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Marking
The Thrower
 In
a player-to-player defense, the marker is responsible for preventing the thrower
from throwing the disc to a large area of the field. The team should agree
in advance on a significant object or objects on each side of the field, say
a clubhouse on one side and trees on the other, or use generic terms such
as "Home" and "Away" which can apply to any field. The marker then calls a
force, eg "Force clubhouse", which means that he will only let the thrower
throw to that side of the field. He does this by standing at about 45° to
the thrower on the opposite side to the force. The defenders then assume that
throws are far more likely to come to the force side, and defend accordingly.
It is the marker’s responsibility not to let the thrower throw in the opposite
direction to the force. If this happens, it is called a break of force, and
often results in the opposition getting two or three easy passes in a row,
as the defenders are assuming that the force will be held. If a break happens,
the marker should call "Break" loudly and clearly for the benefit of the defenders.
Which direction to choose to force in the first
place is determined by the marker, but influenced by a number of factors.
Often a team will have a plan in advance for which way to force in any given
situation. These include:
The thrower is always forced towards the middle
of the field. This is quite common, as it stops teams from stringing a number
of passes together down a sideline ("Flow").
The thrower is always forced towards the nearest
sideline. This is used against teams with weaker throwers, as it leaves only
a very small area on the side of the field for the thrower to throw into.
The disadvantage is that with good throwers, it leaves the endzone fairly
open, and makes goals off one or two passes much more likely.
Always force to a particular side eg "Force clubhouse",
regardless of where the thrower is. This is easy for both marker and defender
as they always know how to mark up, but suffers from the same danger as force
line.
The thrower is always forced into/against the
wind. This is also effective against weak throwers.
The first throw is forced towards the nearest
sideline, but after that, the plan reverts to some other force. This is designed
to make the first pass difficult, but removes the disadvantage of always forcing
line.
Force up, or force straight up, means that the
marker stands directly in front of the thrower, and does not force to a particular
side. This is usually only used for a couple of seconds, to prevent the thrower
getting a quick pass away. The marker then reverts to a directional force.
It may however be used effectively to stop teams who are hucking a lot, but
places a heavy load on the defenders. It can also be used against weak throwers.
Marking is an active process, not a passive one.
It involves reacting to whatever the thrower is doing to try to make any throw
a more difficult one. The harder the marker works, and the better the mark,
the less work defenders have to do to shut down their receivers.
So how do you put a good mark on a thrower? The following are general tips
to improve your marking if you are not already doing them:
You have to be able to react and move quickly,
and this is not possible if you are back on your heels. You have much better
balance if you are leaning slightly forwards.
Crouch down, or at least bend your knees slightly.
If you are marking well you should feel the effort in your quads. This allows
you to get your hands low and also gives you much better balance.
This also helps your balance. Obviously though,
if you are trying to prevent a high throw, that arm will have to be up. In
general, the arm on the force side should always be as low as possible, since
it is much harder to throw a good throw from higher up.
Many throwers make weak fakes without ever intending
to throw. If you can pick these up, you will not be sucked in to following
them and leaving an easy throw open.
It is not your job to block an open side throw.
That is the defenders’ responsibility. If you let the thrower break because
you tried too hard to block an open side throw, that is your fault.
This allows the defenders to glance around to
see where the disc is, since they will otherwise be watching the receivers.
If the throw is hucked, call "Up long", to allow the people marking the opposing
deep players time to see the disc. [4]
 All
of the Basic Marking tips are generalizations. Most of the tips will apply
to most players, but for really good marking, nothing beats knowing the thrower.
If you know which throws a thrower prefers, which fakes they use and how they
like to break the force, you can modify your marking style and you are far
more likely both to get hand blocks and mark more effectively.
There are also times in the game when a standard mark is inappropriate, and
something different is called for. Being able to recognize these situations
is important, and knowing how to react to them even more so.
Usually it is better to keep both your hands
low, since low throws tend to be more dangerous, but this is not always the
case. If you are marking a player who likes hammers or high backhands then
it may be wise to keep your right hand up. This gives you a chance of blocking
either of these high release throws.
As mentioned above, try not to fall for obvious
or weak fakes. This is easier if you know the thrower, since they tend to
use the same fakes to try to throw you off.
There are a few times in a game when a force
to one side is inappropriate. Usually this is just after a huck, when you
may be marking the person who has just caught the huck, and there is a man
free in the endzone. The thrower will be trying to hit this man before the
rest of the defense catches up. In this case, it is your job to make it as
difficult for the thrower for as long as possible. The best way is to use
a straight up force. This means that instead of standing to one side of the
thrower, you stand directly in front and try and block any throw. Usually
it is best to drop back a meter or two to maximize the time you have to see
the disc coming. This type of force will only be used for a few seconds, until
the defense has time to regroup.
There are also times in the game when it is obvious that the thrower wants
to huck the disc, mostly when someone is running free long. You need to recognize
these situations and make it as difficult as possible for the thrower to get
a good long throw off. This will most often involve a straight up force. Follow
all of the fakes, because it is important to make the huck as difficult as
possible, even at the cost of an easy short throw. Recognize that most players
prefer to huck backhand, so overplay the backhand side of the force to stop
them. As with a straight up force, you will only usually need to mark like
this for a few seconds.
If you have particularly good game sense or peripheral
vision, you may be able to tell where the potential receivers are. In this
case you can overplay that side of the force a little. One way you may be
able to tell is by watching the thrower’s eyes - it is difficult to fake effectively
with your eyes. Another way is from communication from defenders and the sideline.
"No break!" is a call to overplay the break side. "Strike!" is a call from
a defender to switch the force to the other side for a second, as a receiver
is open on the open side.
