Basic Defence Tactics

written by Alex Evans ©1995

In Ultimate the shape of play is essentially decided bu the defence. This is because with the right defensive tactics it should be possible to close down any given offensive move (although no tactics allow you to close down all moves), and therefore the offence have to work around the problems posed by the defence

There are a few basic deifferent types of defence, but by far the most common,and also one of the most effective, is man-on-man, which is explained here.

There are many different individual skills to good defence but the usual overall shape is shown to the right. One defensive player will force the man with the disc to one side, while his team-mates each mark another offensive player. They stand on the open side (in front of or behind) as that is by far the easiest space to throw into, and therefore probably the way the men will run. This way both options can in theory be closed down.

The Pull - Whilst the main objectove of the pull is to get the disc as far down the field as possible, there are other concerns. It is generally best to fet the pull to land in bounds, as otherwise the offence can take it to the center of the pitch, the hardest place to defend from - a good pull will land right next to the sideline. It is also best to try and shut down the defence as soon as possible, so other members of the defensive team should start running from behind the endzone line before the pull is made, so that the moment the disc is released they are at the line and running at full speed

Marking up - During a point you will be marking one opponent, who will probably mark you back if your team gets possession. If your opponents do call a switch (change markers while they are on defence) you should mark your new marker when you're next on defence. Usually the person you line up against (stand opposite) on the pull will be your mark, but sometimes defensive players call switches on the line.

Marking - The main element of defence is trying to prevent your mark from recieving the disc. This can be very hard if you have a fast opponent, but positional sense makes a big difference. When your man is stationary, usually in the stack, you have some choice of where to stand. Standing just behind or to the side allows you to watch both the man and the disc at once, but gives him a slight head start. The other method is to always keep ytour body between your mark and the man with the disc, always facing your mark. This way your man cannot simply outrun you to the disc, but it has the disadvantage that the disc can be thrown around you without you knowing until too late.

These two techniques both have their place. It is never a good idea to stand infront of your mark if they are towards the rear of the stack, as they might simply turn and run towards the endzone and collect a long pass to score. People at the front of the stack are less likely to do this, and you have more time to make up ground, so marking in front becomes a better option

The Force - Once your man has possession of the disc, your next job is to limit his options in terms of the area of the pitch which he can throw to. This is done by standing on one side of hime, using your body to prevent the throw in that direction, and using your arms (or sometimes legs) to try to block the discs as soon as it leaves his hand (a point block)

The most common mistake in forcing is to try to block every throw, as in the first picture (above). A good player will be able to make a throw form about two yards either side of their pivot foot, and will be fast enough to throw whichever side of you they choose. Far better is to make your force definate so your team-mates know which way the pass is likely to go, and therefore whcih way their man is likely to cut

Stalling - No offensive player may hold the disc for more than ten seconds at a time. The way this is enforced is through the defender presently marking (and presumably forcing) them counting out, called stalling. In order to stall you must be within 3 yards of the man and say, loud enough for him to hear, "Stalling...One...Two..." with a second interval between each. On reaching the word ten a turnover occurs. If the count is too fast the man in possession simply calls "Fast count", and the defender continues stalling (at the right speed) from two below the last number.

Direction of Force - When your mark gains possession you will have a choice of two directions in which to force. You should always let your team-mates know your choice by shouting "Sidearm force" or "Backhand force" (treat all players as right handed for this purpose). This decision is fairly arbitary unless the disc is near the sideline (when you may call "Force line" or "Force middle" instead).