The Flatwork Compass – Creating a Sense of Direction Part 1 | Clock & Counter
A compass is used to find your way, to navigate. It tells you which direction you are going and helps to figure out where you are at and which direction you need to go. It would be really nice to have a compass for disc dog freestyle, right?
Well, say no more… Here it is. Behold the magical Flatwork Compass:
Clock & Counter
Clock and Counter are the two basic directions in disc dog freestyle. Your dog will always approach or move in either the clockwise or counter clock direction in relation to you. Understanding of directional movement is key to successful, stress-free freestyle. Mastery is required to be able to do anything you can dream up.
If the dog is in front of you moving from left to right at all, you can consider the dog to be moving clockwise. Your normal around is most likely clockwise. If the dog is out front moving right to left, he is moving counter clock, and the “other” around, the one your dog likely doesn’t do is probably counter clock.
If you think of straight out front of you as 12 o clock, and directly behind you, these directions should make complete sense. The clock goes up to the right of 12 o clock – 1-2-3 and goes down to the left of 12 o clock 11-10-9.
Resonant Spins
All of your throws spin
Spins 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... the the clockwise or counter clockwise direction. Backhand
The 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... throws spin clock and Sidearm and Overhand Wrist Flips spin counter clock.
The Law of Resonant Spins states that all throws that spin in opposite direction of the dog are either blind to the dog or blind to the handler. Blind throws are cool, but they are not 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,....
A throw with a resonant spin will be visible to the dog and the dog will be visible to the handler and the team can move together.
The Flatwork Compass
The Flatwork Compass is a disc dog form that separates the Flank from the Pass, creates a reliable trigger, and exposes the team to all of the key elements of Team Movement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW7Czz-7ows&list=PL8zWXaJfi1-synGOkBJ7u4p-WkotsL3LR... allows handlers and dogs to understand and experience the Law of Resonant Spins and develop better Team Movement as a result.
Work a backhand to the clockwise flank and pass (for right handers – lefties flip it, like usual), and choose a Sidearm or Overhand Wrist Flip for the counter clock movements. Experience and understanding of this skill is key for advanced flatwork and for successful Team Movement.
Reading the Each Other
The 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... Compass gives the dog and handler an exceptional opportunity to read each other and understand the basics and particulars of Team Movement.
The simple and systemic nature of this form and it’s ability to be repeated with precision creates the ability to practice, read, and learn much about Team Movement, both for the dog and the handler.
The dog learns to watch the throw leave the handler’s hand and to read the handler’s movements and plan accordingly throughout the wind up and backswing. Which direction we are going, whether we will be flanking or passing, and which direction the disc will be spinning are all practiced and experienced in the 4 simple throws of the Flatwork Compass.
The handler learns to read the dog’s movement to assess the dog’s strong and weak flanks and to learn and predict the dog’s movement after each catch.
Practice Hooking Up
The team gets many opportunities to hook up and get stable after a throw has been made. Skillful use of this form will enable the handler and dog to seamlessly work together to get hooked up as team and get set up for the next trick, throw, or sequence.
This practice can be tuned to high speed starting and stopping and the step by step nature creates performance requirements that put pressure on the team to come together and execute. This flexibility and the performance requirements put constraints and criteria on the team that provide ample opportunity for learning about Team Movement and Set Up & PositionIn the Play+ philosophy, "Position" is the final stage within the "Next" phase of a Cycle of Play. It acts as a pivotal link between the "Next" phase and a new "Now" phase..
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