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No Room For Error
by Lindsey Hack
Typically, our offense thinks of the sideline as a trap if we are being forced to that sideline. Given the right thrower, it could be a land of opportunity as it is much easier to destroy a defense with one break throw from the trap sideline. But, given that there are few throwers that skilled on a team, as a whole, the sideline is viewed as a trap.
The sideline is a trap because it gives throwers who do not consistently break the mark a very small window to work with when throwing to an in-cutter. The target is probably about two feet by two feet and there is no space (unless you can throw break) for the thrower to throw to. Therefore, there is no room for error. If you are a smart defense, and there is a significant amount of wind, you will force to the downwind sideline. Now, not only are half of the hucks down the sideline going to be out of bounds, but you will have a much more difficult time breaking the mark because it will be into the wind. Typically, our offensive motto has always been, "find the upwind sideline and stay on it."
How can teams train to use sideline space most effectively? Spend as little time there as possible, but make large gains with your time there. For instance, if you have a really good thrower with the disc on the sideline it may be best to set up an away cut from the opposite sideline or a break cut. Also, nothing destroys a defense more than getting the disc trapped on the sideline and then letting the team work it effortlessly off the sideline. Therefore, visiting the sideline is not the worst thing in the world; just don't plan on staying for too long.
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Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 |
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