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Some Thoughts From Australia
by Jonathan Potts
I wouldn't say I've thought about this a lot, surprisingly. I find I'm generally on a team that's drilled a lot of vertical or drilled a lot of horizontal, so we're better at one particular offence in most conditions.
All other things being equal, horizontal relies on using static structure to create space on the field, whereas vertical relies on cutting (dynamic structure?) to create space on the field.
Wind tends to nullify cutting advantages, so _theoretically_ horizontally should be preferred in the wind, all other things being equal, including your team's ability to play either offence.
However, in wind you need to modify the static structure of the horizontal to adjust for the wind direction and strength, and everyone needs to be on the same page, so it could be pretty tricky to get right.
For example, obviously, going upwind you need to shorten up the stack to maintain the deep threat, and going downwind you need to lengthen the stack so that you get reasonable return on the in cuts.
Similarly, in a side wind you'll probably need to adjust your spacing across the field to allow a greater margin of error on the throws into space.
But, just like vertical, it will be more difficult to play horizontal offence in the wind, you need a genuine deep threat at all times, and you need to coordinate your cuts.
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