deepdiscthoughts

Forcing Confusion

2006-12-08T17:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm glad I got that last post of my chest. Apologies to the sensitive types out there.

I was traveling over the holiday and I got to wondering what level of confusion/unpreditability is ideal to force an offense out of the comfort zone. Clearly, you need to do things that the O does not expect, but you cannot be so completely random that your teammates cannot anticipate what will happen in a given situation.

In order to devide a system of defense that maximizes the chance of forcing a turnover while minimizing the chance of complete failure, you must consider what paradigm an offense or offensive player is using to make sense of the game. Once you understand how a player is thinking through the game, you can discover the blind spots in their thinking. The options that they do not consider are the options that they should be forced into taking. This can take two major forms:

1. Take what the opponent considers to be "power positions" (this varies dependent on strategy by team) and attack their efficacy by only allowing those positions to occur when/where the defense knows that it is coming. The D is then prepared to take the offense's favorite option from that position away. The key is making it look like you don't know what is coming when, in fact, you have made their emphasis on one aspect of an offense your strength instead of theirs. This is Patriots-style Defense. This will force them down the decision-tree to a sub-optimal choice. If they are a good enough team, they may win anyway, but it will be more difficult.

2. Understand what their last option is and force them to do that ad nauseum. This takes a deeper understanding, because you need to understand their hierarchy of choices more fully. If they are, on counts 1-3 looking to the strong lane/deep, perhaps you should jump on the huck and poach the lane. Then as they progress to the second option (often the break lane) you should steel your mark, and be ready downfield to recover to the break side. As they then turn to the cag, the mark and the defender need to work in concert to make the completion as difficult as possible. Similarly, in a zone, if you can determine the progression, the defense can adjust as the stall count changes.

These notions are the building blocks of a defense that works to out-think the O as opposed to just trying to bludgeon them with some BDAs.

Champs Plus Mixed

2006-11-03T16:16:00.000-05:00

Sockeye wins. Like I said. A self-administered punch to the ear has been had.

On to other business:

How do people think that mixed is of the same quality as open/women's? (see rsd)

Open/Women's combo teams beat top mixed teams. Every single year at all those summer coed fun tourneys. Every year. How can you think the talent level is the same?

Those dudes out there are playing against chicks. That's 3-4 people on the field you can sky at will, even if you suck at ultimate. Men against women in a directly physical sport (not tennis or curling, or even volleyball, por ejemplo) is not the same as men vs. men or women vs. women. How you can think otherwise is beyond me. If you can name a physical sport where an equivalent level male doesn't have a significant advantage over an equivalent level female, it will be news to me.

If you need to think twice, as has been suggested both recently and in the past on rsd, about contact with player x vs. player y, there is an error occurring. I don't avoid contact with whimpy little defender any more than I do against big strong defenders, except to gain an advantage.

I don't care where/when mixed occurs. It *should* occur because people want to play it.

That being said, for the love of god stop treating it like it is on the same level. It simply isn't. There is more space for male cutters, less space for female cutters and the good teams generally (exceptions noted) consist of reasonably to very talented men who get kicks out of skying chicks. If that's what you dig, that's what you dig. If you'd rather have some opposite gender teammates to spend time with, that's cool too. If you want to play with your significant non-same-sex other, enjoy. But for the love of god, please do not compare the competition to open/women's. The same level of intesity/talent/whatever is NOT there.

I don't hate you for playing coed. I don't want you to stop playing it. I don't want you to move it. I don't care if it dilutes open/women's/whatever. I don't care if it detracts from our sports image. I don't care about any of that. I really want you to have fun doing what you choose to do.

But don't ever call it the same as open or women's. It can't hold a candle and likely never will.

Status after Day 2

2006-10-27T23:17:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday's predictions weren't quite, uh, accurate. Weather affects this silly game so much...

In the end I got the quarters teams right, just different routes and matchups. Metal still can't crack the quarters bubble. Condors really don't have it anymore. Chain hucking in the strong wind=bad for opponents. Monster and BAT are 0-fer Nationals thus far. Central is still not looking good. Can we get an open anti-wildcard as a parting gift?

Bracket predictions:

Furious v Ring
Chain v Revolver

While Ring gave Sockeye their best game thus far, they won't be up to taking down the other NW power in quarters. Vancouver advances.
Chain is playing better right now, and wins to avoid the pre-Q give them momentum instead of the losses to sneak away from the pre-Q like Revolver. Chain in the Semis!

Sockeye v DoG
Bravo v Rhino

Sockeye ends DoG's season. Again. Sockeye is just too much to handle.
Bravo pops Rhino's dream of Semis. JB smells new blood and will not be denied this time.

Furious v Chain
Sockeye v Bravo

Chain and Bravo are outdone. Nothing to be ashamed of, 95% of the country thought that FG/Sock would be the final. Bravo makes an early run to give a scare and Chain does not go quietly, but the NW will be taking home both a trophy and 2 wildcards...

Again.

Status After Day 1.

2006-10-27T07:37:00.000-04:00

Pred:
Pool a:
FG 3-0 (Check)
Condors 2-1 (one off)
Rhino 1-2 (one off)
Monster 0-3 (Check)
Too much faith in the mystique. Need to accept that myth was busted last year. Or I underestimated Rhino... we shall see.

Pool b (Check all):
Sock 3-0
Chain 2-1
SZ 1-2
TS 0-3
Bingo. Hot Chain action and a slew of Domination from Sockboys.

Pool c:
DoG 3-0 (Nope. Bad offense.)
Revolver 2-1 (Yes and no.)
Machine 1-2 (Yes)
VC 0-3 (Yes and no.)
I'm surprised, though not shocked. Revolver to the top w/ a win instead of the bottom with a loss. Big point, bring out the call game. Bring on the refs!

Pool d (Check All):
Bravo 3-0
RoF 2-1
TMU 1-2
BAT 0-3
JB brought out the whoopin stick. And I foolishly posited that it would be a game. TMU was trying their best to go 0-fer Thursday. Ah... youth.

All 4 NW in the PPools. 4 other regions represented with 1 team each.
All 3 Central in the LPools. 2 SW, 1 each from S, NE, MA.

Instant analysis: Contract the Central! Expand the NW!

Power e:
Furious wins out.
Rhino plays down-- DoG will not let another also-ran from the NW beat them this time.

Power f:
Sockeye wins out.
Chain plays down-- Ring keeps sending fleet after fleet at them.

Metal and Condors play up from the bottom. Machine can't stay with the dors and SZ doesn't have the hosses to run with the kids from the NE.

Condors v Chain: Chain takes the Condors down in a battle of 05 disappointments.
Rhino v Metal: Metal still can't win the important game to earn their status as elite.

The sun's coming up bit by bit... the coffee is hot... the bacon is sizzling... the urge to kill is rising...

I absolutely love mornings in Sarasota.

Fearless Predictions.

2006-10-24T17:39:00.000-04:00

Last year I predicted that I would win.

I didn't.

Since that didn't work, I'll try predicting the whole tourney as an outsider and see if that bestows any better luck.

Pool a:
FG 3-0
Condors 2-1
Rhino 1-2
Monster 0-3
Condors regain some old SB power on Day 1 despite the new roster. Monster is way overmatched here.

