Throwing to Create Disc Dog Shapes

How and where we throw the disc has great bearing on how and where our dog moves. This sounds elementary, but the application of this knowledge is not nearly as simple as it sounds. Or maybe it is just as simple, it’s just not super easy to understand.

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Slowing Down a Disc Dog

Slowing Down a Disc Dog with Team Movement & Flatwork

Obi has come a long way. He is paying attention to his handler, he’s following his handler’s movements and respecting and responding to positional pressure and body language. As a result he’s playing much more safely and successfully, and his leaping is coming along. That said, he’s still apt to get ahead of himself and run too fast. This could easily spiral out of control and lead to a return to unsafe and unsuccessful play.

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disc dog team movement and leaping

Making the Play with Eppie | Disc Dog Team Movement and Leaping

We have been working this week on collection and thoughtful pursuit using upside down throws. Putting that into a pattern or flowing flatwork is a bit different from doing it in single disc Throw N Go. In this session, Eppie & I work on “Making the Play” using an upside down toss with the goal of getting him to slow down and thoughtfully pursue the disc so he is in a better position to leap for the catch.

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disc placement shapes and team movement

Disc Placement, Shapes, and Team Movement | Flamingo & Flamingitis

Creative releases are often quite difficult to drop into your Team Movement flow, especially counter clock releases. The Flamingo and Flamingitis throws both spin counter clock and both happen while the handler is upside down and all crooked and backwards. Usually these throws are just chucked out there somewhere after the dog goes around or is making a Pass. Eppie and I are working on making these throws with Intent and flowing Team Movement for the leap – on the flank and with shapes.

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team movement with obi

Team Movement Transformation in 7 Sessions with Obi

Flatwork with Obi, aka: “Not a Border Collie”, has been almost a weekly feature on DiscDogger Weekly. Obi is Apryl’s dog, so the videos are pretty much the only work I do with Obi, and the only freestyle training he’s been getting. Apryl runs him in toss and fetch and does some dock stuff with him. This is our 7th Team Movement training session, mainly Disc Quan Do stuff, since the beginning of August, you can watch the transformation in this playlist.

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Shaping the Around for Lateral and UpField Movement

Go Around is a standard Set Up Move in disc dog freestyle. It creates timing and position with movement and is the standard set up for toss and fetch. It is this standard set up for toss and fetch that dominates the movement and as a result, most Arounds resolve or release to the front of the handler at 12 o clock in clockwise fashion.

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On Shapes in Disc Dog Freestyle

Shapes are more than just the trail left by the dog on the field, and the patterns created by the dog after the catch. Shapes differ from Flatwork, and higher level Shapes should not rely solely on how the dog releases after a catch. Shapes are how the dog moves to navigate the catch.

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Patron’s Choice: Shaping the Leaping Catch | Freestyle and the Leaping Catch

Shaping a Leaping Catch can, and should be a full time job. Always throw with the intent to deliver the leaping catch unless working something specific that requires a specific approach, speed or distance that is incompatible with a leaping catch. Out throws are glory, not afterthoughts.

Within a game of disc dog freestyle there are many opportunities to reinforce and shape the leaping catch and to turn the speed regulation required for the leaping catch into a habit that is ever present in your freestyle game.

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Patron’s Choice: Shaping a Leaping Catch | Three Types of Go Around

Patrons Only Sneak Peek Access… Public Jan 9 | How does your dog perform the Around? It it tight as a drum with the dog hugging your knee-pit and brushing your calf? Or is it real loose with the dog running down the throwing line before turning upfield? Does the dog go around and bolt downfield without a look back? Or is your dog Goldilocks, a just right distance with a look to the handler to see the release?

All go Around behaviors are not equal. There are situations where each of these types of Go Around set up moves are required or desired.

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Patron’s Choice: Routine Building Vol 1 | Of Forms and Purpose

Sneak Peek – Patrons Only… Public Release Dec 16th | Think Forms Not Drills – A drill is something an athlete does to get better. Drills help you build the skills you will need in the future. This focus on getting better and the future is putting the cart before the horse and values skill over knowledge.

A form is something an artists studies. Forms help you understand what the reality is in and around an activity. Forms are about uncovering the essence and understanding of a skill or activity.

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