USA Ultimate

Plan Ahead

by Kath Ratcliff

By far the most effective "move" for breaking the mark that I've found is one that is rarely (but with increasing frequency) used in the women's game. The general idea is that you throw a backhand over the mark's shoulder (while being forced backhand) to the I/O lane, while using the step forward to throw as your first step running for the give-go. 

Specifically, I try to throw in the space above the mark's shoulder (not too near their face), and I throw *down*. This is important, as with most high-release throws, if you throw in the same manner as a normal or low-release throw, the disc will tend to sail over the receiver's head. However, if you throw with some i/o on it, and in a downward direction, it will float enough to give the receiver enough time to run onto it. Additionally, if you transfer your weight from your pivot foot to your front foot (from left to right for rightys), then you're already a step ahead of your defender, on the way to getting the disc back. I see this type of move far more frequently in the men's game, where the quick give-go or dish to the handler seems more common (but it's well on its way in the women's side). One peril of this is that you get called for a *lot* of travels, mainly because when you transfer your weight to the front foot, even if your back foot is still down, it really appears that you're running forward. The only solution I've come up with is to play with observers and request for them to make a call on travel/no travel. 

I think the most important thing in learning to break the mark is to think *before* you step up to the mark how you're going to break it. That is, know what you want to throw, and figure out how you're going to make them think you're throwing something else. The other, really most important thing, is to be able to switch your grip from forehand to backhand with only one hand on the frisbee (don't grab it with your off hand) extremely quickly and naturally. If you can't move the disc to the right grip faster than your mark can move their feet, you'll never get a throw off. (Also, markers often watch what grip you have and cheat to that side... at least, I do.) 

I think it's very important to have some players who can dish out the disc to anywhere on the field regardless of mark. But, that being said, it's very very important for every player to be able to *at least* break a force for a dump throw. The throw I think is the most important here is if you're trapped on the sideline and you need to throw a dump, it's really key that everyone on the field is able to throw around the mark to the dump in the middle of the field. Bonus points if everyone can throw it to space, leading the dump out to an area where they have an easy continue throw to the break side before the mark can catch up.