Level two
How to Increase Your Disc Golf Arm Speed
Almost nobody is limited by arm strength. Here is what actually produces distance, in order of return.
By Selena H. Published September 30, 2026 Updated October 7, 2026
Hyzer & Chain is reader-funded. We earn a commission when you buy through a link here, at no extra cost to you. Picks come from published manufacturer specs and current retailer availability, never from who pays most — here is how we pick.
“Arm speed” is a misleading name for what actually produces distance in disc golf. Almost nobody is limited by the strength of their arm; they are limited by release angle, by spin, and by how much of their body is involved in the throw. This page is about those, in order of how much return each gives — with the honest caveat that we are describing mechanics rather than coaching you.
Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Key spec | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Innova Mako3 Best disc for diagnosing release angle | a beginner or intermediate player who wants a midrange with literally no built-in curve in either direction | 5 / 5 / 0 / 0 · Midrange | |
| 2 | Discraft Buzzz Best disc for building repeatability | any player from their second round onwards who wants one midrange that flies the same line every single throw | 5 / 4 / -1 / 1 · Midrange | |
| 3 |  Latitude 64 River Best disc for seeing what good form gives you | a beginner or intermediate player who wants the most distance available per unit of arm speed | 7 / 7 / -1 / 1 · Fairway driver |
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1. Best disc for diagnosing release angle
Innova Mako3
- Flight numbers
- 5 / 5 / 0 / 0
- Speed
- 5
- Glide
- 5
- Turn
- 0
- Fade
- 0
- Disc type
- Midrange
- Stability
- Neutral
- Plastics
- DX, Pro, Star, Champion, GStar
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The single most useful disc for field work. 0 turn and 0 fade means it adds nothing of its own: whatever flight you see is a direct readout of the angle you released it on. Throw fifty with one and you will learn more about your own throw than from any amount of video.
How it flies
0 turn and 0 fade with 5 glide: the Mako3 holds whatever angle you release it on for the whole flight and then lands. Release it flat and it flies flat. Release it on a 20-degree hyzer and it rides that hyzer down. That makes it the best disc on this page for learning what your own release angle actually is, because the disc adds nothing of its own.
Best for a beginner or intermediate player who wants a midrange with literally no built-in curve in either direction.
Look elsewhere if you want a midrange that finishes left to settle under a basket — the Mako3 will not do it.
What works
- Truly neutral — the flight is entirely your release
- 5 glide carries well for a midrange
- Excellent teaching disc for diagnosing your own release angle
What does not
- No fade at all, so it will not tuck in at the end of a shot
- Neutral stability is a liability in wind
Specs read from Innova’s own published product page.
2. Best disc for building repeatability
Discraft Buzzz
- Flight numbers
- 5 / 4 / -1 / 1
- Speed
- 5
- Glide
- 4
- Turn
- -1
- Fade
- 1
- Disc type
- Midrange
- Stability
- Neutral
- Plastics
- Z, Big Z, ESP, Titanium, Jawbreaker
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Field practice works best with a disc whose flight you can predict, so that variation in the result tells you about variation in your throw. The Buzzz is the most repeatable mold on this site, which makes it the right control variable for a practice session.
How it flies
The -1 turn and 1 fade cancel each other out almost exactly, which is why the Buzzz is the reference straight midrange. Thrown flat it flies a long, flat line and finishes with the gentlest left drift. Thrown on a hyzer it holds the hyzer. Discraft's own page calls it their most popular midrange because it suits a wide range of player styles, and the numbers explain why: there is nothing in them to catch out a developing arm.
Best for any player from their second round onwards who wants one midrange that flies the same line every single throw.
Look elsewhere if you need a midrange that fights hard wind — 1 fade and -1 turn is a neutral combination that a headwind will flip.
What works
- The most repeatable flight in the sport — the same line at 250 feet and 350 feet
- Works at beginner arm speed and still earns a bag slot at tournament level
- Z plastic barely changes flight over years of use
What does not
- Neutral stability means a real headwind will turn it over
- So common that it is rarely the cheapest option
Specs read from Discraft’s own published product page.
