Thoughts. » Offense http://www.ultimatethoughts.com Ultimate Ramblings Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:30:21 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 The One-Step Cut as a Setup for the Setup http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2010/03/the-one-step-cut-as-a-setup-for-the-setup.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2010/03/the-one-step-cut-as-a-setup-for-the-setup.html#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:00:28 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/?p=666 At Dartmouth we’ve been advocating strongly for our cutters to work hard to set up their cuts: “Seven Hard Steps” is an oft-repeated mantra, a reminder of the time and effort needed to really set up your defender and, equally important, to create space to attack when one plants and makes a real cut.

But I still see bunches of guys who, when forced under, do what I’ll call the one-step cut–one hard step in one direction (usually right at the defender) and then a turn and commit cut in the other direction.

Oldest cut in the book, right? Can work for cutters like myself with a quick first step and good acceleration, but good defenders can keep up with this move–it’s a quick fake setting up a footrace.

The cut may be fundamentally lacking, but at Kaimana (and previously, but only now have I begun thinking about it) I found it actually makes a great decoy.

Given that probably 90% of the time when a cutter makes the one-step cut their movement in the other direction is a committed cut, I’ve gotten in the habit of using the one-step cut to sell the notion that my next move is my real cut to my defender–only to plant and run them the other way those critical 5-7 steps later. Good defenders typically anticipate some kind of fake or setup, and the one-step cut can fulfill that condition for a defender and lull them into a false sense of confidence at having “read your move”.

Of course, the fundamentals of cutting–footwork, cutting hard enough that the defender has to respect it, finding space–all come in to play too, but it’s a quick and easy move to throw in, not as the basis for your cutting, but as a tool you can whip out and throw in for a change of pace. (The same applies for jukes as well–use them to keep your defender honest).

Related posts:

  1. Defend Smarter, Not Harder
  2. Cutting Thought: It’s Stoppin’
  3. Cutting Thought: A Mind for Adjustments

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2010/03/the-one-step-cut-as-a-setup-for-the-setup.html/feed 1 Forehand Throws and Foot Turns: Follow-Up on the IO Foot http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/12/forehand-throws-and-foot-turns-follow-up-on-the-io-foot.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/12/forehand-throws-and-foot-turns-follow-up-on-the-io-foot.html#comments Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:00:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/12/forehand-throws-and-foot-turns-follow-up-on-the-io-foot.html I tried to dig up a couple pictures of what I was talking about last week with the “IO Foot”; Keeghan Uhl’s gallery of Nationals provided a few useful pictures.

Without further ado:

This picture provides one angle on the IO foot. The throw isn’t explicitly IO–which is to say, this could just be a flat throw to the open side–but you’ll note that the foot position forces the knee to follow and wind up in a position which allows a fairly clean follow-through of the arm in front of the leg.

This picture shows essentially the same position as the prior one, but from a slightly different angle. You’ll note the release point, which is both low and well in front of the knee–again, this is not explicitly an IO throw (thought note the slight tilt), but I hope it’s fairly apparent that a throw from a similar position could penetrate a mark for a low-release break.


This picture is a great example of how the IO foot can be applied in game (though the foot block is a perpetual menace for low releases). Check the distance the thrower is able to penetrate from where his pivot foot (and presumably weight) was.  Note the direction the foot points, relative to the throwing direction–pretty close to perpendicular*.  Any mark within a few feet is a candidate for the step-through, IO forehand break.
*I know I referenced “past perpendicular” in the prior post, and that may have been a bit hyperbolic–I get there sometimes, but it’s more instructive as a cue than a hard-and-fast rule.

I’d love to hear thoughts from people who get by with other stepping/throwing techniques.  I know there’s a decent-sized camp that points the foot upfield and releases outside of the knee rather than inside, and I’m curious as to how that plays for making IO breaks in particular.

