The Playbook "Throwing There are aspects of throwing that most intermediate to advanced players could benefit from practicing. These are outlined below. Spin Most people put too little spin on their throws. There aren't many realistic situations where you would want to minimise spin. Spin is a result of arm speed and wrist flick. By increasing wrist flick you can make your throws a lot more stable and even add new throws to your repertoire. Practice using more wrist snap on ALL of your throws. Quick Release Throws A by-product of having good wrist-snap is that you will find you are able to release throws with very little arm motion. The quick release throws are very difficult for a marker to stop. High Release Throws Quick release throws and high throws are very similar in technique, basically because you cannot wind up for high release throws. These allow you to throw over the mark, and often are unblockable because they are released so far forward. Low & Wide Throws Extra spin also allows you to throw low and wide throws that are difficult to stop, and are the most effective break throws - where you simply stretch around the mark. These throws are an essential part of any advanced player's arsenal. The sign of a good thrower is to have strong low, wide throws. Whenever you are having a throw in pairs, always concentrate on getting low and stretching out. Outside-In Huck When most intermediate players huck they tend to release as an inside-out throw to allow the disc to flatten out in flight. This is particularly true for forehand hucks. An inside-out is generally a difficult throw to complete because it needs to be released close to the body (easy to point block) and tends to float at the end of its flight path. The outside-in huck, on the other hand has the following advantages: * Very fast, arcing flight * Curves around intervening defenders * Curves in toward the receiver * Can be released out very wide * Shorter wind-up Technique: The outside-in huck requires a lot of upper body energy to be imparted over a short time, it is usually a fairly stunted motion. It also requires a lot of wrist snap to keep its flight level and counter the natural tendency to turn over. Accuracy in release is also important because there is little room for error (the disc simply goes to ground if it misses its mark), and subtle differences in the angle-of-release result in very different flight paths. The only way to learn is practice! Receiving Introduction Catching is an underrated skill in ultimate. Some very experienced players are lazy and display poor catching techniques, and this is reflected in frequent drops. A good catcher makes difficult catches look easy and impossible catches look gettable. It is often said that if you get a hand to a disc you should catch it. More correctly, if the disc is thrown to you, you should make your best attempt to catch it. Desperation wins games. On the other hand, poor catching can often lose games. Two-handed catching: Using two hands is essential for catches from just below the knees to just above the top of the head and at least a foot either side of the body. There are a few different styles of catching, used under different circumstances. Most straightforward catches will use the pancake style, while harder passes, particularly those when the receiver is running at speed may use the crocodile style. Only catches that are too high or too low to be caught safely with palms facing each other should be caught with both hands on the rim. Pancake Catch: Whenever possible, catches should be attempted two-handed, with the palms facing each other. The pancake style is close to the body, with hands at right angles to each other. The receiver should attempt to get their body behind the direction of travel of the disc. It has the advantage that if the catch is mistimed, there is a good chance that the disc will hit the body of the receiver and still be caught between the hands. This is the style that should be used for the majority of throws, as it is least prone to error. Crocodile Catch: The crocodile style is out in front of the body with arms almost parallel, and often with some of the impact being absorbed by the fore-arms. As for the pancake catch, the receiver should attempt to get their body behind the disc. The reason in this case is to get the arms in line with the direction of travel of the disc. The main use for this type of catch is when the disc is travelling at speed relative to the receiver. The forearms provide a longer area to decelerate the disc over, and hard throws are less likely to be dropped. The disadvantage is that because the arms are roughly parallel, the disc has a tendency to flip out sideways if the arms do not move directly up and down towards each other. Rim Catch: Catches with both hands on the rim are risky and rarely necessary. They should only be used if the disc is well above the head or the around ankles, and in the latter case only when it is not possible or reasonable to dive or slide to catch it. The disc should be caught with both hands on the leading edge, one hand on either side of the disc. The reason rim catches are risky is that they have a tendency to spin out of the hands sideways, a tendency which is stopped by catching the disc on top and bottom. Layout catch: Often, it is necessary to layout in order to get near enough to the disc to attempt a catch or to get away from striving defenders. Two-handed layout catches are more difficult than one-handed ones because the impact with the ground often dislodges the disc. To avoid being ground stripped, the catcher should try to keep the arms from hitting the ground, and use the rest of the body to take the impact. A one-handed catch should be used wherever possible, otherwise a two-handed rim catch is best, because it is less likely to dislodge. One-handed Catch: A one-handed catch should be attempted anywhere where it is difficult or impossible to catch with two hands. Having to stretch a bit or avoiding falling on the ground is not an excuse for catching one- handed. Catches around the ankles, well above the head, or far to either side must necessarily be caught with one hand. When the disc is skied above receivers' and defenders' heads in the air it is usually most advantageous to contest it with one hand. If the disc is above the elbow, it should be caught thumb down, otherwise thumb up: experience will show the difference. Sweet Spot: One-handed catches are attempted on the rim of the disc, but should preferably NOT be on the leading edge. The "sweet spot" for catching is to one side of the most leading point on the edge, depending on the direction of spin. This is because both angular and linear momentum must be absorbed by the catch. Experimentation will help most in understanding this. One-handed layouts are easier on the body than two-handed layouts, since there is more flexibility in the position that the receiver can land in. The fingers will be underneath the disc with the thumb on top. A tight grip is needed once the disc is caught to avoid being ground stripped. As for the two-handed layout, the receiver should try to keep the arm with the disc, or at least the elbow, off the ground. Practicing: Although two-handed catches should be used whenever possible in a game, the more difficult catches will all be one-handed, so you will need to practice one-handed catching more than two-handed. Just remember to use two-hands when it counts. Jumping: There are two reasons for jumping to catch a disc. The first is simply getting the body off the ground to make a catch easier. The second is where the receiver needs to get as high as possible to get to the disc. These are looked at in separate paragraphs. The most comfortable place to catch a disc is just above waist height. If the disc is above this height, the receiver should jump. There are two good reasons for jumping. The first is to make the catch more manageable and at a more convenient height. The second is that running along makes the body jolt up and down noticeably. Jumping provides a more stable temporary catching environment as it stops this jolting movement during the catch. The body travels smoothly and regularly through the air, so the receiver only has to anticipate movements of the disc, and not their body as well. Both feet should leave the ground to make the catch. Most catches above the waist, and even some below will be made easier by jumping. Sometimes it will not be possible to catch a disc unless the receiver jumps. In these instances it is in the receiver's interest to get their body as high as possible. Jumping is a skill, and something that can be practiced and improved upon. Following are some suggestions and comments on jumping technique. Jumping Two-Legged (Standing) Jump Two-legged jumps are used whenever the player is standing still. They get less height than a running one-legged jump because there is no forward momentum to be converted to upward drive. Their advantage is that once a player has established a position they can still make a leap for the disc without having to move elsewhere. Both legs should be extended, not tucked, and the non-catching arm kept low, so as to keep the centre of mass (CoM) low, and maximise upward reach. Training Any form of training that develops power in the legs will help improve jumping ability. Tuck jumps and squats are probably the most applicable. Plyometric training, such as box jumps, is optimum for improving jump but should be only attempted in conjunction with a weight-training program, and by someone who knows what they are doing. Improvement can be measured by jumping against the same wall each session and marking the maximum height reached. One-Legged (Running) Jump A one-legged jump should be used anytime the player is running for the disc. The advantage of a one-legged jump are the greater height that can be attained and greater ability to adjust to changes in the disc's flight since the player is already moving, but the disadvantage is that other players may already have position, and this may negate the advantages gained. The main points to note in a one-legged take-off are: * Lean backwards slightly and keep the centre of mass (CoM) low during the second-last step. * The last step is shorter and faster than earlier steps. * The trailing leg swings through and up, raising the CoM during the last step. * Likewise, swing the arms up during the last step. * After take-off, extend both legs, and lower the non-catching arm. * Catch with the hand opposite the take-off leg. Much of the same training from two-legged jumps can be applied, but emphasis should be put on the driving through and up of the trailing leg. Jumping for basketball hoops is a good way of measuring progress. Reading the Disc Reading the disc is a topic poorly served by discussion. The way to get better at reading the disc is to get out and practise. Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out a few things that may make the disc easier to catch. There are two main aspects of reading a disc - the flight of the disc itself, and positioning relative to other players. The influence of one will often act on the other aspect, and generally they are both important. The Flight of the Disc The best players can tell what the flight of the disc will be almost as soon as it has left the hand, barring external factors like wind changes. They will be quickly in position and be able to make small adjustments as they continue to read the disc. This ability is one gained by experience, but a few generalisations are worth making. All these are with respect to a right-handed thrower: * Long forehands and backhands will usually fade at the end of their flight, forehands to the right (in the direction of flight) and backhands to the left. * Throws into the wind will usually turn over unless released with the outside edge down. * Hammers tend to be more affected by wind than other throws, because they usually fly at more of an angle to the wind. * Most receivers will underestimate the ability of the wind to keep a disc in the air. * It is much harder to catch a disc coming in overhead than one coming in from one of the sides. You need to be looking at the disc in order to read it. Try to sight the disc as early as possible, and you have maximum time to establish yourself in the correct position. Positioning In competing for a skyed disc, most players will try to establish a position early, and then rely on their ability to have read the disc right. As a result, much of positioning is reading the disc in the first place. However, catching a contested disc is quite different to catching an uncontested disc. In catching an uncontested disc, the aims are to make the catch as easy as possible and possibly to catch the disc in the endzone, or in the field of play. In catching a contested disc, a receiver should try to take the disc as early as possible, since the longer it is in the air the more likely it is to be blocked. Good positioning should generally set up a receiver to catch the disc as soon as it is in reach. The main factors to consider are the height and jumping ability of both receiver and defender. If the defender is short, the catch can sometimes be delayed a little to bring the disc more within reach and make the catch easier. If the defender is taller or better at jumping, possible tactics include: * being in front of the defender, so as to get first play on the disc. * jumping early to try and fake the defender into jumping, and then running around behind to catch the disc if the defender has missed. * standing off and then driving into the disc for maximum jump height The best receivers use their bodies to stop the defenders from getting into positions to be able to block the disc, while still being able to make a play on the disc themselves. A good way to practise both disc reading and positioning is to play Five Hundred. Attacking the Disc It is important that receivers catch the disc as early as possible in its flight, to stop the defence from getting a play on it. There are two separate concepts here: Running through the disc - when running onto the disc, most usually on a cut from deep to short, it is important to accelerate through the disc to stop the defence from getting a play on it. If the receiver slows down at all with a defender on their shoulder, then the defender has a good chance at laying out in front and getting a block. Good use of the body will also help box the defender out. Cutting the corner - if the disc can be caught earlier by changing direction, then the receiver must do so. If the receiver doesn't attack it, then the defence usually will. Stacking The purpose of the stack is to create space on the field. By bringing all the receivers close together, the aim is to concentrate their defenders in one part of the field. Obviously, you want to create space in the areas where you want to cut to, and try to stack in dead areas. The "dead area" depends on the nature of your offence and the position of the disc. Since our aim is to always be attcking the endzone with deep cuts, we try to keep the stack aways from the endzone. Also, the wings are looking to use the sidelines for up-down cuts, so they should also be clear. Short Stack Thus our stack will start no further than 10-15m away from the disc (very close), and finish no more than 30m from the disc. These distances may vary with wind conditions (ie clsoer in strong wind). The stack will generally be in the middle of the field. An exception is when we are being forced sideline, whichcase the stack will be more on the opposite side of thefield and more across the field. Contrary to popular belief, the stack doesn't have to be a straight line. The receivers can stand however they like, as long as they won't create a pick. Often, it can help for the first cutter to stand out in isolation to make sure they don't pick their defender. The stack should change in nature as the disc moves down the field and new areas become the dead zone. If you are not cutting (50% of the time), you should be moving into the dead zone and keeping your defender occupied. What will these changes allow us to do? They will make it easier to make cuts from the back of the stack toward the disc, since the distance is not so great. They will allow us to make cuts going deep from short, as there will be no defenders in the endzone. They will allow us to make banana cuts (cuts which fade away from the thrower) from short, which can gain a lot of yardage. They will allow us to get more cuts in for each thrower, and generally have more people in a position to get the disc, as well as opening up more space on the field. Pivoting and Faking Introduction As a thrower, pivoting and faking are ways to move your marker where you want them, as well as putting you in a better position to make a particular throw. Faking involves moving part of your body in such a way as to make the marker think you are about to throw, enticing them move to try to stop you. This can then make other throws easier. Faking can involve pivoting, although pivoting has other uses. Pivoting involves moving your non-pivot foot to reposition your upper body. In doing so, you open up new holes in the marker's defence, at least in the short time before they can reposition. Pivoting There are two good reasons for pivoting. The first is to be able to throw around your marker, and the second is to force your marker to move in a particular direction. That said, too many people pivot without one of these reasons in mind. As a result, they are often in the wrong position or on the wrong foot when they want to be ready to throw. The idea behind pivoting is that you can generally see your receiver who is cutting, while your marker cannot. [If your marker can see your receiver then he cannot be looking at you as well]. What you are trying to do is make your marker move so that they are in a bad position to defend a throw to your receiver, and at the same time put yourself in a good position to make such a throw. As an example, imagine that you can see that your receiver is just about to get free of his defender on the open side. You obviously want to make an open side throw, but to make it easier you can pivot to the break side, and then pivot back to throw. Your marker will follow you to try to stop the break side throw, and you will then have an easy open side throw when you pivot back. The mistake you don't want to make is to pivot to the break side once your receiver is open. You will then be in an impossible position to make your throw, and the cut will be wasted. Timing is clearly very important. You need to know how long it takes you to pivot backwards and forwards and how easy or hard it is to throw just after you have pivoted. Most people find it quite difficult to throw just after pivoting to the forehand side, and much easier after pivoting to the backhand side. If these are things you have trouble with then you should be doing skills and drills to improve this aspect of your game. Faking As mentioned above, pivoting can be a form of faking, but there are other easier ways to get a marker moving in the wrong direction. The most commonly used are head fakes, body fakes and disc fakes. These are all fairly self-explanatory, involving just a jerking movement of head, body or disc (or more than one) to try to convince the thrower that you are just about to throw. The advantage that these have over pivoting is that you are rarely off balance after faking. The disadvantage of course is that they are just fakes, and if they are not realistic then the marker will not be fooled at all. It is worth practicing faking so that it resembles your real throw as much as possible. This is particularly true with disc fakes, which need to look real to be at all convincing. It is worthless to stand there waving the disc around as if it were a white flag while your marker keeps counting in amusement. Cutting If you ask an ultimate player to teach you how to do something better, cutting seems to be the skill they are least likely to be able to help you with. Good players just seem to know how to cut. This section does not promise to be a panacea to all your cutting problems, but to give you some ideas about how to improve. Know Your Thrower One of the first things to remember when cutting is who are you cutting for. It is not much use being ten metres free on the break side if the thrower is a beginner who is not even going to try to break the force. If you have a thrower who likes to throw the break throw, sometimes an effective cut consists of heading straight for the break side, assuming your defender will be a few steps behind. This is more effective the more your defender marks on the open side. Try and know what throws the thrower likes and make your cuts accordingly. Outsmart Your Defender The next thing to look at is your defender. There will be some times when you can simply run past your defender. This is not great practice for when you are being marked by a good defender, but hey...open is open. Other times you may be being marked by someone who is fast, but slow to change direction. A hard run one way followed by a quick direction change always loses them. In general, though, you will be being marked by someone of roughly your own ability, and the rest of the section will assume that. Chances are your defender will set up a few metres in front of you, and slightly on the open side. The defender's aim is always to be able to watch you. As a result, an effective cut generally makes the defender have to turn around. The best way to do this is to run directly at the defender. The defender will back away, but assuming you can run faster forwards than they can backwards they will eventually have to turn. When this happens, put in a fake or two until the defender, who should be looking in the other direction, goes the wrong way. You should then be open. The mistake a lot of cutters make is to start faking sideways while their defender is still able to watch them. The defender can just stand and watch and when the cutter finally goes one way the defender will follow without any trouble. Variation in Cutting It is important to build up a repertoire of cuts. Everyone has a couple of favourite cuts they make successfully over and over. But in top competition or against difficult defences, the old favourites may not work. You need to be able to adapt your cuts to the game and your particular position and, most importantly, to keep the defence guessing. Everyone on the team should be able to perform all of these cuts, regardless of how often you might use them. Remember, cuts can be made from ANYWHERE on the field, in ANY DIRECTION, at ANY TIME. Basic Cut The basic cut to the disc is a side-to-side variation. The cutter fakes going to one side and then turns hard to cut to the other side. Variations include throwing two or more fakes. To turn as rapidly as possible, remember: * Keep your werght low * Take fewer, more powerful steps Run Fast Either taking off quickly or running fast can simply get you past your defender. Shoulder Cut This involves getting your inside shoulder and leg in front of the defender and then protecting you cut with your body. Banana Cut When the defender is overplaying your forward cut, you can fade out to the open side and away from the disc at about 45 degrees. The throw is a high, loopy, slow, leading pass which you run down. The defender is stuck in no-man's land, and is often unsighted. Eclipse Cut This is similar to the cut from behind the disc. Run towards the thrower and end up close and on the break side, effectively eclipsing the thrower with the marker. Then button-hook around and flare out on the open side to receive a leading pass. Goose Step This simply involves a rapid change of pace and/or direction which the defender fails to respond to quickly enough. Refer Sally Basten. Circle of Death The circle of death simply involves a 270 degree + spin and rapid acceleration into space. Refer Dan Wilson. Believe it or not, this can actually work, because you are translating your circular motion into forward momentum, while your defender is standing flat-footed. 