There are some basic concepts that everyone talks about to effectively break the mark:
- use your core to stay balanced while you fake and pivot to get your marker off balance;
- learn to fake and throw/release at different heights;
- engage your marker by drawing them closer or moving them side-to-side with your pivots.
However, my favourite ‘move’ to teach, regardless of playing level, is how to redefine your throwing lanes when you have the disc. Put more simply, don’t let the marker control your throwing lanes.
Almost all players catch the frisbee and then, if they don’t throw a continue pass right away, square up with the line of scrimmage irrespective of where the marker sets up. Likely the only adjustment that is made occurs at the sideline when players are often told to keep their behind to the sideline. But that adjustment is a general concept that can be used anywhere on the field.
Let’s start with the disc on the sideline example. When a thrower close to the sideline stands with her bum to the sideline instead of square with the line of scrimmage, she automatically shifts the throwing lanes to facilitate an easier dump pass to get the disc off the sideline. If marker shifts position in response, the thrower now has the upper hand and is dictating what/where the throwing lanes are and where she can throw. Doing the same thing away from the sideline often produces remarkable results. If the mark is forcing one- way, the thrower should square up to the marker instead of the line of scrimmage. In doing this, the thrower has now shifted the field and created different throwing lanes - the thrower is now playing the mark more straight- up. The inside-out throw looks more like a regular open-side throw and that step-around doesn’t really look like a step-around break anymore but looks more like another open-side throw. With a flat mark, the thrower should try turning his hips one direction or the other, so that they aren’t square with the marker and see what happens.
Whatever the mark, don’t simply square up to the line of scrimmage. Set yourself up so that you take control of your throwing lanes. And you might find that you never really seem to throw a ‘break mark’ throw…
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