Friday, July 31, 2009

Which Discus Should I use?



A kid in the candy store is an expression that has always brought out the imaginary child out of all of us. The thrill of having all the choices of sweets you want makes you jittery with delight and anticipation as your mouth waters. You dip your hand in several jars and stuff your face with as much candy as you can and before you know it, you are sick to your stomach. Choosing a discus can be similar to this, except for the edibility aspect.
I remember the times when my coach would tell me to choose which new discus equipment to buy out of a brochure. With all the pretty colors, the choices became difficult. Should I choose the 85 percent rim weight or the 90? The Hollowood or the Denfi. The OTE or the Gill. The choices are so numerous but being that I am no longer a Kid and discus equipment is not as affordable as candy, I have to be very careful with my choices. Today we will discus what every discus thrower should know before choosing a discus and why.
Some athletes and even coaches assume that the type of discus thrown is arbitrary. Many fail to consider the rim weight, the balance, the feel, the rim type, the width and the material. Failure to understand the importance of choosing the proper implement can result in shorter throws.
When choosing a discus, the following are the most important details that must be touched upon, they include:
Brand
  • By far, in my opinion the best discus made today are done by Denfi, Gill (Hollowood), OTE, and pacer. My favorite has to be Denfi because they have a line up that is second to none. I can use all of the products on their line without a problem because I know they are all crafted with superior quality. You should stay away from cheap discus because they are bound to break or be bent out of shape easily. I have used a denfi ultimate spin discus for several years without any complaints. It is the top of many top throwers (It broke the world record) . Take a look at it below :

*CHROMED RIM.




*CARBONATE PLATES.




*RIM WEIGHT IS AROUND 85-88%.



*SPIN RATE ON REALEASE IS 10-16 REV.PER SECOND

*DESIGNED FOR 0 WIND AND HEADWIND.


*ALSO EXCELLENT I TAIL WIND.



*5-8% LONGER THROWS COMPARED TO OTHER DISCS.



Rim Weight
  • As you can observe above 85 percent rim weight is a safe range for advanced throwers. I must advice that beginners stay away from rim weights in the 80's until their technique gets good. I even know of some advanced throwers that still prefer 70 percent rim weight. A problem most beginners have is their inability to spin the discus properly. Remember that the faster the discus spins the better it rides in the air. Using rubber discs or dummy discs as I like to call them are a good way to begin because the rim weight is very low, which means it will spin well for beginners.
Tactility
  • A properly made discus sticks to your fingers like sandpaper. A lot of the cheaper discus made are made with rims that are hard to feel and grip, especially on bad weather days. A discus that does well to stick to the fingers in any weather is very important for training in bad weather conditions and throwing far in bad weather. Everybody has a different feel for what is tactile to their fingers but aluminum rims are usually the worst for grip in my opinion. Denfi Uses chrome which is a better feel in my opinion.
Personalization
  • After you've selected a discus, have fun with your discs. What I sometimes do is make some designs on my discus; put a mark I'm trying to reach on it; even name it. When you personalize your discus you build a connection with it which could help you throw farther haha. I remember sometimes I would speak to my discus as if it were real and tell it to do its job and fly.
Choosing the proper discus is not rocket science but it is easy to fail to choose the proper one. Also, remember to practice with the same rim weight you use in competition because it helps with consistency. If you throw an 80 percent in practice and then throw a 70 in competition, you are bound for disaster. Discus heads dismissed!


Leave me a comment and let me know what you think! or email me at 0a4w@virginia.edu

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awesome! adding the personal touch to your discus... I like that. I have to say, although I am not a discus thrower, your blog gives really great insight on how to be a good athlete in general!

Y. Ayeni said...

Thank you man.. I appreciate that. I try to let discus throwers know that to be a discus thrower, you have to be an all round athlete first or else you wont be successful

Denfi Sport said...

Hi

Thanks for the nice words! we have more information on our web sites about our products

www.denfi.dk

Kind regards
Casper P
Denfi Sport

Jan-Louw Kotzé (South Africa) said...

Oh! That's maybe why my discus has a lack of grip, it's poor quality. You say that in all weather conditions the discus should stick to your hand. Mine slips even in dry conditions. That's why I throw an average of about 5m further with a wooden discus. I've just started training with the heavier 1.5kg plastic discus and I'm struggling a little with consistency.(I used to throw 1kg wooden discus 69m) Thank you for the advice!

Anonymous said...

nice post yemi! I'm currently trying to decide which rim weight i should get since I'm starting to get into the 50 meter range with the discus but pricing is abig deal right and the cheapest most reliable discs I see online are usually nelco super spins...Wanted to know what you think about those compared to others 'cause i really want to get a nice quality

Unknown said...

My daughter is a 15 year old girl and have been throwing for the past 2 years. Her tecnique sucks and although she is being coached she dont seem to improve. She is throwing now what she did a year ago. She is a good allround athlete and is much stronger and taller (1,89m)than other girls her age.

I would like to get info and go back to basics with her and practise the correct technique. Her pb is 34,5m but is struggeling to consistently throw 30m.

I am no discuss expert myself...

Anyone ...help

Unknown said...

Hi I’m a Australian Para seated thrower I’m throwing around 21 meters last summer held the Oceania Record I’m trying to work my way towards 30 m I feel my release is ok I’m just wondering what weight rim should I be using I seem to get a good spin from my release

Barry Johnson said...

Very good info. I am 77 year old Master and I been throwing on and off for over 50 years but strength is a big problem. I get a good spin and throwing a 77 Rim weight now. Thinking of going to 80 or 84 what do you think for a old guy.