747 Cut This is a head fake. Watch the imaginary disc going up-field and past you. As soon as your defender looks around, make the cut to the disc. Fake the Catch. Run to one side, jump and pretend to receive the disc at about head height, then turn and cut in the other direction. From the Back From the back of the stack, fake to cut deep (and away from the stack to avoid a pick), and then turn sharply back to the disc and run parallel with the stack. The throw should be slow enough to make it a simple catch and allow a larger margin of error. From the Front From the front of the stack, fake forward to the open side and then turn sharply to run up the break side of the stack and then look for the huck down the open sideline. You should be attacking the disc with a good sight of it coming over the shoulder, not watching it floating over your head. Isolation cut (Moose) Start off standing out on the open side of the stack and at least 10m from the stack proper. Make sure you are reasonably close to the thrower (15m at most). You then have the freedom to make any cut you like to get free. The most usual cuts are to fake short and cut long, or vice versa. This is EXTREMELY difficult to stop if the cutter makes hard turns. It is especially useful in a line trap situation, and can make for massive gains with a good huck down the line. German Offence (Dump Offence) Stand on the open side 5-10m from the thrower. Establish eye-contact with the thrower. If your defender is looking at the thrower rather than you, then you should initiate a short cut to one side to receive an easy pass. If the defender is looking at you, then the thrower should initiate with a thrower out to one side which you then chase down. If the defender is standing side-on (since most people know this play now), then you need to turn them around by shifting to their blind side first, or simply move to box them out from one side and have the thrower throw to that side. From Behind the Disc - Break Side (Cooee) Stand behind and to the break side of the thrower. Fake going for the dump and then run forward and slightly across to the open side. The throw should be early and slow, so that it can be easily run down by the receiver. Alternatively, fake the cut forward and come back for the easy dump. This is a valuable cut for when the thrower is trapped on the line where it is called the "cooee" cut. Hucking Hucking is a mainstay of our offence. We must aim to have a high completion rate on our hucks and we will be unstoppable. Long Hucks: The hucking strength in will be concentrated in the AX, MD, LP & RP. Know how good your huck is, and evaluate quickly whether a cut is worth throwing to. Know how good other people's hucks are and cut appropriately. Every time Jonathan or Tom or Scott or Piers get the disc, they should always be able to look downfield and see a deep option. Anticipate when a hucker is about to receive the disc and make a deep cut to them if you are a wing or deep. Think about whether you want to cut to their backhand or forehand side, depending on the wind, the flow of play and the hucker's preference. Medium Hucks: Hucking does not have to be length-of-the-field. Everyone on our team can throw well in the 30-40m range. These sorts of throws will apply more down the sidelines. So whenever anyone gets flow down the sideline (usually it will be the points or wings), they should have a thirty or forty metre option immediately. Hucking out of Trouble: There are two situations where we may be in trouble. One is where you have the disc, the count hits six or seven and there is no prospect of a good cut. Start thinking about a huck. There is no point in deciding to huck at the last moment. Better to pivot and fake and make it a decent huck. If the DP and Wings are awake, they will realise what you are about to do and make a deep cut. The second situation is when we are playing offence and as a team we seem to be getting nowhere (although we're getting passes away). If our offence gets bogged down, then the easiest way to break things up is to put the disc up deep. Again, don't do this rashly. Get the disc to a designated hucker and let them send it. There should automatically be a deep cut available to these people (see above). Hucking for Position: A failed huck is an opportunity. It gets the disc down the other end of the field and often gives us time to set up a proper defence (not so on a short pass which goes to ground). Especially in high wind, it may be necessary to huck early to get the disc away from our endzone and prevent an easy score by the opposition. Be prepared to play defence when we huck. Opening up the Field: A good long game has a side-effect. It opens up the short game. When we huck frequently, it forces the defenders to stand behind us or beside us rather than in front, so that cuts towards the disc can simply consist of a fake deep and a cut short. This is the easiest way to play offence. Cutting to a Huck: This cannot be overemphasised. Cut from short, fake short, and then sprint deep. Leave your man way behind. Cut down the opposite sideline from where the disc is, and then cut across the endzone (or the field) to meet the disc in the far corner. This makes a deep cut harder to defend. It also makes the disc easier to receive if it is coming from beside your shoulder than if it is floating above your head. You can easily modify your path to intercept it if it's not on the mark. Sight the disc early and attack it. Catch it strongly in the air, not flat-footed. Positions Old & New In Australia, the most common method of calling an offensive team is to designate three handlers, two middles and two longs (Stanford Offence). The handlers have the job of moving the disc around, making low-risk passes, and slowly advancing the disc up the field. The middles cut in once the handlers are no longer in a position to cut. They look to make flow cuts which gain greater yardage than handler cuts. Once the middles have the disc, they start looking for other middles to make cuts, or for the longs to cut in or towards the endzone. The main job of the longs is to score goals. Harbours Grudges Offence uses similar ideas of position, but more clearly defines players roles and the connections across the field, as well as allowing a smooth ransition between offence and defence. The new positions, as illustrated to the right, are: Left Point (LP) Axis (AX) Right Point (RP) Left Wing (LW) Middle (MD) Right Wing (RW) Deep (DP) Field Positions The field positions illustrated do not show where players stand in offence. Nor do they necessarily designate where players must cut to. However, the concept of where players are situated with respect to the rest of the team IS important. So, although the Deep does not stand deepest, they are primarily looking for ways of making cuts towards the endzone. Other players may make cuts to the endzone, but only when they are positive DP is not cutting there. Throwers looking for the endzone will automatically look for DP. The positions also give an idea of possible connections which will arise. When the LP gets the disc, they will be looking for ground-winning passes to LW or MI, or possession-maintaining passes to AX. In this way, the particular receiver also suggests a reason behind the pass (flow, maintaining possession), ie everything has meaning. Cutting Priority At any time, depending on the position of the disc on the field and the designation of the thrower, there is a well-defined hierarchy of cuts. The type of passes are reasonably well illustrated by the hexagon. Roles of Positions in Offence Simply speaking: The handlers (LP, RP & AX) are generally responsible for keeping the disc moving. The middles (LW, RW & MD) aim to continue flow down the field. The DP is the designated goal-scorer. Middle The Middle acts as a "fill". MD needs to get open whenever the designated cutter has failed. They therefore need to be a strong cutter who can almost get open at will. They should also be able to move the disc around well. Wings The Wings have specific offensive roles. They make hard-turning up-down cuts on their sides of the field. The single key cut for the Wings is the hard cut from the stack out and away from the disc, turning hard and parallel with the line back to the disc. This is a very difficult cut to stop if executed properly. Deep The Deep also has a fairly specialised cutting role. They start their cut from close to the disc and down the weak sideline. Once they are past the end of the (short!) stack they look to flare across field and receive the disc. If unsuccessful, then DP needs to turn hard and back to the disc, to clear the endzone and look for open areas upfield. Unconventional Offences Clearly, the positions described correlate well with those positions traditionally used to combat the zone, where three players are kept in front of the cup to maintain possession (LP, AX & RP), two players (LW & RW) look for flow down the wings, one player looks to break up the cup (MI), and one player roams deep (DE). Our offensive positions will naturally translate to match any trash defence presented to us. Defences Not only will the positions relate well to set offences, but we will aim to incorporate a translation of positions to set defences. The basic idea behind this is that we want to be able to call the line once for each point and everyone will know their roles in whatever situation presents itself during the point. We can throw on a zone by shouting out one word. We can set up any offensive play. Hucking The Points, Axis and Middle are the usual positions who will huck long throws to the deep or wings. For example, in a zone, the axis might look to send the disc deep straight after it has been dumped to him. The Wings (and even the points) may look to throw medium length "hucks" down the lines, or break throws across the field, but should never be throwing further than, say, 30m. An example of how the positions will work... Pull Reception Introduction Pull reception is an aspect of teamwork which is often done very badly. It relies on communication and implicit understanding, with the main objective being to get the disc moving as early as possible. If the defence gets the chance to set up while the disc is in our own endzone then they have the upper hand before play even starts. A good pull reception doesn't win a point, but a bad one often means the point is lost. Positions on the Line The team that is playing the point should immediately form a huddle and call positions. The rules require that we line up along the line. Remember: 1. Spread out along the line, protect our endzone. 2. Points (RP & LP) should be on their respective sides of the field. 3. AX should be near the centre. 