Freestyle Disc Throws | Flamingo

Ron January 30, 2012

The Flamingo throw really looks like it’s got a ton of stuff going on. It doesn’t, it’s an illusion. That’s not to say it’s easy, but it is rather simple. It’s just a sidearm throw delivered from behind the throwing leg. Everything else is just flavor and sauce.

What Is It?

The Flamingo throw gets it’s name from the human freestyle disc trick catch of the same name. For a Flamingo catch, the player stands on one leg and leans over, and reaches behind the standing leg with the same arm to make the catch. Google Images is helpful here So this is the position you will be throwing from.

It can be a stretch for many athletes, it’s pretty aggressive. It also takes pretty decent balance. But anyone who’s fairly flexible should be able to do it.

The Mechanics

Using a sidearm grip, (Catch Low, Peace Sign), place the throwing hand behind the throwing leg as you step to the throwing hand side a bit. The step to the throwing side allows your the to more efficiently slip down behind the leg to get into position for the throw.

The step madee to the throwing hand side should ‘toe out’ a bit, putting the heel closer to being in line with target. In the video, I’m quite aggressive with my ‘toe-ing out’, as I’m trying to get my heel directly at the target making the throw as simple as expressive as possible.

The hand drops down and around the calf or kneepit, and you pop the throw off using the Body as Flick.

There is a limited stroke on the throw, it’s not very powerful, especially when working on the two footed lower criteria from the video. When you start to work the throw with the full expression of movement, the balance gets easier and the heel turn and torquing of the body increase the power quite noticeably.

Tricks to the Trick

Keep the loose grip concepts of Rock In Rock Out and There is No Flick in mind. If the momentum of the hand’s movement sets the wing of the disc and the wrist is loose, this throw will pop and spinSpins and Twists are tricks where the dog spins 360 degrees in a clockwise or counter clockwise fashion. Spin is clockwise and Twist is counter clockwise so it is important to have a... More like crazy. If the disc is held tight and the loose grip principles are not applied this throw can be quite difficult to master.

Categories: Advanced Disc Releases, Throwing

Patron’s Choice: Shaping a Leaping Catch | Leaping Concepts

Patron’s Choice Sneak Peek | Public Access Dec. 26
Key concepts of the canine leaping skill and behavior chain that shape and reinforce a leaping catch.

Ron December 19, 2019

0 Comments

Patron’s Choice : Shaping a Leaping Catch | Leaping Functions

Sneak Peek for Patron’s only… Public access Dec 27th | Functions of canine leaping and how leaping catches function by Ron Watson

Ron December 21, 2019

4 Comments

Patron’s Choice: Vaulting Principles | Disc Dog Vaulting Concepts

There is a lot more to a vault than the definition. There is a reason you can’t just watch a YouTube video and get an understanding of the vaulting process. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you know how to do it, or how it is done; performance is not understanding. This is very evident when it comes to vaulting.

Ron February 3, 2020

0 Comments

Judging Difficulty and Canine SubElements

I got a couple of questions about USDDN judging sent to me via a Facebook message from Mila, who lives in Moscow, Russia. Mila handles judging for the Disc Hunters, a Russian Disc Dog Club. It’s a two part-er so I’ll take it in chunks…

Ron January 9, 2012

Throwing With Intent

Throwing with IntentThrowing with intent means delivering discs with the intent to make the dog leap or look good. This skill is extremely important for teaching a dog to leap reliably and for enhancing a... More is throwing a disc to your dog with the intent to make them look good. Throwing the disc to promote a big leap, to hit the dog in stride on the run or throwing a disc that your dog is going to flip for 10 yards away, is the sign of a mature handler.

Ron December 1, 2009

3 Comments

The Purpose and Value of Recognizing Shapes in Disc Dog Freestyle

Shapes are created by the position and movement of dog, handler, and disc. And shapes can be created by the dog, the handler, and the placement of the disc. Shapes are a fact of disc dog freestyle.

When the dog leaves the handler for a catch, that tends to create a line. When the dog is away from the handler and moves across the field to make a catch, as in a Zig ZagA Zig Zag is a series of catches in smooth succession that forces the dog to move back and forth across the field. Usually performed at a distance of 8-20 yards, the Zig... More or Around the WorldAn Around the World is a disc dog flatwork pattern consisting of 4 catches in a circular pattern around the handler. This pattern is typically larger than 5 yards and often features creative... More, that tends to create a Shape.

Ron May 22, 2020

0 Comments

What Is It?

The Mechanics

Tricks to the Trick

Related Articles