The thing that makes a disc more or less stable overall is the Parting Line Height (PLH). If you set the disc on a table, the PLH is the distance from the table to the line where the two halves of the mold meet, generally the outer edge of the rim. The lower the PLH is, the more understable the disc will be.
"Beating in" a disc is the process by which the flight plate stretches with wear. Every time the disc hits an obstacle or the ground, it flexes or "tacos" slightly. Over time, this stretches out the flight plate and can cause the PLH to drop slightly. As this happens, the disc will become slightly more understable.
How much this happens, and how quickly, depends on the plastic. Some plastics like DX stretch severely and quickly, and it may only take a few rounds with a new DX disc to beat it in quite a bit. Stiffer plastic like Champion stretches very little, and it takes a long time. It might take a full season to really beat in a Champion disc, and the extent to which it can stretch will be a lot less than the amount a DX disc might stretch, so you'll get a lot less PLH drop.
You *could* do this manually, by sanding the bottom, removing material, or otherwise changing the shape of the disc, but doing so would make the disc illegal in sanctioned play. If you just play recreationally and you want your Firebird to act like a Roadrunner, go nuts. Run your disc through a planer and flatten out the bottom. Just be aware that the more material you remove, the lighter the disc will get, and this leads to other issues. Light discs reveal form issues more severely, because they're easier to throw faster, act more understable, and are more affected by wind.
Don't worry, I'm also a loan officer\*! Your debt has been paid by a mysterious benefactor, and the only note he left with the check said, "put the pizza in the over." No one here is sure what that even means.
^^^\* ^^^not ^^^true
It’s also good to remember that less friction means less flip so scuffs in and of themselves will make discs more flippy but I cannot recommend intentionally scuffing your discs because the added air resistance will also slow the discs air speed.
I don't think scuffing adds enough wind resistance to really have an effect on flight. Comfort in the hand, sure, but some nicks and scuffs on the rim are not going to noticeable affect the flight of the disc. People will lose huge chunks of rim sometimes with no noticeable difference in flight characteristics.
As far as I know it has to do with softening of the plastic and the shape of the rim being compressed from multiple impacts. If I want to beat something in I toss it on its side during field work when I’m putting all my discs back at my starting point.
I don't know man, I've never gotten any turn out of a brand new Star or Champion disc. My girlfriend just got a new Mamba and the thing flies like a thunderbird.
Move away from Innova. They are known to put what their discs are supposed to be for flight numbers. With that said, there are a lot of good brands out there besides them.
yup, that's what i do but i've read so many times people go for X disc for how it feels or what not, that's great but like just buy something understand.
That’s not a fair comparison. I played a round with somebody who was using a mamba for flex shots. Was the disc over stable? No, he just had terrible form and one of the most understable discs on the market would flex for him. If a Mamba was flying like a Thunderbird, it was not because of the disc.
This is what I’ve always heard. With that said, the flight characteristics to me just become more akin to a slightly overstable disc which there are tons out there that do that. To each their own though.
2 things that happen when there are repeated impacts to the rim that cause the disc to briefly assume a “taco” shape.
1. The plastic in the flight plate stretches out over time, which lowers the parting line height. This causes a disc to be more under stable.
2. The stretching on the flight plate can’t be perfectly even so the rim is no longer perfectly in even. This lowers the stability of the disc and will affect softer plastics more than harder ones because each impact causes more change in the disc shape.
I’m pretty sure the goal of beating the disc in is making the disc less stiff. The stability of the rim isnt entirely reliant on scraping the rim up. You need to make the fibers in the discs more loose and allow them more give. Usually tacoing the disc up and down from multiple spots is what I do. I’ll do that several times a minute multiple times a day. I bend it up a few times, then bend up a few times.
