Playing against the Zone

                 
Lately, Athens’s has been having some pretty weird weather. One day it’s as nice as can be, but the next day it’s rainy and cold. The one thing has stayed constant day by day is the wind. And as all Ultimate players know, a strong wind leads to playing against a zone!

In The Huddle, author Peri Kurshan described playing against a zone as a game of chess. This is a good comparison because the point of working against a zone is to wait and be patience till the weakness of your opponent show. This requires skills with disc from not only the handler, but also everyone else on the field. One of the specific skills is a quick release. All offensive players need to be able to pass the disc along before the cup can get situated. No player should hold the disc for more than 5 seconds, the disc should be constantly moving. Even if the handlers swing the disc back and forth with short throws, they are still playing the zone effectively. These small throws make the cup run back and forth, until one of the handlers can either break the cup or get the disc to one of the poppers.

Speaking of poppers, they play an important role while playing against a zone. The most important thing for poppers to remember is always be moving! Nothing is worst than for a handler to look up the field and see no one moving. When it comes to moving, poppers have to be sure to always look for the holes in the cup as well as watching the swings done by the handlers.
Recap: Wind=Zone, but that shouldn’t scare a team offensively. Just keep your passes short, limit the amount of time the disc is being help. Those little throw will tire out the cup and help you move up field. While playing against a zone the most important thing to do is not lose your patience, even though it might appear that you’re not making any progress I promise you will.

The Making of a Mark

Man-to-man defense is popular with many teams. So to do this, one must throw a pretty dang good mark when their offensive person has the disc. So today I am going to give you some tips to have a fierce mark and basically dedicate where the disc will go.

The most important thing about marking is that you have to KNOW YOUR FORCE! This means you have to know which side of your player you need to stand on. With this, you will create a pie-shaped segment of the field and force the thrower to throw to only one side of the field.

To throw a good mark, bend your knees to about 90 degrees to get yourself low to the ground. Then with your arms kept them low, but also move them around to block the disc. While you’re marking, stay on your toes. This bouncing will keep you alert and also intimidate the thrower. While the thrower is throwing the fakes you should move with them, but you should shuffle (not lunge). This will help you with balance as well as help you move quicker.

Now, according to the rules, you have to be at least a disc space away from the person you’re marking. I suggest that you step off a little bit more than that. This will give you a wider reach, as well as more room to shuffle (so you don’t get tripped up in your players).

Recap: Your team is relying on you to remember the force and set a good mark. To do this stay low and always keeps moving. If you would like a visual aid, I suggest checking out this video.

PS: Good luck to Ohio University men’s and women’s Ultimate teams in Sectionals this weekend. Kick some butt!