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Body Mechanics
by Jeff Eastham-Anderson
As I am already behind, my priority is to catch up. It's harder to run fast with your head turned, so I will sometimes let the intended receiver read the disc for me and take the hit, in terms of speed. At this point, help from the sideline, in terms of which direction to go, is very helpful.
As soon as I know that I can catch up, or I hear from the sideline that the throw is short, I will turn my head. If I turn my head and am close to the offensive player, I will also raise my off arm (head turned right means left arm is up) about chest level with my forearm bent and parallel with the ground. This arm is especially important with floaty discs, but is not used with any significant force. It is more of a warning system to prevent tangled legs or knocked heads, which is easy when there are two people not looking where they are going.
All thing being equal, I will work to get between the path the disc will take to the receiver. I only have to get a tip of a finger to get a block, but they need a whole hand, which means I can make a more aggressive bid. Making a defensive bid from the backside can be dangerous, and rarely results in a clean block. Taking a position behind the receiver relative to the path of the disc should be reserved for gross misreads by the receiver.
As the disc makes its final approach, I focus on making an aggressive bid. This means coordinating my movements so that when the time comes to jump or layout, I am ready to do so. This means chopping my steps to take off on the correct foot (if there is time to do so), and driving my arms (like a high-jumper).
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Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 |
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