Ultimate Conceptual por MoonEE
 Conceptual Ultimate 1
From: moonee@aol.com (MoonEE)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.disc
Subject: Jugular (a.k.a. Conceptual Ultimate)
Date: 11 Nov 1995 18:37:14 -0500
Jugular (a.k.a. Conceptual Ultimate)
For years our team has had play calls. We walk up to the line after a pull goes out of bounds and we run a play. Someone calls a foul, we run a play. The disc stalls near the endzone, we call a play. For the most part, however these plays have all been by position. The next developmental phase for Ultimate will combine these positional plays with more conceptual movement and strategy.
More than five years ago, the top teams began running four person plays on an inbound pull: someone catches the disc, then each of three guys cut one after another. If one of these guys doesn´t get it, then there was a short-fill, a long-fill and a seventh man to bail out the O. At the same time, for years many defenses have run a two person play on transition: simple, someone picks up the disc, throws it to the first guy who then hucks it to the second.
I can sit here and rattle off endless situations where Ultimate is dictated by position. I believe he next wave of innovation for the sport is more conceptual. Like soccer, we can will offenses designed by movement and situation rather than by specific X´s and O´s on a chalk board. Already there are a number of strategies that demonstrate my point.
When the D gets a turnover and the they knows to ´fast break´ , this is conceptual. DoG´s call for this is jugular, which told the players on the field the following things: the other team is bummin´ because of the turnover, the other team has a weak D in since this was their O originally, your own team is weak on O so score fast, scoring fast will break the other team´s heart. So DoG (and New York) are very good at moving the disc quickly just after a turn; teams should also be good at recognizing when the ´fast break´ is over giving way to some other ´standard´ call for the goal. This is conceptual O. No one person is called to do any particular cut, and yet everyone benefits from hearing the calls. Sure you need handlers and goal scorers; I take it for grated that we are all doing the basics already.
Another example is when DoG calls ´who wants to score´. This is something we use to say: "Hey guys, we´ve shrunk the field by clogging, we´re all doing cutback cuts and the D is overplaying us bigtime... we need some AWAY CUTS!!!". Now we are saying that we want handlers to set up close and cut away to the flat for leading passes. We want middles to clear to one side and create space to run onto 20 or 30 yard passes. We want the deeps in to create space for the final huck into the endzone. The whole team hears a call like ´who wants to score´ and changes its mindset. No positions are called, no specific play.
If you figure that your team has a default O, the one you naturally run, then these calls will complement that O. You cannot win without adjusting to your opponent (unless they suck, and that means you suck worse... OUCH!). Ideally, you want to be one step ahead, forcing them to react to you.
It has taken teams too long to see that MOST of their turnovers come near the endzone. How many times can you recall your team getting into the redzone (within ten yards of the goal) only to throw some lame pass for a turn? Why is that? Did the field get smaller (yes)? Did the D get better (yes)? Did your team get lazy and complacent (yes)? Does the D know that 90% of goals are scored in the corners (yes)? Is the O on the field aware of all of this (NOT A CHANCE)? A simple call of ´endzone´ from the sideline says a few important things to the team. It says: hello, we´re near the endzone so chill... the O is not the same in the red zone as the rest of the field... concentrate ´cause it´s harder to score than you think. Our play calls on the endzone are regenerative; you can call them ten times in a row and ten different guys will cut. It´s as simple as someone coming out of the stack for a dump while the last guy in the stack cuts to the come for the goal. Do it over and over again: dump, cut, dump, cut, dump, cut.
What about an isolation? You see a mismatch and you want to tell your team that you see it so clear some space. This should be a single word with eye contact to that player.
While some defenses depend on positions to work (a zone for example), they are all conceptual by nature able to change and FLEX during a point. A good 2-3-2 zone might give up the dump for a time and then change to take it away just when the handler is getting dependent on that pass. A team can be in a force two-finger man-to-man until any stoppage (foul, pick, travel) when they change to clam (which encourages zone-like poaching and risk taking).
It is during the stoppages in particular, that both the O and the D can ´see´ things--bad match-ups, favorable positioning, high stall count--that demand a concept call to take advantage of the situation. We´re not automatons out there, it´s not obvious to everybody what´s going on. We like Ultimate for its looseness, but we should learn to communicate with our teams at certain times during a point, take advantage of the situation. Look at it this way, it´s a whole lot easier to cover a man down field when you have faith that the mark will be very tough to break. What if all of a sudden you know that the mark will switch to force back hand, while the O is expecting force two-finger? What side of the cutter are you going to cover?
