USA Ultimate

Addressing Your Weakness

by Ben van Heuvelen

A good offense should be able to reset against even a very good defense. If we're having trouble resetting, chances are that we're suffering from a problem of our own making: either A. The design of our reset protocol is flawed; or B. We're executing it poorly. † 

A. There are many effective ways to reset a disc, but any effective way will probably have these elements:

• The reset cutters give the thrower at least two options, simultaneously or in close succession, such that the marker must leave at least one throw open.
   
• The resets begin their cuts early in the stall count (by stall 5—probably earlier), such that the thrower can pivot at least a couple of times, if need be, before throwing.
   
• The reset cutters are positioned such that they are threatening two viable cutting spaces.
   
• There is a "safety valve" cutter—often times a downfield cutter (rather than a handler)—who is looking to move towards unoccupied space (often an inside-out/breakmark passing lane) on a high stall.
   
• The primary reset's goal is not only to get ten more seconds, but also to win vertical and/or lateral yards.

• When reset cutters are covered, the thrower just watches them, instead of pivoting and faking to them (thereby moving the mark along with him).
   
• Well-guarded reset cutters "dance" in the lane, thinking that the team is depending on them to get the disc. In reality, they are taking up space that a secondary reset or "safety valve" cutter might otherwise use to get open.
   
• The reset cutters haven't sprinted into position or aren't in ideal position to start a cut when the thrower needs it.
   
• The reset cutters are taking nonaggressive angles, failing to get their bodies between the defender and the space the disc will be thrown to.


N.B. All of these execution problems are also likely symptoms of player fatigue and/or inadequate physical conditioning. 

In our hypothetical elimination game, we need to ask what the single biggest reason is that they're able to defend our resets well. ("Single biggest," I say, because not even the most coachable player can implement more than one big change at once). Are our handlers too fatigued to get into position early? Maybe then we should seek opportunities to rest them; or we can assign someone on each sideline to talk to them throughout each point to remind them to get into position; or if they're defensive handlers, we make sure they're matched up on easier opponents. 

Whatever the solution, if it's an in-game adjustment, it has to address the weakness that they're most taking advantage of, and we have to choose only one thing to address. 

† There is a third possibility, which is that we're executing a very good strategy pretty darn well, but the defense has tailored a specific strategy to us, which is causing our miscues. The hypotheticals here get a little bit too confusing to go into much detail. As a general principle, though, I'll say that we need to adjust our strategy, and our adjustment, since it's in-game, needs to be significant yet very very simple.