4. DP should be near one end. Once lined up, anyone addressing the line should step forward and face it. 1. Discuss aspects of the game 2. Call any special offensive play 3. Call the defensive play on transition 4. Signal readiness to receive the disc As soon as the disc is released , RP, LP and AX should move into their reception positions. DP cuts across field to see whether their defender follows. If not, DP must immediately call "Zone", meaning they are playing some sort of junk defence, like zone. If "zone" is heard and the disc lands out-of-bounds (OB) then AX should call for a rethrow. This is because most junk defences rely on being able to set up so that they intentionally pull OB. All players should actively stop the disc from rolling. Catch the Disc! Always catch the pull. The only exceptions to this are * when the pull is a roller and therefore lands early - in this case, the nearest person should stop the disc using their body, not just by sticking a foot out; * when the pull is very steep and fast like a blade and too difficult to catch, in which case it should be trapped by the body as soon as it grounds, and then put into play as if it were caught; * in difficult winds where the disc is moving around too much to make a safe catch, in which case trap it and put it into play; * if the disc lands way OB (ie > 5m from the playing field proper) so that it can't be run to the sideline and put into play quickly as if it were caught in bounds, in this case call "Brick" or "Middle" (whichever is further upfield) with one arm raised, remember that the person putting the disc into play must call it, or to avoid a trash defence call for a "Rethrow"; * if the reception is deep in the endzone and there is a chance it will land OB, so that a "Brick" may be called; or * if the reception is deep enough in the endzone that there is no chance of getting a pass away before the defence arrives - letting the disc land allows more time. Although this seems like a lot of exceptions, in practice these exceptions are rare except against very good pullers. So CATCH THE PULL! Get the Disc Moving The receiving Point should call "Left" or "Right" depending on whether they are LP or RP, regardless of where the disc is on the field. This means that the disc should flow across field and down the opposite wing. The other point should cut to their side, regardless of whether it is the same side as the disc was received on, to facilitate the flow downfield. Axis talks to the receiving Point, looking for the first pass off a caught or short pull. So if RP takes the pull, then the initial sequence should be RP-AX-LP, with a gain of around 20m, and a movement across the field. If AX takes the catch then RP should be talking, with either AX or LP feeding off that. If the pull floats deep into the endzone then it may need to be brought up to the front line. After the Point-AX-Point transition, the wing on that side should be making a flow cut. This is a hard-turning up-down cut either to or away from the Point. The other three upfield players should simultaneously be clearing to the far side of the field to allow some open space. If this cut fails, then MD makes a fill cut. Meanwhile, DP heads deep and towards the endzone, on the opposite sideline, and then has the upfield area to themselves. Ideally, then, this is a four-pass play for a score, either LP-AX-RP-RW-DP or RP-AX-LP-LW-DP. As soon as the pull is caught, all players should be able to plan their cuts or be prepared to clear the relevant areas, depending on whether LP or RP receives. As always, timing is of utmost importance. Summary The key points about pull reception can be summarised: * CALL the line early * CATCH the pull in bounds * TALK to the pull receiver * THINK about an OB pull and call rethrow, brick or middle * MOVE the disc early Defence Introduction: The simple aim of the defence is to wrest the disc from the offence. There are a number of ways of doing this, all of which are valid and should be employed by any good defensive team. Marking Basic Marking Marking is an active process, not a passive one. It involves reacting to whatever the thrower is doing to try to make any throw a more difficult one. The harder the marker works, and the better the mark, the less work defenders have to do to shut down their receivers. So how do you put a good mark on a thrower? The following are general tips to improve your marking if you are not already doing them : * Keep on the balls of your feet. You have to be able to react and move quickly, and this is not possible if you are back on your heels. You have much better balance if you are leaning slightly forwards. * Keep your weight low. Crouch down, or at least bend your knees slightly. If you are marking well you should feel the effort in your quads. This allows you to get your hands low and also gives you much better balance. * Keep your hands low and arms spread. This also helps your balance. Obviously though, if you are trying to prevent a high throw, that arm will have to be up. In general, the arm on the force side should always be as low as possible, since it is much harder to throw a good throw from higher up. * Learn to read fakes. Many throwers make weak fakes without ever intending to throw. If you can pick these up, you will not be sucked in to following them and leaving an easy throw open. * Don't overcommit on the open side. It is not your job to block an open side throw. That is the defenders' responsibility. If you let the thrower break because you tried too hard to block an open side throw, that is your fault. * Call "Up!" loudly when the thrower throws. This allows the defenders to glance around to see where the disc is, since they will otherwise be watching the receivers. If the throw is hucked, call "Up long", to allow the people marking the opposing deep players time to see the disc. Advanced Marking All of the above tips are generalisations. Most of the tips will apply to most players, but for really good marking, nothing beats knowing the thrower. If you know which throws a thrower prefers, which fakes they use and how they like to break the force, you can modify your marking style and you are far more likely both to get hand blocks and mark more effectively. There are also times in the game when a standard mark is inappropriate, and something different is called for. Being able to recognise these situations is important, and knowing how to react to them even more so. * Marking off. The marker is allowed to stand one disc width from the thrower, but it is not always best to stand this close. Against strong throwers who enjoy throwing inside-out passes, it is often best to drop back a metre or two. This makes it easier for the thrower to throw wide throws, but pretty much cuts out the inside throws. It also makes the likelihood of a layout block greater. On the down side, it is a little easier to break the force with a wide throw. * Hands low/high? Usually it is better to keep both your hands low, since low throws tend to be more dangerous, but this is not always the case. If you are marking a player who likes hammers or high backhands then it may be wise to keep your right hand up. This gives you a chance of blocking either of these high release throws. * Watch fakes. As mentioned above, try not to fall for obvious or weak fakes. This is easier if you know the thrower, since they tend to use the same fakes to try to throw you off. * Straight up force. There are a few times in a game when a force to one side is inappropriate. Usually this is just after a huck, when you may be marking the person who has just caught the huck, and there is a man free in the endzone. The thrower will be trying to hit this man before the rest of the defence catches up. In this case, it is your job to make it as difficult for the thrower for as long as possible. The best way is to use a straight up force. This means that instead of standing to one side of the thrower, you stand directly in front and try and block any throw. Usually it is best to drop back a metre or two to maximise the time you have to see the disc coming. This type of force will only be used for a few seconds, until the defence has time to regroup. * Preventing the huck. There are also times in the game when it is obvious that the thrower wants to huck the disc, mostly when someone is running free long. You need to recognise these situations and make it as difficult as possible for the thrower to get a good long throw off. This will most often involve a straight up force. Follow all of the fakes, because it is important to make the huck as difficult as possible, even at the cost of an easy short throw. Recognise that most players prefer to huck backhand, so overplay the backhand side of the force to stop them. As with a straight up force, you will only usually need to mark like this for a few seconds. * Where are the receivers? If you have particularly good game sense or peripheral vision, you may be able to tell where the potential receivers are. In this case you can overplay that side of the force a little. One way you may be able to tell is by watching the thrower's eyes - it is difficult to fake effectively with your eyes. Another way is from communication from defenders and the sideline. "No break!" is a call to overplay the break side. "Strike!" is a call from a defender to switch the force to the other side for a second, as a receiver is open on the open side. Above all, remember that marking is an active process, and not a passive one. You are trying to prevent the thrower from getting an easy pass away - make it hard for him. Keep moving, keep your hands active, but don't let them break. Defending The job of a defender in a man-to-man defence is to prevent his player from getting the disc. This is made easier by the marker, who is assumed to only allow throws to one side of the field. How the defender should position themselves depends on who they are marking and where the receivers are standing. The defender should always attempt to be between his receiver and the disc, since the disc will have to go through, around or over him to get to the receiver. Marking handlers Generally the best spot to set up is about 3-4m in front of the receiver, slightly towards the open side. The defender is relying on the marker to stop any throws on the break side, so he allows a small amount of leeway on that side. It is much more important to make sure the receiver does not get free on the open side. The receiver will usually run at the defender, fake to throw the defender off, and then run hard in a direction. To avoid the receiver getting free, the defender needs to be able to stay in front of the receiver, usually by running backwards so that he can see the receiver. As soon as the defender has to turn around it is much easier for the receiver to get free. In brief : * Face the receiver * Try and maintain the distance between you and the receiver as the receiver runs at you * Avoid turning around * If the receiver fakes a direction change, follow slightly, but do not commit until you are sure * You can let the defender get a little further in front on the break side than the open side, as the marker shouldn't be letting the thrower throw that side Marking deep players Marking deep players is slightly different. To mark the deepest player, the defender should usually stand just behind the receiver, and on the open side. This is so that if the thrower hucks long, the defender is in a better position to get the disc, as he is further back. Obviously, it allows the receiver to make easier cuts in for the disc, but this is much better than having a goal scored. Alternatively, if you are confident about your relative foot speed, you might mark them beside and to the break side, this allows you to see the whole field of play. Disc in the air Once the disc is called up, the defenders should glance around to see where the disc is. It is possible that they could make a play on it. This is more important if the call is "Up long", as conceivably quite a few players will have a play on the disc. The defenders need as much time as possible to have a chance to establish good position early. Communication So far we have looked at individual roles of markers and defenders. To be a useful team defence, there needs to be more than individuals doing the defending. This is where communication comes in. There needs to be communication between defenders and markers, between defenders and other defenders, and between players on the sideline and players on the field. Marker-defender communication It is the job of the marker to call the force as soon as possible. Call "left" or "right" as appropriate. The sideline should repeat the force. Defender-marker communication There are a number of ways defenders and markers can help each other by talking. Already we have seen the use of "Up", "Up long" and "Break" calls by the marker to let the defender know the disc is in the air or the force has been broken. A common call from the defender to the marker is "No out" or "No break". This is used when the receiver is open on the break side and tells the marker to make doubly sure that there is no break of force, even if the open side throw is much easier. Defender-defender communication See Switching below. Sideline-player communication Often it is hard for the marker to make "Up" and "Break" calls loudly and quickly. The players who are standing on the sideline can help by making these calls as well. Also, the sideline has a better perspective on the game than the players on the field, so they can call to specific players, for example if they can make a play on the disc, but have their back to it. The sideline can play an important role in talking to the defence and psyching them up to make a big play. Get vocal on the