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Offense
- Flow
The simplest form of offensive play in Ultimate
is called ‘flow offence’. Flow offense revolves around the stack and a series
of well times cuts which have the disk flowing up the pitch in a succession
of throws. Almost all teams use this as the basis of their offensive style.
Wherever the disk is being played from on the
Ultimate pitch, the offensive team forms a line between that position and
the center of the endzone which they are attacking. The position of the stack
will change everytime there is a breakdown in the flow. The players stand
at intervals along this line which is effectively a ‘neutral zone’. This is
where players go to rest or to prepare for a cut.
By forming a stack the sides of the field are free to cut into. If a cut is
unsuccessful the player should get back to the stack before making another
cut. At the start of each point, players are given "positions" which they
well play throughout the point. These positions determine the part of the
stack that they will occupy. There are three basic recognized positions in
Ultimate: "handler", "middle" and "endzone" (or "long"). In the flow offence
there are three handlers, two middles and two endzones. Depending on the position
your are given your role will vary, as will the type of cut you should be
making.
Handlers are usually the more skillful throwers.
They will pick up the disc at the beginning of a point or after a turnover
and make the first (usually the most difficult) pass. In a flow offense, handlers
set the flow in motion, as the first pass will normally be from one handler
to another handler as he or she make the "first-cut". As a first-cut you should
position yourself at the bottom of the stack nearest the thrower and no more
than ten meters away. The timing of the first cut is easy, since you make
your cut any time after the thrower has taken possession of the disc (and
before the stall count reaches ten!). You don’t have to worry about being
in the right place at the right time, just your ability to lose your marker.
There is a tendency to think that your fastest player should be first-cut
so that they can get free easily for the first pass. However, they will often
be more effective as middles or endzones where speed is a definite advantage.
Also, good defensive teams will match up fast defenders on your fast players,
so speed alone will not make a good handler. Much more important for first-cut
is confidence and decisiveness. A good decisive cut will lose your marker
ninety percent of the time, whereas hesitant shuffling is easy to mark. Decide
before your cut what you are going to do (e.g. three steps up-field then a
hard cut back towards the thrower – Figure below).
Having
got free and caught the disc you have started the flow in motion. You should
be able to look up-field and see a middle cutting out to the side in lots
of space for you to make a pass to.
Middles
These players play in the middle of the stack
and are usually fast and good catchers. They are sometimes called second-cuts
because they are normally one of the second player to cut from the stack.
The middles often have to receive fast throws or make up a lot of ground to
catch a throw as they attempt to gain substantial yardage up field.
The key to this position is timing. You are a crucial link between the handlers
and the endzones and if your timing is out the flow will come to an unceremonious
halt. Your cut should be timed so that when the first-cut receives the disc
and looks upfield you are starting to get free and heading for the sideline.
If you go too early you will be running off the side of the pitch before the
first-cut has a chance to get into a throwing position. A general rule should
be "better late". The earliest that a second-cut should be looking to go is
when the first-cut is just about to catch the disc. Again, it is important
to be decisive about your cut, otherwise you will easy to mark.
A middle should also be looking to make substantial ground towards the endzone
so you either need to position yourself towards the top of the stack cutting
back down field or in the middle of the stack cutting up field (see Figure
below).
Endzones
These players are usually fast, agile and athletic.
Their work is tireless as they are the players you throw to to score a point
in the endzone. Much like forwards in soccer, you do a lot of running for
little reward, except the glory of scoring the points. This is a highly under-rated
position; it takes great skill and timing to play this position well and a
team that does not have a quality endzone player will struggle to score.
Again, this position requires timing – you need to be getting free as the
second-cut gets into position to throw to you ("better late"). Don’t just
hang around in the endzone hoping someone will pass to you, because they won’t.
Don’t just cut straight out to the side as you’ll be easy to cover. As an
endzone player you have to be decisive and cunning in your cutting as players
will mark that much tighter in the endzone.
The simplest cut is to head towards the back corner of the endzone then cut
back towards the thrower (see Figure below).
Don’t
worry about catching the disc in the endzone – just catch the disc! Perhaps
a better cut is to start by running towards the thrower and then cutting up
the field for the corner of the endzone. This way you are receiving a leading
pass taking you into the endzone.
Putting it all together gives you the basic flow
offense. So in summary, the flow offense starts when one of the offensive
team’s handlers picks up the disc either from the pull or after a turnover.
Even before this has happened, the rest of the team forms a stack. The handler
then makes a pass to the "first-cut" (who is normally another handler). The
first-cut in turn makes a pass to one of the middles (or second-cut). Finally,
the middle makes a throw into the endzone to one of the endzone players, to
score a point. The whole flow will normally be up one flank of the pitch.
The Figure below shows the flow offense.
Adding
it up, there are four players involved in the basic flow offense, but this
doesn’t mean that the other three have nothing to do. The other three players
are safety players who step in if any part of the flow breaks down. So if
the first-cut can’t get free then the safety handler would take over and become
the first-cut. Similarly for the safety middle and safety endzone.
It’s all so simple, isn’t it! The flow offense often doesn’t (flow) and there
are some common mistakes that will always turn into sticky treacle;
Handlers for some reason often think they have to "help out" when the last
thing that is needed is their help. If handlers do not give time and space
for the middles to cut you get an effect called (wind) milling, where all
you get is a succession of short passes going nowhere for a lot of effort.
The same will happen if the seconds can’t nail the timing ("better late"),
or if they are indecisive about their cuts. Players not clearing out (returning
to the stack after an unsuccessful cut) will block the passing lanes and cause
a return to the dreaded milling.
Get it right though and your flow will be unstoppable.
Scott Scotland World Ultimate Magazine Issue
33, April 1996, Pages 10 and 11 http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/public/ca/ad943925/bufscot1.htm
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