RING INSTRUCTIONS

THROWING THE RINGS - Aerobie rings should be thrown with the printed side up. If you want an Aerobie ring to fly straight, release it level. People who throw Frisbees tend to release them sloping downward to compensate for the Frisbee's tendancy to roll. With Aerobie rings (and discs), this compensation is not needed so throw them level if you want them to fly straight. You can throw an Aerobie ring sloping to the left if you want it to curve left and sloping to the right if you want it to curve right. You can throw an Aerobie ring with either a backhand or a forehand throw. The backhand throw is more popular because it is easier to throw accurately. Grip the ring with several fingers inside for easy control.

SAFE PLAY - As is the case with any thrown object, throw an Aerobie ring only to an alert catcher. Play in a clear space so participants will not accidentally trip over or crash into trees, cars, people, and other hazards. It should be noted that rings are more prone than discs to getting caught in trees since a branch can go through the center of a ring, making it difficult to shake the ring out of the tree. Cease play if there is not sufficient light to clearly see the ring in flight. Never throw a torn or damaged Aerobie ring.

RING WON'T FLY STRAIGHT? - Aerobie rings occasionally need to be tuned to maintain their straight flight. A collision with a solid object can knock a ring out of tune. If a ring turns left after being thrown level, it needs to be bent very slightly downward. With the top side of the ring up, hold the ring at opposing points in your two hands and bend the outer rim of the ring downward a couple times. Then rotate the ring 90 degress in your hands and repeat the process. Throw the ring to see if more tuning is needed. If the ring is turning right, the tuning process is identical with the exception that the outer rim is bent upward. The instructions for the tuning process are printed on the ring packages and also on the rings themselves. These instructions are for a right hander throwing backhand. Reverse the instructions for a throw that spins the ring in the opposite direction.

GAMES WITH AEROBIE RINGS

CATCH

Playing catch with a friend is the most popular game played with Aerobie flying rings. A game of catch over a distance of 50 yards or more is a thrilling game of catch.

AEROSTEP

Aerostep is a great game for building accuracy and long legs. Two players make a team. They throw and receive from two markers set 30 or more yards apart.

You can play against other teams or just with your teammate trying to set your own team records.

Each player throws to his teammate who tries to catch the Aerobie ring while keeping a foot on his marker. If a player leaves the marker to make the catch, the player must count the number of steps needed to get back to the marker. A missed catch counts as ten steps.

The receiver then throws back to the other player who counts steps away from the marker in the same way.

The team score is the total number of steps for a round of ten throws. A perfect round is a zero score (all catches made with a foot on the marker.) When you are consistently scoring below ten, try greater distances.

The strategy is to throw low and accurately and to take the biggest steps you can.

AEROSPEED

Aerospeed is a fast game. A team of two players throw and catch as quickly as possible from behind two lines set 30 or more yards apart.

The team can race the clock or other teams.

The object is to make ten catches in the shortest possible time. The only rule is that all throws and catches must be from behind your line. If you run forward to fetch a short throw, you must run back behind your line before throwing back.

The clock starts with the first throw. Each time a catch is made the catcher calls out the count. The match ends at the count of ten.

The strategy is to keep your throws low, fast, and accurate. If you run back to fetch an overthrow, throw it back from wherever you picked it up; then run up to your line in time to catch the return throw.

When you get good, you can try:

DOUBLE SPEED - the same game played with two Aerobie rings.

END ZONE - Throw from an end zone of a football field to another player who must catch the ring within the opposing end zone.

AEROGOAL

Aerogoal is an exciting game of "goal tending" that will give the players lots of exercise.

The field has two goal lines, each about 20 yards wide and about 30 yards apart. You can use wider goal lines if you have more than one player per side or if you space the goals farther apart.

The object is to throw the ring past (but not over) the defending player or team.

All throws and catches must be made from behind the goal line. A "fair" throw must cross the defender's goal-line between the end markers and below head height. A "foul" throw is either above the defender's head, wide of the goal line, or falls short of the line.

The thrower gets a point if the defender fails to catch a fair throw. The defender gets a point for any foul thrown by an opponent. The defender gets two points if he or she catches a foul throw.

A match is completed when one side gets 10 points.

If you have more than one player per side, make the goal lines about ten yards wider for each extra player and use one ring for each player per side. For example, with three players per side use three rings and 40 yard wide goal lines.