sideline and pump up the players on the field; it will also help you keep focussed and intense. Advanced Man-to-Man Defence Switching If used correctly, switching is a good method of shutting down a good cut. If used poorly, it is a good way of leaving a man completely open. Switching requires good timing and understanding. There are two main sorts of switch. The first is the lazy switch, where two players are simply switching because the other's receiver is closer, or the receivers cutting into each other's space. This is often the case when one receiver is cutting long and the other short and can prevent a dangerous situation. As with all switches, both defenders need to know who their new receiver is. They should also be careful not to create a defensive mismatch by switching, as this might be self-defeating. The second is a switch on to a cutter. The player calling the switch (switcher) will usually be near the one end of the stack and will see a cutter coming from the other end. He should wait as long as possible to call the switch, and at the last minute change receivers. This allows the other defender time run to the switcher's old position and pick up their man, without giving the free man too much time to plan a cut. The switcher must call out the name of the free player, and/or point to them, to make sure there is no confusion. Once players have played together for a while, they may be able to switch just by glancing at each other and nodding, or something similar. Switching is not recommended for beginners, as it teaches bad habits. Poaching Poaching is generally looked down upon in ultimate as "a bad thing", mostly because it is a sign of laziness in defence. If used wisely and sparingly it can be remarkably effective, but it leaves free men around the field and can result in large yardage gains for the offensive team if punished. There are a number of different ways of poaching. The first is a straight out zone poach, where the poacher takes up a position in the main cutting lane and basically ignores his own receiver. This is only effective when either the thrower or receiver is weak, so that the chance of a pass from one to the other is small. In any case, this should not be attempted for more than 2 or 3 seconds. The second is a temporary switch, where the poacher sees a cutter coming from deep and switches for long enough to discourage the thrower from throwing to the cutter, before switching back to his own receiver. The switch can involve actual marking, or just a flaring out into the cutting lane but has the same effect. A third type of poach is an active attempt to get a block. The poacher sees somebody else's receiver in a position to receive a pass, but where the pass if thrown could still be intercepted. The poacher hopes that by not watching the disc, the thrower will think the pass is on, and hence throw it. The poacher has to guess when the pass will be thrown, and then turn around hoping the disc will be there to intercept. This can be effective if the timing is right. Once the decision has been made to poach, the poacher must commit fully or they will be stuck in no-man's land. Often, DP in a zone must make such decisions. Recover from a bad poach by calling for a switch. Marking off The marker is allowed to stand one disc width from the thrower, but it is not always best to stand this close. Against strong throwers who enjoy throwing inside-out passes, it is often best to drop back a metre or two. This makes it easier to throw wide throws (also on the break side), but pretty much cuts out the inside throws. It also makes the likelihood of a point block greater, and eliminates foul calls by the thrower. Strike This is a similar call to the "No out" call. A "Strike" is called by a defender to the marker if the receiver is quite free on the open side. The marker responds by switching the force for about two seconds, enough time for the thrower to have to look off the cut, and then switches the force back. If used well, this makes it much harder to make any throw to a cutter, since all good open side cuts suddenly become break side cuts temporarily. The marker needs to be aware to put this call into action straight away. Layout Defence Introduction A player who lays out on defence will average at least 1 to 2 layout blocks per game. This is true even against the best teams in the world. If a team of 14 players all commits themselves completely to laying out on defence, then they will produce enough turnovers to win any game. Technique As with any leaping exercise, it helps to keep the centre of mass low. Run with one arm forward as much as possible, then when the disc is released simply throw that arm forward and lunge after it. Face Marking If you are face-marking a player, then you must react instantly to the up call or when you are certain the cut has been committed. Look around, find the disc, and throw yourself at it. From Behind When a receiver has gotten a break of 1 or 2 metres on you, it is time to put in an effort. Almost every receiver will slow down slightly just as they catch the disc. You must run through and lay out around them to get to the disc first. This is something you must practice, on the beach or on soft grass, before you will believe how simple it is. High Layout This is definitely the most difficult layout to perform without fear. It involves throwing yourself upwards at 30-45 degrees at the disc when you see it will pass you just out of reach. Often you will be chasing someone deep, turn to see the disc just passing you and have to lunge backwards after it. It is difficult but pays dividends. Because you are leaping upwards, your legs and hips will hit the ground first, rather than your upper body as with other layouts. Mental Focus Laying out on defence is above all a state-of-mind. You will not find yourself magically able to lay out on D if you have never done it in a game. You must lay out on D consistently enough that it becomes automatic. If you hesitate to consider whether it is worthwhile hurting yourself then it is too late. Sideline As with many aspects of the game, a vocal sideline can create layout blocks by pulling the strings of players on the field. Get in their head and make them layout before they can think twice. Zone Defence Introduction Zone defences are characterised by one or more players on the defensive team not marking a player on the opposing team, but an area. By this definition, any defence which is not entirely man-to-man, including poaching, would be regarded as a zone. For the purposes of this article, we will only be looking at defences with a consistent zone in the defensive pattern. Zone defences are mostly used when weather conditions are less favourable for passing, or against an offence with few strong throwers. A zone usually forces many more passes to gain the same amount of ground and relies on the offence making a weak or reckless throw in that period. Instead of trying to block passes altogether, a zone tries to block all of the easy and ground-gaining passing lanes. The zone allows passes backwards and sometimes sideways because they do little harm to the defence. The zone also allows throws over the top because these throws are generally high risk and have a good chance of being intercepted or dropped. One advantage a zone brings is that in the event of a turnover the opponents will usually find it difficult to mark up quickly, and set up for their own defence. This can lead to easy scores, as there will be a number of people open for throws. 1. Three Man Static Cup Zone Defence Introduction When people say "zone defence" this is the zone they are usually referring to. This is a full zone defence, where no-one apart from the marker has a player to defend. The positions in the zone are as follows. The Points, together with AX, form a defensive cup around the thrower. One of the Points (strong-side) will mark the thrower, and the other Point (weak-side) and AX will stand on the force side trying to prevent any throw forward on that side. In theory, this set up will prevent throws through the cup. The area just behind the cup is marked by MD. The areas on either side of the field are marked by LW & RW. Anywhere behind that is marked by DP. This form of zone defence is usually played in windy conditions and often only when the offence will be running into the wind. There will always be men free, so the defence is relying on an errant throw to get a turnover. Positions The Points The job of Point requires a fair amount of fitness and good marking skills, as they are the only defensive players that should ever be marking the thrower. The three players in the cup (LP,AX & RP) have to decide which way the cup is going to force the thrower. This will often be towards the middle of the field, although there are instances when always forcing to a particular direction (eg into a cross-wind), or forcing line is good. The point marking the disc at any particular time is called the break-side point and the chaser not marking the disc is called the open-side point. The Axis AX has the task of coordinating the cup, defending against throws through the cup, and marking any receiver that runs into the cup (known as a popper). Coordination involves telling the points who will mark a particular thrower, how wide the cup should be spaced and which way to move. AX should also listen to calls from MD as to where poppers are. The AX can turn around a lot of the time and cover any man who is near the cup. MD should usually alert AX to warn them when a man is near the cup by saying "coming in". The Middle MD covers the area directly behind the cup. This usually involves marking man-to-man on anyone that comes into this area, until they leave it or they run through the cup. Once a receiver enters the cup, they are the job of the Points or AX, and should be ignored. The other job of MD is to talk to the cup. If a receiver is coming into the cup, AX needs to be told to close the cup up on that side. The cup may also need to be told if it is too open or too close together. The Wings Conceptually, the Wings have the simplest job on the field. They each have one side of the field to mark, and the aim is to stop passes up either of the sidelines. Usually, if a throw gets around the edge of the cup, the thrower will be looking upfield for the next pass. The Wing's job is to find and stop any cutters to that thrower. This may involve going man-to-man for a short while. If the player gets the disc, the wing should drop back (contain!) and let the points mark the thrower. It is not the Wing's job to mark the player with the disc. The Deep DP has the task of intercepting any long throws put up by the offence. The job is usually not hard since if there is any wind it is difficult to huck accurately, and thus it is not often that the deep comes into play. As a result, the main job of the deep is to talk to the other players, primarily the middle and wings, and tell them where to go and who to cover. Communication Defender-defender communication As mentioned above, it is the job of some of the defenders to talk to the others and let them know what is happening. In fact, all of the defenders should be talking to other ones. The most important thing to know in a zone is when a receiver enters and leaves your area. Any time a receiver leaves your area, you should let the person whose area the receiver enters know that the receiver is now their responsibility. It is important that all the defenders know who they should be responsible for. The lines of communication are as illustrated in the accompanying diagram. Clearly, MD & DP have the biggest communication burden, and so often the most difficult & important jobs on the field. Remember, a breakdown in communication often precedes a breakdown in the zone - keep talking. Middle & Axis There must be strong communication between MD & AX, since they are mostly responsible for stopping poppers and short throws through the cup. Generally, MD will tell AX to cover left or right, and the MD will cover the other side. Sideline-defender communication Because the defenders already have their work cut out for them on the field, players off