Most of these concepts are simple, the trick is to play together as a team enough to learn how your group can shift and flex. The more you practice, the easier these things come and the more fun you´ll have. Every team will develop different concepts. At the highest level, you can feel a subtle control over the flow of the game. In the best case scenario the opponent is left having to react, often leaving you ahead at the end.
ameyer@verity.com
Wed Jan 3 10:02:11 1996
Conceptual Ultimate 2
From: moonee@aol.com (MoonEE)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.disc
Subject: 10Pull: Conceptual Ultimate cont.
Date: 16 Nov 1995 18:13:26 -0500
A number of people have asked me to expand on what kinds of things we do in practice to work on ´conceptual Ultimate´ as described in the previous post. Here are a few thoughts.
At the start of the season (late August, after the embarrassment at worlds), a few of us sit down to discuss strategy. What did we do last year? What did we do this summer? What do we think works? And most importantly, what do other teams expect us to do?
From here, we generate a simple plan. This year that plan had to change as we kept losing: to NY at Scarsdale, to Seattle and NY at the Tune-up, to New York at regionals. The final ´Skinny´ (as we called it) was published to the team by E-mail just before regionals. Repetition, repetition, repetition, ´til the tournament.
We play O against the D, time and time again. We play each other so much that by the end of the year there´s a healthy competitive thing going on (O thinks it should always win, but hardly ever does).
We also do a 10Pull drill (maybe the single best team drill in Ultimate). The D pulls ten times to the O; each team gets only ONE turnover per pull. If the O turns it over and the D picks it up and fails to score... re-pull. Remember, only ONE TURNOVER EACH. Talk about learning to value the disc.
If your team isn´t divided purely down O and D lines, then each group gets to pull ten times. The drill isn´t about keeping score, it´s about learning and getting better. That´s new to many teams. It´s a vital point often lost during practice as each team desperately wants to win to make up for all the other things that went wrong that day.
This drill clarifies what you´re trying to learn. Normally, when teams scrimmage for long periods of time, specifics are lost in favor red hot poker Ultimate (turnover plagued that is) or "Common, we have to shut them down, man!". When you play a good team, the game of Ultimate doesn´t go beyond one turn per point, so you might as well train with that in mind.
Lastly, you have to be clear, up front, about what your team can learn in a season. You can´t learn it all. You need a drill sergeant to get things done -- don´t be afraid to yell. Be positive and sure, but tough.
It´s my belief that what specific strategy you decide to do doesn´t matter as much as if you all do the same thing. You know, get on the same page. Being in sync means you have a strategic advantage over the many teams that are just out there as 7 individuals.
ameyer@verity.com
Wed Jan 3 10:02:15 1996
Conceptual Ultimate 3
From: moonee@aol.com (MoonEE)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.disc
Subject: Concept D
Date: 2 Jan 1996 02:08:05 -0500
Changing Your Defensive Set... Often
A while back I posted that DoG used seven different defenses during the final game at nationals this year. While many of these sets did not result in blocks and turn-overs, I can argue that mixing up different defensive sets did put Seattle off their game. Unforced errors followed. If your team tries this strategy, you may later hear statements from your opponent like "we just didn´t play that well against them", "our O didn´t click", "we forced it". Quotes like these come after successful defensive strategies are employed.
Below are eight defenses we played at nationals and how we see them being used. One thing to remember is that you can´t expect a defense to get blocks every point. Using one defense may simply be a set-up, making the next defense more effective.
Ten years ago, a team could win a national championship playing nothing but straight-up man; that is not the case today. It surprised me that neither Seattle nor Port City played any zone defense. Tournaments are long, legs are to be saved. This fall we traveled with only 19. These low numbers made for our ability to learn many team-defenses, keeping the same exact personnel on the field. But we had to save our legs somehow. Junk defense saves legs.
Here is a brief description of the defenses that we employed in Birmingham:
Man-to-man, force two finger:
(note: Forget straight-up man... you´re giving the thrower both throws, not smart! Even force-middle seems like a gift to a good offensive team.) Force two finger gives more teams trouble than any other man D. Why? Because most players can´t throw a two finger more than 30-40 yards, so you´ve cut the field way down. In addition, most teams have tunnel vision when trapped against the sideline, always looking to ram throws directly down field into the teeth of the defense. Strong marking on the throw is critical.
man to man force backhand:
This D augments the force two finger. Break it out after a team has gotten used to your force flick. Double Happiness got very efficient at beating our force flick, which we had used for over a year against them. No team has better inside-out flicks than they do. But force backhand threw them off. Few players throw the inside out backhand well. The BIG risk of the force backhand is that you leave the backhand huck wide open (last man back has to be aware).
clam for 3 passes:
Here´s a good D to throw in after you´ve been playing a lot of force two finger (remember that the clam only works on a force two-finger mark). Your opponent thinks man, but you´re actually in a match-up zone (when you stop and think about it, the clam is just a high risk match-up zone). I´m always surprised at how teams panic when their first cutter, open all game so far, is suddenly shut down. Use the clam once the opponent has established it´s offensive rhythm.
