
Jam in a Flash – Move
This sequence should just be called Move, as that seems to be the essence of it. The handler will chase the dog throughout this sequence, making the throw and chase chase it. By following the throw the handler will demonstrate efficient and active handling and will cover a bunch of the field. This is a great way to increase your field presentation.
Spinning Airbounce to Flip
The Left Handed Spinning Airbounce to Flip requires the handler to move to be efficient – throw it and get on your horse. Be there when the dog makes the catch. It’s not hard to do if you are throwing a proper 15 yard toss into the wind. When you get there, cue a wait and break out your flip. You will have just covered 15 yards or so and are well on your way to crossing the whole field.
Front Cross to Zig Zag
After the flip, the front cross will be a little weird, but I do a lot of 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... to Zig Zag
A 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... in my play, and I do so in order to maintain my relationship to the wind. So this front cross here can be executed to get you and your dog oriented into the wind for your big leaping zig zag, which is pretty sweet especially after a nice flip. I think you might be able to front cross and pick up a disc as well…
Zig Zag to Fakie Twist
If the handler aggressively follows the last throw of the Zig Zag the skill can finish with dog and handler standing side by side for a photo op and the FakieAn athletic Set Up Move, the Fakie is a flip off of the handler's body (normally the chest) with no disc in flight or intended to be caught. It is usually named by... Twist. If the whole sequence is done facing the wind then dog and handler have pretty much traversed the entire field.
Pretty sweet.
I’ll be giving this a shot in the morning with Loot.
Post Session Update:
I tried this sequence with Loot this evening and it was kind of rough.
Struggling to Setting the Tone
The Left Handed Spinning Airbounce was extremely difficult for me get started with. Wrapping my head around it and getting set up while a ballistic collie dances around in front of me was pretty tough. So I backed off to the 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... after a couple of rough reps.
It really set the tone for the session, and not in a good way. Loot seemed confused by the release and 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... of the disc and kind of forgot about catching discs and just started flying around. I should have set a better tone with a proper warmup. Won’t make that mistake again.
It was pretty frustrating. We worked through it and focused in on the highlighted parts above, and that was some interesting stuff…
Spinning Airbounce to Flip
Following the Airbounce and running to Loot for the weak flip went as I expected. He was a bit surprised to see me there, but hit his wait quite well. I did have a little bit of spectator going on, which was a problem, but I recognized it and fixed it (several times, lol) during the session.
Weak Flip to Front Cross – It’s a Keeper!
The Flip to FrontFront is a stable position directly in front of the handler. Front is an traditional obedience skill. Usually your dog sits in this position, but standing is often acceptable as well, especially in... Cross
A Cross is an canine agility term that describes a change of working sides. Your dog moves from your left to your right (Heel to Side) or from Clock to Counter. Crosses are... was as interesting as I expected. Loot was landing on my left and was set to go Clockwise Flank
Out 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..., moving from my left to right. A quick turn to my left put Loot on the Counter Clock Flank (his strong flank) and really allowed me to shoot him out for the Zig Zag.
This little move will make a lasting impression on my game, I think. It’s really basic, elemental movement and makes for a super strong hook up to set a line or a flank. I’m pretty sure it will look cool too. Finishing the Flip with a pop to working team movement is pretty slick.
Front Cross to Zig Zag
The Front Cross and flatwork hookup bled into the Zig Zag a bit, making it much more round than I would have wanted. The first catch looked just like an 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... – that arcing movement. Disc placement would have fixed this, tossing it out further and a bit behind him would have done the trick, but I was focused on keeping it moving and pretty short so I could get to the finish of the Zig Zag for the move right into the Fakie Twist.
Zig Zag to Fakie Twist
I was caught watching my dog instead of chasing my throw many times during this session, and it’s something that I usually don’t have trouble with, so that was interesting and deserves my attention, but when I did manage to get there, Loot was not interested in hitting the body of someone who just sprinted up into his space, so it didn’t come off real well, but I really like the concept.
Did We Move?
All told we covered about 25-30 yards of the field throwing 6 discs in about 22-25 seconds. There were a couple of nice disc management options for this sequence as well. It was a great lesson for me personally and a real shot to the ego on where Loot and I are at. His foundation is strong,and he is capable of doing almost all of it at an elite level at the drop of a hat, but the foundation is not strong enough to exist outside of the box we’ve created, and that was evident with this session. We’ll give this sequence another look for sure.