A Little Perspective
Field vision is the ability to understand the dynamics of the opposition’s offense or defense despite being embroiled in a battle against it. Every team has players who see plays happen/develop (be it from on the pitch or the sideline), and compile the information to start the next point with the knowledge they just took on board (and, importantly, can dispense it to their teammates). It is these adaptive players that win tight matches.
The natural ability to analyze mid-experience is difficult to develop but not impossible. Two simple steps are watch as much Ultimate as you can and then help to coach. Moving from playing to coaching forces players to look at the game in a new light; not only do you need to see everything that happens on the pitch, but now you have the chance to do it because you’re on the sideline.
Personally, I find it very difficult to analyze a game as it develops when I’m playing a part in it. My mind needs to focus on the immediate — on the task at hand at that very second. If I want more than that I need to get off the field, watch a little and then figure it out — usually time that I do not have. It wasn’t until I started coaching that I began to realize how much I had been missing.