Clam to zone is another good D to follow successive points of man. It looks like a man, kind of, gives you a few shots at a block early and then settles into a zone.
note: clam only works off a stoppage of play, so you have to throw the pull OB. Someone may change the rules to keep teams from doing this, but until they do??? (I think that an OB pull should be heavily penalized for this reason, say start the O from the back of the end zone... that would keep the discs inbounds.)
clam after any stoppage of play:
This can be a real surprise. You´re playing force two-finger and there´s a stoppage of play (foul, pick, travel). Every one on your team KNOWS that it´s clam for three passes starting NOW. If the opponent lasts three passes you´re simply back in the force two finger. Use an audible later to call it off; they think clam, you pay man... perfect!
The use of audibles during all aspects of Ultimate is imperative. Even if what your calling is code for stay in the same D, it helps your team focus and it makes your opponent think that you have many different sets. Learn to hide your defenses. Don´t be lazy, don´t telegraph what you´re up to.
The risk with the clam in general is that it wreaks havoc on your defensive match-ups, lots-o-switching going on. Cribber may very well find himself covered by Lenny... not good!
2-3-2 zone:
This is the oldest zone in the game, but played differently depending on who´s teaching. In short, it should be match-up for the wings and the deeps while the cup forces certain throws. ´Flexing´ this zone during a point can work as well (take away the dump at high stall counts after your opponent gets dependent on that pass).
note: ´Flex´ defenses will be the thing of the future.
1-3-3 zone:
Here´s one D that NEVER works -- well, kind of. Why use it then? Sometimes we´re not sure. However, because this zone has but one marking chase, the O can throw all the sort passes it wants, giving them the sense that they are zone killers. Next time down, you play a tight 2-3-2, taking the dump away at high counts and bingo they´re putting up hail Mary passes.
The 1-3-3 is also great for transitions into clam for one pass (on a stoppage of some kind) followed by force two-finger. The opposition thinks easy zone, suddenly you front the close passes and the thrower has nothing as his down field players are standing in their zone O positions.
The 1-3-3 is a good zone to man for stopping plays off the pull since most of the zone stays relatively deep.
2-3-2 zone to man (for a set number of passes, say 3 or 5):
Oldest transition D in the book, but essential to use against teams with strong plays off the pull. During New York´s dynasty, if you didn´t mix it up on the pull, their four person play was unstoppable. Many times, teams will turn it over before you even change to man. Risk of this D is bad match-ups and your team has to be able to count. During the transition from zone to man, you are very weak.
Faceguard:
This is a force two-finger man, but with defenders around the thrower fronting their men, and defenders down field looking to poach. Sideline must talk, calling out ´last man back´ as the position will naturally keep changing. The concept here is to cut off the short pass, forcing the throw up-field to where others and last man back can poach. An important part of this D is the switching that should occur as a handler heads down field while another cutter is streaking in. The defenders can easily switch since, ideally the defender near the disc sees the incoming cutter (remember he´s fronting so he ain´t even looking at the thrower) and the defender down field sees the handler coming (since he´s set to poach and therefore looking at the thrower). The risk with this D is that is can become very loose, with too much switching and poaching, leaving everyone open.
Also, in the endzones use localized side-to-side (two defenders ´share´ their assignments: "you got left out of the stack, I got right"). 90% of all goals are thrown to the corners.
Conclusions:
1. All of these defenses work best in combinations. Play force two-finger for a while, then come down in something that looks like force two-finger, but is zone or clam. Play zone for a while and then come down in zone-to-man or zone-to-clam. DON´T BE PREDICTABLE. Many opponents see only one or two players deep, thinking that if you are in a man around the disc, then it mut be man all the way. Change it!
2. Don´t try to RUN with your opposition -- it exhausts you. Tournaments are long endurance battles, not one-game championships. If you have the best shut-down man defense, use it at key times to break your opponent´s heart and confidence. Many of the defenses described above involve LESS running than a straight man. If your opponent scores in two passes, but the second pass is hotly contested by your deep-deep, then you have done your job. Next time, make the block.
