Disc Dog Flatwork | Clock & Counter Defined
Talking DiscDog 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,... and Flatwork
Flatwork is the stuff that happens between the catches. How the team moves and transitions, often without the disc, is flatwork. Flatwork concepts in disc dog are taken from the agility and herding... is often tough to wrap our heads around, doing it is hard enough, but talking about can be even tougher. Direction of movement is a particularly tough thing. At Pawsitive Vybe we think of direction in terms of Clock & Counter.
Handler’s Front is 12 O Clock
You are the center of the clock dial. Straight out in front of you is 12 o clock and 12 o clock moves with the handler. Whichever direction your chest is facing is 12 o clock. As you turn, 12 o clock turns with you.
I think many people get lost when I talk about clock and counter because of the idea that 12 o clock is 12 o clock, and that’s that. When 12 o clock is defined by where you are facing rather than where you started initially it is much easier to understand movement through that clock and counter lens.
The Game Happens in Front of You
If you think of directly in front of you as 12 o clock, then the game primarily takes place between 9 o clock on your left to 3 o clock on your right. If the dog is moving from left to right, the game is moving clock. If the game is moving right to left then the game is moving counter clock.
This does get a little tricky when the dog gets behind you, but if you know where 12 o clock is, then it’s as simple as watching the time go by or watching the clock run backwards to figure out which direction the dog is going.
Responses