Frolfit / Learn / Decoder
Flight numbers, explained
Every disc is stamped with four numbers. Learn to read them and you can shop for any disc on the planet without guessing — or asking the guy at the shop who sighs a lot.
The four numbers are always in the same order: Speed · Glide · Turn · Fade. They describe the path a disc wants to fly when thrown well.
The four numbers, one at a time
Speed (1–14)
How much arm speed the disc needs to do its thing. High-speed discs have sharp, wide rims built to cut through air — but only if you throw hard enough. Throw a speed-12 driver with a beginner arm and it just fades left and dives. Beginners thrive on speeds 1–7.
Glide (1–7)
Staying power in the air. High glide floats and carries, which means free distance for a developing arm. It's a beginner's best friend — look for 4 or higher.
Turn (+1 to −5)
What the disc does in the first part of its flight. For a right-handed backhand throw, a negative number means it leans to the right early. The more negative, the more "understable" and easy to turn over. Beginners want some negative turn — it counteracts the hard left fade that comes from a slower throw.
Fade (0–5)
What it does at the end, as it slows down. Every disc fades left (RHBH). A fade of 0–1 finishes nice and straight; a fade of 3+ hooks hard left and is great for getting around obstacles — once you can control it.
All of this mirrors. If you throw left-handed backhand (or right-handed forehand), swap "right" and "left" — turn goes left, fade goes right. The numbers don't change, just the direction.
Turn & fade make the shape
Same throw, three different discs. This is a top-down view for a right-handed backhand — the disc leaves the tee at the bottom.
RHBH = right-handed backhand. Lefties: flip it left-to-right.
So what should a beginner look for?
Put it together and the beginner cheat code is: low speed, high glide, negative turn, low fade. A disc like that flies far, flies straight, and forgives a slow or slightly off throw. Here's how the starter three stack up:
- Innova Aviar — 2 · 3 · 0 · 1 — slow and stable, perfect for putting.
- Discraft Buzzz — 5 · 4 · −1 · 1 — the straightest disc you'll own.
- Innova Leopard — 6 · 5 · −2 · 1 — easy distance that turns over for you.
Numbers are a starting point, not a law. Discs get more understable as they wear in, and lighter weights turn more. Two discs with the same stamp can fly a little differently — that's normal.