the field can help by talking to the defenders. Ideally, each player on the sideline should select one defender, and help him. A defender needs to be told when a receiver moves into his area, when there is a free man in his area, when to move in, when to drop back, when the disc is up and so on. 3. Man-on behind Introduction This is a slightly simplified version of the above zone, where the cup is the same, but the other four defenders take the back four receivers man-to-man. One player, a good defender and preferably a tall player, is selected to always take the deepest man, and this involves switching with the other defenders as the deepest man will often change. If the back four receivers change, say one of them goes into the cup, then the defenders must pick up whoever is free behind the cup. 4. Four Man Dynamic Cup Introduction This zone is also similar to the basic zone presented above. The main difference is that the wing on the break side of the field becomes part of the cup until the disc is passed back to the other side of the field. Details The zone is as described above, with the following differences : * AX is further away from the marking Point. The gap left by this move will be filled by the strong-side Wing, creating a four-man cup. * If the cup changes the direction of the force, say if the disc moves to the other side of the field, then the break side will become the open side and vice versa. The new strong-side Wing will move into the cup, and the new weak-side Wing drops out to play a standard wing position. In this way, the cup is Dynamic. * It is important that before the new strong-side Wing moves into the cup they cut off any upfield pass to a receiver on their side of the field. * Moving one of the Wings forward into the cup leaves holes further upfield. The MD must be prepared to drop back and across a little to cover the gap. DP should talk to the other wing and MD to let them know if there are receivers open who should be picked up. * The marking Point must not let the thrower break the force, as the Wing is not in position to cut off the upfield throw. * MD will usually be further back than in a standard zone. Assassinate: If there is a particular danger player on the offence who is the crux of their offence, then it is often a good idea to have MD mark this man. This generally throws the offence into disarray. The wings must come in and cover for MD, however, since he will be all over the field. Generally, the on-wing should shuffle across to cover the MD's position. Zone Offence Introduction: The most important thing when playing offence is to recognise and react to whatever the defence is doing. The defence has the advantage in that they can dictate the terms. The offence must therefore be able to think on its feet. Recognise: When coming up against a defence, the first thing to ask is what style of defence it is. Our style of offence is to determine whether or not they are playing man defence. If not, then we immediately set up a dump (axis) and swing (point) with the other players downfield, regardless of what the defence is. At the start of a point, we determine whether it is man by having the Deep set up on one end of the line and running across field on the pull to see if their defender follows. Dump & Swing: The backbone of any zone offence is the dump and swing. Most defences openly allow this because it is seen as a low threat, and they can't stop us from doing everything. The dump & swing maintains possession and should be turned to whenever the thrower is in trouble. It is a wise thing to do, if only to keep the defence moving around. Analyse: The next thing to ask is what variety of zone it is, because small changes can have a large impact on how effective the offence is. It is usually possible to work out what sort of defence is being played after a couple of cross-field passes. If the zone defence looks unfamiliar it is worthwhile to do this, even if it cuts down the options further upfield for a few seconds. Lateral Throws: The usual approach to zone defences is to take what they are offering. They allow lateral throws in general, so throw around the cup. Once you are outside the cup, you have a few seconds in which there is the possibility of an easy upfield throw. After that, the cup will be marking again, so swing it back across field in the other direction. This of course is highly simplified and much harder in practice, especially against an unfamiliar zone, but the principle is there. Breakouts: When the zone is broken, with a throw over or through the cup, it is important to capitalise on that gain by keeping the disc moving. A tactic which is often used is to "run the disc" around, which means that the offence keeps sprinting and passing the disc to try to stop the defence from catching and setting up. Moving the disc around a lot initially will tire out the defence and make it easier to find gaps and run the disc. Assassination: If a member of the dump/swing is marked man-on to take them out of the offence, they should go behind the thrower to the break side and the offence should switch to two-handler offence. Dumping when necessary until a throw can be made over the cup. Eventually, a throw over the top should be possible, since there are now three defenders covering four receivers upfield. Trash Defences Trash defences are not usually as reliable as man-on-man defence or standard 3-man zone defence. This is partly due to their nature, but mainly comes from lack of familiarity with each one. Any defence becomes stronger the more we play it. For this reason, we will use warm-up games during nationals to hone our defences. We will also need to practice stuff between games, so be prepared to give your full day up to your team. The benefits of trash defences come from their unfamiliarity to the offence. Every time we throw something new, they have to modify the way they are playing the game to try to beat it. Trash defences often work best on good teams, because they refuse to modify their "winning" formula, and because their key players are often cocky. We will use this cockiness to our advantage. The novelty of these defences is of utmost importance, so we will avoid showing them to teams until we need to. Unfortunately, that also means we will not be able to try these defences against top teams until "crunch" games at nationals, and so we need to make do with honing our skills at practices and in "easy" games. It is extremely important that every member of the team is familiar with all of our trash defences, so please read and try to understand everything. Understand our motivation or tactic for playing a particular defence and you will better understand the individual defensive roles. In many cases, it is only the front three or four players who need to radically change their defensive style. That means that the deeper players must help them by communicating often and well. Everyone must understand all positions. 3-man Zone Line Trap Zone KEY: a lot of pressure on the thrower, very few options. This is most useful on a sideways wind blowing the disc out of the field, or if the offence is going into the wind. When there is a sideways wind, any throws to break the sideline zone are into the wind. The usual transition to line-trap zone will be from 3-man zone when the disc is pushed to a sideline, or on any defensive setup. Consider the situation where the disc is on the left-hand sideline. LP will mark the disc and force hard sideline, keeping off a bit to stop the easy high or low throws. AX will be forwards of the disc, about 3m, in a normal zone position. RP will cover the dump position, however, roaming around behind the disc if no dump is in place. There should be no easy letouts. The LW will be 5m-10m from the disc and near the sideline, stopping the medium length pass down the line. They must watch both throwers and receivers to stop someone coming in under them. The other players are essentially covering hammers or other throws over the top. MD will roam about behind AX, covering hammers and through passes, and talking to AX, as for a normal zone. The RW will cover the far sideline, defending "behind" MD. If the disc is moved further than 10m from the sideline, then AX calls to switch to standard 3-man zone. 2-man Zone KEY: shut down dump-swing offence, entice throws through the cup With a 2-man cup, one of the Points marks and AX stands the usual 3m from the disc on the forced side, covering any forward throws. The other Point covers wide on the far side of the field to stop any swing pass (this stops throws around the cup). The idea of the two man cup is to entice the throw through the cup, so AX must be prepared to layout for the block. AX should stand about midway between where the axis and off point would stand in a 3-man zone. It is most important that AX stays exactly 3m away from the thrower. AX may even clamp in if the dump comes in too close to the thrower or tries to gain forward yardage. MD should cover throws up the middle of the field, between the marker and AX. The players behind could play either man or zone, with the zone positions being exactly the same as for a 3-man standard zone. The Wings and MD must be prepared to play hard (layout) man since throws through the cup are now very likely. The Fence KEY: allow short passes, stop all ground gaining-throws, frustrate and entice offence to throw over the top The fence is a zone-type defence which has the Axis continually marking straight-up. About 5-10m behind the axis is MD, with LP and RP on either side. These three players form the fence, and should try to maximise their distance from the disc as well as the distance between themselves (about 5m). Downfield, the wings act as hammer-stoppers on their respective sides, and the deep is a sweeper stopping all hucks. The main aim of the Fence is to try to entice throws over the Fence, since these will be eaten up by the Wings or DP. It is easy to beat the fence with a lot of short passes, but the offence usually only realises this after they have thrown it away a lot. As with a normal cup, the fence must move as a unit across the field, otherwise gaps will open up. The Points should maintain their distance from MD. If the disc is swung across field, then fence should anticipate this and be moving across to stop the upfield wing pass. It is also the responsibility of the Wing on that side to stop any receivers down the line. The area between the Fence and AX should be kept as large as possible. This makes it more difficult to break out around or through the Fence. Remember, we let them make short passes in front of the Fence. A fatal mistake is for the points to come in too close. As soon as the disc is past the Fence, all hell can break loose. There needs to be more upfield awareness by the Fence, they need to turn sideways a bit more and be prepared to adapt their positions. The key to easily breaking the fence is to look only for the short passes in front of the fence. The Points and MD should be prepared to clamp in on these short receivers, but be careful to not let passes out and around the sides of the fence. The Clam KEY: like a reverse zone, play strong man-on-man at the front and zone at the back The essential idea of the clam is that it plays hard man-to-man defence near the disc and zone at the back. These are generally the strongest ways of playing defence in those areas. The axis and points take turns in marking the thrower and the first two cutters out of the stack. If the LP is marking, then the AX and RP should be standing near the front of the stack, covering cuts from there. The must talk to work out who is marking and who is taking the first cutter. They may mark the dump if it is a threat. When the disc is near the sideline, then one of the fronters should be covering the break pass with the other covering the sideline. The MD stands near the front of the stack, and often in the stack, and is a bit of a utility man, covering any throws into the stack, or any cuts toward the disc after the two defenders have been used. In cases when a dump is used, the MD will get closer to the thrower, to fill in for front men who might be covering the