Laying out the objective metrics of Disc Dog Freestyle tricks for adjudication of quality play.

Disc Dog Freestyle has suffered from a Black Box of Knowledge problem for a long time. Nobody knows what makes a trick good or what makes one trick better than another. This has been the purview of expert judges and advanced players for my entire career (I started playing in 1997).

In the past, the level of play and the judges chosen made this not such a big issue, but in the present era given the advanced state of play with such a wide variety of skill levels and styles, it’s time we get serious about what’s actually happening out there within our scoring categories and on a trick by trick basis.

Mechanics (Intrinsic Properties) are the Things That are Actually Being Done

Intrinsic Properties are What a Trick Is… (its form, mechanics). Properties are what a trick cannot do without.

All skills and scoring categories have intrinsic properties, the mechanics of the trick, skill, or category. These are the objective concepts that judges need to see in order to separate the performance of the same skill as performed by a hundred different competitors.

Without this mechanical knowledge and attention to detail judges are left to judge things by feel,”Wow! That was cool!” or by the end result,”This one was caught, that one wasn’t. This one is better.” While these aspects of play ARE important and should have impact upon judging, they are not the extent of what judges should be looking for.

Styles (Expressed Features) Are How We Do Those Things

Features are How a Trick Appears or Feels… (its expression, style, flow). Features are expressed Properties.

Presently, across the sport of Disc Dog Freestyle, there is little to no understanding of skills from the perspective of intrinsic properties. Everything gets treated as Style or as “a Style” . This default retreat to explain objective performance as merely “style” is a category error. Style is how the intrinsic properties of Disc Dog Freestyle present themselves; how we see them. It often hides or masks how well some things have been done. Style also dictates how the intrinsic properties are weighted, some are more important than others. That said, all the intrinsic, immutable properties are still in there, they just don’t matter as much or are expressed differently. If they are missing or ignored, something is likely off.

As a judge, it is important to know and understand what the intrinsic properties of a trick are, as well as how these properties are expressed in performance. A judge should be able to look at a variety of styles and fairly adjudicate their performance. A judge should be knowledgeable as to what properties of performance that a certain style values and contains as well as what properties might be missing, taken for granted, or underrepresented; this is true of each trick or sequence performed as well.

Below is a profile of the key aspects, the intrinsic properties of Disc Dog Tricks. It’s not the law or a drop dead reckoning, but it is factual that each of these principles is in play on each trick performed.

We do have some sense of these concepts as a community, but most all of them are limited to #s 4 and 5 of the profile: Aesthetics and Style. I often hear people use shorthand,”Oh, you do it PVybe style or Yachi style,” to discuss a complex idea like how a trick is done or how a player did the trick. That’s a Black Box.

Property Profile Template for Freestyle Tricks

1. InitiativeIn the context of Play+, initiative encapsulates the process of leading the dynamic interaction during play. Whether it's the Dog or the Handler, the one with the initiative actively guides the direction of... More

Who drives the action — handler or dog?
Where/when initiative transfers (cue, trigger, dog’s takeoff, handler’s throw).
Degree of shared or contested leadership.

2. Mechanics (core structural properties)

Intent → The aim or purpose of the trick (is it for height, distance, control, misdirection?) as well as whether the trick was intentionally performed.
Trigger → The release moment; what actually starts the trick (verbal cue, physical gesture, disc release, dog’s jump).
Placement → Where the disc (or body) is positioned to make the move possible.
Angle → Launch trajectory and orientation relative to handler and field.
Force → Energy required — push-off, throw velocity, jump power.
Timing → Synchronization of handler’s actions with the dog’s movement.
ThresholdA dog’s working state can be said to be over or under Threshold. A dog that is over Threshold has trouble working. A dog that is under Threshold is in good shape to... More → Boundaries of safety, commitment, and distance (too close, too far, too high).
Landing → How the dog completes the move; absorption of force, orientation, and safety.
Trick Entry → The structural conditions that open a move, including how the dog and handler begin, set position, and create the opening moment of the trick.
ReleaseRelease has many meanings in disc. Throws and throw variations can be referred to as releases. Sometimes you talk about the dog releasing something, the toy, or the environment, as in to stop... More → For disc moves: 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, trajectory, and targeting; for tricks and catches: how the dog resets out of the trick.

3. Coupling Dynamics

Degree of embodied connection (dog ↔ handler).
Communication clarity (signals, markers, timing).
How affordances are shared (handler as platform, dog as leaper, disc as link).
Relevance of movement, where actions are meaningfully tied to the trick rather than extraneous or decoupled flourishes

4. Aesthetics (expressive properties of mechanics)

Visual clarity (clean lines, obvious form).
Style of execution (explosive, smooth, fluid, snappy).
Presence (how the trick fills space / draws attention).
Rhythm (does it match music or routine tempo?).

5. Style (interpretive properties)

Personal/team signature on the move (unique throw, body posture, catch flair).
Innovation (novel variations, combos, transitions).
Showmanship (does it “pop” for the crowd or camera?).

✅ Example: Vault (using template)

Initiative: Handler sets trigger (disc toss + body platform), dog commits to launch.
Mechanics:
- Intent: achieve height + dynamic catch.
- Trigger: disc presentation + handler body as launch cue.
- Placement: disc over handler’s back/leg.
- Angle: steep upward trajectory.
- Force: dog’s push-off + handler’s throw velocity.
- Timing: must sync throw with dog’s leap.
- Threshold: safe launch/landing range.
- Entry: running, moving, or static start
- Landing: controlled descent on turf.
- Release: disc’s spin and trajectory must match dog’s jump arc.
Coupling Dynamics: Dog reads handler’s posture; handler reads dog’s stride.
Aesthetics: Explosive jump, high arc, clear silhouette.
Style: Unique vault throw (pancake toss, hammer); handler’s posePosing is a communication tool for throwing discs to dogs (or people). A pose is a frozen moment of a throw; a key moment of the backswing perhaps, or a flashy presentation of... More or catch flair.