[as posted in response to a discussion of how to best guard the dump, Nov 2003]
>rsd author wrote:
> Is it true that the dump cut (if done well) is basically impossible to
> defend?
Any cut, with sufficiently skilled throwers, is impossible to defend.
> If so, is it because the D's 1st responsibility is to stop the
> up-field cut (yardage to the open side), and so the
> fake-upfield-cut-back behind the mark will then (almost) always be
> open?
No- first of all, the defender's first responsibility depends on the
situation (place on the field, weather, opponent, etc).
think of it more like any other cut- except the fact that the cut is
usually closer than downfield cuts decreases the amount of thrower skill
needed.
> And if so, is the best-case for defending the dump cut to get the mark
> on to preserve the force (after the dump is off) and prevent the
> swing/strike to the break-side?
The best case is a block- you will rarely be playing against a perfect
thrower/reciever pair. the standard for the dump defender should be
keeping the force on (in a trap D) or containing the disc to the middle
(if a force middle D).
chances for blocks=defender wins
broken mark/swing pass successful=offense wins
> If you've D-ed the dump, tell us how!
Don't be predictable. offense should complete 95% or greater of their
dumps. That means if you can get more than 1 out of 20 dumps D'ed, you are
winning the small battle. One way to do this is to vary the way you play
the dump- some faceguarding, some force backwards, some force forewards,
some facing/reading the thrower, some mark switching. you might be able to
confuse an offense 2 out of 20 times just by refusing to allow a
predictable defense.
The exact ratio and timing of the approaches to dump defense will be
determined by the situations and the individual skills of the defenders.
remember: the dump/thrower are SUPPOSED to win this little
game-within-the-game. Be aggressive and break the status quo.
