Staying inside the lines but going outside the box...

One thing I absolutely love about agility is the sense of balance between you and the dog. There is a connection, but space, speed and grace. I'm sure we all know what feeling unbalanced on course is like too, come out of a front cross in completely the wrong direction and have no idea where you are going. The dog ends up either shooting off in front of you or spins below you waiting frantically for the next direction. That is probably one of my least favorite feelings ever, even if we run clean coming of a run and going "Ew that was just ugly!" Its like you did it, but you had the potential to do it so much better. Not saying that  with baby dogs of course, hell I don't care how the run feels with Whimzy because she isn't seasoned. Can't ask her to be perfect after like 10 tries in the ring. As it is she has surpassed my expectations. But with an older dog like Jenna, I feel every run should at least be smooth.

Smooth means good lines, but good lines don't always mean playing it safe. In fact sometimes playing it safe can cause wide lines, which as we all know causes a much larger yps and a longer time. The fun thing about handling is finding a place where you can use your skills to get a tighter line, better line, faster line. Having trouble getting MACH points, or just want to be faster in general? Make sure the dog takes the inside corner of most of the jumps. The judges wheel their path through the center of the bar, which means that is the line that will match the judges course time. If you can get your dog to take the inside 1/3 of the bar then your lines will be tighter than the judges and your times fast ;)

Granted tight lines aren't everything. Sometimes purposely getting a wide turn to set the right line can often be the best choice. I often find my self causing a wide turn with Whimzy so that her line over the next 5 obstacles is straight. That's another tip about lines. Straight lines will get you faster times and very fast yards per seconds, but turns cost you time and yardage. We figured out a rough estimation for what YPS you can expect on your average course. Take your best YPS and subtract .1 for each turn that is more then 90 degrees or so. That will give you a bases for the YPS you can most likely achieve on said course. Now if your not trying to get scores for World Team Tryouts or break a personal record, then I would suggest staying away from those wide open wicked fast courses. Turny courses actually produce more MACH points. If there is a turn that means there is a place where you can beat the judge's path. On straight lines your dog will most likely run the judges path, which means you aren't getting yardage on the judge. Tight turns, give you more chance at a higher bonus in the points department because you constantly have the opportunity to get further and further under standard course time.

Sorry for the how to MACH points lesson, I guess I'm a little nervous about starting the journey with Nikki, gulp! Hoping to pick up our first points this weekend, it is going to be a long haul and typing this all out gave me some hope. Maybe it will help with someone else's MACH journey? :)