Strategy: Throw low, fast, and accurately

Variation: Try allowing only one handed catches

AEROBIE GOLF

Aerobie golf is very much like disc golf except it is played with an Aerobie ring. The game can be played on a disc golf course or, if allowed, on a regular golf course but is most frequently just played in any park or other open area.

The game can be played with as few as two or as many as you would like. Each player must have an Aerobie ring. Each player is in competition with the other players.

The objective, like in regular golf, is to complete the game with the lowest number of throws. The player with the lowest score wins.

Assuming you are playing in a park or other open area, play begins with one player picking the first target. Targets are usually trees or garbage pails or rocks or practically any fixed object. Players throw their rings toward the target and count to see how many throws it takes before a throw hits the target. Each successive throw is thrown from the spot where the previous throw stopped. The number of throws required to hit the target is a players score on the first "hole."

Play on the second and following hole begins when all players have finished the previous hole. Players should take turns selecting the next target. There is practically no limit to the distance to the next target. Some players may feel they have an advantage from picking far away targets while other players may feel they derive an advantage from selecting a target that will require throws that bend around obstacles.

The game does not need to be for 18 holes but players should agree to the number of holes before play begins.

For another great game using Aerobie rings, try AEROSTICKS

Have fun!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What makes Aerobie rings fly so incredibly far?

There are really two key reasons the rings fly so far. First is their thin profile. Aerobie rings are only about 1/8 of an inch thick so when thrown, they really slice through the air creating very little drag. A typical Frisbee is over an inch thick.

The second reason is the patented spoiler rim design that keeps the center of aerodynamic lift at the center of an Aerobie ring throughout the different speeds of a typical throw. In layman's terms, this makes it so the ring can fly straight at the highest velocity at the beginning of a throw all the way to when it slows at the end of the throw. This is not true for conventional flying discs which often veer off course.

Interested in learning more about why Aerobie rings fly so incredibly well? Click here for scientific paper by inventor/founder/aeronautical engineer, Alan Adler.

Why don't you make Aerobie rings float?

We would love to. Unfortunately, we have been unable to find materials that would make a ring that would float but not sacrifice flying performance. (We are unwilling to sacrifice flying performance. Maybe some day the right materials will be invented.)

Do Aerobie rings have a metal ring at their center?

No, and they never have. Aerobie rings have always been made with a durable center of polycarbonate, a tough engineering grade plastic. We then mold rubber edges onto the inside and outside of this durable center. The polycarbonate is essential for maintaining the shape of the ring and the rubber edges make the ring soft to catch. Polycarbonate is expensive but very tough. It's the material of choice for safety goggles, bullet proof windows, and football helmets.

Superflight offers a $1,000 reward to the first person to set a new Guinness World Record for throwing an Aerobie Pro flying ring a quarter mile (1,320 feet or 402 meters). That is 5% farther than Scott Zimmerman's current record Aerobie throw of 1,257 feet which is the current Guinness World Record for the world's farthest throw of an inert, heavier than air object with the un-aided arm.

To qualify for the $1,000 reward, the thrower must have the new world record accepted by the Guinness organization. The Guinness documentation guidelines require authentication by two independent persons of standing within the local community and corroboration by media coverage. A video tape and color photos should also be submitted as evidence. Measurements should be made by suitably qualified individuals and witnessed by the independent judges.

The throwing guidelines are quite simple:

1. A throw is measured as the straight line distance between the point of release and the point of first impact with the ground.

2. The impact point cannot be lower in altitude than the release point.

3. As is customary with disc records, wind aided throws are permitted. The current record was set at Ft. Funston, San Francisco - an updraft area favored by hang gliders.

Those planning an attempt at a new Guinness World Record are advised to review the general Guinness guidelines at www.recordholders.org/en/rules/rules2.html and to notify Guinness directly via www.guinnessworldrecords.com prior to their attempt.

You make a glow in the dark Squidgie disc. Why don't you make a glow in the dark ring?

We could easily make a glow in the dark ring but, even when freshly charged, a glow in the dark Aerobie ring would be hard to see because of its narrow profile. As the glow faded between charges, the ring would become almost impossible to see. We feel making a glow in the dark ring would encourage play with the ring in the dark and playing with any throwing toy when you can't see it coming is dangerous.

Why does the Aerobie ring fly so well? What is the science behind it?

We're glad you asked. Click here for the scientific paper by inventor/founder/aeronautical engineer, Alan Adler