Pool b:
Sock 3-0
Chain 2-1
SZ 1-2
TS 0-3
Chain plays hot on Day one to earn a PP berth. TS is in Awe of this level of competition. Inexperience Kills.

Pool c:
DoG 3-0
Revolver 2-1
Machine 1-2
VC 0-3
VC believed the hype. Machine's ChainPike import plays big in the upset.

Pool d:
Bravo 3-0
RoF 2-1
TMU 1-2
BAT 0-3
JB/Ring is a fantastic game. TMU almost upsets Ring on big plays, but Ring has too much experience, still. BAT is in a down year, perhaps a longer downtrend.

(I though about envisioning some fun ties, but that required too much thought. This is order of finish.)

Pool e:
1-0 FG, DoG,
0-1 Revolver, Condors

DoG win out (FG rests players in both games)
Condors play their way down.

Pool f:
1-0 Sock, JB,
0-1 Chain, Ring
Sock wins out. Those guys suck.
Chain plays their way down.

PreQs:
Rhino vs Chain. Rhino's breakmark attack lasts better in the third grueling game than do Chain's aggressive downfield rips. Tight, but Rhino pulls it out.

Condors vs TMU. TMU pulls the big upset against SZ in an epic game to earn the right to play the Condors. A 5 player Pike reunion after their mass exodus of 07. All of TMU is running on fumes at this point, and the Condors outlast Metal after resting in the power pool instead of fighting in the loser pool.

Qs:
DoG vs Rhino
JB vs Volver

OlDoG smacks Rhino, who lack the big-game experience.
JB finally breaks the curse by getting a favorable matchup and then rolling.

Sock vs Condors
FG vs Ring

Condors can't hold a candle to Sockeye.
FG wins a game over Ring that goes tighter than expected.

Semis:
Bravo puts OlDoG down. AlJim's reign of terror is over, despite spurring the young D-team on to a late-game run. aka an attempt by Bravo to work on a new semis curse. Bravo in the finals = Big News of the Day.

Sockeye comes through against Furious in an epic battle. Role players and Sockeye's obsessive advance scouting from Ultivillage prove to be the difference.

Finals:
As usual, this game does not impress as much as the semis always seem to. Sockeye rolls out the big guns and frustrates JB from the outset. Top to bottom Sockeye may be the strongest team in the UPA. JB has flareups of absolute brilliance, but it is not enough to overcome. 15-11/12. Sockeye returns to the throne for a year.

Everyone punches themselves in the ear a la Fight Club.

Maybe later I'll make fun of the Mixed division, see what I can remember from the women's games I've seen this season and figure out what my predictions mean for wildcards.

Wait, two of those things are irrelevant at best...

Failure

2006-10-04T21:05:00.000-04:00

Justice League Falls.
Pike Falls.

Truck Stop Glory Hole? Are you fucking kidding me?

I'm shocked. Who the hell is on Truck Stop?

Those teams had to play 5 games on Saturday and 4 on Sunday? What is this, a badminton league?

No Idristainment at Mr. Biggs?
Not Shocked. NW is tough.
Another Karlinsky at Nationals? The Russian Mafia strikes!

Are there any other upsets brewing? Is Metal going down? DoG? S-Z? Condors?

Apparently, I should be eating crow and giving dap right now.

Congratulations to Truck Stop (now change your god-awful idiot name), Revolver (hooray youth) and Rhino (I don't think I like y'all, but that may have been a long time ago). TCB for Sock, FG, Chain, VC, RoF.

2006-07-18T17:20:00.000-04:00

Irregular Updating. Goddamn Summer. Much better to brood over this stupid sport as the weather turns cold. The heat lends itself to such optimism. Weather and attitudes are so sunny at this point-- no one has failed yet.

So how will this season play out? Lets try this for Nationals:

NE(2): Punk-Rock Poseurs, Video Game Nerds

NW(4): Anadromous Pinkies, Perturbed Smaller Brained Simian, Mythical Fire-Breathing Reptile, Spiderman Villain

MA(3): Symptom of Genital Disease, Pointy Stick, Native American Tribal Name

S(3): Housing for Poor People, Steely Dan Song, Repetitive Reinforcement of Negative Input

C(2): Noob Saibot, Gas Guzzlers

SW (2): Animated Boor, Carrion-Consuming Birds on their way to Extinction

Another year, another year. No alarms and no surprises. When will these teams stop dominating their regions? Not anytime soon, by the looks of it. Rhino might get beat. Potomac might get beat. Goat will be close but won't pass the test as Metal tasted Nationals last year and wants more.

More of the same. Now we've got to wait until October to see anything new.

Flick Foot Position

2006-06-01T07:40:00.000-04:00

I was discussing this with a teammate the other day and we couldn't come up with an answer:

What is the best angle at which to plant your non-pivot foot when throwing a flick?

There seem to be two schools of thought on it

The first looks like this.

The second looks like this. (This picture also shows an example of the awkward off-hand position that many throwers exhibit.)

I plant my foot the same way as the thrower in example one does. A quick trip through the vault of memory seems to support the notion that most players plant their foot in this manner. I feel very balanced in this position, as it would be difficult to knock me over with a foul, thus enabling me to get the throw off even if I'm bumped pretty solidly. My hips are still facing forward (which prevents me from needing to throw across my body), and it is easy to stay on the balls of my feet (giving me some extra quickness of the pivot).

When we tried the second style of planting, it felt rather awkward, but I'll chalk that up to it being new. The more interesting part was that we felt like it was an all or nothing position. That is to say that if we didn't get the throw off, we were stuck in a position from which it was difficult to recover. Not only do you need to pivot your hips an extra distance, but it was nigh impossible to stay on your toes.

Now, as I mentioned, this was the first time either of us pivoted that way, so it naturally felt awkward. What we're looking for is the opinions of some people who actually pivot in that manner.

Were you taught that style of pivot in particular?
Who taught you?
What was the explanation?
How do you feel about it now?
What advantages do you feel it gives you?
If you try to pivot the other way, what are your thoughts on it?

Levels of play

2006-05-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

How do you make yourself an elite player?

Are you a gifted athlete who just walks onto any team he likes?
Are you a tactician declining in years who knows the game inside and out?
Do you work so hard that you know you're pushing your body to the limit just to play at that level?

What percentages of elite players fall into these different groups?
What other groups are there?

I feel that the number of true athletes who work at the sport is increasing rapidly. Chase, Nord, Beau, Clark, Simpson et al. I still feel that there will always be a place for a few little guys, but the number of them is on the decline and fewer of them are cutters than they used to be. But why are there anyt left at all? What is it that the short guys do that the tall guys can't? Is it the physical manifestation of the Napolean Complex? With the preponderance of the "Let it Rip" offense in ultimate, I don't see this trend reversing. Do you?

Long Time No Post

2006-02-28T16:56:00.000-05:00

After Nationals ends again without a title...

Well, you just sorta pull back and take stock. You let the season go, bit by bit. You have to. You can't carry that weight with you.

For someone who goes into every single game knowing he will win, the months after Nationals can be so very hard.

