In a Position to Win; Part I – Why It Matters

i. In a Position to Win; Preface

Introduction

In the simplest sense, Ultimate is a game of throw and catch. Behind all of the offensive strategies and defensive sets, each point is won by someone throwing a disc and someone else catching it. Within a game of throw and catch, there are two vital spots on the playing field: the spot of release and the spot of the catch. As a down-field defender, out job is to defend the spot of the catch. The best way to do this is to get between the offensive player and the place they want to catch the disc.

This is how defense is played in every sport. The most obvious example: football. There is a line on the field that the offense has to stay behind, and it is the side farthest away from their goal. The defense lines up on the other side between the offense and the goal. Basketball and hockey players do the same thing: stand between the offensive player and the basket/goal; but in these sports, you can see it taken to another level: the defense will force the ball/puck carrier to the outside of the court/ice. Why? Because the goal is in the middle of the playing field.

Ultimate is a little different, however. The goal is an end-zone, just like in football, but there are no restrictions on where players can be at any given time. Additionally, there is no reason to force players to the outside or inside of the field, because they can score on anywhere across the width of the end-zone. There is, however, a way to create a specific goal for the offense as a defense, and it’s the most important defensive position in all of Ultimate: the handler defender, or the mark.

Defensive Positioning: “In a Position to Win” – PREFACE

The moment I started playing college/competitive Ultimate, I’ve loved playing defense. I found the endless changing of positioning, thought processes, goals, and objectives during the playing of each point remarkably intense and rewarding. In my playing, learning, and teaching of the sport, I’ve seen a lot of new/young players struggle with the concept of “defensive positioning”, watching them simply chase their mark around like a game of “follow the leader”, and they waste a lot of energy/allow a lot of easy catches in doing so.

My next series of blog posts, titled “In a Position to Win”, will try to shed some light on the concept of “defensive positioning” on a level that players of most any age/level can understand. I will talk about why it matters, how it works, when to use it, and more. It will focus primarily on player-on-player defense, but the occasional zone conversation will occur.

Along with my own thoughts on the concept, I will do my best to compile other great content already available on other blogs/websites. There is a great wealth of Ultimate knowledge on the internet if you take the time to look.

I hope to have the entire three or four part series done by the time May comes around (no promises).

Look next for “Part I: Why It Matters” early next week.