Chris Talarico
The sideline is a great space to look to gain yardage. If your dump can beat
his defender up the line, it should be a relatively easy pass to space in
front of him, and he can then potentially hit a deep throw. This is probably
the best way to get off a high percentage huck (and doesn’t necessarily need
to happen on the sideline). It’s easy for the downfield cutters to time a deep
cut when they see this up-line cut developing, and the thrower can use his
momentum to get off a big throw.
Of course, this is just one option. Like every other play ever drawn up, it
doesn’t work every time. No matter what part of the field you want to attack,
you need to be able to move the disc off the sideline. Generally, an offense
is most effective when it changes the point of attack - that is, downfield
throws can (and do) come from the middle of the field and both sidelines. This
means using swing passes to move the disc laterally. Using the whole width of
the field puts far more stress on a defense than working down just one
sideline. If the disc stays on one sideline, the defenders can limit their
focus to cuts toward that sideline, so they only have to worry about guarding
in-cuts vs. out-cuts. On the other hand, when the defenders aren’t sure where
the disc is being thrown from, it forces them to respect a cut to almost any
part of the field, making their job that much more difficult.
Chris Talarico
Sometimes the easiest way to break the mark is just to let someone else do it.
I mean, break throws are hard. Do I really want to go to the trouble of
pivoting all over the place, faking out the mark, getting off a potentially
risky throw… and then perhaps get hacked by the mark for my efforts? Forget
it. I just don’t need that kind of hassle.
Not everyone can break the mark at will, and even for those who have great
break throws, it can still be a somewhat risky pass at times. Hopefully, some
of the other authors have provided some good tips on actually getting off
break throws… here’s an easy way to get the disc to the break side that
doesn’t require a skilled thrower:
This simple play can be applied anywhere on the field, but is particularly
useful to punch it in when you’re near the goalline.
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Set a stack with 5 cutters, leaving just the person with the disc and one dump in the backfield.
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Position the dump relatively close to the thrower on the open side (within 6-8 yards), and a couple yards behind.
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The dump should start his cut going upfield. His defender needs to respect this upfield cut, and as soon as he commits to it (that is, when he turns his hips to run upfield), the dump needs to plant, and head back toward the thrower.
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This cut should take him not directly at the thrower, but a just a couple yards behind him.
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Now all the thrower needs to do is put up a little dump pass, either straight back or slightly to the break side as the dump cuts across the field from the open side toward the break side.
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The dump should receive the pass more or less directly behind the thrower, and allow his momentum to take him just past the thrower and his mark on the break side.
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And since the dump’s defender is trailing behind him, he should have an unmarked throw to space anywhere on the break side. He likely won’t have enough separation to stop, set himself and throw, but it should still be an easy backhand on the run because it just needs to go out to space to let a cutter run onto it.
Chris Talarico
The best thing I ever heard of for improving your receiving skills is this
game called “catch”…
There’s no replacement for repetition. You just have to do it over and over
until you forget what it’s like to drop a frisbee.
The next step is simulating game situations. Personally, I feel like the most
valuable catch to be 100% on is the in-cut: running full speed toward a disc
coming at you. It’s probably the most common play in the game, but can be an
extremely difficult catch with a defender breathing down your neck There are
two things to work on here: making the catch out in front of your chest with
arms extended, and body position to block out the defender. Oh, and also, RUN
THROUGH THE #@$*^%! DISC! Few things frustrate me more than seeing a teammate
slow down to catch a pass, only to have their defender lay out in front of
them for the block. It’s absolutely inexcusable.
Anyway, you can work on running through the disc and catching with arms
extended with a simple drill:
Set up in one line in the middle of the field facing a thrower. First person
in line cuts out, plants, cuts in at full speed and catches a pass from the
thrower. Drills don’t get more simple than that, but I like this one because
it puts the cutter on display for the rest of the team. Everyone can see him
or her, and give instant feedback, criticism, or encouragement.
Body positioning is all about feel and awareness. I think most players know
the term “boxing out” from basketball and have an idea of how that applies to
Ultimate. Simply, it means putting yourself between the disc and your
opponent, thereby forcing them to go around you in order to get to the disc.
