You'll know ultimate has hit the big time when...
There is a video library all the way down to individual players. Granted the title was somewhat of a red herring. I was thinking about some stuff I said in my addendum on ultimate strategy musings regarding what Tarr labeled the quick release.
One of the reasons I have had success throwing is that I have a very quick release on the markable throws like the inside-out forehand and backhand, the step around backhand, and the hammer. The with-the-force backhand and forehand aren't quite as risky, so I don't typically rush them. If you had a video library (similar to what baseball, football, basketball, and other moneyed sports have on individuals), you would have noticed, for instance, that I almost NEVER fake (now I'm setting myself up for about 5 more point blocks than the maybe 1 a season that occur). You would be able to note the users tendencies. I think video analysis would raise the defensive portion of the game to a much higher level, especially on the mark. It would force the throwers to vary their releases much more than they do now, and that level of thought would require a lot more repetitive training than they do now.
It would also probably create more standard offensive/defensive matchups. It would be difficult for a defensive stud to focus on 7 or 8 different players, but he might focus on 2 or 3 players, with him matching up on his secondary choices when his primary matchup isn't in the game. The same kind of study would also pay dividends on downfield defense.
Let me put forth a caveat on all of this. I don't think the best defenses are the in your face defense, because of the advantage that rests with the offense (because the defense is reactive). I expect that as the sport evolves, you will see effective switching defenses become a bigger part of the defensive playbook. Right now the switching that occurs is pretty haphazard except for organized stuff like the clam, which is somewhat limited in its effectiveness at the highest levels. Given this statement, I expect that the most effective use of video would be on the mark, at least for individual player tendencies. Obviously, video will be VERY useful in breaking down a team's strategy.
Thoughts?
One of the reasons I have had success throwing is that I have a very quick release on the markable throws like the inside-out forehand and backhand, the step around backhand, and the hammer. The with-the-force backhand and forehand aren't quite as risky, so I don't typically rush them. If you had a video library (similar to what baseball, football, basketball, and other moneyed sports have on individuals), you would have noticed, for instance, that I almost NEVER fake (now I'm setting myself up for about 5 more point blocks than the maybe 1 a season that occur). You would be able to note the users tendencies. I think video analysis would raise the defensive portion of the game to a much higher level, especially on the mark. It would force the throwers to vary their releases much more than they do now, and that level of thought would require a lot more repetitive training than they do now.
It would also probably create more standard offensive/defensive matchups. It would be difficult for a defensive stud to focus on 7 or 8 different players, but he might focus on 2 or 3 players, with him matching up on his secondary choices when his primary matchup isn't in the game. The same kind of study would also pay dividends on downfield defense.
Let me put forth a caveat on all of this. I don't think the best defenses are the in your face defense, because of the advantage that rests with the offense (because the defense is reactive). I expect that as the sport evolves, you will see effective switching defenses become a bigger part of the defensive playbook. Right now the switching that occurs is pretty haphazard except for organized stuff like the clam, which is somewhat limited in its effectiveness at the highest levels. Given this statement, I expect that the most effective use of video would be on the mark, at least for individual player tendencies. Obviously, video will be VERY useful in breaking down a team's strategy.
Thoughts?
posted by Alex de Frondeville at 3:42 PM
10 Comments:
officially add another to my growing list of good throwers who don't fake much or at all. i have always contended that good throwers simply have technique that makes it hard to block their throws.
you see guys faking faking faking… some are good, some are average, none are great.
when i do break mark drills, there is no extra faking or pivoting. “just break him” is the only instruction. actually i think they’re actually not allowed to make any fakes. just stand there and throw it. good break mark throwers develop throws that are just tough to get a hand on. you shouldn’t be relying on timing and/or a bunch of pivots. the cut is either on the break side or it is not. if it is, you need to get it there NOW.
poor man's video archive... pick the top 10 at [skill x], come up with a list of commonalities. ideally things that are not totally obvious. top throwers not faking for example would be one bullet point on summerizing what good throwers do.
another might be... they have blogs.
what? you guys haven't been to http://theycallmeshank.blogspot.com
Makes me think of the 1st Betty Bowl I watched in the NE. 1st year of Cojones, and a bunch of former NYNY guys and some others that I had played with in '93 were battling the Cornell alums in the game to go. For the 1st time ever Ted and Greg Phillips were on different teams. Cornell on the goalline at 13-12 and Greg calls a TO. So Ted's team all asks "What does Greg want to throw?" Ted was like their own personal film library, since he'd seen Greg play more than anyone. He said "High release backhand."
Lo and behold, Greg throws that exact throw and it gets point blocked. Of course, Greg then caught his own throw and threw the goal anyway, but still, it was LIKE a film session.
I point blocked Alex 2.5 times in a point at a summer league scrimmage back in 1994 or so. Ol' Billy Bob from Engineering turned it back over each time, though.
Idris' comments made me recall his own comments during practice about the three man marking drill. I don't know that I could do his comments justice so he can comment on them if he wishes. But the fact is that I listened and watched how he ran the drill and it was *easier* to just make a throw than to pivot back and forth 10 times in 5 seconds trying to get a throw off. It took a while to learn how to read the mark, but it made a huge difference for me.