Cold, regardless of the weather.
Dark, regardless of the time of day.
Depressing, regardless of what goes right.

Some ultimate is played. (Half-hearted and coed, most likely.)
Some training is undertaken. (Low-intensity and weak, most likely.)
Some thought is dedicated to ultimate. (Asinine and half-baked, most likely.)

Shrinking from the Ultimate world and taking time to lick the most painful wounds yet (as each year hurts more than the one before). Writing and talking about the game no longer seem prudent or interesting. Just futile.

Then something happens. A moment that you can never remember, but you're sure it happened. Maybe a clip of you on Disc 4. Maybe a joke by a coworker about your stupid hobby. Maybe a midget skying you in some shit-ass pickup game. Maybe some college kid gets all excited about his team. Maybe you win some worthless (but fun) coed tournament. Maybe all of the above.

Inexplicably, the psyche slowly begins to rebuild itself. The inner strength gathers again. Egged on by teammates and friends, the energy builds. Training starts taking on a more competitive edge. Pickup starts to be depressing not because of the level of the other players, but because you know you need to be better. And now you want to work on it. Prove those fuckers wrong.

The Talk begins amongst team leaders and meetings are planned.

The new season starts to take shape. Never the same as the last, it always provides new challenges. New stories, new focuses and new growth (both mental and physical).

Excitement returns. *This* will definitely be The Year. It must be. I am good enough. I will WILL my team to victory. I will succeed.

THIS WILL BE THE YEAR.

Rules of Nationals Re-examined

2005-11-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

1. Two teams from the NW will be in Semis.
True. But all three made semis.

2. Either DoG, Ring or Pike will make semis.
True. DoG returns.

3. Bravo and Condors will make Quarters.
False. Condors started 0-3 and finished 9th.

4. Twisted won't make quarters.
True, but the rule was flawed as shown by the historians amongst us.

5. Team on a Tear.
True. I would wager that while Potomac, Sub-Zero and Metal all were somewhat unexpected, the most surprising was Metal. Seeded 14 and ending up in the power pools (eventually 11th) was a pretty good run. The noise they made on the first day qualified for "Talk of the Day" status in the Open division.

3.5 outta 5 ain't bad.

Bravo did make quarters and stall out again.
Pike and DoG did make it back to quarters.

Pool A sent 2 teams to quarters.
Pool B sent 3 to quarters.
Pool C sent 2 to quarters.
Pool D sent 1 to quarters.

Pool A sent 2 teams to semis.
Pool B sent 1.
Pool C sent 1.

Both winners of the loser pools battled back to make quarters, only to get roasted the next morning.

Biggest surprises had to be both Condors and Ring going to the loser pools carrying a loss after day one. Ring finishing 13 is crazy. Chain going 0-fer the loser pool is crazy as well.

Final Standings (Seed, final record):
1. Furious (1)
2. Sockeye (3)
3/4. DoG (8) /Jam (2)
5. Bravo (4)
6. Zero (10)
7. Pike (7)
8. Double (11)
9. Condors (6)
10. Potomac (13)
11. Metal (14)
12. BAT (12)
13. Ring (5)
14. Chain (9)
15. Vicious (15)
16. PBR (16)

Changes:
+4.5 DoG
+4 Zero
+3 Double
+3 Potomac
+3 Metal
+1 Sockeye
0 Furious
0 Pike
0 BAT
0 Vicious
0 PBR
-1 Bravo
-1.5 Jam
-3 Condors
-5 Chain
-8 Ring

Final Records:
(7-1, .875) Furious, Sockeye
(6-1, .857) Jam
(6-2, .750) Bravo
(4-3, .571) DoG, Condors
(5-4, .555) Pike
(4-4, .500) Zero
(4-5, .444) Double
(3-4, .429) Ring
(3-5, .375) Potomac, Metal
(2-5, .286) Chain, BAT
(1-6, .143) Vicious
(0-7, .000) PBR

Pools with Finish
A:
Furious (1)
DoG (3.5)
Chain (14)
PBR (16)
(8.625)

B:
Jam (3.5)
Pike (7)
Zero (6)
Vicious (15)
(7.875)

C:
Sockeye (2)
Condors (6)
Double (8)
Metal (11)
(6.75)

D:
Bravo (5)
Ring (13)
BAT (12)
Potomac (10)
(10)

Hypothetical Pools based finish instead of seed:

A:
Furious
Double
Condors
PBR

B:
Sockeye
Pike
Potomac
Vicious

C:
Jam
Zero
Metal
Chain

D:
DoG
Bravo
BAT
Ring

Aside: Jam and DoG never once played each other this season.

More qualitative comments coming in the future.

Maybe.

Age Quod Agis

2005-10-24T14:45:00.000-04:00

The chatter has been raging on the message board...
The emails have been flying...
The phone calls keep going back and forth...

The team works itself into a frenzy as Nationals approaches. A single-mindedness that just can't be duplicated in any other place or in any other time.

Sometimes the anticipation is too much.

In the words of Doc Holiday "The stress was more than he could bear."
(As an aside, this may be Val Kilmer's finest performace, bar none.)

I've got too much on my mind to write any more until after Nationals finishes, hopefully with my first title-- only time will tell. No matter what the eventual outcome, I'm proud to be a part of what may be the greatest tournament in the world.

Best of luck to everyone traveling to Sarasota-- Do what you do. I truly hope you win all of your games, except for the ones against my team.

Because when you play me and my crew I hope you get crushed and demoralized.
--
Interviewer: What's your prediction for [Nationals]?
Clubber Lang: My prediction?
Interviewer: Yes, your prediction.
Clubber Lang: Pain!

The Transcendent Moment

2005-10-20T09:53:00.000-04:00

There is a moment at Nationals that approaches perfection.

It isn't after a big win, or after a big play.
It isn't full of noise and chatter.
It isn't loaded with action.

There are discs flying, but no pressure.
There are players running, but no defenders.
There are goals being thrown, but no one is keeping score.

It is the last moment of preparation-- a chance to think through everything you've worked at this year.
It is the last moment of unbounded possibility-- a chance to dream of the perfect Nationals performance and finish.
It is the last moment of calm-- a chance to appreciate the moment before being completely overtaken by it.

Warming up on that first morning...
...the dew covers the fields and a light morning fog obscures the other teams ever so slightly.
...the temperature is the type of cold that you appreciate because you know that it will be hot by high noon.
...your team is anxious but excited for the culmination of a season or even a career of hard work.
...you know that in an hour or so the fields will be transformed from quiet introspective intensity to full-blown screaming and fighting and clawing intensity.

Every year, this moment is perfect. No matter how your team finishes, you can look back at this one perfect moment as a reason to come back for the next year. At that moment you and your team were capable of anything and everything. You could run the table. Everything was a possibility.

This is what it must have been like to be a child. No failures yet. A world full of opportunity with nothing standing in your way. Your doubts removed. A moment of self-importance. A Moment of Appreciation.

When you're there this year, or any year, take a look around on Thursday morning. Take a deep breath, turn around slowly and take in the whole experience. The field before the battle. The calm before the storm. The smell of napalm in the morning.

The time is approaching.