You see this a lot on floaty passes where players are jockeying for position
before the disc is low enough to jump for. What is probably less common, is
applying this same principle to chest-level passes. It’s difficult to convey
without seeing it and trying it, but the idea is to:
1. Be aware of where your defender is. (Hopefully behind you, of course,
but to your right or left).
2. Determine as soon as possible where the pass is headed. (Again, to your
right or left).
3. Adjust your path to the disc so that you are always between it and your
defender.
This means you may not take a straight line to the point where you’ll make the
catch—you may veer slightly to your left (if your defender is on your left
side) and catch the disc on the right side of your body, for example. It’s not
a natural thing to do, and takes a lot of work to get good at.
Finally, here’s a random tip that I learned my first year of playing: when
laying out for a disc, if you can get two hands on it, do so. Grab the rim on
either side of the disc. You’ll never doink a pass this way.
Chris Talarico
A big part of footwork is quickness, and the best tool I know of to improve
quickness is a speed ladder. I would highly recommend getting one—the longer
the better. The various drills and exercises are pretty easy to find and
learn, and they’re pretty fun to do.
You can just Google “speed ladder
drills” and you’ll get
plenty of sites that do a far better job of explaining the drills than I can.
Then get your team on it: warm up, stretch, then run through the exercises at
the beginning of practice or workouts. I’m no fitness expert, but I’ve heard
it’s better to work on speed and quickness at the beginning of a work out as
opposed to the end when you’re tired and less likely to use proper form.
Whether that’s entirely true or not, I’ll leave for you to decide.
Anyway, you can get by with one ladder for your team, though I prefer not to
run more than 10 people on a ladder just to keep the down time to a minimum,
so two usually works better when you’ve got your whole team together. I
guarantee you’ll see results. (Note: Results not guaranteed in any real or
meaningful way).
As for individual footwork “moves,” one that can help make cuts sharper is
planting off your inside foot instead of your outside foot (or a cross-over
step). For example, say you’re setting up a cut to the left by heading to your
right. When you’re ready to change direction, the typical move is to jab your
right foot out to plant and push off to the left. Try this instead: place your
last step with your left foot under your center of gravity, or more to the
right of where it would land if you were running straight ahead. Rotate your
hips hard to the left, and swing your right leg around to make your next step
roughly 90 degrees from your original path. It will also help to get low and
dip your left shoulder as you make the move. You should see that this will
allow you to change direction quicker than with a jab step.
Chris Talarico
The best way to attack a team that is playing good shut-down defense is to
keep the disc moving, and moving quickly. This is not a novel concept by any
means, but it’s rare that a team actually hits the first open pass
consistently. Throwers tend to get antsy if you’re not gaining yardage and
instead of looking to get rid of the frisbee, will instead hold it looking for
something upfiled. Every defense loves to play against a team that holds the
disc. It allows the mark to be more aggressive, and lets the downfield
defenders lock down on their men (because they know where the disc will be
coming from when a throw goes up).
So the basic strategy is to hit the first open pass you see. If you’re not
used to playing this way it can be quite an adjustment&you’re not looking for
the ideal pass, but you’re making the first high percentage pass no matter
where it is. It may seem like you’re moving the disc just for the sake of
moving it, and you’re really not getting anywhere. In fact, that may well be
the case for the first number of passes of a point. The key is to generate
movement from the handlers and cutters, and to bounce the disc around as
quickly as possible without being frantic. Throw and go. If there’s not an
obvious open cut when you receive a pass, pitch it right back to the thrower
and cut again.
Moving the disc starts with the handlers—they need to get the ball rolling,
and the downfield cutters fill in the gaps when they see a swing pass go up,
or when a handler gets an up-line pass.
It’s all about movement—with the disc and with cuts. Don’t hold the disc as a
thrower, and don’t stand around as a handler. The one caution is to make sure
you don’t rush your throws&catch the disc, find the open man, make a good
throw, then get going again. The last thing you want to do is turf a 5 yard
pass because you rushed it, or drop an easy pass because you were focused on
the next pass instead of making sure of the catch.
Chris Talarico
If your man starts heading deep and you hear an up-call, you have to assume
the thrower is putting up a huck…so, obviously, you’ve got to try to beat
your guy to the spot.
Back to Ultimate 101 for a second: if you were guarding the last guy in the
stack, you probably have last-back responsibilities. An unguarded deep look is
a lot more dangerous than an open under cut, so make sure the deep is shut
down first. That means if you haven’t communicated to your next deepest
defender that you are going to follow your man in, you’ve got to remain the
deepest player on the field, and not get sucked underneath.
