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The
Stack
Ultimate is a game of flow. A good offense is
characterised by quick passes, one after the other, that quickly move up the
field. One of the most tell-tale signs of a beginner team is the problem of
'clogging'. With fourteen players on the field at any given time, twelve of
which are running in order to try and get open for the pass, things very quickly
get chaotic, and disorganized. People begin to find that it is difficult to
get open because someone is always in their way. Because picks are a violation
in ultimate, you also find that occasionally you must stop so that you don't
inadvertently pick an opponent. The most common strategy for reducing clogging
is called 'stacking'.
The idea behind the stack is simply to make room on the field. Essentially,
the players line up down the field from the disc. The first player lines up
about 15-20 yards away, and the other players line up behind, with a separation
of about 5-10 yards. Because ultimate is most commonly played using a 'player-on-player'
defense, this draws the opposing team into a similar configuration. The field
directly ahead of the disc is now opened up for pass reception. Generally,
players at the head of the stack (closest to the disc) are called 'handlers',
players in the middle are called 'mids', and players towards the end of the
stack are 'longs'.
Players can now make running plays to try and
get open for the pass. This is usually done in a cascade of 'cuts'. The player
at the beginning of the stack runs towards the thrower, and then cuts sharply
to the right or the left (those with knee injuries will want to moderate the
severity of the cut to reduce joint stress). This sharp cut usually gets the
player a step or two in front of the defense. It is important to get eye contact
with the thrower just before the cut. This running pattern gives the offense
good chances for leading passes (thrown in front of, not at, the running player).
If the thrower elects not to attempt a pass, the runner will circle back and
re-enter the stack (preferably near where they began). By the time the runner
begins to circle back, the second runner in the stack should already be making
her cut. It takes some 'field sense' in order to determine the optimum time
for making a cut, but you want the thrower to have a new pass option immediately
after an old one evaporates--this ensures best usage of the 10 second stall
count.
If the pass is received, someone further along in the stack should immediately
begin to run. This way, when the receiver (now thrower) turns around, a pass
option opens up right away.
Player '1' has just made a successful pass to Player '2', and has begun to
run up-field in order to re-enter the stack. Further up the stack, a mid has
just started running (#1). By the time '2' looks up-field, Cut #1 is already
happening--there should be an opportunity for a quick successive pass. If
#1 does not look good, another player in the stack should already be making
Cut #2. By the time #1 or #2 receives the pass, Player '1' may be ready to
receive another pass, or else they can look downfield towards the stack which
has now moved back a few yards.
Finally,
as mid-field is reached, players continue to make cuts, but 'longs' can now
begin to think about making a short cut inwards, and then attempting to make
runs at the end-zone. This is done while the handlers and mids continue to
attempt this steady cascading 'weave' up the field.
A player has just received the disc. They look down the field, and see that
Cut #1 is already happening. It is a long, who immediately turns down field
and breaks for the end-zone. If she is out-distancing her defender, it may
be possible to throw a long bomb for a scoring attempt. If it doesn't look
good, Cut #2 is already happening, and provides the opportunity for a short
pass. Otherwise, the previous thrower may be getting into position across
the field for a third option.
This cyclical type of play, with the cascade of cutting runners makes a very
fast flowing offense possible because the running patterns do not cross each
other chaotically. Instead, the offense attempts to set a tempo of short quick
passes, with the opportunity of surprise long passes to get the disc up the
field. When this is executed well, it is beautiful to watch.
There is no question that it takes a great deal
of practice to make these kinds of plays smooth. And when you look at the
diagrams that I have drawn, things look very complicated. When should you
run, and how? In this section, I'll discuss briefly the tactics at an individual
level that will make it possible for the stack to work for the team.
The key to the stack is order. By order, I mean
a nice sequence of running. It requires a sense of timing which may take some
time to develop. The idea is to always have someone cutting towards an open
space so that the thrower has opportunities to move the disc forward. If you
are the first cutter, begin running as soon as the disc is received. Make
eye contact with the thrower, then quickly go one way or the other. If the
thrower does not pass to you, get out of the way. By getting out of the way
quickly, you draw your defender with you. This give the next cutter an open
area to work with. If you are the second cutter, if you see that the disc
is not going to be thrown to the first, then begin running immediately, make
eye contact, and then a cut. Every run should be aimed at providing a new
pass opportunity immediately after the last.
As the disc moves down the field, the stack should be slowly backstepping
to follow the movement.
Once you've received your pass, turn around quickly
and look upfield. If your stack is good, someone should already be cutting.
This is your best chance to make a pass--before someone catches up to you
and begins counting.
If your team is running well, there should be an abundance of passing opportunities.
The most important thing in passing is to 'lead' the receiver by throwing
the disc ahead of them, not at them. A throw directly at the receiver will
cause them to try and immediately stop. If they cannot stop, the defender
will be right there to intercept the late pass. If the defender is too close,
you might consider waiting for the next cut. Try to meet the eyes of your
receiver just before they make the cut. This will give you an indication of
what's going to happen.
Finally, once you've released the disc, RUN. A common error is to stand and
watch your own pass. Everyone does it. But people who run right after they've
thrown the disc are very hard to cover--they usually end up ahead of their
defender by a couple of steps. Unless you're sure that the toss you just made
is a real stinker, just start running down the field. It might mean that you
get the pass right back.
If your team has developed enough to actually
have a stack and after you or anyone else on your team has cut you may hear
people yelling, "Clear Out" or "Don't Clog".
What is happening and why are people yelling?
The person (let's say you) who has cut to the
easiest open area of the field is now sort of hanging around making it next
to impossible for anyone else to cut to that area.
Why doesn't someone cut somewhere else?
If someone cuts to a spot behind you farther
down field then the thrower not only has to make a longer pass, but they have
to throw it around you, around your defender and to a much harder area of
the field.
If someone cuts to the other side of the field then the thrower has to try
to break the force and the defense will do everything that they can to not
let this happen.
What should I do now?
You should run like crazy to the back of the
stack (farthest from the disc), always looking to see if someone is going
to throw you the disc or you should come behind the disc for a dump (more
on this later). The main objective here is to get out of the way, BUT to also
run to an area where you may still be effective in the overall offence. If
you run to the back of the stack you may eventually have to come back in to
get the disc again or you may get a pass thrown to you while you are clearing
out that scores your team a point. You may also wind up behind the disc where
you are now a second option for the thrower. If no one is getting open down
field the thrower may turn to you and give you the disc (you still have to
work to get open).
As a side note for every player, Man, Woman, Experienced or New, there is
nothing wrong with throwing a dump pass. I repeat, there is nothing wrong
with throwing a dump pass. The best teams in the world have dump passes built
in to their offense. It changes the position of the disc on the field, thus
making the defense change position (this may allow for a split second of reaction
time in favour of the offence) and it gives your team another 10 seconds to
throw the disc.
For those of you who take this to heart, good, now look for the give and go
pass -- you may catch your defender napping.
If your team has the disc, the other team can't
score.
References
http://www.nunan.com/ultimate/docs/strategy.html
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