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Catching The Pull
by Gwen Ambler
As others have mentioned, it's highly important to catch the pull whenever possible. In the Women's game, far too many players let the pull hit the ground if it comes in at a hard angle. As a puller, I've learned to take advantage of this by working on big outside-in pulls to gain an extra second or two while the player stops a roll and picks up the disc, possibly gain field position if the player misreads how the disc will roll, and give the offense a wet disc to work with if there's dew on the grass. All of that is negated if the offense simply catches the pull.
When running a horizontal stack offense, teams I've played on will call three handlers and designate one as the person to receive the first pass in the center of the field. Either of the other two handlers will field the pull, depending on which side of the field the pull heads towards. The two side handlers need to communicate as soon as they get a read on the pull who will catch it. If I'm one of these side handlers catching the pull, I like to count down my catch "3...2...1" so that other players on the field know exactly when our offense gains possession and is off to the races. The handler who gets the disc centered to her should read how fast the defense is coming down and position herself such that she can gain as many easy, uncontested yards as possible with the first pass.
"Amy, Betty, Claire handling. Center to Claire to Dora to Emily. Francis fill."
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Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 |
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