Related posts:

  1. Forehand Throws and Foot Turns
  2. Balance Revisited: Throwing With Your Weight Set
  3. Throwing Thought: Balance for Short and Long Throws

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/12/forehand-throws-and-foot-turns-follow-up-on-the-io-foot.html/feed 5 Forehand Throws and Foot Turns http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/12/forehand-throws-and-foot-turns.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/12/forehand-throws-and-foot-turns.html#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/12/forehand-throws-and-foot-turns.html I was asked last week about foot placement on forehand hucks. I’ve been meaning to write about foot placement for a while now, and for something so seemingly simple there’s actually a decent amount of nuance to it, so this likely won’t be the only post on the topic.

Some general points on stepping and throwing a forehand:

  • Definitely turn the hips when you step to throw. When I step forward for a break, my toe always points “out,” (my heel us turned to point in to my midline; the foot as a whole comes to, if not past, perpendicular). The hip turn allows you to step farther (it’s easier to step “forward” than it is to step out to the side); the foot turn further facilitates the hip turn, and gives a better angle for the arm on an IO/low release throw.
  • Incidentally, this foot turn is something me and a couple buddies refer to as “the IO foot.” Try it on your backhands too (turning the same way, so you heel is placed farther away and your toe points more upfield)!
  • My arm comes in front of my knee in all situations in which I’m throwing an IO break (particularly the low release), and in many low-release situations as well. Very rarely do I get low by squatting or hunching; taking a full step tends to win out over a stationary squat for getting throws past the mark, in my experience.

For hucking, I’m still working out some different techniques.

  • You can huck from a stepping-forward position (using the momentum of your step in the throw). I’ve found this to be effective to a point, but ultimately lacking in power (could be my body mechanics or a lack of strength, but throwing this way I struggle to put it past 40 yards in moderate conditions (ie not still, but not a heavy upwind/downwind).
  • Lately however I’ve been focusing more on using my shoulder to launch the disc with good success, from standing or stepping positions–and I’ve been finding stepping sideways (or at least, with less forward) gives me more range of motion at the shoulder before release and thus more power on the huck. Grip’s the biggest concern for me there; depending on the day I can only put so much power behind it before my grip can’t keep up. Takes some work for sure, but pending more game-use to test it I think it’s a lot more functional at getting a throw off quickly and powerfully.


I’d like to get some video or other visual aid up here eventually; I’ll see about some photography (or browse some photo sites for examples) to aid this explanation. The IO foot made a huge difference in my throwing, so practice and use it well!

Related posts:

  1. Forehand Throws and Foot Turns: Follow-Up on the IO Foot
  2. Throwing Thought: Forehand Hucks (Response to Issue #10: "Throwing for Distance")
  3. Throwing Thought: Balance for Short and Long Throws

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/12/forehand-throws-and-foot-turns.html/feed 9 Balance Revisited: Throwing With Your Weight Set http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/10/balance-revisited-throwing-with-your-weight-set.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/10/balance-revisited-throwing-with-your-weight-set.html#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/10/balance-revisited-throwing-with-your-weight-set.html Simple cue, significant results.

Get your weight set on your throwing (non-pivot) foot before you throw.

To put it a little differently, you should be balanced with your weight on your throwing foot during your release. I like to cue a balanced “finish” position (stepped-out, at full extension or what-have-you) on the follow-through, as it encourages stability throughout the whole throwing motion.

You might counter with a “hey, I use my step to transfer power to my throw!”, and that can still apply; you’re still shifting weight away from your pivot foot and on to the throwing one. Trouble in throwing consistency arises when a thrower shifts her weight too quickly and releases before she is set (or never reaches a set position at all). At some point, that power of your step is transferred through your body to the disc (via a stable rotating torso and relaxed arm); when the legs’ role in generating power is finished, they should be stable and balanced.

The best throwers make it look easy and fluid, quickly stepping or pivoting into a strong release. The fluidity belies the stability and balance necessary. Take your time and deliberately practice getting your weight set (when tossing, or warming up) before you incorporate the quick shifts necessary for high-level success.

There are always exceptions; athleticism can trump fundamentals, but one of the two can be taught.

