USA Ultimate

Tidbits

by Gwen Ambler

There are a lot of marking tidbits I've heard and dispensed over the years. I find myself repeatedly coming back to four in particular. Two of these pieces of wisdom have come from amazing coaches, one is from a legendary point-block machine, and one is from observations of what makes the biggest difference in my own marking. 

From Jennifer "JD" Donnelly (while coaching Stanford Superfly): Your mark should take into account body mechanics and reaction time. Keeping your center of gravity low (bending at the knees, not the waist) helps you stay balanced on the mark. You can move your feet quicker if your weight is on the balls of your feet rather than your heels. It is quicker to move your arms upwards than downwards. It is easier to move your arms quickly from a neutral, relaxed position than from a fully extended, outstretched position. You can't take away a throw from below your knees with your hands while still staying balanced (use your feet instead). You'll have more time to react to a throw if your hands are in the same plane as your body rather than in-front of your torso. 

From Matty Tsang (while coaching Fury): A good mark "sets the table" for your teammates to get blocks downfield. Actually, as a very team-D-oriented thinker, he emphasizes that playing good D anywhere on the field can help your teammates get blocks. As it applies to marking, setting the table for your teammates means holding the force (or at least making break throws very hard) at a minimum and ideally also pressuring big open-side throws to influence the thrower into throwing a pass that was not what she initially envisioned. If you do your job on the mark, you allow your teammates the opportunity to make plays downfield on passes that are less than perfectly executed or are thrown somewhere the D is anticipating. You don't need to get a point-block to generate a turnover. 

From Mike Whitaker (during a clinic with Team USA): Move your feet according to a "marking triangle" to best hold the force. Whit is an excellent marker, partly because of amazing reflexes, but more importantly because he moves his feet well to the positions that are most likely to help him shut down the break side. The marking positions that can best stop breaks are NOT along a straight line, in one plane with the marker's initial body positioning. 

Instead of exclusively shuffling back and forth along a straight line, the best markers vary the distance between themselves and the thrower (often dependent on the stall count). In order to stop yard-gaining breaks, Whit advocates using a drop-step shuffle to hit the corners of an imaginary triangle behind the mark. By dropping back and out to the side, the marker prevents a good thrower from simply stepping through the mark for a break and also allows the marker time to react to any break-mark throw that is attempted. I only wish I'd started practicing this marking triangle technique earlier. My personal marking mantra: Work your hardest while on the mark.There is never a time for resting while you're on the mark and the disc is in play. 

Sometimes working hard on the mark is physical and sometimes it's mental, but it should always be intense. You should have your most fierce focus of the point while marking. You should be constantly ready to adjust and readjust the positioning of your body and limbs. You should be ready to move your feet with quick agility and engage your core to maintain balance whether you're marking the first pass of a point or a pass after twenty minutes of a point. My best marking has always been after reminding myself that marking should be hard work. 

Each of these pieces of advice can be tweaked according to the angle of the force and other specific situations, like a particular thrower. For instance, when marking a thrower like Kath Ratcliff, who has a quick high release backhand, you would want to keep your right hand higher than usual (slightly higher than shoulder level). But you would still want to keep your arm in a relaxed position and you'd still want to drop-step back while trying to cut off that throw. Alternatively, if you're guarding a thrower like Julie Baker, who has a ridiculously low-release flick, you might take a general step off to prevent her from stepping past you, and you would need to be prepared to flash your left foot to stop her signature throw. But you would still need to stay balanced and move your feet. On the other hand, if you're trapping an insecure thrower on the forehand sideline, you might eschew drop-stepping against the unlikely threat of a yard-gaining backhand break and instead shuffle to the right, parallel to the sideline to make even a yard-losing backhand break less easily executed. But you would still need to maintain your intense focus and readiness for any break throw she might attempt. Paying attention to the preferred breaks of throwers can certainly help prepare you for setting a killer mark.