dump. The wings cover cuts out to their sides and remain in that position always. They try to look at both the thrower and the stack. The deep sweeps and covers all deep passes. The back three players (Wings and DP) are similar to zone or fence. They must cover all cuts that aren't towards the disc. The Wings, MD and DP form a diamond around the stack. When a pass is completed, the nearest defender (AX or Point) becomes the new marker, and the old marker becomes the second defender. The real advantage in the clam comes from it being like a fake man-on-man. It is important therefore to hold your position close to the stack and only flare out to the wings as the stall count starts. Red Menace - Near the endzone (in the red zone) All of these defences change slightly when we get near the endzone. As soon as DP perceives that the disc is getting close, and there is no longer a large threat behind the Wings and MD (ie they are defending in the endzone), the deep rushes in to a poaching position around the disc. If there is a dump, then the DP should cover the dump. If the defence is one where AX is always marking, then the AX and DP can regularly switch positions. The call of "Red Menace" can be made to alert the Wings and MD of their added responsibilities. Not only does this better utilise DP (who becomes a bit redundant near the endzone, since long throws can't be made), but it also acts to confuse the defence who may well have gotten into a rhythm at that stage. Best of all, it takes away an easy throw like a dump or an open-side pass and forces them into risky offence which they are trying to avoid. Sideline Offence - The Moose The Sideline Force: As we should all know, the sideline force can be a strong defence because it dramatically decreases the area near the disc where the thrower can get away an easy pass. There is also little margin for error in this open zone, and to avoid running out-of-bounds receivers usually end up running directly towards the thrower for a very small gain. An Opportunity: In reality, a sideline force is an opportunity to wreak havoc. It is true that conventional cuts to the open side are more difficult. So don't attempt them. Instead, make cuts for more difficult throws into areas where the defence isn't defending so well. And when making these cuts, fake hard into the trap, where they think you want to cut. Defences overplay the sideline force so much that it is virtually a licence to score. The Moose: The Wing will take up the Moose position. This is about 3m from the sideline and 10-20m from the thrower. Choose a distance from the thrower depending on how strong their huck is on that side, and where the wind is. The Moose has two options: fake deep and cut short or fake short and cut deep. The defender will not be able to stop both of these cuts. The moose will make the first cut always. Behind the Disc: Assume that the thrower is the left point. AX should stand at least 3 metres from the thrower and behind them to the break side. AX looks for cuts straight up the sideline or for the backwards dump. The right point is level with the thrower on the far side of the field and will look for a hard cut to the sideline. If the defender follows this cut too closely, then let them catch up about 10m from the sideline and cut back for the easy cross-field break pass. The Stack: Take the example where the disc is on the Left side of the field (as illustrated). Thus, LW will be the Moose. Generally, the stack, consisting of the MD, DP & RW, should keep away from the sideline. Be somewhere near the middle of the field, giving enough room for the primary cutters to do their job. A horizontal stack probably works best, and is the one employed by the Finnish national team (hence the name). MD stands closest to the Moose and aims to cut for flow across field on a break pass. DP is next across, and looks for the continuation down the line from the Moose. RW stands furthest from the moose and aims to cut up-down their sideline if the disc is swung across field. Generally: Change the way you think about offence. Stop making hard cuts at the disc. Make more fading cuts away from the disc and more cuts to the break side. The thrower should be prepared to throw slightly risky throws, but when a throw is completed we should capitalise quickly to justify the risk. Clearing Concepts The importance of clearing At the heart of any good offence is having cutters getting free regularly. Many teams therefore concentrate on cutting techniques. However, there is no point in someone beating their man if there is no open space to cut into to receive the disc. The concept of creating and maintaining open space around the thrower (and further upfield) is realised through the practice of strong, coordinated clearing. Before a team can learn to cut, it must learn to clear effectively. You not only need to clear after an unsuccessful cut, but also after you have thrown a pass. It is a common and fatal mistake for a thrower to idly watch their pass through to completion and then slowly move back into the stack. After throwing a pass you are at your most dangerous and the defender is always on their Every good cut deserves a good clear. There is no point in making a great cut if you are going to stuff up everyone else when you get looked off. Bad clearing can be as much the cause of a turnover as a dropped catch. There are basically four methods of clearing which will be addressed here: - clearing wide - clearing up the middle - clearing behind the disc ("don't clear") - isolation Clearing Wide The idea behind clearing wide is simple - get away from the thrower as quickly as possible to leave the spaces open for subsequent cutters. This entails running towards the sideline and then up the sideline before joining the stack near the back. The problem with this is that it can tend to cut off the sideline flow if people don't clear very hard, or don't keep an eye on what's happening to the disc. If the disc is caught near the sideline you are clearing down, you should aim to cut back towards the disc for an easy ground gainer rather than running across into the stack and colliding with cutters coming the other way. Alternatively, clear harder deep looking for the long pass. The other problem with clearing wide is that it allows the defender to flare in close to the thrower and attempt to poach on the next cut. This is why you must clear WIDE and HARD. If you keep an eye on the thrower, it is easy to burn this poach with a hammer. Clearing up the Middle To avoid the problems with poachers and clogging the sidelines, an alternative (but more complex) scheme is to clear thorugh the middle. Essentially Don't Clear In the endzone, the best possible situation for the offence is to have a single cutter covered by a single defender. This should ALWAYS result in a goal, assuming the receiver and thrower have a reasonable ability, regardless of how good the defence is. As the number of defenders in the endzone increases, the more difficult scoring becomes. Six cutters with six defenders is very difficult to throw to, unless there is enough discipline so that only one or two receivers are cutting at any one time (and assuming that the defence is playing man-on-man). This is not only true in the endzone. Anywhere on the field, the chances of completing a pass are maximised if there is only one cutter/defender pair in any area. The only reason we would want more than one receiver between the thrower and the endzone is so that if a catch is made outside the endzone, there will immediately be someone to throw to. Isolation In an isolation, one or more players are designated as potential receivers. It is everyone else's job to keep away from the iso players and allow them to cut as they please (as if the rest of the team weren't on the field). Domination The most common instances of isolation plays are the dominator and "the man". In the dominator, the three handlers (LP, RP & AX) are designated from the pull to work the disc the length of the field for a score. Everyone else keep clear upfield, with MD offering an out if they get in trouble. The Man In "the man", a single player is designated to score the goal once the disc is near the endzone. This can be done from a set-up. Man-on-Man Defences Force Backhand KEY: stop break throws, especially hammers, high backhands and inside-out forehands The key point about force backhand is that it takes away the break throws. The hammer and inside-out forehand and break-side (wide) backhand are all usually stronger than their counterparts (thumb hammer, i/o backhand and break-side forehand), which are the break throws for force backhand. Force Forehand KEY: stop long passes, also useful in wind We can only do this against teams with relatively weak forehands. This probably means we should never do it against Ultrastar Warriors. Force Middle KEY: force the offence to clog by turning it back on itself, force lots of throws Works well against teams with strong inside-out throws. Also tends to clog the offence by forcing all their cuts into the centre of the field. Force Sideline KEY: give minimal area to throw and cut into Force sideline can be a very effective force, because it grossly restricts the size of the playing field into which the thrower is being "allowed" to throw. On the downside, however, this requires a strong mark and (most importantly) defenders who will stop their receivers from getting open down the line, because passes down the line can gain a lot of ground very quickly. Break throws, on the other hand, are not so dangerous unless the offence consolidates with good flow down the opposite flank. Force Straight Up KEY: hassle the thrower a lot, force lots of floaty, leading passes Straight-up man seems to be most useful on an up-down field (where the wind is blowing down the length of the field). A good mark will force only throws across field, meaning that a lot of passes must be thrown. It will also increase the chances of a point block, or at least put a lot of pressure on the thrower. Most importantly, it stops hucks for easy yardage. For the offence going into the wind, straight up man is a simple substitute for zone. Going with the wind, straight up man forces the offence to throw the disc around, increasing the chances of a turnover upfield, rather than near our endzone line. We will often employ this close to the endzone (in the red zone), because we want to hassle the thrower as much as possible, and we can no longer assume that the mark will not be broken. Switching Switching is used in man-on-man defence when a receiver breaks towards another defender's position. It is like a zone manoeuvre to palm off a man onto another player. The most common situation is when a receiver "unexpectedly" cuts long from short, in which case the deepest man in the stack immediately picks that player up and leaves their man for the original defender to cover. Another frequent situation is when a player cuts short from the back of the stack, and the first defender in the stack can cover them. In both cases, it is helpful (but not necessary) to call "SWITCH", although the second situation is less familiar and so can be more confusing. Poaching Poaching is like temporary switching. When you poach, you leave your man free and assist someone else by covering their man or shutting down a passing lane. Poaching can be fatal if done for too long. DO NOT POACH FOR MORE THAN 3 SECONDS. After 3 seconds the offence will work out what you are doing and severely punish you by throwing to your open man. If done well, however, a poach can throw the offence off-balance midway through the stall count and cause them to become desperate as the stall count rises. Poaching is usually practised when your man goes into a dump position, or clears too slowly. Remember not to stay too long, as soon as the realise you are poaching it is too late to stop them from taking advantage. When poaching for the disc in the air, you must very quickly decide whether you have a realistic chance at the disc. If not, leave the receiver alone and cover your man who will invariably be going deep to score the goal. If you are caught out of position after