Jim Parinella
Basic principles of sideline talk are fairly simple: make it targeted (say the
player’s name first), make it specific (not just “c’mon, go, go”), and give
information (not instruction). You may not know what the player already knows
and is planning, so this lets him decide what to do and how to handle the
info. (Sometimes, if the level of trust is high, off-field players can give
instructions rather than information.)
On each point, especially in zone D, establish a one-to-one relationship, so
Tom and only Tom is talking to Joe (although occasionally Joe needs to hear
from Fred on the other side of the field). On some occasions, a simple
exhortation to try harder can be good enough, but don’t forget to throw an
occasional compliment for a good defensive effort that results in nothing more
than taking away an option.
On offense, less is generally more. Telling a receiver “No one” (is making an
effort to block the pass) or (beware of the) “man on” is about the only thing
I like to hear on the field from the sideline. Please don’t call my name
unless I really need to know something immediately. Another possibility is to
stand behind the thrower in a trap situation to give the thrower an extra
second sometimes to find the open guy.
By now, though, I think the above might qualify as conventional wisdom, and
there are some dominant personalities on each team that are going to control
the sideline talk. As a quiet guy (despite the volumes of writing), I find
that there are things that I can do, that the majority do not, that fit my
style and can help the team.
When we’re on defense, I will position myself farther downfield than any of
the players. This way, I can see the hucks coming even before they are thrown,
and yell at the defender to get him on his horse to catch up and then direct
him once the pass is up (and even to be in position in an unobserved game to
call in/out or offer advice on a foul call). One downside is that this
isolates you from the rest of the team, but take heart in knowing that you can
add a turnover or two per tournament.
Jim Parinella
How do we make decisions? In many real-life examples we create a list of
choices and features, maybe take some data, rate how each option stacks up in
each feature, and coolly select the optimum choice. In ultimate you don’t have
the time to go through this whole process. You have to rely on your trained
inner self to figure out what to do based on internalized guidelines.
Since I like lists of rules here are some for making sense of what is
happening on the field and figuring out what to do about it:
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Take input from around you. Look, listen, and learn to identify what is important. Communicate — with eye contact, code words, or plain English if you need to.
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Use your experience. A lot of field sense is really just knowing the tendencies of your teammates and opponents. Learn the signs that a defender has committed to a particular move so you can counteract. Become familiar with your offense’s “power positions” from which a thrower can deliver an uncontested huck.
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Know your preferences and strengths (hopefully they are the same). If you’re fast enough, all you need is for your defender to lean the wrong way and you can go. Don’t bother looking for the forehand huck if you can’t hit it reliably.
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Know your requirements. Be aware of where you are on the field and what your team needs from you at that point. Are others likely to be in good position to provide help or is there just one option?
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Have something to go to if all else fails. We all know to clear if we’ve been shut down on a cut, but throwers should know what their final option is too — whether to punt it, look across the field for a long swing, or throw a leading pass to the closest dump. On defense, know what you can concede if you have to and what you absolutely cannot concede.
And here’s how you go about getting better at it:
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Engage in deliberate practice. 2 on 2 or 3 on 3 drills that focus on dump passes or first cuts or hucks can get you lots of reps in situations where all the unimportant inputs have been removed.
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Compile an extensive experience bank. Quite frankly, you’re going to have to make a lot of mistakes in order to get better. Play, and pay attention. Play summer league or rec tournaments, play goaltimate, play mini. While these can also lead to bad habits, they will give you lots of reps and put you in more situations where you have to make the play or you will lose.
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Obtain feedback that is accurate, diagnostic, and timely. In practice ask your opponent why you got beat or why you couldn’t get open.
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Review prior experiences. On the sideline between points or between games go over your play in your head. Think about not just your failures and obvious glories, but review the close calls. What could you have done better with that pass so the defender couldn’t even have a bid on it? How could you have set up the defender better so that the thrower didn’t have to make a perfect pass?
To learn, you need to think about what you will be doing and what you just
did, so that when it comes time to DO, you don’t need to think.
Note: this article was adapted from the presentation “Real Time Decision
Making in Ultimate” at the Ultimate Players and Coaches Conference in Newton,
MA, in Jan 2007
Jim Parinella
During DoG’s heyday 15 years ago, our main offensive strength was that we
would take what they’d give us. Our offense was efficient, not just in terms
of scoring percentage, but in using energy wisely. Players created space by
knowing when to get out of the way or to simply stay put and remain out of the
way. We liked the long game, but were equally comfortable in taking a series
of passes up the line. We relied on our O players knowing each other, and we’d
give our receivers options (see above point about getting out of the way) and
trust that the throwers could get it there.
From reading the writeups of Chain’s O last year and from watching the
championship game video, I was dumbstruck by the similarities. Compared to the
frenetic movements of Sockeye’s receivers, Chain’s cutters would often be
stationary (though not clogging), and reset cuts were available. They hucked
efficiently, but they also would take the reset. Players had specialities, but
that wasn’t all they did. Their receivers could throw effectively. They broke
the mark when they had to and keep the disc moving.
To continue winning, Chain needs to keep their O together and to make subtle
adjustments based on players’ changing skills and on defensive adjustments. If
they codify the way they are doing things now as “the way,” teams will adjust
and their players will change and they’ll spend years trying to recapture the
glory.