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Defense
- Player
The simplest approach to defense is player-on-player.
At the beginning of a point both teams line up on their endzone lines. Each
player on the team that is pulling will pick an opposing player to mark. With
player-on-player defense (commonly known – at the risk of being sexist – as
a "man" defense) you stay as close to your opponent as you can, following
them whenever they make a cut, and trying to beat them to the disc. The problem
with this kind of defense is that it is very tiring and there are often "mismatched"
players– for instance, a tall player being marked by a short one, or a very
fast player being marked by a slower player. Introducing some simple defensive
strategies will help your team apply a much more effective player-on-player
defense. [1]
The defender marking the player with the disc
can limit where the thrower can throw to by positioning themselves so that
they block off one side of the pitch. For instance, if the defender stands
on the thrower’s left, the thrower can then only throw to their right. By
doing this, the pitch is effectively divided into two parts: the "open" side
that the thrower can throw to, and the "closed" (or "blind") side which they
can’t throw to.
This is called "establishing a force" on the thrower, because the marker is
forcing them to throw in one direction only. If a good strong force is put
on the thrower, the disc should never go to the closed side, so the rest of
the defensive team theoretically now only have half the work to do – they
only need to cover their player when he or she cuts to the open side.
Make sure that you do not get drawn too far towards the open side, as a thrower
that is quick at pivoting will turn and throw around your force before you
have time to react. Don’t try to get a block on a pass to the open side, as
they may be faking in order to pull you out of position and break the force.
Finally, it’s vital that you let your team-mates know which way you are forcing.
Call "Home" or "Away" when you start marking the thrower, to indicate the
direction in which you are forcing. Your team-mates will then know which side
of the pitch to cover without having to turn and look.
Face guarding refers to defending by always
facing the player you are marking and always trying to stay between them and
the disc. They will usually run directly at you, trying to get you to turn
away.
In face-marking, each defender stands about three meters in front of their
player, facing them, and slightly to the forced (open) side. You should try
to maintain a position which is in a direct line to where the cutter is trying
to cut. You will need to back-pedal (run backwards) as the cut starts and
the offensive player closes the gap between them.
You should remain facing your player until you hear an "up!" call, regardless
of how many times the cutter dukes, fakes and baulks. Turning to look away
from your player gives them the opportunity to get away from you. It is also
a good idea to focus on the belly-button of the cutter, as this is the center
of mass, so that head fakes and leg fakes can be ignored. You should go for
the lay-out block when the disc is thrown.
The problem with face guarding is that a disc
can often come close enough to get a block on, but because you are looking
away you miss the chance. Most defenders prefer to watch the disc as well
as their player. This has the advantage that you are more likely to be able
to get a block on the disc since you can see when it is thrown, but the problem
is that you are not focussing all of your attention on the player you are
marking. This tends to make it easier for them to get away. There are different
levels of this sort of defense, ranging from the occasional glance toward
the disc, to facing the disc and trying to defend by looking over your shoulders.
The most common is side marking, where the defender stands slightly on the
open side of their player, the thrower is almost directly to one side and
their player directly on the other side. By turning your head slightly you
can see both the disc and your player. The cutter will usually try and sprint
past you on the open side, as this is the way to make you turn the most. You
should be aware of this cut and try and position yourself so that the cutter
has to cut through you to make it.
One of the other possibilities is facing the disc all of the time. This is
very difficult to do well, and a good cutter will usually get free eventually.
The aim is to watch the disc, but know where the cutter is all the time. This
can be done by both looking and listening. Without looking at the cutter,
it is possible to tell where they are by listening to footsteps, both rhythm
and loudness, as well as breathing and any calls they are making. This information
is combined with other clues, such as shadows (this is easy at night when
the ground is lit), where the thrower is looking, and the occasional glance
over the shoulder. If done well this can be very effective, although it is
susceptible to a cut away from the disc, since you may only notice an absence
of clues. [2]
No matter how hard you try, your player will
sometimes receiver the disc. If this happens your priority is to stop the
flow. The aim of a flow offence is to move the disc quickly down one flank
of the pitch. If you were close to your player when they receive the disc
you should be able to quickly get across and block the pass down the flank,
thus forcing them to throw back towards the center of the pitch. It is extremely
important not to give up even if your marker is getting away from you, because
you may still be able to stop the flow if you are close enough.
Bear in mind that if you have stopped the flow by blocking the pass up the
line, you have quite possibly also changed the direction of the force (what
was the open side has now become the closed side and vice versa). It’s important
to communicate this to the rest of your team by calling either "home" or "away".
[1]
Playing player-to-player defense starts with
a good force and everyone denying the player that they are covering to get
open on the forced side of the field.
Often times when playing person-to-person defense,
the disc will begin on the sideline or work its way there. A team may take
advantage of this by forcing the disc up the sideline and allowing one person
to play in the narrow passing lane. This set up is called a sideline trap
and is shown below. When a defender sits in the passing lane guarding no specific
player while the other defenders still play person-to-person, this defender
is said to be poaching. [3]
It is easy to make generalizations about what
the defenders should be doing. In reality, it depends a lot on who they are
marking, both in terms of where their receiver is standing and the physical
attributes of the receiver.
It should also be kept in mind that ultimate is a team game. Just because
you have shut your man down doesn't mean that your team won't be scored on.
