Think about it -- if your family were stuck on a desert island with just one toy, wouldn't a flying disk be the obvious choice? It flies farther than a ball, it's nearly indestructible, and you could even use it to collect rainwater in a pinch. But even if you're just bored in your own backyard, nothing can beat the versatility of the toy everyone knows by its brand name, Frisbee. Whether you're up for a new sport (like Frisbee boccie), a new trick throw, or just a simple game of catch, the flying disk makes for an endlessly entertaining playmate. To prove it, we've rounded up 10 of our favorite Frisbee activities -- enough to launch your family into years of wrist-flicking fun.

Learn the Hammer Throw
Gary Auerbach, freestyle Frisbee champ and founder of the Spinning Bees (a group that teaches Frisbee skills to kids), says this unusual throw is perfect for beginners -- it's forgiving and looks mighty impressive since the disk flies upside down. (Our instructions and diagrams are for righties; lefties should reverse them.)

1. Separate your middle and ring fingers as if making Mr. Spock's Vulcan greeting, putting your index and middle finger on the inner rim of the Frisbee and your thumb on the other side. Your middle finger should lie along the rim near the six o'clock position.
2. Bring the disk up over your head, holding it nearly upside down.
3. Take a big step forward with your left foot while beginning your overhand throw. Let go at the same instant you'd release a baseball or football. The disk should slowly rotate into a swerving, upside-down flight path.

Spin a Disk on Your Finger
Hotshot players can spin a Frisbee on their fingers nearly as long as they like. The secret? A light coating of vegetable oil or silicone spray on the underside of the Frisbee. To put your own spin on things, lightly spray your disk and have someone toss you a fast-spinning floater -- the kind of throw that wafts down gracefully from the sky. As it descends, simply let its center land on the fingernail of your extended index finger. From here, you can poke it back into the air or try to keep it spinning by brushing the disk's side as it slows to speed it back up.

Go for a Record Throw
Flying disks are capable of traveling astonishing distances, but they've got nothing on the Aerobie ring, the current long-flying champ. Below are a few notable records for both.

• Farthest Frisbee toss by a nonhuman: 32 feet, by Alex, a sea lion, in 1996 at the St. Louis Zoo
• Farthest Frisbee toss by a kid age 12 or younger: 403.7 feet, by 12-year-old Mary Uhlarik in 1992 (12-year-old boys still have 43 feet to go before taking away her record)
• Farthest flying disk toss: 820 feet, by Christian Sandstrom in 2002
• Farthest Aerobie toss: 1,257 feet, by Scott Zimmerman in 1986

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