Related posts:

  1. Throwing Thought: Balance
  2. Throwing Thought: Balance for Short and Long Throws
  3. Throwing Thought: the Windup

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/10/balance-revisited-throwing-with-your-weight-set.html/feed 2 Why Cutters Should Read the Mark, Too http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/10/why-cutters-should-read-the-mark-too.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/10/why-cutters-should-read-the-mark-too.html#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:07:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/10/why-cutters-should-read-the-mark-too.html Just think about the times you’ve had the disc and SEEN the gaping holes in the mark–Somebody CUT here so I can throw it!–but had nothing coming.

This is in part a problem of experience; cutters need to learn what their throwers can and can’t do (and what they want to do–these are all things you can communicate to one another). It’s also a matter of recognition; a cutter that can tell what a mark is giving and set up cuts to that space will ALWAYS be a threat.

All cutters do this to some extent already–cutting to the open side while shirking the break side is this notion applied at a basic level.

The nuance comes in reading how the mark is set up. Is the mark shading on the around, leaving an opening for an IO break? Is she more straight-up, leaving space laterally? The more a cutter can adjust her cut to make the throw easier, the more effective a cutter she is.

Think of the dump, or a force middle. It’s often the case that the mark will be shifting to take away what you originally thought was open–in a force middle, a cutter can adjust his cut from directly behind the mark to angle towards mid-field (or wider to the sideline for a break around the mark); a dump cutter can change from an aggressive cut to space to one coming closer to the thrower, allowing for an easier throw.

Of course good throwers will be able to force a mark to move and create holes to exploit–and again, experience comes in to play here to avoid miscues. Offense is a team effort; it’s never just the cutter or the thrower who does it all. The more you can leverage your two (cutter and thrower) against their one (marker), the greater your advantage. (And if you plan on having multiple options at multiple angles, your 2 on 1 becomes a 3 on 1. And so on).

Related posts:

  1. Defend Smarter, Not Harder
  2. Defensive Adjustments: The Mark (Dynamic)
  3. Marking Thought: The Hole-y Mark

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/10/why-cutters-should-read-the-mark-too.html/feed 3 Do You Throw With Your Hip or Your Shoulder? http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/09/do-you-throw-with-your-hip-or-your-shoulder.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/09/do-you-throw-with-your-hip-or-your-shoulder.html#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/09/do-you-throw-with-your-hip-or-your-shoulder.html Last weekend at Chesapeake a teammate remarked, when watching the Chain vs. Ironside game, about how the players were “throwing with their shoulders”–throwing with the hip means power is generated from below the plane of the throw, adding a natural float, while throwing from the shoulder keeps power in the same plane and allows for flatter throws–your typical elite-level pass, in other words (touch has its place, but by and large throws are all about speed and precision).

It’s a facet of throwing mechanics I hadn’t considered but instantly made a difference as I applied it. Throwing from the hip can generate more power but takes longer and is inclined to float; throwing from the shoulder leads to a faster release (no step required, though it can augment) and a bit more consistency in windy conditions.

I think your ideal thrower can generate enough power from torso/shoulder as to obviate the need for the hip on long throws. I need a bigger sample of observing high-level players and applying it myself before I can make that judgment authoritatively, though.

Try it out next time you’re tossing–throw with no step, just torso/shoulder motion. Channel the same motion from your stepped-out pivot position, extend application to practice and game use.

Related posts:

  1. Forehand Hucks Revisited: Shoulder Tilt
  2. Balance Revisited: Throwing With Your Weight Set
  3. Throwing Thought: Forehand Hucks (Response to Issue #10: "Throwing for Distance")

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/09/do-you-throw-with-your-hip-or-your-shoulder.html/feed 8 Forehand Hucks Revisited: Shoulder Tilt http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/08/forehand-hucks-revisited-shoulder-tilt.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/08/forehand-hucks-revisited-shoulder-tilt.html#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/08/forehand-hucks-revisited-shoulder-tilt.html

I recently received a question from a commenter on my old “Forehand Hucks” post asking about how to compensate for the natural OI that comes with the grip I epouse for flicks.

