[as posted to rsd in December of 2005]
On Tue, 20 Dec 2005, anonymous wrote:
> I feel like new players and a lot of ultimate players in general place
> to much emphasis on getting the point block, at the expense of a
> quality mark. While the point block is definitely one of the sweetest
> plays in ultimate, and maybe the most satisfying, it is more important
> to hold the force and avoid getting broken. You can't jump all over
> fakes trying to force the handblock but then give up an easy around
> throw.
Most defenses are built around holding the force, and to focus on getting
blocks at the expense of the force hurts these defenses; Agreed.
However, the relative value of
a) pressuring all throws (going for blocks) and
b) protecting the force (conservative marking)
changes depending on the offense you are playing against.
A typical stack offense can beat an overly aggressive mark because the
dead side is always vulnerable. In other words, if I am marking you, and I
bite on a live-side throw, you don't really even need much of a cut to
make me pay...in many cases, you can just throw out to the dead side of a
player in the stack, and they can use their position advantage to run it
down. If done well, that advantage can translate into multiple throws down
the breakside. My overly-aggressive mark can translate into your easy
march down the field.
In many flat stack offenses, however, this is not necessarily true. While
a flatstack offense arguably has more varied throw options, it also
does not usually have players waiting for a breakside throw with
an obvious positional advantage.
Example: You are in the middle of the field, and I am forcing you to throw
on the forehand side. Downfield, you have four players spread across the
width of the field, operating in their vertical lanes.
If I jump over on the force side, you can make me pay. But you have to:
use that window of time to
throw to the backhand side,
find someone to throw to moving in the
right direction,
that is uncovered to that side,
make sure that the dump defender doesn't choose that particular moment to
dive back into that throwing lane.
Substantially more difficult than just turning and chucking a touch
throw to the breakside. Continuation is not as straightforward either.
Now, my overly aggressive mark translates into a single non-trivial throw
for probably <20 yards.
In many flat stack offenses, significant advantage is gained because
defenders are not ready for offensive players to NOT need that breakside.
Better defensive teams have found in some cases that putting more pressure
on all throws, even while holding a one-way mark, gives better defensive
coverage without giving up much in the way of an easy option.
Flatstack offenses are great...but they appear greater than they should be
because they take advantage of players defending them using the same basic
principles drilled in vertstack situations, not because they are inherently
superior. Gimmick? Good strategy? Tomato, To-mah-to.
A different comparison: I am contrasting 'pressure' and 'protection' here.
This does not address the value in playing strictly for blocks, using
tricks like baiting a thrower into a blockable throw: tricks that accept
getting broken often for the chance at one big block.
These strategies are USUALLY not good for team defense....unless your
chance of getting a score by this trickery is better than your chance
of getting one by good team D.
In a huge upwind/downwind situation, you might consider setting your
thrower up for a block, even allowing a break throw one point to bait a
block in another point...with the understanding that when you do get a
turn, you want it to be as close to the goal as possible.
Also, if the offenses were so good that few blocks will happen regardless
of team D...it might be worth your while play a high risk/high reward game
with the thrower.
Summary: First approximation is that holding the mark is more important
than playing for blocks. After that, it gets more complicated and
situation/team dependent.
Future?: It seems possible that team could develop a defense which allowed
one or two great markers (or, markers on one or two bad throwers) to adapt
and allow markers freedom to play for blocks, rather than having everyone
play similarly. This is already being done to the other extreme, with
certain great throwers being contained rather than challenged (several
West Coast teams call this "Cram" or "Shank", understandably).
Ability of defenses to adapt the mark in a predictable way (for them) to
take away different options (for the O) based on
stall count,
field position,
score,
or individual thrower's skills
is not something I have seen in a rigorous way.
It is, however, something that good teams have probably been doing for
many years without realizing it, or less formally. I expect
that this kind of development will make defenses more versatile and
effective sometime soon.
