When putting together a Freestyle routine, how critical is the number of throws? For example, if you throw 18 Frisbees and your dog catches 15 of them vs. getting off 25-30 throws and let's assume your dog catches 22 of them. I understand that the throw catch ratio needs to be high but how critical is the total number of throws?


Bob - I believe a 90 second routine should produce at least 18 to 20 throws on the average. Some competitors may develop a routine consisting of a number of short rapid throws that, of course, will produce a higher or sometimes a much higher number of throws. The key is to develop a routine with which a competitor feels comfortable. Remember, however, that a routine must have a reasonable number of difficult throws to compete at a "world class" level.


Chuck - When putting together a routine I'm generally looking for 17-20 throws in 90 seconds, but this is based on Boss and what we do best. You might have more or less. The number of throws really depends on the type of throws you and your dog perform best. I would focus on incorporating enough throws to keep your routine moving, while trying to ensure a high completion percentage.


Ron - The idea is to provide a good consistent flow of tricks throughout the routine regardless of the actual number of throws. You should be careful, though, not to appear hurried by too many attempted tricks, and, conversely, you should not have void spaces or lag time caused by too few. Also, remember that the “piling up” of short, easy throws in an effort to improve your catch-to-throw ratio will not help your execution score.