One question I do have (in general)...is it better to throw a fake to move the marker...or is it better to repostion your body...or does it even matter. I've found that just facing the mark makes it easier and that I really don't have to throw fakes...but maybe I'm missing something?
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I agree with the last comment 100%. The only reason to throw a bunch of goofy fakes before passing is if you or your offense are somehow telegraphing your intentions. I had a problem with this for the longest time, staring intently at the one receiver about to cut. Everyone on the field and anyone paying attention on the sidelines would know where I was looking. I got point blocked every third game or so. Finally, I forced myself to develop a habit of disguising my intentions by looking to a different part of the field, and, as the last comment suggested, making little weight shifts to reveal the shadow of an intention to throw it elsewhere, or in some different way.
Nothing's sillier than watching someone go through a series of auto-fakes, like he's doing a tai chi routine or something. It's just plain inefficient.
Oh, and on the subject of video-analysis, I repeat what I said elsewhere. Ultimate videopapers are the best tool out there right now.
I find that rather than pointless faking, it's more about choice of throw given the balance of the mark.
By looking at the marking position, I know if and what type of break is on or not immediately, be it a step round break, high release, scoober, hammer, whatever. No mark can take away all the throws you should have, so by assessing what you're given, you can just take the option as it presents itself. You know what you are going to throw, the mark doesn't, they are always reacting to your throw, so provided your motion is fast enough, and your technique is strong, no way they can react in time (unless they are marking way off, in which case, you just time the breaks differently to take advantage).
If it so happens that the cut just doesn't go where you need it to be, no matter what throw you may have, don't waste time and energy (and don't forget making yourself look like a fool) trying to fake to move your mark around, trying to engineer a throw. Chances are, not only do you look like you're having a fit, but the option is gone anyway when you've stopped and gotten in a position to actually throw it.
parinella: Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every 2.5 times or then.
cash/mark/duncan: For me, it is all about what side the mark is on, and even then, I usually don't fret too much. It is rare that a given break mark throw has to be a certain throw, such as an inside out forehand RATHER than a step around low release backhand, although I will rarely throw the step around backhand, it would be more a quickstep low release backhand under the mark. And yes, sometimes I will position my body in advance to release a certain throw, but this will usually be on a stoppage, where I see a short inside out backhand or forehand and have eye contact with the person, so I will set up my body far into the marker so that I can quickly step out and throw (still doesn't involve a fake), but I have the advantage because the marker has to react to me, and usually can't do it quickly enough. More strategy tips for defending me...the markers that I have had the most difficulty with are the tall dudes with the really long arms, like Cribber back in the day (granted he didn't start covering me until he was with Jam), and the Andrew Lugsdins of the world.
And yes, there are times where I can't get a throw off that I want. I'm not god. But as I mentioned in another post, I'm less concerned with having a good looking throw than with having something that gets there, so I make the throw that will get there, even though it isn't necessarily the standard throw (and, yes, I have that flexibility because I've been playing for 21 years and can make some of these throws).
beckerj42: I find that I usually do not really stare at individual cutters. Or if I do, I am still effectively 'glazing' my look (not sure how else to really describe this) and seeing a large quadrant of the field and waiting to see what springs out of it. This is why I am successful at delivering throws past the first rank of cutters, hitting the person who is open in the second rank with a blade or a hammer or something else. Basically I just let the play come to me.
Alex is taking the concept of "opportunity cuts" and applying that to his throws. An opportunity cut is simply one where you have such an upper hand on the defender in terms of positioning (because you set him up or the flow of the game has turned his good positioning into bad) that all you have to do is run in a straight line and be open. Sometimes he just reads the marker and sees that a quailing but fast i/o flick will get past the marker, sometimes he repositions himself so the marker is out of position, and sometimes he recognizes that the marker is unable to stop a throw because the marker has not perfectly anticipated the throw (see 2.5 blind squirrels). This last point really addresses the topic of this post. If you play perfect mental defense for two seconds because you have obsessively studied videotape (or your coaches have prepared a video of every throw made by the player), you will be able to stop this throw. But if you're off by a little, as _everyone_ in ultimate is most of the time now, you will not be able to stop it.
I would exactly call it quailing... Actually, Jim brings up a good point. I can't remember the last time that I threw a nice looking inside-out forehand more than 5 yards, and when I say nice looking, I mean with the 'proper' inside-out angle. I'll throw them flat in the situation where I knew in advance I was going to throw it (again on the stoppage), and was able to set up my body so that I could easily step out. Otherwise when I see an opportunity, I'll actually throw more of a quick release outside in flick (not quite a blade, but that angle), which will hit the cutter in stride. Like I said, not great looking, but it gets the job done.
Granted, I was just speaking theoretically at the beginning. Frankly, I don't know how to truly stop somebody from throwing to a location, especially when there is no wind, at least with the athletes and focus on the mark we have right now. You need blazing arm speed, lightning quick reactions, maybe tendency training, etc. Like I said, the most effective markers on me have been the tall people with the longest arms/reach, so that they don't have to move much to block a path, and there is a huge psychological advantage also.
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