The easiest (and best) way to control for this is with your shoulder tilt. It’s easy to think that some wrist tilt can compensate, but the plane of the throw, flat or otherwise, is decided by your shoulders. A throw that naturally comes out OI becomes flat becomes IO if you adjust the plane along which it’s thrown.

IO throws mean lowering your throwing shoulder(right shoulder for a right-handed thrower); OI means raising it.

There is a bit more nuance to it than that (I’m thinking of follow-through, as IO throws tend to come closer to the body than OI flavors), but shoulder tilt is an easy and simple cue to help you debug your throws (when you’re doubtless running through your checklist while warming up).

*Photo from Scobel Wiggins’ ECC photos.

Related posts:

  1. Do You Throw With Your Hip or Your Shoulder?
  2. Forehand Throws and Foot Turns
  3. Throwing Thought: Forehand Hucks (Response to Issue #10: "Throwing for Distance")

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/08/forehand-hucks-revisited-shoulder-tilt.html/feed 2 Use Pivot Planes For Better Breaking http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/07/use-pivot-planes-for-better-breaking.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/07/use-pivot-planes-for-better-breaking.html#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:00:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/07/use-pivot-planes-for-better-breaking.html Do you think about your step when you’re throwing?

Not just the mechanics of it (more on that in a later post), but WHERE you step to.

Cara Crouch’s post for the Huddle’s Team USA issue alludes to “throw[ing] from a plane that is not parallel to [the mark's]” for better throwing, and I thought it was important enough to flesh out a bit more.

There are two extremes to your pivot planes; In practice, your pivot* will of course wind up somewhere between the two. The planes are relative to your intended throwing direction, e.g. the dump, upfield:

  • Horizontal–this is the default you see from novice to early-intermediate throwers. Side-to-side motion; staying in this plane allows success in some situations, but marks tend to work primarily in this plane too, so it turns beating the mark into a pivot speed/reach contest. Some can win this contest consistently.
  • Vertical–this is where the magic happens when a thrower has the disc in her hands. As I said above, marks are primarily horizontally concerned; if you catch a mark too close to you in the vertical plane, it generally becomes a simple feat to step forward, through the mark (or “past” it if you prefer), and make break throws to all sorts of places on the field. Conversely, if a mark is too far off, you gain a wider range of options working in the horizontal plane (I’ve already discussed this a bit talking about adjustments on the mark).


The best break throwers I’ve seen, if perhaps not reliant upon using the vertical plane to create breaks, are at least familiar and comfortable with it. I think this evolved at first as a response to the hack-tastic mark; step through the mark, draw a foul, get a free chance to try the break! But even without the foul factor**, it’s well worth mastering in its own right, a pivotal rung on the ladder climbing from novice to stud.

*Yes, yes, great throwers don’t pivot–when I say “pivot plane” I really mean “step to throw.” Only one of those alliterates nicely for a title.

**Correct me if I’m wrong, but the “nightclub” mark (goal: get in the thrower’s pants) seems to be on the wane.

Related posts:

  1. Absolute and Practical Pivot Ranges
  2. Throwing Thought: Throw Convincing, Effective Fakes
  3. More on Emotional Defense

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/07/use-pivot-planes-for-better-breaking.html/feed 0 Defend Smarter, Not Harder http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/07/defend-smarter-not-harder.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/07/defend-smarter-not-harder.html#comments Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:00:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/07/defend-smarter-not-harder.html In the kuru game at Tajima I was covering a pretty energetic cutter at one point; primary cutter, he cut in after a few stutter steps. Being right with him (didn’t bite on the stutter), and given that I was forcing him under and could see the thrower, I was in a position to

  • Make a play on a throw to him and
  • See that there was, in fact, no chance he was going to be thrown to…the thrower had already turned to look dump.

While he hauled ass on his under cut, I cruised, well under control. He followed this cut with a clear to the break side–again, the thrower was not looking here (I believe there was a dump to the open side in fact)–no need to respect the cut. Again he hauled, while I cruised.

Two lessons here.

For defenders, knowing the offense and how it flows (or just recognizing situations–remember, anticipate!) will make you more efficient (and open opportunities to poach).

