The only way to get good with a throwline/ Bigshot/ apta is practice. Well, the apta is cheating, almost.
Its always easier on your body to have a top-rope climbing line. I hardly stand in my spurs when doing conifer removals, with most of my weight on my saddle between active cutting.
I will sometimes simply spur up to the cutting area, throw my rope 5'-10' overhead, and sit down. When I approach the TIP, I time the ground work with the climbing line advancement.
Recently, I had already disconnected from my flipline and was swinging past my TIP tree, 5-7' to the side, and on my way down before I really, fully registered that my mentally/ visually-rehearsed bail-out plan was in effect because I was getting stung by bees.
I hear all the time that " I have a rope clipped to the back of my saddle for an emergency. I'll clip it in and set up my figure 8."
Too many people plan their climbing to work out fine, as long as everything works out fine.
Also, if the situation lends itself to it, if you have a preset line, you can spur up without a flip line (at least once you get to the branches), pop the top, then drop the lower section with branches. Its too much of a pain to keep setting alternating lanyards to pop a top, IMO.
If its easier on my body, I try to do it.
My 2 cents.
