Kirk Savage
I really enjoy marking—particularly in the zone of a 1-3-3. Marking is a very
important part of the game that often goes unnoticed or is an afterthought in
defensive play. Teams usually pay some lip service to marking strategy
(forcing flick or middle or straight-up), but that tends to be about it.
Unfortunately, common practice is that the marker will rest on the mark. They
use the mark as a chance to get their breath and prepare for another defensive
run. This is a big mistake and passes up a great opportunity to create added
defensive pressure.
I am not tall—at 5'9" I do not have a huge wingspan to shut down throwing
options. However, I do have a few little tricks when it comes to marking to
improve my success rate.
My favourite strategy is to start counting calmly…stalling 1, 2, 3, 4, and
then once the count starts to get higher, I start to count louder and more
frantically. By the time I get to stalling 9, and hopefully 10, the thrower is
freaked out and everyone knows the count. This makes it much harder for the
thrower to call a “fast count” when everyone on the field has heard it. For
those who play goaltimate, you understand how this can work as stall outs are
much more common. I believe that this is not really because of the shorter
amount of time (5 seconds), but because everyone on the field hears the stall
count—taking away the cheap “fast count”.
Another little trick that I like is to start close to the thrower at stall 1-3
and then back up as the count gets higher. This eliminates the cheap foul call
at a high count to bail a thrower out. When I say back up—I really step off so
that the thrower cannot even reach out and touch me.
When marking a very adept low break-force thrower I back up a lot as well.
This cuts down on their throwing angle and helps me take away down field cuts.
Some will argue that you need to be close to the thrower, but I have found
over the years that top level throwers will have no trouble stepping through a
close mark, throwing a perfect throw, and getting insurance on a cheap foul
call.
For hammer throwers, you need to be very close and in their face so that they
cannot survey the field effectively.
For huckers, you need to be very close as well—in their “kitchen”, so to
speak, to prevent the big wind up and release.
Finally, and maybe most importantly, I have found as a marker I can help play
downfield defense. All you have to do is keep half an eye on the downfield
cutters. You can see when someone is coming in wide open, and your added
vision of the field makes that throw more difficult. This works the best at a
high count on a handler. You know that the thrower has committed to the dump.
Instead of standing like a lump “forcing flick”, get active and help your
teammate shut down the dump. Remember that you only have to be within 10 feet
of the thrower to be “marking”. You can play a lot of defense in a 10-foot
radius.
Kirk Savage
Field spacing depends on the offense your team is running. This is dictated in
part by the defensive strengths of the team you are playing and in part by
your own team’s strengths.
In the mid-to-late 1990’s, the offense of choice for us (Furious) was the
vertical stack. In the vertical O, the idea is to move the disc to one
sideline or the other and flood the stack to the other side of the field, thus
isolating a cutter. The shorter the stack the better—thus allowing for more
effective deep cuts. We used this offense very successfully as we had tall and
fast receivers. Defenses at the time where not very sophisticated—except for
DoG who was able to use the “clam” to slow things down. However, around 2000
teams started to get wise to the fact that it is pretty easy to poach on in or
out cuts in the vertical setup. When the players in the stack flood—defenders
just sit in the lane—and there is nowhere to go. Suddenly, the sideline is a
war zone where cutters have to battle for every 5 yard gain.
Then we adapted and started the “West Coast” Horizontal Offense. At first it
did not really matter where the disc was on the field. Teams were slow to
adjust and we had our way for a number of years. We were able to cut out or
come under for big yards, as defenders did not know how to match up against
us.
It was not until Sockeye started to figure out that if the disc is on the
sideline in Horizontal O, that a deep poach on the far side of the field is
possible. It took them a couple of years to perfect it, but eventually they
did and this created all kinds of problems for our team. Having the disc on
the sideline was a terrible place to be once again—and we had to work hard to
break our old habits and move the disc to the middle of the field. In
Horizontal O, if the disc is in the middle of the field—it is really hard to
poach, as defenders have to play more honest on their checks—and the thrower
has access to the entire field.
The game has now evolved to the place where handlers are even more important
than ever to moving the disc. In years past, the handler could just be a
reset/babysitter of the disc. However, with the latest improvements in
defense, handlers are required to constantly attack and look for the disc. The
“flip” to the handler (a play that 4 years ago was very rare) is now
commonplace and a necessity for a team to have offensive success.
The best philosophy in today’s game is to:
- Keep the disc in the middle of the field
- Activate handlers to move the disc and to keep the angles changing downfield for the defenders. †
Our team has the advantage of having played together for many years. We will
change our offensive sets from vertical to horizontal to split to stretch to
keep the other team on their toes. This constant changing of styles allows for
a team be most effective. My advice is to work on a variety of offensive sets.
This variety will also pay off for your defensive line, as you cannot always
be sure of the style that a team will play against you.
† This is much like a power play in hockey where the offensive players move
the puck around the perimeter of the defenders looking to change angles, which
creates a breakdown in positioning and an opportunity to strike.
Kirk Savage
This is an interesting topic as the need for specialized roles has been born
more out of necessity than out of desire in Vancouver.
Historically, the top players on Furious have been the players who excel at
multiple aspects of the game. These players have been able to fulfill multiple
roles, and truly have a very strong all-around game. Ultimate’s fast pace of
play combined with multiple turnovers and unforeseen situations, calls for
players on the field to be able to adapt and excel regardless of the
circumstances.
However, it is impossible to field a team of 7 “Al-Bobs”* every O or D line.
