Just Another Epic Jam

Warming Up: Epic Around the World

A clockwise 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... featuring a Jazz Throw, a Magic SideArm™, and a lazy BackhandThe Backhand toss is the traditional disc throw. While it might not be the easiest throw of them all, it is the easiest to throw a hundred yards, and it is the easiest.... This was part of our warmup.

Flippin’ Epic Juggle

This is one of my favorite sequences. It’s real fast 5 Discs in less than 5 seconds featuring athletic feats for dog and handler. I’m super bummed he crashed a bit here when we missed the stall.

This is the first time we’ve tried the full sequence live speed. We normally stop between the juggle and the dog catch. I’m not sure if we were poorly lined up or I made a bad toss lining up. I’m thinking it might be a bit of both.

Woos & Mo Moves

Super fun sequence for me. It features “Woos”, which I would call an AroundAn Around, or a Go Around is the traditional disc dog set up move. The dog goes around the handler’s body in a clockwise or counter clockwise fashion allowing dog and handler to... n Flip – an around that finishes or resolves in a flip.

All of these moves are set up moves that don’t get a chance to finish before the flip starts. These moves become a unique thing, a melding of the set up moveSet Up Moves are tricks that are used to establish timing and position in disc dog freestyle. Traditional tricks include: Around, Through, Backwards Through, and Scoot, but any or all of your tricks,... and flip into one distinct trick. I just use an n between the moves to signify they are a single trick vs a progression.

The Woos are first, and these are LeiLei tricks. She rocked these like nobody’s business. They are our first pictures posted on FB. I miss playing with her. Such a beast.

Dueling flips directly out of the clockwise and counter clock Arounds. On the 3rd one, Epic gives the disc back to me, a catch and release move we call a FishA Fish is a leaping catch that ends with the dog passing the disc back to the handler before landing back on the ground. The basic idea is catch and release, Fishing is....

Then we roll into our Mo Moves. These are flips that happen before the through and backwards through finish: ThroughA Through is a set up move where the dog runs between the handler’s legs. The dog can move from front to back or side to side and can even weave. A Through... n Flip and Backwards ThroughIf your dog moves through your legs from back to front, that is a backwards Through. The Backwards Through usually sets up in one of two ways depending on where your dog’s starting... n flip. I developed these with Kimo back in 98 and they were HUGE. He really covered a lot of distance on these, and did it safely.

These were a little off time right from the get go. A little problem with the Fish in the Backwards Through n Flip got us off time. He didn’t release the disc in time to be fluid. I think my Through cue could be distracting him.

Heli-In

Heli Flips are flips on the working flank. Heli-In means the dog is flipping towards the handler, kind of like a front cross, and finishing the circle of the working flank.

Epic rocks this skill. Heli flips are great training tools for dogs who are challenged in the flipping department.

I’m trying to make nice Low High tosses here, but it’s a bit awkward. I think I’m getting better at it. It feels right.

Reverse Leg Vaults

The Reverse Leg VaultThe dog uses the player´s body as a launching pad to jump for a disc. A Vault is a leaping catch from the handler’s body. The dog leaves the ground for the target... and Reverse Leg Vault Dog CatchA Dog Catch is a great trick to use for hitting the crowd or for putting a strategic pause in your routine. The dog leaps to catch the disc and then you catch... will be our closing sequence again this year.

It’s a tough one to reliably set up in less than 10 seconds. It’s usually easy to set up in about 5-7 seconds, sometimes it’s not, and missing your big finish is no fun at all.

I hope to have them all happen on the run and on the fly in the future, but I think that time is some way off.