Now from the point where you’re one on one with your guy as he goes out…when
you hear the up-call, I would not turn to find the frisbee at first. More than
likely, your guy is going to take you in the direction you need to go—it’s
most important to stay with him until you have the chance to find the frisbee
without losing a step. Therefore, accelerate with your man, and once you get
up to speed, then turn your head to find the disc. Since you just followed
this guy underneath (and were facing the handlers), you should have a pretty
good idea where the throw is coming from—at the least, you know which side of
the field the disc is coming from. This information will let you know which
shoulder to look over (if it’s not obvious).
It’s important to make as quick an assessment of where the disc is going as
possible—you don’t want to be running downfield looking backwards (I don’t
know much about proper sprinting form, but something tells me this isn’t going
to get you moving as fast as possible). Take a peek, then get your head back
around and sprint—look back again only periodically. Each time you locate the
disc, be working to out-position your opponent. Whoever takes the straightest
line to where the disc ends up has the best chance of making the play.
In the event that you’re guarding a more athletic player, you are most likely
going to want to force that person underneath. That means when he cuts in, you
follow him in with the intent of staying close, but not to try to actually get
in front and get a block. Your first priority is preventing this player from
beating you deep—again, giving up a 10-yard gainer underneath is better than a
huck over the top. So since you’re following him in, when he stops and turns
to go out, you’re now a step ahead of him. Use your body! Do not be afraid of
contact here—make him run through you to get deep. As he turns around he’s
going to have to get around you, so block his path. If he tries to get around
your right side, step right. If he goes left, move left. Move your feet and be
ready to turn your hips to run downfield. Get in his way to stop his momentum,
then (or at the same time) turn and accelerate!
Chris Talarico
This one is pretty straightforward: as with any player, you have to determine
what you want to give up and what you want to take away (or try to, anyway).
You’re going to want to deny any player’s greatest strength or whatever facet
of his game is capable of hurting you most. If this guy has beaten you
repeatedly with his throws, it doesn’t seem like a very good idea to allow him
to get the disc underneath - even if he has caught a couple hucks today.
You’re forcing him to do something he’s not as good at, which is preferable to
allowing him to do what he’s best at.
So, without allowing him to come under (which, again, is a BAD idea), you have
a couple options:
1. Continue to use the same defender(s) you’ve been using. Make it very
clear to your team that this guy now wants the deep pass, so expect the huck
and stay in a position that will give you a shot at it if it goes up. Also,
make sure your other downfield defenders are looking to help on a deep shot.
Still deny the underneath cut first, but don’t give as big a cushion (stay 1
or 2 yards underneath him if you had been farther off). This is the least
strategic option, but if you’re confident in the guy(s) who you’ve had
guarding him, this might be enough.
2. You’re probably going to need to guard this guy with someone who is
faster than he is. Put your best, fastest deep defender on him and continue
forcing him out. He’s still going to have looks deep, but now he has to beat
your best guy if he’s going to be successful. Clearly he has been a top option
for the other team - your best deep defender will hopefully make them think
twice about jacking one to him.
NOTE: If your best deep defender is not noticeably faster than this guy, you
may have to go to someone who is not as great in the air, but can beat the guy
with speed to gain position (i.e. beat him to the spot).
3. If you don’t have anyone who can both deny the under and contest the
deep throws, you’ve got to make more drastic changes. Throw a zone. Play a
switching man that keeps at least one defender deep. Play any other defense
you have, because clearly you don’t have a one-man answer for this guy.
Or, if you don’t like these options, you can go back to shutting down the deep
and allow him the underneath…and kick yourself after you lose for allowing
the same guy to beat you the same way. Again.
Chris Talarico
The most important things I want to see from a tryout are, in no particular
order:
- Athleticism/speed
- Field sense
- Confidence with the disc
- Ability & willingness to take direction
The first point speaks for itself. If a player can’t run fast, jump, layout,
and exhibit a reasonable level of body control, they don’t stand much of a
chance.
For field sense, I want to see that a player knows where the next pass is
likely to go. A couple examples:
- While on defense, if his man gets a swing pass, does he get upfield and take away the continue pass before getting tight on the mark?