For cutters, recognize what spaces are threats–and when! Getting open is worthless if you’re not a threat to get the disc–it’s just a glorified clear at best, and at worst you’re wasting your energy. The best cutters not only beat their defenders, they do so at points when they can do real damage.

Related posts:

  1. "Heels," Roles, and Basics (Response to Issue 12, "Endzone Cutting")
  2. Why Cutters Should Read the Mark, Too
  3. Cutting Thought: On Being the Primary Cut, and Not Cutting

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/07/defend-smarter-not-harder.html/feed 2 Team USA’s Huddle Entries http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/07/team-usas-huddle-entries.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/07/team-usas-huddle-entries.html#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:09:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/07/team-usas-huddle-entries.html Solid gold! And I’m not just talking about Team USA’s prospects at the World Games.

  • If you read only one thing about cutting, read Bart Watson’s piece. Concise but full of useful information; re-reading is certain to yield more information than the first glance. His thoughts on cutting not only echo mine, but exceed them. I especially like his notion of “control[ling] your defender;” it’s a nice, succinct way to think about your goals as a cutter, and synergizes nicely with my favorite “create space, attack space.”

  • Gwen’s assertion that an aspiring deep threat should first focus on top speed is one I disagree with. Top speed is certainly useful, but acceleration comes into play far more often. (Ultimately this might harken back to Bart’s article as far as what kind of cutter you are/want to be–the sort who gets open in 1-2 step moves or one who powers through cutting lanes?) The attributes are tied, such that working one will tend to help the other, but I think that flow still favors training for acceleration.

  • Additionally, there’s a lot of other good stuff on handling generally. The emphasis on vision is pertinent, and the lack of good coachable points for that is understandable, as it tends to come from experience; I do like Cara Crouch’s point that the best handlers don’t follow cuts with their eyes, but use their peripheral vision well–this is something I’ve seen and tried in limited roles, but never thought to incorporate as a full-time component. I also like her point that a good handler senses the plane of the mark and avoids conforming to it by stepping toward or away from the mark.
  • I really like the stuff on defensive handlers from Seth Wiggins and Adam Simon from a strategy standpoint, in terms of what to look for from the position. Additionally, I LOVE the notion of D-line offenses as “quarterbacked” by a couple strong handlers vs. the more diverse attacks of O-lines.


What are you waiting for? Go read.

Related posts:

  1. Why Cutters Should Read the Mark, Too
  2. Cutting Thought: On Being the Primary Cut, and Not Cutting
  3. Cutting Thought: Use your Opponent’s Acceleration

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/07/team-usas-huddle-entries.html/feed 0 Free Play as a Means to Success http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/06/free-play-as-a-means-to-success.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/06/free-play-as-a-means-to-success.html#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/06/free-play-as-a-means-to-success.html Gretzky
This is a fairly old article, but one that bears continual revisiting.

Researchers looked at perception and elite performance and found all sorts of clues that the elite see things more clearly and decisively (and can therefore respond earlier) than novices (I’d suggest Blink if you’re looking for a more in-depth treatment of the matter). They also found that things like field sense are absolutely not innate, and suggest that free, unstructured play is key to getting the experience and developing a broad, flexible sense as opposed to a narrow-minded one. Check out this blog post for a bit on the difference between explicit and implicit learning–remove coaching and especially structure from the equation, and you tend towards the implicit–given that something like “field sense” is rarely taught explicitly (if I asked you to explain “field sense” to me–what to look for, when, what leads you to make one decision over another–would you be able to do it? In a way I could understand and apply?), you need to go the other way.

As frustrating as low-level, amoeba play (or loosely organized summer league, etc.) can be, or as much as you might think your disc-using non-ultimate games (I’m thinking of boot in particular, but schtick counts too in its own way) are not going to help you improve, recognize the opportunity inherent in these games. Try throws and strategies you wouldn’t normally. Experiment with new positioning and decision-making processes. Expand your repertoire and your mind.

What sorts of games do you play to grow?