Any Given Sunday

2005-10-17T12:11:00.000-04:00

Well, after my somewhat failed regionals predictions, I'm going to put down some thoughts on the various finishes of teams that qualified or just missed qualifying.

NE:
This is one of the two regions I had just about right on. Most everyone who has an iota of experience knew that DoG would take the region. The word on Goat and Twisted was split. I felt that it was Time for Twisted to make it. Experience be damned. Though there was some doubt as a result of there being so many UMass fellas on that team... Goat's game doesn't translate as well against inclement weather or athletic opponents, from my experience. I thought that NY might push for that last spot, but by facing Goat in the backdoor instead of Tide or Chuck, they didn't make it as far as I expected. No real surprises here.

MA:
I was wrong about Pike. I figured they would pull it together and take down Ring for the first time in any meaningful game. In what, looking back, was an unsurprising case of "looking past a good but beatable opponent," they let Potomac tag them in the semis. Everything after this was expected. Ring took it to the Potomac boys, Pike took revenge on Potomac, and Potomac cleaned up third place by beating on some also-ran. I expected Truck Stop to be alive on the second day, but their young composition worked against them.

S:
Well, I was pretty much right on this one. Doublewide played Chain a little tighter than I expected. DW v Bulge was a pretty good one, and as expected Vicious v Bulge was intense.

SW:
I did not expect JB to beat the 'Dors, but not really a huge surprise-- both teams are elite level, so as the saying goes... PBR v Sack Lunch was a bit of a toss-up, as far as I'm concerned. Seems like even the other teams (Arson and monster) aren't that far off from qualifying. The interesting thing about this one is how it affects the seedings at Nationals, a topic about which both Tim Murray and The Atlanta Collective have started conversations.

NW:
As I wrote, I expected Sockeye to put the chips down and walk away, but Jam and Furious both had other ideas. Like JB over the 'Dors, nothing too surprising, but it messes with anticipated seedings. Kaos and Rhino proved again that they are very good, but just a step behind the other dominant teams in their region. Both would challenge for a spot to the Show in any region and would have a shot to knock off anyone. Rhino really seems to relish in a confrontational style, and Kaos very strong for a bunch of Santa Cruz area players.

CN:
No real surprises. Sub-Zero is a better team than BAT, and Machine seems to be on a downswing. I'm not sure about all of the RSD (Why do I continue to sadden myself by visiting that group?) talk about SZ smacking people up, but they are a strong team with some good additions to the roster.

Nothing really interesting in this entry, but I wanted to get my thoughts down.

Blowout

2005-10-16T17:16:00.000-04:00

What margin of victory is considered a blowout?

In a game to 15, I've generally considered anything over 5 to be a blowout. 3 and under is a close game, and 4 or 5 is a solid win.

In a game to 13, anything over 4 would be a blowout. 3 and under is still a close game. 4 would be a solid win.

Certainly it all depends on whether a team made a big run early or late in the game, but at what point does the final score tell that one team very nearly dominated the other team vs. just being better on a given day? As a kid, I loved examining box scores for baseball, basketball and football to get a sense of what transpired the night before (before the days of the ubiquitous sports highlight programs) or even years before. What sort of stats or info, other than a writeup, would make an ultimate boxscore meaningful in the same way? A more detailed scoring notation? (O points, break points? Length of scoring runs?)

Thoughts?

Them's Fightin' Words

2005-10-14T16:20:00.000-04:00

Is there a point at which you are allowed to physically retaliate in ultimate?

I've seen and been a part of some altercations on the field. Each time I've felt like an idiot afterward, but I've always had teammates (and some members of the other team) tell me that what I did was justified. It always reminds me of something my father told me when I was playing soccer as a kid: "There is a certain point in sports where someone crosses the line with taunting or fouling. At that point you are within your rights to fight back. In some cases, you have to."

I still don't feel that this is a good way to act, but I know that from time to time, I get pushed past the red-line. I've pushed some people pretty hard. I've told people that they can talk to me when they make Nationals. I've told people to tell their captain to put someone else on me because I'm killing their team. I've spiked with intent to taco, spiked and looked for the crowd and spiked and stared down the defender.

I've never thrown a punch. I've never spiked on or at anyone. I've never intentionally fouled.

I've never considered myself a hot-head, and no one will ever be able to tweak me out of a game.

My point is, where is the line? Is there a general point at which "It has gone too far?"

A Line in the Sand, as best I can tell. Perhaps the rules should be more clear in this matter. Perhaps that would be too "top-down" for our sport. At the moment, I just have a feeling that we're headed toward another ugly, and now better recorded, incident.

Eternal Sunshine of the Thrower's Mind

2005-10-13T14:03:00.000-04:00

To be a great thrower, you need to ability to erase all of your mistakes.

Every time you see a throw, you cannot have a moment of doubt, and you will just throw the disc there. How? Doesn't matter. It just needs to get from your hand to that particular point in time and space where it will be caught. You never remember your mistakes, you only remember each of those great throws. You never see the chance for the turnover, you just see the chance for the completion.

This drives the rest of your teammates crazy.
It drives your captains crazy.

It also wins games.

A balance needs to be found in practice (and in your head on your own time) such that while you never dwell on your mistakes, you can learn from them. In the sense that your brain will recognize that "Maybe I don't need to throw the 80 yard breakmark flick to the shortest guy on our team matched up against their deep" without letting that doubt of the perfection of your throws creep into your mind.

You can't think when you throw, you need to throw instinctively. You need to hone your instincts to make the correct decision without hesitation. In this way you will learn without dwelling on mistakes of the past.

"80% of this game is 125% mental."

The Show

2005-10-12T17:26:00.000-04:00

Back to the show I go.

Every year of playing club ultimate, I've qualified. I like to think I'm just a stud, or that like Al Davis I "Just Win Baby," but we all know it is just because I am fortunate enough to play with excellent teammates.

In any case, the series has been taking most of my time away from the blog, but I hope to write some things here in regards to Nationals in the coming days. I'll start with this:

Rules of Nationals:

1. Two Teams from the NW will be in the Semis.
This has been the case ever since 2000. The only year with 3 was 2004. Who will be the odd man out this year? Not clear until seeding and pools are announced, but my guess is Furious. All will make quarters.

2. Either DoG, Ring, or Pike will be in the Semis.
It has been this way since 94. Earlier if you include other Boston teams. Pike seems like an odd addition hear, but recent history counts for a team that has no significant losses from last year's semifinal finish. Two of these teams could make semis. All should make quarters. Much of this streak is related to DoG, but these three represent the Strongest of the East Coast.

3. Bravo and Condors will make Quarters.
They both have since at least 2001, possibly earlier.

4. Twisted won't make quarters.
No Second Team from a single city has ever done that, have they?

5. One unexpected team will go on a Tear.
Most likely candidate is Chain. I wouldn't put it past Potomac either.

Other thoughts:

Sockeye, Jam, Furious, DoG, Bravo, Condors and Ring have made quarters in the last 2 years. Sockeye, Furious, Ring, DoG, Condors and Bravo have made it for the past 3. Furious, DoG, Condors and Bravo for the last 4. Furious, DoG and Condors for the last 6. Before that? I don't know. Why doesn't the UPA keep all of this info readily available?

