In a weird way the left pivot is one of the most challenging things in Rally, and not because it’s difficult — we overthink it and, in some cases, our head is just in the wrong place — in our feet.
First the AKC Rally Rules definition: Pivot — turning in the circle occupied by the handler before they started the turn, a turn in place together.
Pretty simple right?
To turn in the circle we occupy, our feet need to remain close together throughout our move. The mnemonic I was taught is “Pivot, paper plate.” The idea behind that is to imagine that once you’ve stopped, you are standing on a paper plate. Your feet need to remain close together to remain on the plate throughout the entirety of your pivot.
As a reminder to keep her feet in the small diameter of the plate, one of my favorite students made the perfect comment “it’s a plate — not a platter.”
So many handlers turn the plate into a platter or even a huge serving tray by stepping way outside of their axis when making their pivot. Once you come off the plate, it’s no longer a pivot, it just became a turn (sort of) and an IP for a 10-point deduction.
A Pivot vs. a turn is in the footwork and the space in which each is performed. A pivot takes up very little space as you are turning on your own axis (without stepping off the plate). Where in a turn, you step off the plate in the direction you are turning.
Footwork is just one part of the issue, but it creates a second issue — it makes us think about our footwork. We get busy thinking about how we’re going to make our pivot and remain in that little circle. Can I take little steps, or does it have to be one quick movement? Which foot do I move first? Do I move both at once? Don't fall over! With so many things going through our head, about our feet, and trying to stay upright, the last thing we’re thinking about is our dog, let alone our dog moving with us.
I see so many handlers come into the Halt and then hesitate while they’re thinking about how to execute their pivot. When we’re thinking, we stop providing the 100% focus our dog needs, so they get slightly distracted. Then, without making sure their dog is paying attention, the handler pivots, and the dog remains sitting there for a moment, then finally they move. That delay is an IP and a 10-point deduction — because during your pivot, you and your dog are to turn together, (simultaneously) — and for your dog to move with you, you must have their focus.
Even when a dog is super responsive and has great focus, it’s not uncommon to see a handler pivot and then their dog moves slightly after. Again, because they didn’t “move with the handler,” the delay in movement by the dog sometimes results in a 10-point deduction. The fact that their dog is super responsive might yield some forgiveness from the judge — but it might not.
Here are some suggestions to put it all together.
First, practice your footwork without your dog until you become proficient — to the point that you don’t have to think about your feet at all. Ok, you might have to keep your thoughts in your feet until you get to that point.
How you move doesn't really matter. We all have different physical abilities and limitations, so we can't all move the same — if it feels natural, and your feet remain close together and you stay within your own axis (on the plate) and your dog is responsive you should be fine.
Once that’s easy, shift your thoughts from the bottom up — to the top down.
Some handlers, (especially those thinking about footwork), make a Rally pivot from the bottom up; their feet turn, then hips, torso and shoulders rotate — their head turn is last in the sequence. Because we’re not a rigid bar of steel we don’t move all at once, it’s a subtle sequence. If your dog is cueing off hip or shoulder rotation and your feet move first, there might be a slight delay built in — the delay I saw in the video of that super responsive dog. So rather than thinking about, and starting your pivot with your feet, start the sequence from further up, with a turn your head, shoulders, or hips — turning your feet last.
When starting the rotation from the top, the rotation of your shoulders and hips before your feet might give an earlier cue to your dog, giving them a better chance to move with you.
We naturally turn our head in the direction we intend to go while walking, but for some reason it’s not that natural when performing a Rally pivot, so it might take some practice to get it down — and practice it without your dog too!
Once your footwork is automatic and a top-down pivot feels natural then get your dog involved and put it all together. I hope it helps with your pivots!
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Wow! What an insightful article. Thank you!