(Related note: An unusual concern came over me watching our man-to-to man nearly block three of the first four passes in a series against Seattle. As our defense got scored on -- after 15 or 20 passes -- the sideline cheered ´great D´. And it WAS good D. Seattle had struggled to score, while we were scoring in five passes. On top of that, some of their O was staying in to play D while we were changing wholesale... Nonetheless, my concern was that we were still running too hard. 21 is a long game. I would rather not try run with them. It´s much harder on the D than the O during a tough running point. So, let ´em score in five passes (not 20), and let´s get a shot at a block or two during those five passes.)
3. Predictably, offense begins with the short pass. You can´t shut it down ALL DAY, but you can dictate when your opponent will complete this pass easily and when it will be difficult. Don´t let the O dictate the flow of the game. It is surprising how FEW teams have offenses that begin with something other than a short pass to a handler lined up at the front of the stack. Since you know this fact, dictate that your opponent MUST try something else. You will find that if they haven´t practiced alternatives, turn-overs will be forthcoming.
4. Your entire team must be on the same page. None of these D´s are individual, and they suck when people aren´t working together, focused. Call the D on the line before the pull. Have the transition O be VERY SIMPLE. Don´t risk having too much to remember.
5. Your sideline is a HUGE part of all of these strategies (telling defenders where to cover/look/force). As well as yelling audibles for changes during a point.
6. Move the defense towards more risk taking. Position your players accordingly, with high flying defenders down field and stingy shut down defenders around the disc. Get your opponent to put up lower percentage passes. Hey, no need to block bad throws. Force the O to throw marginal passes into areas where your team is strongest.
7. Have your O capable of playing a few of these junk defenses. Zone off a turnover often works as your opponent will likely not have good zone O players in the game. Clam on stoppages of play can also be very effective since defensive teams don´t have as many composed handlers.
8. Whether man or zone, great defense begins with an aggressive mark on the thrower. A solid force one way or the other will allow down field defenders the luxury of only having to cover half the field (down field defenders can´t totally ignore the weak side, but...).
So what does all this mean? Sometimes the object is not just to make sick blocks (though if you´re single this may be your only hope of finding a date), but to make your opponent´s offense have to THINK. Thinking and playing at the same time is very difficult. By the time the final game rolls around, teams want to use the same strategy that has gotten them into that game. Thinking, changing, adjusting are all difficult, especially without real coaches.
But, each defense takes time to learn. Showing up at practice and simply playing games to 21 is not enough. This stuff has to be drilled, ´cause athletes are notoriously dense. We freely admit that we are the dumbest team in Ultimate.
Good luck to all in ´96.
ameyer@verity.com
Wed Jan 3 13:01:35 1996
Conceptual Ultimate 4
From: moonee@aol.com (MoonEE)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.disc
Subject: The Basics: Handlers and Goal Scorers
Date: 20 Feb 1996 23:55:55 -0500
A while back, I wrote a short piece called Conceptual Ultimate describing how the sport seems to be heading more towards loose offensive concepts than to rigid play calling. A few examples like the ´fast break´ and ´end zone´ came to mind, which I discussed briefly. These concepts are what interest me most for the upcoming year. In future posts I hope to include more of these situations, times when a single word can tell the entire team how to play, regardless of prepositioning or assignments. But first, I feel that the basics are getting short shrift. So let´s get simple.
Every team should have at least two kinds of players on the field at any one time: handlers and goal scorers. If you have only one or the other, stop reading now and trade a few of them for the other... soon. There are mids too, with definitive roles, but let´s forget them for the time being.
This game is really all about handlers and scorers. Handlers: the guys who you can TRUST to get open around the disc, the guys with the solid throws, the guys who can repeatedly break the mark, the guys who have the lowest turnover to passes thrown ratio (gee, I´m even starting to sound like those MIT types). Goal scorers: the guys who you DEPEND ON to get open for big yardage and/or in the end zone.
Broken down to its most basic level, Ultimate is nothing more than handlers playing keep-away until one of three things occur: they turn the disc over, they advance the disc all the way up field, or a goal scorer breaks free for a substantial gain. If your team is only doing the first two, stop reading now and practice longer throws. Even if your handlers are the best in the game and can repeatedly get the disc up field, chances are they don´t catch too many goals themselves. You will still need goal scorers to actually cut for goals.