Will the wind be strong or weak?
Will the rains come to Fla?
Will Potomac carry on the Pig tradition of pissing of the locals?

I wish today were the 26th.

First Weekend of open Regionals

2005-09-30T10:06:00.000-04:00

I think it is time for some predictions for who will qualify for Open Nationals this year.

Mid-Atlantic:

Day One-
First round: All according to seed except BaNC will beat HOV. Truck Stop will demolish Burgh.

Second Round: LCN will top Philly, Pike will be down early against Truck Stop, and then pull away. Potomac and Ring will walk to wins. HOV, Burgh, Warriors and El Camino notch win #1. Two and out for James Madison, Los, Punch and William and Mary

Third Round: Ring destroys LCN as LCN begins to tire. Pike jumps out early on Potomac, weathers an early second half run and wins. Truck Stop eliminates HOV, Medicine eliminates El Camino, Warriors eliminate Philly(!), BaNC eliminates Burgh.

Fourth round: Truck Stop eliminates Medicine Men, BaNC eliminates Warriors

Day Two-

First Round: LCN puts a hurtin' on Truck Stop. Potomac treats BaNC the same way.

Second Round: Pike wins the Region 17-15. Insanely intense, near altercation involving Pike's D-team and Ring's O-team. Potomac goes down early to LCN, but Potomac comes back and wins it going away. Truck Stop eliminates BaNC.

Third Round: Ring comes out and beats Potomac to the tune of 15-9. LCN beats up on Truck Stop in a turnover-fest.

Game to Go: Potomac puts down a ragged-looking LCN 15-10.

Qualifiers: Pike, Ring, Potomac.

Northwest

Pool A: No surprises. Sockeye wins it with ease. Kaos finishes second, unable to contain the fully-engaged Sockeye. Oaks takes third, Dark Star takes fourth.

Pool B: Jam "upsets" Furious to take the pool. Furious finishes second. Rhino stays tight with both teams, but loses by 2-3 in each-- They just don't have the players, but they have the intensity in spades. Kodiak finishes fourth, and a clear step below the rest.

First Playoff Round: Sockeye over Furious 15-11. Jam over Kaos 15-9. Jam comes out with something to prove. Rhino over Dark Star with Rhino resting their players in the second half and cruising to a 15-11 victory. Kodiak upsets Oaks in a close one, 16-14.

Second Playoff Round: Sockeye, to no one's surprise, takes the region. The surprise is the margin of victory: 15-9. They clicked on all cylinders in retribution for their Labor Day loss. Kaos beats Rhino in the most exciting game of the weekend to the tune of 17-16. Furious destroys Oaks.

Third Playoff Round: Furious beats Kaos in the game to go, 15-12.

Qualifiers: Sockeye, Jam, Furious.

South

Day One-
First Round: All to seed save for Rumblefish upsetting Boy Sue.

Second Round: Chain hands out beatdown #2 over Cartel. Vicious survives Grit in a squeaker. Bulge destroys JoJah. Doublewide takes down Rumble without a problem. Sucker, Turbo and Angus win. Boy Sue beats Team SUE for naming rights.

Third Round: Chain hands out beatdown #3 to Vicious. Double handles Bulge in a game that narrowly escapes the label of "Call-Fest." Rumble eliminates Sucker, Turbo eliminates JoJah, Grit eliminates Angus, Boy Sue eliminates Sucker.

Fourth Round: Rumble eliminates Turbo, Grit eliminates Boy Sue.

Day Two:
Round One: Vicious beats Rumble, Bulge beats Grit. Neither is close.

Round Two: Chain hands out beatdown #4 to Doublewide. Vicious beats Bulge in a close game that fully deserves the name "Call-Fest." Grit eliminates Rumble.

Round Three: Double handles Vicious to garner the second bid. Bulge eliminates Grit.

Game to Go: Vicious squeaks by Bulge in a heated rematch, 15-13.

Qualifiers: Chain, Doublewide, Vicious.

After the first weekend, we've got 9 teams at Nationals in what I guess will be their seeding order: Sockeye, Jam, Furious, Pike, Ring, Chain, Doublewide, Potomac and Vicious.

Late-Season Practices

2005-09-26T09:21:00.000-04:00

How hard do you go in practices late in the season?

You want to push your teammates as hard as you can, but you need to avoid injuries. You need to be prepared for talented opponents who will give everything to beat you, but your team needs to be at full strength to compete at the highest level possible.

Do you pull up on possibly dangerous layouts?
Do you go hard for 50/50 discs?
Do you bid for that disc that is just at the edge of catching sphere?

You could even compare this with sectionals games and early-round regionals games. Can you risk playing full out? And, just to be contrary, do you risk more injury by pulling up a little bit and putting yourself in unfamiliar situations?

How do you and your team deal with this?

Margin of Error

2005-09-23T10:27:00.000-04:00

As more "true athletes" begin to play ultimate, what happens to the margin of error in the game?

As a coach, one of the things I have always stressed to my teams is that every throw has a margin for error, if that margin is high, then it is a good decision. If that margin is low, then it is a questionable decision. That is, if you need to throw a perfect throw (regardless of whether you can or not) then the decision is likely a bad one. The further away from perfect your throw can be and remain effective, the better the decision.

My question is about the shrinking margin of error based upon the athleticism of defenders. Yes, the receivers are more athletic as well, but they have to catch the disc, whereas a defender only needs to disrupt the flight of the disc.

How will this affect the throwing game? Will there be more use of blades and hammers which arrive more quickly and from angles that are more difficult to defend? Is the efficacy of help-defense improving rapidly enough to rethink offensive schemes?

Offense v Defense

2005-09-21T08:31:00.000-04:00

Offense v Defense,
A Study from an occasional two-way player.

On the line
Offense:
"Here's the progression: Bobby to Willie to Jimmy to Johnny. If the pull is OB we're running play X."
"I'm going deep because my guy is a chump."
"What if we turn it?"
"Are you a rookie? We don't turn the disc over--welcome to the penthouse of ultimate."
"You better put it to me when I'm going deep, that way we won't have to waste any energy."
"If we do this right, we'll only be out here for 3 or 4 throws."
"I'm actually happy you didn't catch that last huck-- it was so pretty that it gave me a chance to watch it float to exactly where you should have been cutting."
"If I knew you could throw like that, I would have cut there."
"Shit, the disc is almost here."
"Sweet, time to get mauled by the hacks on the d-team..."
"It's just because we're so much better than them."
"Poor bastards..."
"The disc is here, idiots."
"Doesn't matter, none of them can mark me anyway."

Defense:
"We're going 1-3-3 for 2 into a straight up. Start your matchups before 2 so that we're with them smart. Force middle for the first 2/3 of the field into a force home. Our plays are ______. On a turn, the three of us are handling, you four are cutting. First look will be Jojo to either Willy the Pimp or Mr. Green Genes. Deep look will be whomever is covering their fat slow handler that keeps breaking us. If you can't do it on defense, maybe you'll be able to score on offense."
"Fuck you."
"We've got to get aggressive on the throwers, no more of those cheap inside breaks."
"Get down on the pull, gotta get down on the pull."
"Those guys are fucking soft. Stop letting them beat us! Put a body on them when they're cutting."
"Get pumped up for this point, we're taking it to those smug bastards."
"Yeah!"

