Taylor Pope
The impact of the sideline is most important when the team is on defense. In
ultimate, as in most possession style games, the offense has a distinct
advantage. The offense is in control of where the future will take place on
the field and therefore offensive players are ABLE to be a step ahead of the
defense at all times. It is the job of the defenders to constantly anticipate
where the thrower would like to throw and when those spaces will be available,
while at the same time making decisions to force blocks. The defender has a
lot of responsibility. So how can you help this multitasker out?
Tell your defender things that they can’t see.
Tell the marker if the cutter is coming force or break side. Tell the mark
when they should strike*. Tell the mark to deny a certain throw if a cutter is
wide open. Look at the field and tell the mark about cuts that are coming from
far away. Tell everybody the disc is up. Tell the defender chasing a deep
cutter that the throw is not coming or that the disc was just swung to the
break side. Tell that same defender that he “is up” when the next pass is
logically coming to his guy. Tell a defender in the back of the stack, or
deepest, to “poach off” or “look to help” if one of your teammates is getting
beat deep. Tell a crafty defender to “poach off” when he is chasing deep but
will run right by the next for sure in cut.
Much of this takes practice on both ends. The voice needs to practice
efficiently getting your point across, anticipating the next logical offensive
move, and knowing who on the field is willing and ready to listen and quickly
react to their information. (Not sure how to assist the hearing impaired) And
practice this at practice because it is a skill to speak and to listen. Both
necessitate reactive timing only achieved through repetition.
I personally play better when I know my teammates got my back, are watching
me, and are using their precious energy reserves to help me help the team.
It’s a powerful thing.
*Strike- A code word often used to inform the marker that the next open side
throwing motion of the thrower will be for real and BITE heavy for the
handblock.
Taylor Pope
I am not going to write about history. I’m not going to write of how “zealots”
and “RSDers” alike bake their theory cake and top it with a little Spirit
icing so everybody thinks it will taste sweet. If I am going to talk about it,
it’s going to be about me and what I think, so here goes:
Spirit is respect. Respect for your opponent, respect for the situation, and
respect for right to play this game at any level you want.
Every elite team must first slog their way through some pretty easy games on
the road to Nationals. This year, Ring of Fire’s first game at Sectionals was
against a high school team. Easy crush, right? Sure, but that’s the best damn
thing about this sport. Any 7 people can get together, pay a Sectionals
tourney fee, and if you are good enough, win a national title. Here is how
Spirit plays out for me in those games. I will make and contest zero calls.
Wait, wait, wait… You might be thinking, “So you base your usage of the
rules on whether or not you think you will beat your opponent.” Answer: Yes. I
don’t make a lot of calls in general and I certainly have no reason to be
contesting most of the time, but I get embarrassed if my team starts calling
travels on some college player whose about to get spanked anyway.
What should you do if he’s breaking the rules? Chill, let it go, be a nice
person. But wait, “Shouldn’t you make a point to teach the inexperienced the
correct way to play the game, thereby holding him to the strict interpretation
of the 11th edition.” Answer: No. Let somebody else be that guy. And I’ll tell
you, that guy is out there just frothing at the chance to show someone his
rules prowess. You, instead, be the cool guy who wins like you were born to.
Change the setting to any game at nationals and you get a different picture.
The stakes are higher and so is the parity. Oh, and everybody at Nationals
should know the rules. Plus there are observers. Here rules are enforced to
the letter and everybody mostly agrees that to be okay and Spirited. Where
Spirit plays out here is in a respect for the situation. Everybody is playing
for that title. For most on the Elite teams, it can be pointed to as the most
important thing. That said, things get heated at Nationals.
I get heated at Nationals. I yell and curse and bitch and foul and spike and
taunt and if need be go down swinging at Nationals. I play physical, I
initiate contact and I will probably foul you once or twice in doing so. Let
me know it bothers you? I’ll do it even more, cause I am trying to win just
like you. I promise I’m not trying to hurt you. I love you. It’s just part of
the game, just like penalties and fouls in any other sport. You want that to
change? Change the rules. You may think that I have less respect for you, but
it is quite the contrary: it means I must play that way because you deserve to
experience the game the way it was meant to be played.
I will also say this, I am not alone. There is no team at Nationals that
doesn’t play physical defense, if there is I would ask how many bids their
Region must have got. But I will tell you this, win or lose, I will respect my
opponent who shared the field of battle with me. If you beat me, I hope I made
it worth your while. My Spirit is my soul, and Ultimate is one of those few
places where you can channel all that primal instinct and rage into something
beautiful, something that only those on the field with you can understand. The
sweat and blood and anger and passion is spread out on the field where it was
laid for all to witness. You can go around collecting it up, and holding it,
like the hate for that girl who dumped you and went out with your roommate, or
you can leave it there and have a beer with me.