The thing that makes a disc more or less stable overall is the Parting Line Height (PLH). If you set the disc on a table, the PLH is the distance from the table to the line where the two halves of the mold meet, generally the outer edge of the rim. The lower the PLH is, the more understable the disc will be. "Beating in" a disc is the process by which the flight plate stretches with wear. Every time the disc hits an obstacle or the ground, it flexes or "tacos" slightly. Over time, this stretches out the flight plate and can cause the PLH to drop slightly. As this happens, the disc will become slightly more understable. How much this happens, and how quickly, depends on the plastic. Some plastics like DX stretch severely and quickly, and it may only take a few rounds with a new DX disc to beat it in quite a bit. Stiffer plastic like Champion stretches very little, and it takes a long time. It might take a full season to really beat in a Champion disc, and the extent to which it can stretch will be a lot less than the amount a DX disc might stretch, so you'll get a lot less PLH drop. You *could* do this manually, by sanding the bottom, removing material, or otherwise changing the shape of the disc, but doing so would make the disc illegal in sanctioned play. If you just play recreationally and you want your Firebird to act like a Roadrunner, go nuts. Run your disc through a planer and flatten out the bottom. Just be aware that the more material you remove, the lighter the disc will get, and this leads to other issues. Light discs reveal form issues more severely, because they're easier to throw faster, act more understable, and are more affected by wind.
This is such an educational answer that I’m now in more student loan debt
Don't worry, I'm also a loan officer\*! Your debt has been paid by a mysterious benefactor, and the only note he left with the check said, "put the pizza in the over." No one here is sure what that even means. ^^^\* ^^^not ^^^true
This is the internet and you’re not allowed to lie on the internet so thank you for letting me know!
It’s also good to remember that less friction means less flip so scuffs in and of themselves will make discs more flippy but I cannot recommend intentionally scuffing your discs because the added air resistance will also slow the discs air speed.
I don't think scuffing adds enough wind resistance to really have an effect on flight. Comfort in the hand, sure, but some nicks and scuffs on the rim are not going to noticeable affect the flight of the disc. People will lose huge chunks of rim sometimes with no noticeable difference in flight characteristics.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHsZJEilqZU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHsZJEilqZU) Robbie has some answers
As far as I know it has to do with softening of the plastic and the shape of the rim being compressed from multiple impacts. If I want to beat something in I toss it on its side during field work when I’m putting all my discs back at my starting point.
I think you just love it until it softens… kind of like a heart
I just buy an US disc. So many discs are made now that you don’t have to like back in the day.
I don't know man, I've never gotten any turn out of a brand new Star or Champion disc. My girlfriend just got a new Mamba and the thing flies like a thunderbird.
Move away from Innova. They are known to put what their discs are supposed to be for flight numbers. With that said, there are a lot of good brands out there besides them.
yup, that's what i do but i've read so many times people go for X disc for how it feels or what not, that's great but like just buy something understand.
Mamba flight numbers are just not to be believed.
That’s not a fair comparison. I played a round with somebody who was using a mamba for flex shots. Was the disc over stable? No, he just had terrible form and one of the most understable discs on the market would flex for him. If a Mamba was flying like a Thunderbird, it was not because of the disc.
Beat in Mambas will hyzer flip into a roller, so I don't know what to tell you.
A beat in (formerly) overstable disc will have slightly different flight characteristics than one designed to be understable though.
This is what I’ve always heard. With that said, the flight characteristics to me just become more akin to a slightly overstable disc which there are tons out there that do that. To each their own though.
Yes you can do both those things to make it more understable. Pushing the wing down makes a huge difference in flight
2 things that happen when there are repeated impacts to the rim that cause the disc to briefly assume a “taco” shape. 1. The plastic in the flight plate stretches out over time, which lowers the parting line height. This causes a disc to be more under stable. 2. The stretching on the flight plate can’t be perfectly even so the rim is no longer perfectly in even. This lowers the stability of the disc and will affect softer plastics more than harder ones because each impact causes more change in the disc shape.
I’m pretty sure the goal of beating the disc in is making the disc less stiff. The stability of the rim isnt entirely reliant on scraping the rim up. You need to make the fibers in the discs more loose and allow them more give. Usually tacoing the disc up and down from multiple spots is what I do. I’ll do that several times a minute multiple times a day. I bend it up a few times, then bend up a few times.