USA Ultimate

Secrecy & Spying In Ultimate

by Charlie Reznikoff

In the summer of 2006 Sub Zero cut a player then accidentally left him on our email list. This guy later played for our competition. He forwarded to them our "playbook." But before we uncovered the leak, Zero and this team played in finals of Sectionals. Early in the game we got our first defensive possession, near our opponent's endzone. Mark "Paco" Enright picked up the disc and called the audible for me to cut for an immediate swing. My defender switched his positioning to overplay the swing (knowing the audible). I switched my cut and caught a goal. Paco and I had four years of playing together, making the adjustment easy. The audible call was just a starting point for us. By the way, Sub Zero won finals. Perhaps our opponents relied too heavily on their inside information, and forgot they had to play the game. I have twice had access to—but never used—the playbook of a top ten club team whom we played at Club Nationals. In both cases these playbooks were obtainable because they were in a digital format, easily forwarded by email. 

At Labor Day 2006 Sub played an opponent from another region. As I set up the d-line (I always do so with my back turned to our opponents so they can't hear) I reminded the team of the audible for a handler weave after a turn. Then I noticed the captain of the opposing team standing in the back of our endzone listening to my play call. We didn't use our weave audible for that game. Many times as a coach I hear the other team openly discussing (for example) the zone they are about to throw. What do I do? I tell my team to prepare for a zone. I don't actively eavesdrop, but if the other team announces their strategy, I respond. As a coach, I consciously decide how much secrecy is required in making play calls, assuming other teams are listening. On occasion I feel that clarity of strategy is more important than secrecy. In those cases you might hear me yelling the force, or calling the transition to "Man D!" from the sideline. Other times I place a premium on surprise and secrecy. 

I do not consider any of the examples above cheating, or even unspirited. I give the above examples to illustrate two themes. First, as the sport evolves and elaborates, maintaining secrecy will become more important. I suggest all teams consciously protect their plays and audibles, especially digital documents that are easily copied and forwarded. Second, players win and lose a game, not plays. The best play is one that works even if your opponents know it. If your play self destructs as soon as your opponents decode it, it is not a play, it is a trap.