Over the years, as the top players on Furious have retired, our team has been
forced to move to specialized positions in order to continue to compete with
the other top teams. This is a short term and problematic fix. I am sure that
other teams have faced a situation where a player who is tall and who plays
good defense is inserted into the lineup as a starting line defensive lane
cutter—even if they are a poor thrower. We try to hide their weaknesses by
surrounding them with more all-around players who can shoulder the offensive
load on a turnover.
The same holds true on the other side of the disc. Teams are forced to play
offensive players who are talented throwers—at the expense of athleticism and
defensive ability. However, unless more high-level games go the route of the
2002 Semis with DoG and Furious (5 turnovers combined)—teams that rely on
highly specialized personnel will eventually be exposed and struggle to
compete for the UPA Championship.
In short, it is very important to work to become an all-around player. If you
are relying on one part of your game to make a team, or to be on a starting
lineup, or to win championships then you are not giving yourself the best
chance for success. It is too easy for one part of your game to escape you on
the big day, and you may need to rely on some of your other skills to get the
job done.
Kirk Savage
I am writing in about this topic not because I am a great distance thrower. In
fact I am quite the opposite. Throwing the disc was something that I did with
much trepidation for many years. In fact I was ridiculed constantly by my
teammates for not being able to throw a simple backhand (which is why my
scoober is a decent throw for me now).
However, over the years I have improved in this area and I do have some advice
to pass along to others who struggle.
1. Practice throwing a ton. But simple practice does not make perfect. I
think I remember Wayne Gretzky saying that “Perfect practice makes perfect.”
Get someone to take a look at what you are doing or videotape yourself if need
be to make sure you that you are not practicing a flawed skill. Then choose
one throw a year that you are going to improve and work on that throw before
practice, after practice, and during game play. Make that throw a weapon
before you move on to the next. This may mean that you have to play fun
tournaments or league in order to find a game where you can play loose and try
things out. For me I played ultimate 4-7 times a week for the first six years
I played (league, college, and club all at the same time). I still miss my
college day…
2. Mechanics are very important. This is where everyone does things a
little different, but in order to get distance you need power and
explosiveness. The power needs to come from a summation of your joints
(shoulder, elbow, wrist) as well as a transfer of weight from your legs and
hips. Your explosiveness will come from the final snap on the disc (like
whipping a towel at your brother). For me, I have found an inside out throw to
help me with my longer throws (both forehand and backhand) because I am able
to hold onto the disc for a longer period of time. This creates a larger
throwing arc and this allows me to generate more power.
3. Grip—Some people play around with different grips. I use the split
finger for forehand (more of a touch throw grip). A popular power grip for the
flick is to have two fingers together.
4. Genetics are key. Some people can just throw things further than
others. Shank and MG who I have played with forever can both throw the disc
forehand really far. I could practice and train all the time and never be able
to out throw either of them.
5. Drills—Hucking in game situations is always the best way to improve
your long game. However I do have a old favorite drill that I used to play
with a buddy at the park. This drill is a 1-on-1 game where you are trying to
out throw your opponent and force them backwards and out-of-bounds. What you
do is you line up about 60 yards from each other with the middle of the park
in between the two of you. One player throws the disc as far as they can over
their opponent’s head. That player then catches the disc as quickly (and high)
as they can (trying not to lose yards) and they throw it, trying to gain yards
back. If you drop a catch—then you have to take five steps backwards before
you huck it. Once a player is forced past a certain out-of-bounds line the
game is over. It is tiring, fun, and improves your distance throws and
catches.
6. Confidence—If you think you can throw it a long way, you can. However,
if you doubt yourself and are unsure; then you will short arm it, lame duck
it, or air bounce it up into the stratosphere.
Kirk Savage
Even though the answer to this question is pretty straightforward—a surprising
number of club players make errors on this play.
First of all, if I am only a stride or two behind my check when a huck goes up
then I am feeling pretty good about my positioning. Only a perfectly thrown
disc will not allow me to have a play on it. Secondly—and this is where many
players make an error—I always make the inside play on the disc. No matter
your height or the height of your opponent, it is always more difficult for
someone to jump over you to make a catch. On occasion, when I am boxed out and
lose the battle for position, I am invariably caught getting a close up view
of a sweaty butt in my face as my check catches the disc uncontested.
At the elite levels, positioning is everything. Get in front. You may need to
push and battle for this positioning. If your opponent is way taller than you
and the disc is too high for you to touch, jump early and try to get them to
go up early too. If your opponent is only an inch or two taller than you (or
shorter) then go for the disc at your max. If you are in front and have
position, your jump should be plenty to make the play.
Whatever you do…don’t “snuggle” in behind. That is just bad ultimate.
Kirk Savage
Well…the answer to a situation like this (defending a handler in the lanes)
is going to be dependant on a number of factors and variables that are unknown
in this scenario (athletic ability, height, speed, etc.). However, in a
general sense, if you have one of the main players on the opposing team
drastically altering their game due to your defensive strategy then your
defensive strategy is effective. Forcing a “main handler” to strike and cut
downfield is a great situation for the defensive team. This means that the
handler is not quarterbacking the offence, and they are potentially getting in
the way of the primary lane cutters.
As such, I would not be concerned at all if the handler was in the lanes and
has made a couple of lucky catches. Can they continue to do it for the rest of
the game? Can the offence continue to convert at a high rate with secondary
players running the show and making the big throws? I doubt it and odds are
good that a comeback will be on in the second half.
As far as defender choice—I would always choose a taller more athletic
defender on a strong handler. On our team we have had very good success with
Andrew Lugsdin marking up against all-star handlers. His agility allows him to
be able to stay with the short quick cuts and his size helps him to play
underneath and “push the handler away from the disc.”