Class Excerpt: Flank or Pass Challenge with Marty & Apryl
Apryl & Marty take on the FlankOut to the side of the handler is the Flank. If the dog is out to the handler's right or left the dog is on Flank. If the dog is moving with the... More or PassA Pass or Passing is a linear Team Movement maneuver that has the dog running or moving past the handler in close proximity, crossing or breaking the plane of the handler's body. Challenge for the first time during Tuesday Afternoon Disc Quan Do class. The Flank or Pass Challenge is a fun game that challenges the handler to be prepared and to execute thoughtful and competent disc dog flatwork and Team MovementTeam Movement is how dog and handler move, as a team, out there on the field. It is a judging category in some organizations and certainly is a focus of many judges, players,... More on the fly.
Rules of the Game
This is a two person game and the rules are simple. The player makes a throw to their dog and the observer calls out “Flank” or “Pass” when the dog catches. The player then executes either a Flank or a Pass to their dog.
Simple, right?
Why Play?
Playing Flank or Pass asks the handler to think on their feet and read the dog early to execute a flatwork maneuver on the fly.
This game randomizes the pattern of the handler and challenges the team to hook up and move as a team in ways that they may not be entirely comfortable with or that may not be “normal”.
Getting out of your comfort zone and executing simple maneuvers like a simple Flank or Pass is a great exercise to improve your handling skills and team movement and to gain understanding of how your dog moves.
Goals and Best Practices
Apryl did a fine job here, playing the game for the first time and not having the benefit of this lesson. That said, she played a bit simply and inserted some additional flatwork and team movement into the game, which is cool, but not the goal of the game. The goal is to be able to handle the dog on the release after catch and to execute the simple flatwork maneuver directly.
Apryl allowed Marty to move too long before starting to handle him. This put her in an awkward position and forced an additional flatwork move to execute the Flank or Pass.
In the initial round, having not played the game before, Apryl pulled Marty around on the Flank. Totally OK, but not challenging enough for a player of her caliber. She also used a 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... More behavior for the Pass which allows the dog to drive the Team Movement and doesn’t ask the handler to actually handle the dog.
The goal and a best practice performance on the Flank is to read the dog’s release and deliver the Flank toss on the dog’s line. So if the dog catches and turns to the right (clock) after the catch, the handler should step forward and deliver the throw to the dog on a line that pushes the dog away and does not allow the dog to come running in.
For the Pass, the goal and best practice, especially for Disc Quan Do class purposes, is to grab the dog on the dog’s line with Basic Flatwork PositionBasic Flatwork Position (BFP) is a standard position of the handler in the Working Flank; hand reaching out towards the dog (usually with a disc) with the dog on the same plane as... More BFP) and to Front CrossOn a Front Cross, your dog switches Flanks in with you in front of them. From Clock to Counter Clockwise Flank or vice versa. Taken directly from the canine agility world, the Front... More the dog into the Pass. This movement is the practical application of the Crossing Pass Form. I discuss this in the 2nd Flank or Pass session with Eppie.
Apryl’s 2nd Try
On the second rep Apryl hit the best practice criteria about 1/2 the time but didn’t seem to be entirely comfortable with it. She allowed Marty to change Flanks once or twice and wasn’t able to keep Marty out away from her on the Flank call.
It got much better, but was still a challenge. I also think that Apryl was trying to keep her throws small to keep things in front of the camera for class and production purposes: welcome to my world, baby. 😉 Nothing like running 3 cameras and a class for a weekly TV show…
Marty & I’s Round
This was the first time I tried this with Marty and he did a fine job. I think he had some issues with the 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 I put on the disc, as it looked like they just spun right out of his mouth on those misses.
He was quite responsive to my flatwork cues and movements, especially for our first time working on this stuff. Apryl also did a great job calling the moves for me. I do wish she called more Flanks, though, as that is what I really wanted to demonstrate.
Got it.