The marker is allowed to stand one disc width
from the thrower, but it is not always best to stand this close. Against weak
throwers, it is fine to pressure them by standing as close as possible. However,
against strong throwers who enjoy throwing inside-out and break passes, it
is often best to drop back about a meter. The advantage of this is that there
is an extra fraction of a second after the throw for the marker to get their
hand in position for a block, particularly against the inside-out pass. In
theory this may seem insignificant, but in practice that fraction of a second
is often the difference between a throw going under or over the marker's hand
and the marker getting the block. The other advantage is that if a block is
made, it is much less likely to be called for a foul because the disc is more
likely to have left the thrower's hand.
On the down side, there is less pressure on wide throws to the open side,
and it is a little easier to break the force with a wide throw since the marker
has moved their body away from blocking the break side. The advantages appear
to outweigh the disadvantages, however.
A strike occurs when the marker temporarily switches
the direction of the force. There are a couple of instances when this comes
in useful.
The first is when there is a high stall count on the thrower already. If the
count is at 8 or 9 it is obvious that the thrower will have to throw almost
immediately. The usual throw is a huck on the open side. By employing a strike,
the marker may be suddenly in a position to block this throw, since they are
now standing on what was previously the open side. There is then a good chance
of a stall, throwaway or block.
The second is called by one of the defenders. If the man being defended by
one of the defenders gets free on the open side, the defender may call "Strike".
This tells the marker to switch force for a second or two to stop the easy
pass to this cutter. After a second, the marker will switch back, by which
stage hopefully the defender will be close to their man again, or the pass
will no longer look so inviting. This is not a good call to make if there
are also men free on the break side, and it should be used carefully. The
marker needs to be listening carefully to make sure they switch immediately.
Along with layouts, hand blocks are one of the
big psych-inducing plays in a game of Ultimate. However, hand blocks are not
something that can be generated at will, despite some people's thoughts to
the contrary. They are a combination of good positioning and balance, support
from defenders, quick reactions, the right (wrong??) throw, and a certain
amount of luck. As well, they are not something that should be aimed for.
Actively attempting hand blocks tends to be a sure fire way to let the thrower
get an easy break.
The best way to improve your chances of getting hand blocks is simply to improve
your general marker defense. A hard mark should make any kind of break throw
a risky proposition at best and a guaranteed turnover at worst. A hard mark
is not much use though unless the defenders are doing their job.
If the thrower always has an easy open side throw, not even the best marker
in the world is going to get a hand block. As a result, hand blocks are as
much an effort of the defenders as the marker.
The number one mistake when marking a good player is to mark too close. Marking
close is effective against inexperienced players because they are usually
too intimidated to pivot well and get around the force. Most good players,
on the other hand look at a close mark as being a license to break the force.
I have found that standing back about a meter from the thrower has improved
my marking a great deal. The distance to stand back is a personal thing, but
it gives you a split second of extra time after the thrower releases the disc.
This allows you to move your arms, and may be the difference between getting
the block and having the throw go over or under your arm. The other reason
to stand back is to do with fouls. If you are a meter away and get your hand
on the disc, it is unlikely that the disc is still in the thrower's hand.
If you are right up close and get your hand on the disc there is a good chance
that it is still in the thrower's hand, and you will have a strip or foul
called against you. Standing off a bit reduces the chance of a block being
called a foul.
The other things to increase chances of hand blocks are standard things to
improve marker defense. Keep your weight low and between your feet. This improves
your balance, and makes it much easier to slide around to either side to stop
a throw. Have your knees bent, and move your whole body and not just your
arms when covering the thrower. It is too easy to keep your feet still and
simply reach out with your arms. The further you try to reach, the less balanced
you are and the higher the likelihood that you will not be able to follow
the thrower as effectively when they pivot.
Watch the disc, the eyes of the thrower and their navel. The eyes tell you
where the thrower wants to throw. The navel shows you where the center of
mass of the thrower is. They will not be able to pivot without moving it,
so it is better than being faked out by head fakes, body fakes and leg fakes.
The disc should be watched with care. You need to watch the disc to be able
to move your hands to get a block, but you also need to avoid being taken
in by disc fakes. Keep your hands low. This is most important for the hand
on the open side. Most break throws on this side go under the hand of the
marker. The positioning of the other hand depends a bit on your knowledge
of the thrower. If you think they are likely to throw a hammer or high backhand,
then keeping that hand high is a better idea. Otherwise, keep that hand low
also. It tends to take longer to throw these high throws effectively, so you
can always move your hands if the thrower winds up for one of these.
Finally, if the thrower goes for a hammer, jump for it. Even if it is a fake,
it usually takes them almost as much time to recover as it does for you. Letting
a hammer out on the break side is no better for your team than a forehand
or a backhand.
So, in summary, the main points are:
Stand
back
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Watch
disc, eyes, navel
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Keep
balanced
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Hands
low
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Know
your thrower
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Above
all, remember that marking is an active process, and not a passive one. You
are trying to prevent the thrower from getting an easy pass away - make it
hard for him. Keep moving, keep your hands active, but don’t let them break.[4]
References
[1] Mich’s Guide to Ultimate http://www.vul.bc.ca/part1.htm
[2] Ultimate: Beginner's Notes http://www.sunnybrook.utoronto.ca:8080/~liu/ultimate/strategy/stack.html
[3] Jim Parinella http://www.tiac.net/users/parinell/tip4
[4] Tom Brennan and Jonathan Potts http://www.afda.com/skills/
[5] Alan Harder http://www.menalto.com/EbbAndFlow/drills/CuttingTips.html
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