Loot the World

Pretty sweet Counter Clock 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 here… 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... More the World is four throws in circular fashion with the dog on the Working FlankThe Working Flank is a moving position. On a Working Flank the dog is out to your side some distance and holds position, moving with you as you move around the field. The... More. This is a Counter Clockwise Around the World.

Tricks are are:
Blind Reverse Back 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... More
Carom (no disc)
Magic Sidearm
Blind Jazz Throw
Left Handed Spinning Airbounce
Blind Push Airbounce

Spinning Throws, Throwing Spins, and Blind Catches

Counter clock is Loot’s Strong FlankThe Strong Flank is the flank that the dog wants to run. Most dogs are unbalanced and prefer to move in either a clockwise or counter clockwise fashion. The Strong Flank can also... More, the direction he likes to run. The first throw on the Around the World is a fancy spinning Sidearm, aka: Flick. It looks as if it is thrown from wide open hands; I call it the Magic Sidearm. It is a counter clockwise spinning throw, meaning the disc spins counter clock while in flight, so Loot can completely see it from my hand to his face. All the handler spinning is just spinning to hide the throw from the crowd and set up a good line and deliver to the arc of the circle at the right place and right time – hovering right in front of Loot’s face while he’s running the circle. (Throwing On the Flank)

The Jazz throw spins clockwise, and as such is “blind” for Loot on the Counter 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. At 0:21 of the video, the disc disappears behind my back to reappear a few strides later. This 1-2 second disappeared disc is a Blind TossA Blind Toss is a throw that starts with the dog being unable to see the disc, the human unable to see the dog or the target, or the dog and handler unable... More. A Blind Toss usually is a throw where the dog can’t see the disc, or the human can’t see the dog or the target. We no longer do the Jazz Throw in the Around the World, as it’s a super nasty blind toss and was rarely successful.

Blind Throws and the Left Hand

The Left Handed Spinning Airbounce is a pretty bad ass move. Counter clock is a tough direction for right handers, and having a marquis throw like a Spinning Airbounce come out of the Left hand smoothly is helpful for competition. The only problem is that most people don’t realize it’s Lefty. It’s “too smooth”. Such is life.

The Push finish looks real simple, right? From 0:32-0:34 the disc is not visible to Loot as he covers 6 to 8 yards. The distance run blind might not be so bad if the dog and handler were not on a line and throwing an interception.

Clockwise Throws Go Clock and Counter Throws Go Counter per the 13 Laws of Flatwork

Playing It Safe

This is one of the first repetitions of the Loot the World that I worked where I purposefully made the pattern a bit less difficult.

Each of these throws has quite a bit of chase to them. The disc and dog are running in the same direction quite a bit, and the circle of the Around the World is some sort of egg shape. Compare the above version’s angles and interception vs chase attributes with this one:

Aggressive Shapes and Angles

This version is FAR more aggressive in terms of Shapes and Angles. Each of the discs are placed in nasty interception territory; discs flying at Loot, towards him and hovering on the line. There is very little chase involved in this version of the Loot the World.

I really enjoyed this sequence, but we rarely caught all 4. Personally, I thought 3 of 4 in stride with leaps was plenty to get a good score from a thoughtful judge, but most thoughtful judges didn’t agree with me.

I like it at least as much, from a judging standpoint, as the top version from the drone. Top one gets a better score, but the bottom one… that nasty stuff above is made super nasty with more interception. It’s a heroic, epic sequence. It’s also stupid to try to do in a competitive environment; discretion is the better part of valor. Learning the Laws of Flatwork taught me that. NowThe Now Phase is an integral part of the Play Cycle in the Play+ training philosophy. It embodies the current, immediate interaction between the handler and the dog, anchoring them in the present... More the Jazz throw is a reliably heroic leaping catch on the Clockwise Flank and I’m working a Lefty Jazz throw for our 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, and Around the World.