an unsuccessful poach, try to call a switch and put a very strong mark on to stop the new thrower from capitalising on your mistake. Key Points about playing Zone Defence The marking point is the player who is covering the thrower, the off point is the other point. The marking and off wings are on the same side of the field as the marking and off points respectively. Notes about playing positions AX: look around, mark anyone who ventures into the cup, listen for calls of left or right from behind P: (marking) stand back to stop the easy break then close in P: (off) stand about 5m away, act like a sweeper on the edge of the cup, know where the swing and wing are MD: follow poppers to within about 2m of the zone, then release them after talking to AX, look at where poppers are and call left or right, when MD calls AX to left or right, then MD should cover the gap from behind W: (marking) don't allow easy dumps over the cup to the break side, mark anyone on the break side of the cup W: (off) cover anyone on your side, aim to stop throws over the cup to your side DP: stand behind your man, cover anyone else who cuts deep, call for assistance if necessary, tell wings or middle if receivers are cutting into their area When a dump occurs: P: (marking) runs to cover again, (off) runs to cut off swing AX: cut off middle of the field CUP: move as a single entity W: look for danger players DP: talk to wings and middle, look for cutters deep When a swing occurs, this is a danger time, because there are no markers P: off runs to cover, switch force, marking run to contain swing back AX: run to cover ground breaking up the middle W: be tight on your cutter MD: be tight on poppers DP: be behind man Special Plays Variations in the way we play a zone defence can prevent the offence from getting into a rhythm. If we keep throwing challenges to them, then they must think about how to beat them, this is a good way of forcing a turnover - by making the thrower flustered. * stop the dump on a high count (marking point) * force sideline and the off-point marks the dump * have the wing clamp in on the swing when the dump occurs Communication There is a backbone of communication from the Deep through to the cup. The Deep in particular should be talking to the Middle and making them aware of where danger lies. They should also talk to wings when players cut into their position from deep, or call them back to help if their player makes a cut to deep. Similarly the middle is a crucial position. The middle needs to talk to the axis and tell them when poppers are approaching the cup, yelling "left" or "right" to tell them which way to move. When they call the axis to go one way, they should move in the opposite way to cover up the gap created. Similarly, the wings should be talking to the points (eg "no break") to tell them about danger players behind them. On transition to offence Note that AX and DP swap positions on offence and defence. This allows DP to walk up to the disc on offence. It also allows us to cover the deepest man on quick transition to zone defence. Either play straight away or Points set up off the disc with DP walking up to put disc into play. This switch of AX and DP is similar to the transition to defence, but less crucial. Offence There are three ways (conceptually) of beating the zone - through, over and around. Through - throws intersect the cup, these are the most risky in the sense that they are just the passes that the cup is trying to stop - however, they are usually to unmarked receivers since the defence does not expect the cup to be broken - the idea is to pivot and fake to make the cup move around and then throw through the gaps created - need to have cutters timing their cuts to be in the gaps as they open up - can also use poppers to move the axis of the cup around to create space for a second popper - throws to the break side would be classified in this section - always risky Over - relies on the cutters finding space behind the cup - throws must be sharp, shorter is better - very risky in strong wind Around - most commonly consists of the dump and swing - it is the basic way of moving the disc around to retain possession - dump and swinging can be used simply to tire the cup out Positionally W: (marked) This wing should work in unison with the MI to pop into the cup and look for short passes through the cup, including passes down the break-side line MD: the middle should look to pop into the cup and to receive short passes through the cup, with the short wing they should work together to disrupt the cup and pull it to one side while the other player gets free in the gap created W: (off) the main job of this wing is to work off the dump and/or the swing, so that they should be timing cuts Special Plays & Movements Give and Go As soon as AX throws the swing pass (usually before the cup has got to them), AX cuts upfield in front of the Point to receive a short (3-5m ground gaining pass), the Point then looks for a further give and go. This is called running the disc, the idea being to try to keep the disc away from the cup. The MD and Wings must concentrate on moving their defenders out of that area to allow the give and go to continue. Double Trouble - two deeps and two poppers This is our standard zone offence. On downwind points especially may want to send two players deep. In this case it will be DP and one of the Wings. The other Wing and MD will both pop in and out of the cup and try to keep the sides of the field clear. The deeps may make cutback passes down the sidelines. They should try to time their cuts with the dump and swing as usual. Alternatively, a dump and huck may occur. This huck could occur early (off the pull) or at any stage when the offence is not progressing satisfactorily. The main advantage of the huck is that it gets us better field position, but also keeps the defence spread out and stops them from clamping in on the dump-swing. Also two successful hucks on an upwind point may yield a better percentage (especially if it's two on one) than 50 or so dump and swing passes. When non-handler has the disc One of the most difficult situations to learn about is when the zone is broken, and the Wings, MD or DP have the disc upfield. They are in a strong position because there is no cup, and usually only a weak mark, if any. So it shouldn't be too difficult to complete a pass. This is true, except that the defenders are all essentially poaching, and so even though a player may look like they're free because no-one is marking them, there may still be someone in a position to intercept the pass. Often, with people learning to play behind the cup, they are observed to get overly excited and just pass the disc forward to anyone who looks open, only to have it knocked down or the wind punish it severely. Remember also that these players do not have warmed-up wind throws in the way the AX and Points do who are throwing every third pass. Generally, this means that when upfield players receive a pass they should be cautious about throwing another ground-gaining pass. On the other extreme, the experienced players will often shout deafeningly for that receiver to sit on the disc until the dump comes up. This is a mistake. We must understand when to push the disc further forward (by taking a second to evaluate the situation) and when to be happy with the ground we have already gained and aim to consolidate that gain. Run the Disc A characteristic of a team which plays good zone offence is that they capitalise well on any gains they make. An "simple" way of destroying a zone defence is to get the disc moving faster than the defence, so that the cup never gets set up. This requires player to recognise when we have broken out and to run as hard as they can from that point until the goal is scored. The defence is taken unawares and never gets set again. Often this involves a lot of give and go passes. So, when a break-out occurs (ie we have thrown a large ground-gaining pass so that most of the defence is behind the disc), we must blitz upfield to run the disc into the goal, this is a sprint (100% not 90%). Blitz does not equal mayhem, however, we must still make one cut at a time and create space around the disc and not all cut back and forth when we get to the endzone. Key points about after an upfield pass has been received - receiver must evaluate position before attempting another upfield pass - if nothing is there, be patient and wait for the dump to come - when a break-out occurs, run hard & blitz the defence On Transition To Defence AX must cover any cutters to deep, Wings must help if necessary. While AX is doing this, DP switches into the centre of the cup Dump Offence The dump stands 3-10m away from the thrower. The thrower and receiver attempt to connect a dump pass, using the following tactic * if the defender is looking at the thrower, then the receiver cuts to space and is thrown to * if the defender is looking at the receiver, then the thrower passes into space and the receiver runs it down The receiver may need to move around a bit to get the defender to turn around. Remember, eye-contact is the key to a completion. Endzone Defence Tactics When the opposition gets into the "red zone", the disc less than 15m from the front of the endzone, we must change our style of defence. Up to that point we can let them get short easy passes as long as we can contain them and stop the flow. In the red zone, two short passes can result in a score. Also, it is more difficult for them to play good offence (as we should notice of ourselves when we get near the endzone). This is because there is no longer any such thing as a deep cut, because the back of the endzone is as far as you can pass the disc. This means that we never have to cover people from behind, and only need to stop receivers from cutting sideways or forwards. We should change our defensive style accordingly. Get Close One of the key tactics is to get much closer to your receiver. This stops them from getting open in any direction. Remember that a break pass is just as potent as an open pass, because it doesn't have to travel very far. We are no longer playing percentages and saying that the break pass will happen only 20% of the time. Assume any pass is on and stop it from happening. Lay Out! The other major defensive tactic is to lay out on defence. When a pass is made into the endzone, it is the one time when there is absolutely nothing to be lost by laying out for the block. Even if you are nowhere near the disc, it makes the offence realise that open passes are not always on because the defence will lay out. Often, a layout in the receiver's field of vision will put the receiver off enough to make them fumble the catch; this is called a karma block. Plays Three main defensive plays will be employed: 1. Normal man-to-man, where we force towards the middle usually and defend the receivers from very close, shadowing them tightly and laying out when the disc is up. 2. Normal zone, but with the deep assisting the middle more since cuts to deep are less likely. 3. A special defence, "Red Menace", which is explained below. It is a zone defence which concentrates on defending the endzone itself, with a single man marking the disc straight up. Red Menace Red Menace can be applied to any of our junk (not man-to-man) defences. It is applied when the offence is within 15m of scoring. We no longer need to worry so much about the deep throw, but an effective dump and swing can score an easy goal. DP calls out "Red Menace" or simply "Red" and comes forward to assist the zone defence by poaching close to the thrower, perhaps marking the dump. This forces the offence to look for high-risk passes over the top, which they may be reluctant to do. The Wings need to cover for DP by covering the back middle of the endzone. This should be no more difficult than. Alternatively, the MD could hang back to flatten out the back of the defence DP can cancel Red by calling out "Blue" and moving back into the endzone. This may happen if the offence gets too settled, and is perhaps looking for the easy hammer score. Red Menace is high risk, but is aimed to put the offence off their game.