The Jump Box in Course Design
14 Dec 2005
The Jump Box is a very versatile course element for practice and competition courses. One reason is that its jumps can be used for a number of purposes/challenges. This allows nesting courses for multiple handler experience levels in a single equipment setup. Some challenges supported by this jump layout include the following (diagrammed below):
- 90 degree turns (red path)
- 270 degree Handling 270 Degree Jump SequencesBack Side Entry to 270/Training Opportunity - Video270 Degree Jump Sequence turns (green path)
- Off course jumps
- Two jump Jump Chute (black path)
- Jump Wrap Jump Wrap Handling TipsJump Wrap Handling - With VideoJump Wrap/Wrap/Pull Through (purple path)
- Around jump (orange path)
- Modified Serpentine Serpentine Handling TechniquesSerpentine Sequence (blue path)
- Modified Threadle Mary Ellen Barry on Threadle HandlingThe Connection Between Threadles and Back SidesSingle Sided Threadle HandlingTraditional Threadle HandlingThreadle Sequence (yellow path)
Some Jump Box Dog Paths
The diagram above may resemble a London Tube Map, but it still doesn’t show all the possible paths. Each path can be rotated 90 degrees as many as three more times to give many possible paths in and out of the jumps. Reversing these paths gives even more permutations.
When included in a course one or more of the jumps can be used as part of other “standard” sequence elements like Pin Wheels (left below) or combined with yet another box (right below) for even more possibilities.
Box and Pin Wheel
Double Box
As I mention in my Box definition article:
Other permutations that might provide handler challenges include:
- Wing jumps can restrict the available handler space/paths.
- Substituting another jump for one of the jumps (e.g. Tire, double, triple, spread/broad).
- Substituting a tunnel or chute (collapsed tunnel) for one or more of the obstacles.
- Removing one of the jumps.
- Rotating one of the jump as much as 90 degrees.
Although some of these changes make the obstacle arrangement no longer strictly a Box they may spark ideas for your next course design. Once you’ve played around with a Jump Box in a course design you’ll find how versatile they can be.
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