- Does he keep himself in a position to see both his man and the thrower?
- On offense, does he clear space if he’s not cutting?
- Does he set up a deep strike when he sees a handler make an open up-line cut?
- Is he in position to receive a continue pass after a break-side dump?
Of course these could go on and on, but what a tryout needs to show is that
he’s aware of what’s happening on the field, and knows where he needs to be.
I guess confidence with the disc speaks for itself as well. No matter what
position someone may want to play, they need to be able to complete passes
when faced with a tough, aggressive mark. Shaky forehands and rushed dump
passes aren’t going to cut it.
The last point about taking direction is part personality/attitude, part on-
field ability. The on-field part involves being able to adjust your style of
play. Too often I’ve encountered the problem where a particular defense is
called on the line, but is not executed during the point. I want to see a
player that doesn’t get beat deep when the call is to force your man
underneath. I want to see a player be able to change their mark to take away
an I-O, if that’s what has been called, or to instead stop the ‘around.’ A
player needs to be able to holster a huck - even if it’s wide open - if the
call is to play conservatively. The longer I’ve played, the more important
I’ve found this last point to be. It’s incredibly difficult to win if everyone
on the field is not on the same page.
Those are the main things I look for at tryouts.
As for the player with the fancy throws… as far as I’m concerned, tryouts
are not a venue to display “trick” throws, or to take chances with any kind of
throw. Disc possession is more important in elite ultimate than at any other
level. You’re far less likely to get the disc back if you turn it over, so
you’ve got to prove that you have the ability to complete passes before you
show off your newfangled whatchamacallit. I like forehands and backhands…
call me crotchety and conservative, but I’m far more inclined to take a player
on my team who can complete a safe pass 100% of the time vs. a player who will
attempt more difficult throws and turn it over occasionally.
Admittedly, that makes for a bit of a stifling situation for a new player who
regards himself as a thrower. But really, anyone can take chances - I think a
tryout needs to first show that they’re capable of playing turnover-free
ultimate before opening it up.
Chris Talarico
The horizontal stack has all but replaced the vertical stack because it does
such a good job of creating space. When run effectively, four cutters
typically are spread across the width of the field. This spacing between
cutters makes defensive switches very difficult, thereby putting each
downfield defender on an island one-on-one with their man. As any cutter will
tell you, when you know your defender doesn’t have help, you have the
advantage. There’s no need to sacrifice this advantage just because it’s
windy.
In an upwind situation (offense going into the wind), the biggest problem an
offense faces is the defense camping out underneath; always staying between
their man and the disc. This makes shorter upfield passes very difficult,
particularly in cuts (toward the disc). With the defense taking away the in
cuts, it’s the deep shots that are left open. But as an offense, you can’t
solely rely on hitting deep cuts in any weather, let alone against a stiff
wind, especially if you don’t have throwers with consistently accurate hucks
or reliable upwind throws.
A common mistake horizontal offenses make in the wind is allowing the stack to
get too deep (whether consciously or unintentionally). The thought is that if
you have more room to make an in cut, the more likely you are to make it
successfully and get open for a pass. While this is true conceptually, the
strategy really doesn’t hold up. You end up limiting yourself to 5-yard-or-so
completions and really allow the D to clamp down because they know where
you’re going.
Instead, pull the stack in tighter than normal. As an offense, you need to
establish that your cutters can get the disc going out as well as coming
underneath. Cutters need to do two things: first, keep your spacing across the
width of the field - in the wind it’s even more important to not allow your
man to poach or help on a throw to another cutter. Second, bring your defender
in towards the disc as far as he’ll go and still stay underneath you. You can
do this by starting from a set position in the stack (if you are within 10
yards or so from the thrower) OR begin with an in cut. Either way, turn and go
out decisively - don’t juke or dance. Throwers: you’re looking to get off a
pass as soon as the cutter makes his move to go out. Note that this does not
need to be a deep pass - and really shouldn’t be a deep pass unless you’re
sure you’ve got the throw - it just needs to get beyond the cutter. The best
throw in this situation is flat with a lot of spin - get it out ahead of the
cutter and let him run onto it. Once the D recognizes that you can hit out
cuts, they’ll have to adjust to play more honestly and not give up that pass
so easily. Now you have them respecting both the in and out cuts, and you can
start using both effectively.