How to make excellent moves in Pokemon GO

Pokémon GO is a game that focuses on capturing pocket monsters, and offers a series of challenges for the player. Some of them ask for a certain number of excellent plays, which require a lot of practice. Learn how to make excellent moves in Pokémon GO below, and gain maximum experience with each Poké Ball thrown.

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Pokémon GO (Image: Handout/Niantic/The Pokémon Company)

How many types of plays are there?

In Pokémon GO, as you hold the Poké Ball and prepare to make a move, you'll see an animated colored ring, which shrinks in size over time.

This ring shows the throwing area that the player should aim for, to get some bonuses when catching a pokémon. Each play can be classified into 4 categories:

• Normal play: The pokeball hit the pokemon outside the colored ring, but inside the gray ring;
• Good move: The Poké Ball hit the ring, with a size of 100% to 50% of the total;
• Great play: The Poké Ball hit the ring, with a size of 49% to 25% of the total;
• Excellent play: The Poké Ball hit the ring, with size below 25% of the total.

Ring position in good, great and excellent plays (Image: Reproduction/Niantic/The Pokémon Company)

The excellent move is the most difficult, as it is necessary for the pokeball to hit the pokemon inside the ring when it is very small, almost closing. However, there is a “cheat” that facilitates the process.

How to make excellent moves in Pokemon GO

When you tap and drop a Poké Ball, the animated ring will be “saved” to the last displayed position. When you tap the Poké Ball again, the animation continues from that point forward.

So, the method to make an excellent move more easily is as follows:

1. During the battle with the pokemon, tap and hold the pokeball;
2. Wait until the ring has reached the size necessary for an excellent play, and then release your finger;
3. When the pokemon attacks, hold the pokeball again;
4. Synchronize the move with the end of the attack animation, so that the Poké Ball hits the Pokémon as soon as it returns to its normal position.

Successful excellent play (Image: Playback/Niantic/The Pokémon Company)

If you sync everything correctly, the ring will reappear the moment the pokeball hits the pokemon, and it will be in the "saved" position.

It's important to train your aim to hit the ring, which will be very small, but when you get the timing right, its position when it hits the pokémon will always be the one you left it when you released the pokéball the first time.

A successful excellent move increases the chances of capture, and if you catch the pokemon, you will gain more experience points. As you get better at shooting, you can also risk making an excellent curved play, the one with the highest score.