Related posts:

  1. Defensive Adjustments: A Key to High-Level Success
  2. Why I play Ultimate
  3. Field Sense

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/06/free-play-as-a-means-to-success.html/feed 4 Zone O, Huddle-Style http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/05/zone-o-huddle-style.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/05/zone-o-huddle-style.html#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 12:00:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/05/zone-o-huddle-style.html The Huddle has an issue on Zone O.

My favorites (Ryan Morgan’s assertion that wings are not just a throwaway position for rookies is worth repeating, too); again, they put things a lot more succinctly than I.

I don’t see a ton of revolutionary (compared with my experience) information there, apart from the number of endorsements of the two-handler set; this says to me that zone O really comes down to a good, solid fundamental approach/understanding.

On the skill spectrum, a quick catch-throw turnaround and composure with the disc in your hand are great for any zone handler (and by extension, all players) to have–the former can be worked on pretty much anytime, while the latter would come with more throwing experience/confidence, both under pressure (ratchet it up in practice/drills) and in conditions (find it, and do it).

Knowledge goes hand in hand with skill. Recognizing what kind of zone you’re facing and where the weak points are, along with knowing what your own team’s assets are, likewise will do a lot to prepare for success. Insert Sun Tzu quote about knowing your enemy and yourself.

Related posts:

  1. Zone Offense: The Basics
  2. Zone: Drills
  3. Zone: Offensive Skills

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/05/zone-o-huddle-style.html/feed 2 Building the Repetoire: Thought-Guiding Tools http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/05/building-the-repetoire-thought-guiding-tools.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/05/building-the-repetoire-thought-guiding-tools.html#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 05:23:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/05/building-the-repetoire-thought-guiding-tools.html Jeters hits on an important notion for developing your repertoire as a cutter (and, by extension, with any other skill involving adjustments), namely the need to develop a decision flowchart to guide your in-game actions (and especially reactions).
Imagine this. You initiate your cut from the horizontal stack, at maximum speed, in the direction of a deep strike. Now, what is your response if …
  • … another cutter strikes deep.
  • … your defender doesn’t commit, but a poaching defender is in a good position.
  • … you reverse your cut but find that your lane has been taken.

… and the list goes on.

What eventually becomes “instinct” on the field is honed through lots of trial and error or prior thought. (Stop thinking when you play).

To aid that sort of thought process (which is to say, to aid visualization), I’d offer that these sorts of deliberations are exactly why I started drawing up cutting schematics in the margins of my notebooks, and I’d also offer an older post on Threat PointsTM for a bit of this thought process with crappy MS paint schematic to boot (that notion is one I plan to revisit and put more succinctly at some point, as it’s a powerful one).

Related posts:

  1. Cutting Thought: Know When to Cut, and When to Run
  2. Cutting Thought: A Mind for Adjustments
  3. Cutting Thought: Use your Opponent’s Acceleration

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/05/building-the-repetoire-thought-guiding-tools.html/feed 6 Zone: Drills http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/05/zone-drills.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/05/zone-drills.html#comments Mon, 04 May 2009 16:30:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/05/zone-drills.html An anonymous commenter calls me out on a lack of drillable/practice-able recommendations. Thanks for catching me, anon–I value actionable info a lot and have been remiss.

To preface: zone, being inherently team-based, is hard to drill and train. It’s not like man D or throwing skills where all you need is a few more people, and I’d even go so far as to say that practicing zone O and D is only useful inasmuch as you’re practicing with the same group you’ll play with–familiarity is a foundation to dependable D and O.

That said, skills like reading a disc and boxing out, marking, and being heads-up as a defender are things you can practice with limited personnel/outside of the context of pure “zone” training, and these are useful for zone situations too.

In terms of drills…there’s something of a “standard” zone drill of running 3 guys in the cup around a circle, forcing the throwers in the circle to repeatedly break through or around the cup in a big convoluted game of monkey in the middle. While this is perhaps useful for the bare basics of how to not get hosed, I think it serves best as a stepping stone to higher-level/more realistic drills–in other words, game situations.

