Best Disc Golf Overhead Discs
What exactly is an overhead disc some of you may ask?
These are discs used for specialty shots including ones often called the tomahawk or the thumber.
I’ve also heard people call them the baseball shot you throw the disc over your head like a baseball. This shot is often executed in order to get over a tall obstacle like a tree. Some also use an overhead throw to try and get a skip in a certain direction after making a low straight throw.
Disc Golf Tomahawk Throw
The Tomahawk throw in disc golf, sometimes referred to as the hammer throw, is a specialized overhead shot that offers a unique flight path and utility on the course. To execute this throw, a player grips the disc by placing their index and middle finger along the inside edge of the disc’s rim, securing the hold with their thumb on the top side of the outer flight plate. The motion resembles an overhand chop – similar to throwing a tomahawk or hatchet – hence the name. The disc is released at a vertical or near-vertical angle, and as it soars, it travels through an inverted flight path compared to a typical backhand or forehand throw. This throw can be particularly useful for navigating obstacles, as the disc will curve in the opposite direction of a traditional throw, and for getting out of tricky situations where the landscape or obstacles limit a player’s throwing motion.
Disc Golf Thumber Throw
In disc golf, the “Thumber Shot” is a widely recognized throw, named for the unique grip that defines it. To execute this shot, a player firmly places their thumb against the inner rim of the disc while the inside of their index finger presses against the outer edge, creating a secure hold. This grip gives the disc golfer precise control over the disc, allowing for a powerful overhead throw that can be particularly useful for skipping tight fairways by just throwing over the top, or for achieving a desired flight pattern. The Thumber is not just about grip; it’s also about the distinctive over-the-top motion used during the throw. It is a very valuable technique in a disc golfer’s arsenal for its effectiveness in taking “short cuts” and for the unique straight up straight down flight path it can produce.
For our purposes, the discs we nominate are all going to be very overstable discs. For some specialty overhead throws, some disc golfers prefer an understable disc, but for the most part this type of shot requires a very overstable driver that completes its rotation in a wider flight path and carries for more distance than an understable disc.
As always, our two keywords are popularity and utility. The utility part for this category isn’t so much about beginner disc golfers since the overhead throw is more popular with experienced disc golfers. But we still tried to choose discs that are good choices for learning how to throw overhead shots.
Now, here are the nominees for The Infinite Discs Best Disc Golf Disc: Overhead Disc.
Axiom Fireball
Now, the Axiom Fireball might be one of the worst selling discs for Axiom nationwide, but it is one of our top sellers in our Idaho shop where the overhead throw is very popular. The Fireball is a flat and very overstable fairway driver featuring the gyro technology overmold that all Axiom and MVP discs have. If you have tried other discs for the overhead but didn’t like them, give the Fireball a try.
Innova Firebird
I have already talked about this disc in a few recent nominee posts, which speaks to the Firebird‘s great versatility. It is a disc that can be thrown for so many shots, and the overhead shot is one of them. It offers a nice overstable flight and minimal glide that is great for overhead throws. The Firebird isn’t as overstable as the other nominees in this post, but it is still a popular choice that deserves another nomination in this category.
Discraft Flick
The Discraft Flick has always been a popular choice for overhead shots. It is a unique disc designed to be a very overstable forehand disc (if you couldn’t tell by the disc name). The Discraft Flick offers a thicker rim and a very flat flight plate. And to say that this disc is overstable is quite the understatement. It is one of those discs that wants to start fading as soon as it leaves your hand. It is a great choice for overhead shots.
Latitude 64 Stiletto
The Latitude 64 Stiletto is basically the distance driver version of a lot of the other discs nominated here. It features a very flat top, a thicker rim, and a crazy overstable flight that works great for long overhead shots. Some may find that the thicker rim isn’t as comfortable to grip for a thumber shot because their thumb doesn’t fit well under the rim of the Stiletto, but if you can make it work, it is a great option for overhead throws.
Latitude 64 XXX
The Latitude 64 XXX has been a long time staple in the Trilogy lineup. It is a very overstable fairway driver that has been a popular disc to throw in the wind. In recent years it has grown as a popular disc for overhead shots. It is a similar shape, but offers a little more stability than the Innova Firebird.
And The Best Overhand Disc Is….
And here is our selection for the winner:
All of the nominees are great, but it would have been very hard to choose a different disc besides the Discraft Flick. The Flick has always been a popular choice for overhand throws, and it was a lot of disc golfers’ first thumber and tomahawk disc. It is also popular in heavy and lightweights depending on the kind of flight and overhand throw you use it for. So if you haven’t learned the overhead shot, but would like to give it a try, the Discraft Flick is a great choice to learn with.
What is your favorite disc for thumbers and tomahawks? We had less nominees this round, do you think there is one we missed? Tell us your favorite overhead disc (nominated, or not nominated) in the comments. We will select three people who leave comments to receive their favorite overhand disc for free from Infinite Discs!
