How make an excellent throw in Pokemon GO

Pokemon GO trainers spend plenty of time catching Pokemon, encountering them in the wild, from raids, or as research or PvP rewards, and all encounters begin and end with the throw of a Pokeball.

As many Pokemon GO players know and what new players will find out, the accuracy and spin of a Pokeball throw matters. Not only in assisting the catch rate of a Pokemon, but also in the experience rewarded once the catch is complete.

Throws are graded on their accuracy in the form of good, great, and excellent throws, and it goes without saying that excellent throws should be aimed for whenever possible.

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Pokemon GO: Tips to help land an excellent throw

Players are likely to go through more than a few Pokeballs attempting to land an excellent throw if they are starting out (Image via Niantic)

Although good and great throws are all well and good in Pokemon GO for more basic catches, such as those on Pokemon like Pidgey who aren't difficult to catch, landing excellent throws is a good habit to have.

The benefits accrue over time in experience bonuses, and the improved throws help quite a bit when attempting to catch Legendary or Mythical Pokemon, which are notorious for their low catch rates.

Though no trainer can realistically land an excellent throw every time they step into an encounter, there are ways to help improve one's chances in Pokemon GO of landing a solid number of excellent throws.

Below are some tips for Pokemon GO trainers that will helpfully improve their throwing accuracy. At the end of the day, however, landing excellent throws consistently will come down to a lot of time and effort dedicated to learning the game's throwing mechanics:

• An excellent results from the throw ring being very small and players landing their throw in its center. For many Pokemon, the ring is ready to be thrown to achieve excellent accuracy when it is roughly the size of the Pokemon's head. This obviously isn't the case for Pokemon such as Snover or Jigglypuff who are essentially faces on torsos, but it's not a bad rule of thumb to follow.
• Beginning at the bottom-left of the screen, spinning the Pokeball to curve leftward, begin the throw by moving the ball diagonally up and to the right. Release the ball at roughly halfway across the screen.
• To ensure the accuracy ring doesn't shrink too small or reset completely before a throw, wait for the Pokemon to lash out in an attack before letting the throw rip at the end of the attack animation. By the time the ball has met its target, the Pokemon should be catchable again and its accuracy ring shouldn't change.
• Different Pokemon vary in size, meaning some will be easier to catch in Pokemon GO compared to others due to having larger accuracy rings. Pick your targets carefully so you don't waste Pokeballs.
• Practice makes perfect.

However, if Pokemon GO trainers aren't keen on using their excess Pokeballs to practice catches, there are several apps on the Google Play and Apple stores that allow players to practice throws to their hearts' content without tossing away all of their valuable Pokeballs on Pokemon that may not even be worth catching to some.