Glossary
Fade
The flight number that shows how hard a disc hooks left, for a right hand backhand, as it slows.
Fade is the fourth and final flight number, ranging from 0 to about 5, and it describes how strongly a disc hooks left, for a right hand backhand thrower, once it runs out of speed near the end of its flight. A disc with a fade of 3 will finish with a noticeable, often abrupt turn left, while a fade of 0 or 1 tends to glide down softly and land straighter.
Fade matters because it is the part of the flight players rely on most for control, since it happens predictably at the end of the throw when the disc has slowed down enough for its natural stability to take over. Overstable discs with high fade numbers are popular in windy conditions because that same resistance to turning also resists being pushed off line by a headwind.
When choosing discs, beginners often overestimate how much fade they need and end up with drivers that hook hard left before they ever reach full distance, cutting shots short. A better approach is to pair a couple of low fade, easy discs for distance with one or two higher fade discs kept specifically for wind or for shaping shots around obstacles.