After Scoring
Offense:
"Sweet, now we can get off the field."
"I told you they were no good."
"I'm gonna go rest in the shade."
"Yeah, anybody know what the score is?"
"Well, we've got 9, our d-team's got two. They gotta get on the horse so we can get more rest."
"Right on."

Defense:
"YEAAAAHHHH!"
"Holy shit!!!"
"That was sick!"
"Just starting the run, baby!"

After turning the disc over:
Offense:
"Shit, why didn't you catch that?"
"Dude, we have to play defense because of that shit throw? You're sitting next point."
"Sweet. I was getting tired of this anyway."
"What's the force?"
"I don't know, they're a d-team. Let's play zone."
"Cool. Everyone involved in the turnover plus the rookie are in the cup."
"I hate you."
"I didn't turn the disc over, you did."
"Let's get this one back."
"Not a problem, they're a d-team."

Defense:
"Fuck."
"Fuck!"
"How did they get a d?"
"They didn't. I just threw it into the ground."
"FROM THE PULL! FROM THE PULL!"
"Amp it up defense, this is where we show our heart!"

After getting scored on
Offense:
"Well, they don't pay us to play d."
"Best defense is a good offense."
"Yeah, let's not do that d thing anymore."
"Like I said before, just put it up for me-- that guy cannot stay with me."
"You know we just let a d-team score on us, right?"
"Yeah, but they won't get any more-- they're too dumb."

Defense:
"We've gotta get better marks!"
"Seven break throws? You gotta be kidding me!"
"Why the fuck didn't you bid for that?"
"What was our rule? Don't get beat in to the disc! Why did you get beat in to the disc?"
"I, uhhh...."
"Goddamnit!"
"We've got to be more aggressive, we can't just let them cut and throw!"

On the sideline
Offense:
"I love scoring."
"Yeah, scoring is good."
"I would hate to play defense."
"Did you see that guy try to foul me?"
"How about how much I beat that guy in for the score?"
"Yeah. Should we be talking to our d-team now?"
"Nah, I never know what to tell them anyway-- all I every say is 'Don't let him do that.'"
"Yeah, defense confuses me. So futile."
"Let's just yell at them to run harder, that seems to work."
"I'm in."
"You gotta get down on the pull!!!!"
"Fuck, we have to go back out there and cover for the d again."
"Man, our d sucks."

Defense:
"Damn, our O-team has got to take longer to score-- I need a break."
"Why aren't those guys ever tired?"
"They don't run on their cuts, they're just open."
"Maybe we need some better throwers on the d-team?"
"Nah, they don't run hard on defense either, they poach all over the place."
"We've got to get better marks. If that means bumping and getting some fouls called, do it."
"Yeah, aggro, baby!"
"Knock 'em on their asses!"
"Fuck yeah!"
"Back on the field baby-- the O just scored!"
"Man, our O team is good."

After giving up a run to the other D team:
Offense:
"Shit. They're not doing anything, we're just throwing the disc away."
"How many times do I have to tell you, just put it up to me in the endzone. I don't care how many people are on me. Or how non-open I am, or how that's not our offense. Put the goddamned disc up."
"Call some of those shit fouls they're laying on us."
"No way-- that would let them know I acknowledge their presence."
"Whatever, we've got to stop this. Our d-team thinks we suck now."
"Our d-team better get some of these back."
"We have a d-team?"
"Stop forcing the disc on those in-cuts. Just reset it and move on."
"Stop giving the disc to turnover machine over there and we'll be fine."
"Fuck you, get open on your cuts and we wouldn't have a problem."
"Whatever."
"Disc is here."
"Put it up to me, I'm going deep now."

Defense:
"Damn, I needed a rest, but not like this."
"Why can't we do this to them in practice?"
"I don't know."
"How are we supposed to help from the sideline on offense?"
"I don't know, maybe tell them to cut harder?"
"But they never cut hard."
"They have got to get their heads out of their asses."
"No joke."
"Our O team sucks."

After winning
Offense:
"We went out and did our job."
"All day every day, baby."
"You didn't throw it deep to me enough."
"Glad our d-team could help us out a little with those breaks."
"We're the shit, man."
"Offense is the difference between winning and losing."

Defense:
"Yeah-- a couple of breaks and the game is OVER!"
"Shit yes, that other team is soft."
"Defense wins championships!"

After losing
Offense:
"Fucking d-team, we can't be perfect in every game, they've got to get some more breaks!"
"No kidding, we carry these guys all year and they let us down when the chips are on the table?"
"You didn't put it up enough to me."
"I can't believe we got broken."
"Well, maybe you shouldn't have throw to the other team."
"He was making a good cut! I didn't look at his jersey, he was open!"

Defense:
"Fucking O-team. We can't always get 5 breaks to cover their soft asses."
"No kidding, we carry those guys through all the easy games, and they let us down when the chips are on the table?"
"We didn't have enough fouls called on us. We were playing o-team defense."
"They don't play defense."
"No wonder you're on the d-team."

Psychology of ultimate.
I love it.

The Leap

2005-09-20T10:11:00.000-04:00

A teammate an I were talking about the various learning curves in ultimate. Specifically, we were referring to moving from one level of competition to the next, higher level of competition. Juniors to College to Club, for example. These were some of our thoughts:

1. Juniors to College
This was really an issue when either of us were in college, but with some coaching experience, we have both noticed a couple of trends (anecdotal evidence of course):

Good high school players, on the whole, play bad ultimate. There are obvious exceptions like the superb coaching provided by a couple of schools out there, but a lot of these kids are good just because they're actually athletes playing ultimate. The 50/50 huck to a great jumper (turning it into a 65/35 huck) can often be a great strategy in juniors, but not nearly as effective in college.

Many high level juniors players are headcases. This could because they have a sense of entitlement or they can't deal with a team that isn't as successful or something along those lines but it seems that they fall apart mentally when playing against stronger competition. Maybe they're just not used to strong competition and it takes them off of their game.

2. College to Club

There are a few different types of transitions in this category, depending on the level of team you're coming from and going to. There is a huge disparity between top college teams and mid-level or even low-level college teams. Similarly, while there is parity at the top of Club ultimate, there is a very clear dropoff once you hit the second tier.

We felt that the transition from top-level college teams to club was not that difficult, but it was not an easy transition. The more interesting, and more common transition, from our experience, was the transition of a top player from a mid or lower level college team to an upper-level club team.

These players, during college, have been called on to carry their teams, catching every other pass, hucking, cutting, and playing defense against the best opposing player. This leads to some interesting developments in their style of play. I'll write about some of them and the transitional issues that arise:

Receiving every other pass
This develops a cutting style that is predicated upon getting the disc, throwing it, and then making the next cut. Not gaining ground with the cut, necessarily, but taking the pressure off of another thrower. A 10yard out cut followed by coming back 3 yards for the disc is a common symptom of this. A side development of this is that the player's notion of field space and how to cut within an offense is hampered as well. If you are constantly working to possess the disc because the team has decided that you are the first, second, and third options, you don't worry too much about making space for your teammates or using the space that they create for you. You just tell everyone to get out of your way.