3. Best disc for seeing what good form gives you
Latitude 64 River
- Flight numbers
- 7 / 7 / -1 / 1
- Speed
- 7
- Glide
- 7
- Turn
- -1
- Fade
- 1
- Disc type
- Fairway driver
- Stability
- Understable
- Plastics
- Opto, Gold, Opto Air, Retro
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Included because progress is motivating and hard to see. The River's 7 glide means it rewards a clean, flat, nose-down release more visibly than almost anything else — when you get one right, the difference in distance is obvious rather than marginal.
How it flies
7 glide is the highest number in this registry and it is the whole story: the River stays in the air far longer than its speed suggests, which turns a modest throw into a long one. Latitude 64 describe the speed-7-plus-7-glide pairing as making it one of their furthest-flying fairway drivers for players with any arm speed, and the -1 turn gives just enough flip-to-flat to hold a laser-straight line through a gap.
Best for a beginner or intermediate player who wants the most distance available per unit of arm speed.
Look elsewhere in a headwind — 7 glide with -1 turn is exactly the combination wind exploits.
What works
- Exceptional glide converts modest power into real distance
- Only -1 turn, so it is far less flippy than most beginner drivers
- A genuinely straight gap-shot disc
What does not
- That much glide makes it unreliable in wind
- Easy to overshoot a target with
Specs read from Latitude 64’s own published product page.
In order of return
- Nose angle. The largest single factor for most amateur players, and the most commonly wrong. A nose-up release stalls the disc; a flat or slightly nose-down release lets it fly. Most players throwing under 300 feet are throwing nose-up and do not know it.
- Spin. More spin keeps the disc stable longer, extending its glide phase. Spin comes from grip pressure and from the snap at release, not from swinging harder — in fact swinging harder usually reduces it.
- Using your body. The arm should be the last thing to move, not the first. Distance comes from the legs and hips through the torso into the arm, and a throw that starts with the arm leaves most of the available power unused.
- Timing, not effort. Almost every player throws further at 80 percent effort than at 100, because maximum effort disrupts the sequence above.
How to practice this usefully
Field work beats rounds for this. In a round you get eighteen throws with different lies and no repetition; in a field you get a hundred throws of the same shot and can actually change something.
Take six to eight identical discs so you throw rather than walk. Change one thing per session, not three. And watch where the disc goes rather than how it felt — a throw that felt powerful and went 200 feet nose-up is worse than one that felt easy and went 280.
What equipment does and does not do
Equipment cannot give you form, but it can stop fighting you while you develop it. Lighter discs reach flight speed with less force. A high-glide disc converts whatever speed you produce into more distance. A disc inside your speed bracket actually flies instead of fading out.
What equipment will not do is substitute for the four items above. A speed-13 driver thrown nose-up by a 270-foot arm goes nowhere, and that is not a problem any purchase solves. See discs by arm speed and weight.
A realistic expectation
Most players who commit to regular field work gain somewhere between 30 and 80 feet over a season, mostly in the first few months, mostly from fixing nose angle. After that the gains get smaller and harder.
It is also worth saying plainly that distance is not the main driver of score. A player at 280 feet who never takes a penalty and putts reliably beats a 350-foot player who does neither, comfortably and repeatedly.
Common questions
How do I increase my disc golf arm speed?
Mostly by not using your arm. Distance comes from nose angle, spin, and sequencing the throw from legs through hips to arm. Most players throw further at 80 percent effort than at full effort.
Why do my drives go nowhere?
Most often a nose-up release, which stalls the disc regardless of how hard it was thrown. It is the largest single distance factor for amateur players and the one most commonly wrong.
How much distance can I realistically gain?
Most players who do regular field work gain 30 to 80 feet over a season, mostly in the first few months and mostly from fixing nose angle.
Will a new disc help me throw further?
A disc inside your speed bracket, with high glide, in a lighter weight will help. A faster disc will not — below its speed threshold it travels shorter than what you already throw.
Every flight number and spec on this page was read from the manufacturer’s own published product page, linked beside each pick. We do not throw these on a course — here is how we pick.
Sources
Read next
Disc Golf Discs by Arm Speed
Disc speed matched to throwing distance, bracket by bracket, with molds for each.
Disc Golf Speed vs Distance
Why speed is a threshold rather than a distance rating, with the numbers that actually drive distance.
How Far Should a Beginner Throw?
Realistic beginner distances, and how to turn your number into a disc recommendation.
Best Disc Golf Discs for Slower Arm Speed (2026)
Five molds that convert a modest arm into real distance, chosen on glide and speed.