Things like set start and finish points for a scrimmage are perhaps one of the best options for game situation practice. E.g.: start with an offensive line vs. a defensive line in a trap, stop as soon as the trap is broken (or allow a few extra passes for more realism); start with the disc just past the cup, as if on a break through/over it; stop when the defense recovers or is scored on. Reset if the D generates a turnover.

You can impose unique restrictions on this to emphasize certain facets for O or D: for example, you can add/subtract a receiver or defender to work on finding receivers in open space/covering multiple receivers in the backfield or flooding areas to overwhelm a single defender, respectively. I’ve also seen variations where the deeps are removed from the equation, on both O and D, to emphasize side-to-side and short motion to beat the zone.

One thing I haven’t seen, but would love to, is changing the field size–narrowing the field to favor the defense more, or widening it to favor the offense. Creativity is encouraged through restriction, and I’d like to see what kinds of adjustments are made in such situations.

With all of these other adjustments though, the essential thing is to keep getting reps. If you want to, you can scrimmage with limitations, but you’ll keep focus and get more bang for your buck if you emphasize one situation at a time. It’s great that Dorner can bomb a forehand to Sam streaking deep off the turn, but probably a waste of time when you want to quickly reset for the O to try again.

If you want your team to execute on a given strategy repeatedly, give them lots of reps to help recognize situations in which to apply it and experience so they can adjust to what works and what doesn’t. This takes a bit more critical thought on the part of a practice planner, which is why I don’t have too much in the way of specific recommendations.

You might look to ultitalk for some discussion, and I’d also point you to the huddle for some more espousal on the matter of teaching team D (you might also peruse what they have on zone D to inspire your thinking as far as what to focus on).

Any commenters out there have more to add with regards to teaching and drilling zone?

Related posts:

  1. Zone: Flow, Starting and Stopping It
  2. Zone Sets: Transition Zones (and musings on others)
  3. Zone Sets: How to Run a 1-3-3

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/05/zone-drills.html/feed 4 Training the lunge for better throwing http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/04/training-the-lunge-for-better-throwing.html http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/04/training-the-lunge-for-better-throwing.html#comments Sat, 25 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000 Mackey http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/04/training-the-lunge-for-better-throwing.html I’m not talking the standard step-forward, push back up type, I’m talking stepping at angles and especially stepping sideways. You’ll see a noticeable improvement in your pivoting speed, which will in turn allow you to develop more effective fakes and generally become more capable with the disc in your hands.

Frank (of RSD fame) talks about people being off-balance with their throwing positions because they step out too wide; if you can develop enough strength, these positions are far from off-balance (though you can still over-extend in the context of a given situation/against a given mark). Work to extend your absolute pivot range through better flexibility and strength (lunging can help with both–heavier weight obviously means more of a strength emphasis, but you can work on your mobility with adequate work in these positions too), and practice your pivots and fakes to extend your practical pivot range.

As for specific recommendations, simple standing side-to-side lunges, or 45 degree lunges (stepping across your center or away from it), are what I have in mind here.

Weight/rep ranges really don’t need to be that intense–pivoting is plyometric in nature, so relatively light loading (if you’re in 12-20 rep range you’ll probably still see an effect) should still be enough to stimulate a positive adaptation, especially if you’ve never trained it before. You probably don’t need to get much heavier than 8 or 6 reps, especially if it’s light enough that you can really explode up out of each lunge.

Other lunge variations include standing lunges (stepping both forwards and backwards), walking lunges, and (a personal favorite) bulgarian squats. These, however, are all in the sagittal plane, and won’t carry over to action in the frontal plane (pivoting).

The lunge position itself is pretty important to throwing well and consistently–more on that in a later post, but regardless you can only stand to improve as a player if you improve in your lunging.

UPDATE: Some good addendums with other exercise can be had in the comments–definitely worth a look.

Related posts:

  1. Throwing Thought: Balance for Short and Long Throws
  2. Throwing/Catching Thought: Grip Training (Types of Grip)
  3. Use Pivot Planes For Better Breaking

]]> http://www.ultimatethoughts.com/2009/04/training-the-lunge-for-better-throwing.html/feed 6