Defensive Strategy
One area that I noticed this year that could have been improved upon is the lack of a team defensive philosophy. We would hit on a few topics each year that would increase the amount of turnovers we generated, but on a whole it is "Shut your man down" or "Stay on his hip", etc.
The reason it is irritating is because this is not a team defense. If everyone is playing shut your man down defense that is a team defense, but not a team defense in the true meaning of the word.
I grew up playing basketball, football, other sports etc. Basketball is one where you need to constantly position yourself between the goal, the ball, and your man. The idea is not to take away every pass or shot, but to position yourself so that you are making the offense take the types of shots you want them to take and that you are in position to make them take those shots if your man has the ball. This is done by team defense and an understanding as to what the person on the ball is forcing, and the person guarding the ball understanding and where his teammates are and what they are protecting.
If I were to try and associate to ultimate a defensive strategy, it might look something like the following.
1. Eeach player knows which throw to expect from the O, and why.
2. Each player knows what throws they are allowing, and why.
3. Each player has positioned himself in a position to take away the trows the D is prohibiting,
4. If a throw is completed, the defensive player is in a position to place a mark on and continue the D strategy for the next throw
By doing each of those activities, you have decreased the throwing percentage of any given throw and increased the defenses ability to make plays.
The items listed above, are the results of a team strategy that does the following.
1. Plays to your team strengths and reduces your teams weaknesses.
2. Allows each player to be held accountible for their actions.
3. Is flexible based upon outside conditions.
4. Allows the defensive team to adjust, or not adjust
5. Have a gameplan.
That's the start. More to come on each of these items at a later date.
$
The reason it is irritating is because this is not a team defense. If everyone is playing shut your man down defense that is a team defense, but not a team defense in the true meaning of the word.
I grew up playing basketball, football, other sports etc. Basketball is one where you need to constantly position yourself between the goal, the ball, and your man. The idea is not to take away every pass or shot, but to position yourself so that you are making the offense take the types of shots you want them to take and that you are in position to make them take those shots if your man has the ball. This is done by team defense and an understanding as to what the person on the ball is forcing, and the person guarding the ball understanding and where his teammates are and what they are protecting.
If I were to try and associate to ultimate a defensive strategy, it might look something like the following.
1. Eeach player knows which throw to expect from the O, and why.
2. Each player knows what throws they are allowing, and why.
3. Each player has positioned himself in a position to take away the trows the D is prohibiting,
4. If a throw is completed, the defensive player is in a position to place a mark on and continue the D strategy for the next throw
By doing each of those activities, you have decreased the throwing percentage of any given throw and increased the defenses ability to make plays.
The items listed above, are the results of a team strategy that does the following.
1. Plays to your team strengths and reduces your teams weaknesses.
2. Allows each player to be held accountible for their actions.
3. Is flexible based upon outside conditions.
4. Allows the defensive team to adjust, or not adjust
5. Have a gameplan.
That's the start. More to come on each of these items at a later date.
$
posted by $ at 6:47 AM
6 Comments:
You are hitting on the points that I am getting at with the post. Defenses are not sophistated at all and there is quite a bit of growth left.
Sure, a force is a defense, but it is a very basic force. There is much more behind just forcing flick. Let's take it one step further.
Take for instance, you state that you are going to force flick. Well, what throws are you willing to give up. You will always give up a throw, but some throws are more dangerous than the others. ie some may consider an I/O break more dangerous than around break. Which throw is your team willing to give up in order to stop one throw.
Secondly, based upon the throws you are taking away, where should the defensive players not on the mark position themselves.
more to come
$,
There are times when I think playing effective, team man D is the hardest thing to do in Ultimate.
Do you agree?
-G
I'm not saying JAM didn't use some strategies. I think we probably use more strategy than most. I also think that many teams are stuck in the conundrum of picking a force and not explaining the effects of the force on the team as a whole and how the team should react based upon where the disc is, etc. I don't feel that "stay on his hip" is the right answer.
Watch basketball, or even soccer...the defensive player are constantly repositioning themselves based based upon the ball and their team strategy.
Of course I will be starting with the mark.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
yes George, I would agree with you. Because by playing team D, you have to constantly be thinking instead of simply staying on your man's hip, or mindlessly marking to force flick.
You have to think and anticipate based upon your teams strategy.
Post a Comment
<< Home