When catching a Pokemon in Pokemon GO, you can gain more experience points, depending on how well you threw the Poke Ball. Right now, there are three throw ratings: Nice, Great, and Excellent. Getting a Nice throw is pretty straightforward; simply getting the Poke Ball to land within the outer white circle, and then capturing said Pokemon will reward you with a nice throw.
The Great and Excellent throws are a little trickier to pull off. These throws require you to land the Poke Ball within the smaller colored circle. Hold down on the Poke Ball to make the circle shrink, then toss at a smaller size for a chance at a Great or Excellent throw. If you manage to throw the Poke Ball into the smaller circle, you’ll get a Great throw. An Excellent throw requires more precision than that. You’ll actually have to make the Poke Ball hit the dead center of the smaller moving circle in order to get an Excellent throw.
This is done more easily if you throw the Poke Ball when the circle is at its smallest. This will grant you more experience points, and you’ll also have a higher chance of hitting the center of the circle because of its small area. Not to mention, throwing the ball when the circle is small will also increase your chances of actually catching the Pokemon, so it’s a good idea to throw it when the circle is as small as you’re comfortable with.
Now that you know how to pull of an Excellent throw in Pokemon GO, you’ll be able to rack up even more experience points and jump levels in no time.
Be sure to check out our wiki for more tips and tricks.