There is one other vital part to all of this: the stack. Where the rest of the team positions itself when not directly in the play is both the most basic lesson of the sport, and the most widely ignored lesson... at all levels. Ever watch 8 year-olds playing soccer? They all follow the ball, both teams, twenty players. Getting them to spread out is as difficult as getting Ultimate teams to stack effectively. And the stack isn´t just a straight line down the middle of the field as your guy walks the pull to the line. The stack is constantly repositioning, moving from side to side, creating space, pinching in close to open the deep game... Think one-on-one isolation, and get everyone else out of the way. The stack can not be ignored, but too often is. Back to handlers and scorers.
As the leader of your team, it´s up to you to find out who does what, regardless of what these individuals are telling you over large quantities of beer. Everyone wants to handle, and many players can get open. But who on your team VALUES that disc? The players who make the right choices -- choosing easy completed passes to open players over risky passes to covered players -- are handlers. The other guys are mids. You need two or three handlers on the field at a time.
The goal scorer is easier to identify. He or she, is the player you see spiking the disc in the end zone at practice. He´s the guy you can´t cover. He´s the guy who wins wind sprints every night. There´s no denying that he runs faster, jumps higher and has better hands than the rest of us. DON´T LET HIM HANDLE, no matter how good his throws are. And believe me, he´ll want to handle. Resist! You need him down field. Good goal scorers are hard to find, so buy this player a new car. You really only need one of these types on the field at a time. Two is a luxury. Three is too many ´cause they have HUGE egos and usually won´t tolerate others making the big cuts or scoring the goals.
Handlers should lead the team in passes attempted and goals thrown. Goal scorers should lead the team in goals caught. Now for the not so obvious: Handlers and goal scorers need to know that they are just that. In fact, everyone on your team must be aware. Why? Because with this broad awareness of who´s doing what, the game becomes much easier. What was once seven players all out there running random patterns trying to get open, is now a couple of handlers (with supporting cast: mids) playing keep away until a goal scorer breaks open to receive a BIG pass of some kind. It is that easy. What makes it interesting, and often difficult, are the defenders.
The challenge for your team is to get good at identifying when certain types of cuts are more likely to work. When to throw it long on the first pass? When to break the mark to a handler cutting down the line? When to be satisfied with a dump and swing? None of this needs to be drawn out formally on a chalk board, but all of this needs to become second-nature. How? Repetition. It´s no coincidence that the top teams have only 7 or 8 players who play O. You can count on these players being in the game when the game is on the line (unless injury or horrendous performance forces a change in the line-up). These same teams have as many as 12-15 to rotate in on D. It´s no wonder that the D´s offense is weaker. What do you expect when your constantly teamed with different players?
Let me make a few points with regard to the defensive O: handlers and scorers in transition that is. Here, more that ever, these roles are critical. Why is it that after a turn, EVERYONE´s a handler, or no one´s a handler? The answer is lack of discipline. Call a time-out and get your ducks in a row or you´ll be back on D before you can count to ten (actually, before they can count to ten).
So it´s that simple. Really! Try a game at practice where one of your goal scorers is assigned to catch EVERY goal in the half. You will be surprised at how easy the game becomes. Why? Because everybody is suddenly looking for the same thing, setting up plays that result in your best receiver catching the goal. Make the game simple and deliberate, you will be pleased with the results.
I hope this wasn´t insultingly basic.
Closing thought:
Bill Walton made an interesting point when talking about Charles Smith´s difficulties with having to play the 3,4 or 5 position during his career in the NBA. Walton wished that Charles would stop thinking and just step up and play, saying: "Players make plays, plays don´t make players."
P.S. Almost forgot. Hey you mids, it´s your job to support the handlers and scorers... bail them out... cut at high stall counts... cut after the scorer receives a pass down field... fill in when you see an opening... but NEVER cut a handler or scorer off... you´re sure to get an ear full.
From: moonee@aol.com (MoonEE)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.disc
Subject: The Basics: Adendum
Date: 23 Feb 1996 01:05:45 -0500
To clarify something that a few of you have poited out. My post IS NOT a lisence for the handlers to clog and squirrel around the disc. On the contrary.
If you consider that a team should ALWAYS be working towards getting the disc to your goal scorers, wouldn´t it then demand that handlers and mids not clog. I am a handler and it is MY RESPONSIBILITY to look down field before cutting. If Jimmy P isn´t cutting, or if another WIDE OPEN players isn´t cutting, then it´s my job the get the disc.
Handlers should never clog. Handlers should be able to get open at anytime. Handlers should throw sick passes for goals, not turnovers!!!
Use the post as a loose guideline, but make it your own. Adjust to your team´s strengths and be creative. That´s the beauty of this game: it´s free flow.
ameyer@verity.com
Mon Feb 26 17:33:55 1996
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