Part of playing good defense is playing good team defense as well.
By short here, we mean short as in close to the
disc, not vertically challenged!
Generally the best spot to set up is about 3-4m in front of the receiver,
slightly towards the open side. The defender is relying on the marker to stop
any throws on the break side, so he allows a small amount of leeway on that
side. It is much more important to make sure the receiver does not get free
on the open side. The receiver will usually run at the defender, fake to throw
the defender off, and then run hard in a direction. To avoid the receiver
getting free, the defender needs to be able to stay in front of the receiver,
usually by running backwards so that he can see the receiver. As soon as the
defender has to turn around it is much easier for the receiver to get free.
In Brief:
Face the receiver
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Try and maintain the
distance between you and the receiver as the receiver runs at you
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Avoid turning around
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If the receiver fakes
a direction change, follow slightly, but do not commit until you are sure
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You can let the defender
get a little further in front on the break side than the open side, as the
marker shouldn't be letting the thrower throw that side
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Marking deep players is slightly different. To
mark the deepest player, the defender should usually stand just behind
the receiver, and on the open side. This is so that if the thrower hucks long,
the defender is in a better position to get the disc, as he is further back.
Obviously, it allows the receiver to make easier cuts in for the disc, but
this is much better than having a goal scored.
Once the disc is called up, the defenders should
glance around to see where the disc is. It is possible that they could make
a play on it. This is more important if the call is "Up long", as conceivably
quite a few players will have a play on the disc. The defenders need as much
time as possible to have a chance to establish good position early.
If used correctly, switching is a good method
of shutting down a good cut. If used poorly, it is a good way of leaving a
man completely open. Switching requires good timing and understanding. There
are two main sorts of switch.
The first is the lazy switch, where the players are simply switching because
the other's receiver is closer. As with all switches, both defenders need
to know who their new receiver is. They should also make sure that they are
not causing a defensive mismatch eg a short fast player marking a tall player.
The second is a switch on to a cutter. The player calling the switch will
usually be near the front of the stack and will see a cutter coming from deep.
He should wait as long as possible to call the switch, and at the last minute
change receivers. This allows the other defender time to pick up the free
man, without giving the free man too much time to plan a cut. The switcher
needs to talk to the other defender to make sure the free player is picked
up.
Once players have played together for a while, they may be able to switch
just by glancing at each other and nodding, or something similar. Switching
is not recommended for beginners, as it teaches bad habits.
Poaching is generally looked down upon in ultimate
as "a bad thing", mostly because it is a sign of laziness in defense. If used
wisely and sparingly it can be remarkably effective, but it leaves free men
around the field and can result in large yardage gains for the offensive team
if punished. There are a number of different ways of poaching.
The first is a straight out zone poach, where the poacher takes up a position
in the main cutting lane and basically ignores his own receiver. This is only
effective when either the thrower is weak or the receiver is weak, so that
the chance of a pass from one to the other is small.
The second is a temporary switch, where the poacher sees a cutter coming from
deep and switches for long enough to discourage the thrower from throwing
to the cutter, before switching back to his own receiver. The switch can involve
actual marking, or just a flaring out into the cutting lane but has the same
effect.
A third type of poach is an active attempt to get a block. This involves the
poacher seeing somebody else's receiver in a position to receive a pass, but
where the pass if thrown could still be intercepted. The poacher hopes that
by not watching the disc, the thrower will think the pass is on, and hence
throw it. The poacher has to guess when the pass will be thrown, and then
turn around hoping the disc will be there to intercept. This can be effective
if the timing is right. [2]
To be a useful team defense, there needs to be
more than individuals doing the defending. This is where communication comes
in. There needs to be communication between defenders and markers, between
defenders and other defenders, and between players on the sideline and players
on the field.
There are a number of ways defenders and markers
can help each other by talking. Already we have seen the use of "Up", "Up
long" and "Break" calls by the marker to let the defender know the disc is
in the air or the force has been broken.
A common call from the defender to the marker is "No out" or "No break". This
is used when the receiver is open on the break side and tells the marker to
make doubly sure that there is no break of force, even if the open side throw
is much easier. The other one that is often used is the "Strike" call, which
asks the marker to switch the force for a second or two to shut down an open
side cut.
This is most important when switching and poaching,
as well as in zone and clam defenses.
The sideline can see which side cutters are coming
in from and where the greatest points of danger are on the field. They are
therefore in the best position to communicate with the marker and tell them
what to do. This may include telling them which way to force, not to let the
thrower break, to switch the force, to get their hands up or down, etc. It
is better to let the defender call strikes since they are better able to judge
when they have been burnt!
Often it is hard for the marker to make "Up"
and "Break" calls loudly and quickly. This can be because they are out of
breath or because they are more easily fooled by fakes. The players who are
standing on the sideline can help the other players by making these calls
as well. Also, the sideline has a better perspective on the game than the
players on the field, so they can call to specific players, for example
if they can make a play on the disc, but have their back to it.
This is a very important part of communication, and is one reason the sideline
is often called the eighth man.[2]
References
[1] Ian "Scott" Scotland Issue 34, November 1996,
Page 11 British Ultimate Federation (BUF) Newsletter Ultimatum
[2] Tom Brennan and Jonathan Potts http://www.afda.com/skills/
[3] Athan Spiros http://www.iam.ubc.ca/~spiros/playbook/
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