If you begin to play with an elite club team and cut like this, you will hamstring the offense and piss off your teammates. You need to develop a sense of what else is going on outside of you getting the disc back.

Staying on the field for 90% of the points
With this, you will learn how to play at far less than maximum effort. You learn to cut at 70% instead of 90-100%. You get open on these slower cuts simply because college defenders are not as strong as club-level defenders. You can beat them with less effort. You never really develop the skill of coming off for a couple of points at a time and then getting back into the game. There are very few two-way players at the top level, and even they are selective about the consecutive points that they play. Knowing how to come back into the game strong and exert yourself fully after 5 or 6 points off is an undervalued skill.

Similarly, training for these different roles is vital. 70% for 88 points in a day is a lot different than 90-100% for 40 points in a day. Constant sub-maximal effort vs. Repeated maximal effort.

Playing against inferior competition
This may seem obvious, but the effects are tremendous. Playing on a mid-level college team, you will come across a great team or even an individual player here and there. You'll get excited for those games and matchups and play harder to overcome it. Great. Now imagine playing at that level for every point, and on every cut. Can you mentally do it? Can you physically do it? A good club team will help you with this by virtue of intense and talented practices, but it simply is not the same as a tournament day.

Being accustomed to turnover-fests
If you know that the other team will turn the disc over with regularity, you can do the same and remain in the game. The difference between offensive and defensive points becomes negligible. Treating every turnover as a potential game-loser (or game-winner) is a foreign concept. Reign in your throws, young man. Increase your completion percentage! Reevaluate the value system you use to make decisions.

All in all, it is interesting to watch young players develop after they move from one level to the next. Are there any major stumbling blocks that you've noticed? How long does the learning curve usually take? 1 year? 2 years? 3 like with NFL wide receivers? How are you actively accelerating this process with your teammates?

Man offense

2005-09-19T10:08:00.000-04:00

What is the goal of your man offense?

Do you focus on giving an individual player or two on your team the opportunity to make big plays while everyone else fills the spaces?

Are you more team-oriented by looking for every player to be active?

Do you move the disc and change the angle of attack or keep a static angle of attack and let your cutters work from there?

What are the strengths of your team? Throwers or cutters? Deep throwers or break mark throwers? Deep cutters or in-cutters? Smart cutters or athletic cutters (that is, cutter who work to beat their defender individually, or cutters who take advantage of the situation).

Offense is not a situation in which "one-size-fits-all." Offensive strategy must be developed internally after assessing the strengths of a team to be effective. There must be a basic set of expectations, but there must also be room for deviation and improvisation. This is where continuity from year to year and from point to point helps the offense. This is one reason why so many successful teams have very tight offensive rotations. The offense must always be on the same page in order to succeed.

The Difference

2005-09-15T10:14:00.000-04:00

How do you know which players will come up big when the game is on the line?

Often, it is not a huge grab or d or throw from your star players that changes the game-- it is something from a somewhat less-heralded player. But if you ask his teammates if they expected it, they will say that they did. They felt he was always ready for the big moment.

Which players will these be?

The Hard-worker? The talented loafer? The old cagey veteran?

All of them. Any of them.

It is not a matter of which of them it can be in any given situation, it is a matter of which of them it will be in a particular situation. Subbing and player management is becoming a progressively larger part of success in ultimate as the talent pool is getting deeper.

Also, more players join teams with specific strengths and weaknesses firmly established through years of playing high school and college. The ability to recognize these strengths and put these non superstar players into games in positions in which they will succeed is vital to a team's success at a high level.

As this trend develops, I feel that more teams will be moving slowly away from player-coaches and toward full-time coaches. Or at very least more Tree Rollins type player coaches who are older players with a great say in their team's strategy and subbing but with a more limited role on the field. I noticed an older NY,NY guy (Dave?) calling subs for Pike, as an example of this. He wasn't playing many points, but he was still obviously a contributing player.

How does your team handle the rotation of non-stud players?
Are you fully aware of what positions you are subbing them into?
Are you acting purposefully in this regard or haphazardly?

How does a team determine its personality?

2005-09-13T09:39:00.000-04:00

Ring is physical.
Jam loves to huck.
DoG is efficient (they are still, right?)
NYNY hated you. All of you. And your mothers.
Bravo is ready to fight.

These teams have/had (present tense from now on to avoid typing that) clear identities. I was wondering how they all ended up that way. I read on either Parinella's or The Count's blog that DoG actively chose to be deadly efficient witht he disc partially because of their lack of depth. How do some of these less tangible strategies and/or attitudes manifest themselves? Is it stated or is it something that evolves based on the players that come out for the team? More interetingly, do the reputations of teams draw certain players or do the players develop those attitudes and strategies after making the team year-by-year?

I've seen some good players turn to the dark side after joining a new team, but there are so many other players who have the same attitude-- they can't all be newly developed, can they?

If a stud comes to the area and his talents are not in line with the previous philosophy of the team, does he make it and feel out of place? Does the team adapt their strategy to him? Does the team force him to learn a new style? From my experience, the incoming player generally has to adapt, as in order for the team to succeed, the team's strategy must be put ahead of the individual's preferences.

Fitting your strategy to your players or your players to your strategy; Which is more effective?

On a related note, how does the environment that a team lives in affect their personality? The heat and sprawl of the South vs the ugliness that is NYC or Chicago vs the NW vs the sparesly populated midwest. The environment encircling the NY,NY teams was the NYC of the late 80s and early 90s. Life in the Fast Lane. The Greatest City on Earth. You had to fight for what was yours. Compare with Sockeye today-- a beautiful city in a the gorgeous NW. Perhaps more a center of inner focus than the outwardly directed rage of NY. What about Boston? Cooly efficient techheads?

Matchups

2005-09-07T16:02:00.000-04:00

Is it always advantageous to put your best downfield defender on the other team's best downfield cutter?

If you assume that a strong offensive player will beat a strong defensive at a high rate, is it a waste of that defensive player's strengths? Would it be more beneficial to put him on a second tier offensive player?

(I'm assuming that the goal of a defender is to create turnovers as opposed to putting an offensive player in a difficult position after he receives the disc or taking him away from his strengths. I know this is simple, but I think that it is the most effective way to approach this question. At least for now.)

This is not the same as putting your best defender on a weak offensive player instead of a stud, but the second tier. The players who still touch the disc and make the offense work, but are not the focal point of the offense. This strategy, if effective, could cripple the flow of an offensive team by taking away the players who fill in the spaces between the studs, so to speak. Not only should a better defensive player be able to generate more turns with a matchup like this, he should also be able to take away a part of the opponent's strategy that is taken for granted due to the favorable matchups that these second-tier players often get.

Thoughts?

Timeouts

2005-09-06T10:20:00.000-04:00

Preamble: I hate Timeouts. As a spectator, they kill me. On the field, they annoy me, whether I'm on offense or defense. This is because soccer was the first sport I really played. No stupid timeouts there.

Okay, does ultimate really need timeouts?

