Hitting the Nice, Great, and Excellent throws in Pokemon GO are the best ways to help catch any difficult Pokemon.
Pokemon GO’s method of catching Pokemon is different from most Pokemon games. This is because most of the time, you won’t need to battle to catch Pokemon, but it could still be a challenge.
That’s why you need to learn how to perfect your throws and how to land Nice, Great, or Excellent throws more often when playing Pokemon GO.
How to Get Nice, Great, & Excellent Throws in Pokemon GO
To make a Nice, Great, or Excellent throw, you will need to time your Poke Ball throw and land it within the brightly colored target ring at the right time.
Landing a Poke Ball when a Pokemon’s inner ring is in different phases will make the throw Nice, Great or Excellent, with Excellent throws being the hardest to perform.
The ring will shrink as you hold the Poke Ball. Once it reaches the smallest point, it goes back to the largest circle.
You can see the different stages in the image below on this Makuhita. The size of the rings indicates which type of throw it will be classified as. These throws will only count as Nice, Great, or Excellent if the Poke Ball lands in the inner ring.
You should aim to throw it in the ring. However, to start, we recommend aiming to land Nice throws, then progressing to Great and Excellent, when you feel comfortable with throwing Poke Balls.
Landing any of these special throws will net you some bonuses:
- Nice throws: 1 – 1.3x catch chance, 20 XP
- Great throws: 1.3 – 1.7x catch chance, 100 XP
- Excellent throws: 1.7 – 2x catch chance, 1000 XP
We won’t be covering Curveballs in this article, simply because we have the best method for making Curveballs in Pokemon GO.
What Do the Different Color Rings Mean in Pokemon GO?
The different colors for the inner ring indicate how difficult catching the Pokemon will be.
You can see the various colors and their difficulties in the table below. The catch rate is based on using a standard Poke Ball.
| Color | Difficulty | Catch Rate |
|---|---|---|
 | Very Easy | ~100% |
 | Easy | ~75% |
 | Normal / Average | ~50% |
 | Hard | ~25% |
 | Extremely Difficult | ~5% |
There are ways to make it easier if the ring is a difficult color. By using our Berry guide for Pokemon GO, you can help increase your odds of catching any Pokemon.
We also recommend using Great or Ultra balls for wild Pokemon you hope to catch, especially if they’re yellow, orange, or red.
Best Method for Making Nice, Great, or Excellent Throws in Pokemon GO
- Hold your finger on the Poke Ball to make the ring smaller
- Let go of the Poke Ball once the ring has hit the size you want it to for a Nice, Great, or Excellent throw
- This is setting the target ring, meaning it will remain the same size until you land the Poke Ball or you hold it again
- Watch the Pokemon’s attack animation closely
- When the attack animation is about to finish, throw the Poke Ball
Take a look at this video below on how to perform this method! Thanks to Chrystophir GO on YouTube for the method.
When the Pokemon is attacking, the inner ring will remain where you left it, so you’ll have a better chance of hitting Nice, Great, or Excellent throws.
Tips, Tricks, & Strategies for Throwing Poke Balls
- Turn off the Augmented Reality (AR) mode in the settings.
- This makes it easier to throw Poke Balls and Pokemon remain in the same position.
- You can do this by pressing the AR+ switch in the top right on the catch screen. Your setting will be remembered for future catches.
- For Nice or Great throw Field Research Tasks, the more difficult throws count.
- For example, if your Field Research asks for Nice throws, a Great or Excellent throw will count. Excellent throws count for Great throw tasks too.
- The speed and length of your swipes can change the trajectory of your throw.
- Speedy but short swipes will make them shorter but faster. Lengthier swipes will be longer throws but can help with Pokemon that are at a distance.
Overall, the only way to be better at landing these types of throws is by practicing. Getting Nice, Great, or Excellent throws in Pokemon GO is a skill, one that any player must keep performing to start earning them often.
You may run out of Poke Balls while learning to do these tricks, so make sure to find out how to get Poke Coins fast in Pokemon GO.
