Poke Balls are your prime means of catching new Pokemon in Pokemon Go, but they're not always intuitive to throw. Tossed with a seemingly-simple swiping motion, Poke Balls actually take a bit of practice to master.
Using a Pokeball is a combination of mastering your spinning technique and timing. The pointers on this page will make you a Poke Ball throwing expert!
Arcs and Angles
Canter your Pokemon carefully. Mid-screen is generally the easiest place to perform a successful throw. Your throw will arc toward the Pokemon, so try to gauge your force and angle so that the ball falls in the sweet centered spot.
While its cool to see your Pokemon in the real world, turning off the built in AR simply makes the game a lot easier. Once AR is off, the Pokemon will always be in the center of your screen and you’ll no longer have to move your device around the get a clear and easy shot on your Pokemon.
Avoiding Dodges
Most Pokemon can dodge or parry your Poke Ball throws. A great way to avoid the Pokemon jumping over your thrown Poke Ball is to touch the ball to hold it, then fling it immediately after the Pokemon has just performed a dodge or parry.
Targeting Circle Tips
Pay attention to the color of the targeting circle. Green means the Pokemon should be easy to catch, but if your getting a darker orange color, or even red, you’re in for a tougher catch. You may need to use a more advance Poke Ball type in this situation.
Speaking of the targeting circle, you’ll notice its size always changes. Fling your Poke Ball and hit the center of the circle when it's at its smallest.
The Spin Ball
When you put your finger on the Poke Ball, spin your finger around the ball's edges and it and it will make the ball spin along, adding a curve effect to your throw. You get bonus points when Pokemon are caught this way.
High Level catches With Great Balls
Finding it tough to catch some of these higher level Pokemon? Don’t worry, once your level 12, you’ll start getting Great Balls which have a much higher success rate.
Razz Up
Is a Pokemon still giving you issues? Feed it a Razz Berry, which will make the Pokemon love you and be easier to catch on your next throw.