How to throw poke balls such that they do not miss?

Sometimes when I throw a poke ball, it misses the target pokemon entirely (without pulling the pokemon inside, even momentarily).

I've noticed that if my throw ends up going to the left or the right of the target pokemon, it generally misses. However, even throws that appear to bounce off the forehead of my target pokemon sometimes miss.

The official Niantic help page on Finding and Catching wild Pokémon doesn't currently address this.

How do I am my throw such that the pokemon gets pulled inside, and the throw doesn't miss?

Solution 1:

If they are performing their "attack" at the time your pokeball hits it, it will just bounce off them. Depending on the pokemon, this may sometimes look like just hitting them in the head and bouncing, while others have a more obvious deflecting animation.

To make sure they actually go in the pokeball, you have to hit it while avoiding this animation, which is sometimes hard to predict. It may just be bad luck if it happens frequently, but I find if you throw immediately after one of these, they are unlikely to do it twice in quick succession

Solution 2:

1. Start with aiming to just improve your accuracy rather than getting bonus XP points for curveball, nice, good or excellent throw.
2. Try to keep the pokemon at the centre of your phone (when the AR mode is on), so that it doesn't get too hard right from the start. Simply swipe the straightest you can.
3. Never (I repeat again, NEVER!) use your thumb to throw the Pokeball. The accuracy is the least. Instead, use your Index finger.
4. Don't let the "Pokemon Dodges" be the reason for your unsuccessful throws. When you first encounter a Pokemon, patiently wait for it to dodge for the first time, and as soon as the dodging animation finishes, throw the Pokeball. You've better chances of catching it now.

Solution 3:

There is no guaranteed way to not miss a pokeball throw. I would suggest using your index finger of the hand that is not holding the phone over your thumb that is holding the phone because your thumb naturally curves toward the rest of your hand. Other than that just practice a lot!

Extra tip: If your pokeball goes through the colored circle (green, yellow, orange, or red) before hitting the pokemon you get a special bonus and increases the chances of the pokemon getting caught as well as rewarding extra experience.