Holy Roller Batman!!!

I'm starting my third season of playing disc golf this year and one shot I decided to learn is a roller.  In fact, this afternoon was the first time I went out specifically to practice that shot.  The results were amazing.
An elementary school near my home has a playground/field that is about twice the size of a football field.  Perfect place to practice a roller. 
I don't have many under stable discs that I throw so the only disc I had to work with was a 172g Champion Beast.  I've heard tell before that Roadrunners, Sidewinders, Valks, and Archangels are good ones, but I guess you just have to try various discs until you feel comfortable with one.  This leads me to some questions, but before I get to that, I want to mention the results I had after an hour of practice.
First of all, as a RHBH thrower who has no FH due to various shoulder injuries over the years, I can hit about 400 ft. on a 3-step approach, about 430 ft. or so with a 5-step.  At first, it was quite a challenge figuring out how to adjust my throwing angle/release angle.  I honestly didn't know if I got the disc to roll upright on its rim, if it would end up falling towards the top or bottom side.  Well top side won out, but only after I got the release angle correct, meaning I got the disc to stand up on its rim.  It took me about 10 minutes of throwing that one disc before I pulled off a good roller (400 ft. plus).  By the time the hour was up, I was blown away because my rollers were outdistancing my longest RHBH throws easily.  Towards the end there, I had some rollers that went 480 ft.
I am reading through past posts on this website about rollers.  Lots of information to sort through though.  So I would like to ask some questions...

1. Though I got the Beast working pretty good, I wonder if there isn't a better disc out there that will get me more distance?

2. Is it better to throw a heavier under stable disc for a roller, or a lighter one (lets say a 161g Roadrunner vs. a 172g Valk)?

3. My greatest success seemed to come when my RHBH throw hit the ground within 70 ft. of my position.  If the disc stayed in the air longer then that it began to glide a bit and the roll, if any, was short lived.  So, is getting the roller throw to hit the ground quickly the best idea, or can you let fly over 100 ft. and still get a good roll out of it?

4.Despite having rolled the disc out there 480 ft., I certainly wasn't all that accurate with that throw.  Can you really throw a roller 500 ft. and consistently end up by a basket, or is this more a long distance shot that just 'gets you out there'?

5. Lastly, if I throw a RHBH roller correctly, it should tail off at the end of the roll towards the topside of the disc, or curl right, correct?  I had several throws that ended up curling left, but they didn't go very far and the angle seemed to be wrong.

[Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane]

1. Yeah a beast makes a fine roller...are there better discs to roll...Maybe...Maybe not...kinda of an opinion thing there. Personally some of the standout rollers in my career have been beat cyclones...XL's...any beat KC driver of the era. Right now I'm trying a low 160's Star Roadrunner...previously I was using a low 170's Champ Roadrunner...backed with a beat Champ Beast.

2. Depends on the wind direction and ceiling height...imo. Whats nice about the lower weight understable drivers....you can crank them in the air a little longer with flat or slight hyzer release...getting some D before the roll.

3. Same answer as 2

4. Lots of variables with rollers...it is in constant contact with the ground...so consistently parked...not really ..imo...but with practice it's a huge advantage in getting some big D.


5. I'm sure there is a few that may say not necessarily correct...depends on the stability of the disc and the angle of impact...but, for the most part with any roller that stands up and runs for awhile... it will fall over on it's dome...or upside down....usually the desired/expected result.

[Greg]

Right on...thanks for the info. I'm gonna keep working on it. I think I can really learn this throw.

[Swan]

One more thing to consider for rolling is the type of plastic the disc is made of. Personally I have better luck with the older type plastics for rolling backhand. The newer candy plastic doesn't have the same traction and tends to curve more, helix shape. At least for me.

[jjay]

I was out in a field throwing yesterday and I met another guy doing the same.
He was throwing rollers, so I asked him how he did that !!
I've been playing less than 2 months by the way so, excuse the n00bness.
So, he showed me and HOLY COW!! I was amazed.

I threw all of my disc about 3 times this way and I now have a new shot in my bag.
I still haven't figured out witch disc does what the best, that's todays practice.
But, I did get more distance than I can RHBH and a roller won't go over the fence. ; )

[eric beich]

good questions Greg, and WTG jjay.

I think this shows how important it is to have at least practiced as many different types of shots as you can possibly try and learn to master .

[Greg]

Right on! Thank you fall for you comments. jjay, good luck with that new shot. I'll be working on it too. Can't wait for an opportunity to unleash it in competition.

[Discette]

The Beast is a great roller disc.

A traditional RHBH roller should flip up and eventually land "bottom up". Of course if you miss the proper "lay down" angle or get caught in high grass or sloped terrain, you may not get this result.
You can also throw a cut roller with a more stable disc. This shot is designed to roll to the left (RHBH) and usually ends up laying "top up". You get different "roll paths" with different "lay down" angles and by how far or how high you throw the shot before it hits the ground. Also the direction of the wind can affect rollers. Some will keep your disc tacking and others will force it down. Keep experimenting and practicing until you understand how each variable affects the roll

[Greg]

Excellent info. I plan to practice different angles, cut rollers on shorter shots to see how well I can lay up by the basket. This is great. I discovered a whole new aspect to the game and a world of possibilities has opened up.

[4U2NV]

I personally like throwing a Crush forehand or a Flick overhand for rollers depending on the situation. I found that a roadrunner works well for a roller.... when I am not trying to throw a roller ;) but my backhanded rollers are way unpredictable and with my shoulder problems I cannot work on them right now. But I love overhand rollers to get up hills or out of woods. I also like the forehanded roller for long open holes.