We get time after every score, we get halftime and we get time after a turnover, if we want it. Do we still need 2 per half plus a floater? What is it that timeouts give us?

Timeouts are ostensibly about becoming more organized. They are also about advertising dollars in the pros, which led to a trickle-down effect with the amateur levels of play. They are also about allowing a coach to leave his real-time stamp on the game. Football, basketball and baseball (though not due to timeouts) are sports filled with the influence of coaches/managers in real-time. Soccer is more player-oriented. The coach can devise the strategy, but the players have to run it. The players can refuse to be subbed for. There are no stoppages other than half-time and injuries. Why isn't this the model for more sports?

Perhaps timeouts, when used effectively, can promote more aesthetically pleasing ultimate (the players are better rested) but let's examine the situations in which timeouts are most often called:

1. After a player catches a non-scoring huck. He sees that his teammates are not right next to him, and then "burns one." He is told that this is a good decision as it will let his teammates catch up with him and now they can run a set endzone play. This is poor reasoning. The offensive players, though often lagging behind, have every possible advantage over their defenders. The first players down have more space to work with filled with fewer defenders. One man with one defender in the endzone is nearly impossible to cover. The thrower is playing against a tired mark who has just had to chase down and make an ineffective bid on a huck. The supporting offensive players also have the advantage of running 30+ yards to tire their defenders and then cut. So long as they are not totally predictable, they also have a huge advantage.

2. After a D-team gets a turnover and no one is cutting. The man with the disc sees this and calls a timeout. As a primarily offensive player, I can tell you with certainty that the O team, when on defense, is overjoyed when the other team calls a timeout. It gives them a chance to catch their breath, organize a defense (zone, clam, systematic poaching, etc.) that will help them stymie this particular D-team's sad excuse for an offense, regain good defensive positioning and generally mentally recover from the turnover. Instead, the team that generated the turn should be looking to take full advantage of the couple of steps each of their players likely has, the burst in adrenaline that comes with getting a turn, and the mental advantage that you gain when an O-team fails.

3. Between points to stop a run. This I really can't argue with. It is often effective in giving the crumbling O-team a chance to recover and slows the roll of the D-team. It is aesthetically displeasing, but completely effective.

Could we do away with timeouts completely? Probably not, but we could at least stop our own teams from using them poorly.

Variations on a theme

2005-09-01T00:13:00.000-04:00

Zone defense. 1-3-3. 2-3-2. 3-2-2. 3-3-1. Trap. FM. Single Mark. Rotational Marks. The zone that is a different zone depending on where the disc is.

General thoughts on zones:

1. Turnovers are produced in three major ways: Forcing a high number of passes, forcing non-standard or difficult passes, and planned movement on the part of the defense. Different zones work toward different things. Some are not designed to get turns at all, and are used solely to change what the offense sees and is required to adjust to.

2. Zone is an inherently inferior defense, especially when there is no wind. This does not mean that it cannot or will not be effective or that it should not or will not be used. It means that if your team remains calm and has a requisite level of talent and strategy, turnovers against zones will be few and far between without mitigating weather. The exception to this is if the other team can disguise the intentions and motions of theri zone well enough, even the best players can be caught off-guard. This points to more of a team defensive effort than most teams, even the elite ones, are yet capable of.

3. Zones fail more often than they succeed. This is simply because it is defense and not offense. The offense has every single advantage in ultimate. Nothing to worry about.

Specific thoughts about major types:

1-3-3: Transition usually. Often used effectively to stop pull plays and cause teams to move from their spread offense to their zone offense and then back to some variation of man offense. The only top-flight team that I have seen confounded by this one is Ring. Inexplicably I've seen Pike run it against them at surprising rate of effectiveness. Maybe RIng is just a bunch of impatient gunslingers. Who knows.

"Standard" Cup zone: 3 or 4 man cup. Trapping seems to be the only one that actually generates turns. Forcing middle at a high level simply gives too many easy resets. For the sake of clarity, I'm referring to a 3 cup, short deep, 2 wings 1 deep zone. The one we all learned first. Zome variations include manning up downfield and a 2 wing 2 deep set. Seems effective at Nationals with the wind, or as a surprise if you have a stud of a marker on your team.

2-3-2: This zone can be run in so many ways. I've seen Chain run a variation and some college teams run a variable trapping set out of it. It can be a difficult zone to break through because of the variety of motions the defense can choose to make out of the base set. These include but are not limited to:

1) The top 2 are in the cup on both sidelines with one of the wings jumping in.
2) One of the top two is on the mark, pulling one wing and the short deep into the cup in a trap with the other one of the top two manning up on the dump.
3) All of the aforementioned players push into a four man cup.
4) In the center of the field this defense looks like a 1-3-3 but slightly out of position on the front line.

3-3-1: A great counter to the spread when combined with an FM. I have also seen teams run a lazy version of the clam using this. That is, a "clam" only in the sense that the positions are the same as the clam, but there is no disguise. Blech. Switching on the in/out cuts with the last back and manning up on the closest three to the disc.

3-2-2: Saw the Buzz Bullets run this from time to time. The communicated very well and as a result the throws that you think are open one second are not the next. The off-side man in the front line jumps into the passing lane aggressively, whether it is break or open side. Seemed somewhat effective for x number of passes.

Now, for the meat of it. What zones haven't evolved yet? What sort of space methodical space-denying system has yet to be devised? Is the cup really the best we can do?

Is it better to have a variety of different zones to confuse the other team with, or possibly a variety of looks out of one zone set to confuse your opponents with?

OF course, some of the problems regarding the development of alternate zones is because of the monkey factor in ultimate: If team X is successful, and they do X, I must do X to be successful with my team. Never mind that that team had one guy who it was nearly impossible to break when on the mark, a 6'6" deep that was literally impossible to beat deep and a breakside wingwho salivated at the notion of you tossing a hammer near him. To come up with something new, the old notions of what a zone is and what a zone isn't need to be shelved.

What are we looking to take away with the mark?
What purpose is the cup serving? Could that role be filled by other players further from the disc?
Where is the biggest threat from a single throw? Is it the quick hammer or the huge huck? How can we work to take that away?
What is the standard way of looking at a zone on offense? What is the best counter to that strategy?
What is the throw that the members of our team will be most likely to be able to generate a turnover on? Something floaty? A handblock? A big swing? A deep look? How can we make that throw look open, but actually be waiting for it?

Any thoughts?

Entry the First

2005-08-31T20:37:00.000-04:00

This blog will be for my thoughts about ultimate.

Credentials? I don't suck. I'm not a stud. I've played on teams that suck. I've played on teams that really don't suck.

I've spent a solid amount of time both in games and on the sidelines in games from college sectionals to summer league to club nationals.

I have coached men's college ultimate.

Why blog? I hope I can create a repository of my thoughts on ultimate and get the opinions of others as well. We are at a very interesting time in this sport as the game is reaching levels of athleticism and tactical thought that had not been possible prior. There are established methods of success, but there is still so much room for innovation.

With all of that comes the baggage of ultimate. The hippie image. The alternate sport image. The mixed division. All interesting as well.

We'll see where this goes. I hope y'all are interested in at least some of the things I'll put down here. If not, the blog will likely wither away and die like so many do.