself bored with nobody else to join you then you can throw to yourself. This is done by throwing the disc up into the air at a 45 degree angle. If you measure the angle and wind just right then it will come back to you. A word of caution though. The higher you throw it the faster it will come back at you. I gave myself a black eye once when I got overzealous.
Mid air separation: This works best if you have at least two people on either side of the toss. If you have two Frisbees and one is slightly large than the other then you can stuff the smaller one under the bigger one and throw them both at the same time. Sometimes the two will have separation anxiety, but other times they split off into two different directions in mid air.
Wobbles: If you pack a tiny bit of mud into the rim on one side of the Frisbee and then throw it the Frisbee will wobble as it spins.
Non-Dominant hand throw: If you get to the point where you think you are really good at throwing the Frisbee then try throwing it with the hand you don’t normally throw with. Unless you are ambidextrous, this can make you feel like a beginner all over again.
Juggling: Two people have a catch with two Frisbees at the same time. This creates the added challenge of trying not to throw the discs into each other, and it also doubles the speed of the volley.
Finally, at the end of the Day:
One other advantage to the Frisbee shape is that they are easy to find storage places for. They can be easily stacked on top of each other and you don’t have to worry about them rolling around. Another option is to designate a wall in your house as the disc wall and hang as many as you want on thumbtacks.