My shoulder still pops from the amount of overhead throws I did in my first few years. An overhead shot will make a “U” shape in mid-air and the stability of the disc determines how quickly it goes through that “U” before spiking into the ground. The more overstable the disc, the longer it takes. So if you want anything that resembles glide you have to use a beefy disc.
My all-time-favorite overhead disc is an Innova Xcaliber but depending on the shape of the shot, my other choice would be an Innova Max. I haven’t thrown an overhead shot in over 10 years because my body just can’t handle them any more, but when I started I only threw Innova, so other disc makers might have better options, but I never tried them.
I like a lucid Felon for thumbers
Since there are tons of options in the “very overstable” category, I think it comes down to personal comfort with a disc’s rim width. If you can get your thumb around it, the DGA Hellfire is a great disc for distance thumbers. For more control, I prefer the accidental meathook that is the Tracker 3.5. It makes even the Flick look straight!
Vibram notch. As a thumber it will travel very straight with a tight slow pan out, as a tomahawk it will pan out slowly usually landing on its flight plate and sliding for roughly an additional 20-25 feet.
Since we are dealing with overstable discs, preference becomes a question of rim width. For maximum distance, the DGA Hellfire is superb as long as you can get your thumb around it. For more control, I prefer the infamous Tracker 3.5 and its narrower rim.
I don’t have the power or technique to get much distance off the tee with overhand shots. However, my champion color glow Thunderbird has been my go to for years in terms of get out of trouble shots in the 150′ and under range. Seems to have a nice slow turn at that distance/power and consistently lands face down for a nice little slide right up to the basket. Can’t count how many times it’s saved me getting out of brush or through dense trees.
My buddy, as a former baseball player, has a lot of power with thumbers and tomahawks off the tee and gets admirable distance and accuracy with an XXX.
The innova max or the innova ape depending on distance
Innova GStar Prototype Daedalus – of all the discs I have ever thrown this one took the tomahawk throw the best without a doubt. It was so good that I thought about using this shot as my drive on all holes that I could throw a tomahawk, obviously that isn’t reality, but I still use it today.
Prodiscus Ultrium Respecti (“Ray-spect-ee”)… lots of left to right or right to left travel on short shots and By far my favorite plastic to boot… nailed a thumber where I was in dense rough from about 60′ about a month ago… very predictable overhand disc and lots of side to side movement on the drop which makes it my go to get out of trouble disc when the only option is up!
Definitely the Latitude 64 XXX gets the nod from me. It is overstable, flat, and the smaller rim makes it easier to throw and feels great in the hand.
H1v2 – nicely replaced the H1 I was using and is a bit more reliable.
The Fireball is the key one for me. Consistent and predictable flight.
Hyzerbomb MOAB!
I throw predominantly OH from my baseball background and i’ve tried lots of discs out. I prefer several of the ones listed for many skippy or spiky approaches thru drives up to 350 or so. xxx, stiletto, and especially the nuke os and flick are all outstanding OH discs, even for small hands like me, and they can hit diff laser tight or long swooping lines, depending on if the shot requires a throw equivalent of 45-50mph baseball up to 85-90mph. The plastics, i will mention, are remarkable these days from all these brands, as OH discs take an absolute beating and mine always seem to hold up pretty well. But if you’re asking what the BEST OH disc is, you left it off the list: the now discontinued(?) aerobie epic. Most write it off, but you can thumber or tommy with great accuracy and i can reach up to 480-500 with a good toss, which is, not surprisingly, more than my standard forehand/backhand. Nothing touches the epic. The overhand is meant to go over stuff, and the epic goes over absolutely everything.
Westside Lonbowman. I’m a senior, so don’t have enough strength to really accelerate a faster disc. The Longbowman works well when I need to get up and over obstacles, it has a dependable flight and finish.
My fave for a tomahawk thumber bummer bomb is the Felon by Dynamic Discs in Fusion Burst plastic. The one I have is from Infinite Discs with their name stamp on it in a pinwheel like fashion. This disc helps get me back on the fairway with ninja star like accuracy.
My go to overhand is my Fireball. I started using it because I had the Amy Anderson dragon stamp Fireball and didn’t want to lose it, it’s been a staple in my bag since.
I love to tomahawk a Lucid Sheriff off the tee, and a DGA Breaker for upshots through obstacles.
Latitude moonshine frost line spark, my favorite thumber disc….ever. Axiom Fireball155gm in proton…easier on the shoulder.
For thumbers where I’m going for distance, I like my frost line XXX or lucid Felon. For going over obstacles/get out of trouble/high-in-the-air shots, I a neutron Deflector.
Firebird is the gold Standard. Flips really slowly and you can make it stick or skip with the angle. Don’t sleep on the C blend Slab either though!