Zone: Cup Fundamentals
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Loading ...Gwen’s point about a 4-person cup being able to push the disc back on dump/swings more than other zones brings up an important facet of any good cup–the ability to, at minimum, keep the disc from moving forward on dump-swing looks.
If a team can’t work the disc up using the easy dump-swing you’ll force them to resort to other methods–generally speaking, “other methods” means methods you’re more prepared to D and/or riskier throws, so this is a good thing.
As Gwen alludes, it’s the responsibility of the far point in the mark to lock down on the swing, or at least cut off the upfield passing lane:
As the disc is thrown to another handler, (assuming it is not on the sideline yet) the pusher/point on that side takes an angle to cut off the next swing pass, then closes in–sometimes to mark, sometimes to just take away the passing lane (depending on the positioning of the other pusher/point and the threats on the field).
This, I’ve found, is an often-neglected but crucial skill to teach your cup players–to not focus on where the disc is going, but where the disc might go next.
Other things I would list as “cup fundamentals:”
- Responding to actual threats, rather than the marker’s fakes–that is, knowing where the targets are behind you and ignoring the fakes to where they aren’t
- Along the lines, ‘flaring out’ as a cup to take away continues if the disc is swung all the way across the field, rather than sprinting straight to your ‘position’ and leaving somebody open in the backfield.
What’s on your list? How do you go about teaching this to your young cuppers? I’m traveling in Taiwan this week so I don’t (or rather, won’t–I’m typing this on Sunday) have time to do longer posts right now, but I’ll be back with clam/junk sets and transition zones next week.
