What are the characteristics of a good ultimate player? Some of them are easy to name: good throws, speed, quick first step, leaping ability, good layouts. But some of the more subtle aspects of the game that many players pay little attention to can turn the course of a game or a championship. In last year’s semifinals of DoG against Furious George, Alex de Frondeville just missed Fortunat Mueller on a huck, but Jim “Bim” Johnston was diligently trailing the play and made a brilliant layout catch for the goal. Someone casually watching the play might not have even noticed Bim running towards the play, or if he did he would have thought that Bim wanted to be the first one there to exchange high-fives with Fortunat after the impressive leaping catch. But by hustling and thinking, Bim was able to make what was for me the most memorable and inspirational play of the 1999 tournament.

Defense

Obviously, what the thrower, cutter, and their defenders are doing matters a lot, but what the other players do is often more important. At practice the other day, a huck to the end zone floated just enough for the deep in the zone to be able to make a block attempt. He inadvertently committed an uncontested foul, and the offense scored easily after the check. The reason? The other deep and the two wings just stood and watched, while the other offensive players continued moving toward the disc. Even though none of them had a realistic shot at the disc, the other defenders should have hustled back for at least three reasons. First, it’s possible that the disc will hang longer than expected and the unrealistic shot will turn into a realistic one. Second, as should have happened here, the defense will be in place if there is an uncontested foul. And third, if the deep does make the block, the other defenders are now wide open for an easy 20 yard reception. How often does your team get a block on a huck but then wait around for the stack to set and throw it away on the first pass? Hustle by the players not directly involved in the play at hand will prevent that.

Defenders can also add value by learning when to go against conventional wisdom by playing something other than basic “shut your man down” defense. The principles that say to stick with your cutter exist for good reason, but even the most rigid and unimaginative team should still encourage its players to exercise good frisbee judgment by carefully breaking those rules. If a teammate is being beat such that a goal is certain to result, then by all means move away from your offender to get in the way.

Dynamic defensive positioning also falls in this realm. Speed might get an occasional impressive-looking block, but the really good defenders are the ones who always seem to be right where you want to cut to. These defenders pay attention to the flow of the disc and reposition themselves before the offensive player begins his cut. They hustle and put in that extra effort up front, so they don’t have to go chasing after an open cutter in hopes of making up the distance. And sometimes the receiver will continue cutting, the thrower has no other choices, and the pass either goes right to the defender or else sails beyond everyone’s reach. So, if you notice this happening a lot to a defender on your team, realize that it’s not because he’s lucky.

Offense

Some of my proudest moments on the field come when I don’t get within 10 yards of the disc. I often find myself near the back of the stack setting up for a continuation cut after the next pass, when I’ll notice the primary cutter get a good jump on a long cut. If I do nothing, my defender can easily switch to stop the deep throw. If I delay a little, I’ll often be free underneath after defensive confusion surrounding the poach. But if I immediately break towards the disc, my defender won’t even be aware of the long cut and will come in with me, opening up the whole deep area. In general, I will cut in at about 80% effort and will cut more directly to the sideline than if I were cutting for real, in order to give the thrower a wider passing lane.

In the stack (which is really just a more general application of the principle “get the hell out of the way”), each of the non-cutters should still be actively engaging his defender. Teams sometimes force this issue by having set plays where each player in the stack moves in one direction as if cutting, while one player breaks off to the vacated area. If there is no formal movement, the individuals must either actively move in the direction opposite of the open cutter or else make it look like he is in the process of setting up a cut of his own.

The hustling player has several options on the long pass. Sometimes the best choice is to cut toward the thrower after the release in order to draw your defender out of the way. However, let’s assume that the pass is up, everyone realizes it, and at least one teammate has much better position. Occasionally (maybe you’re 6’10”, or perhaps there are already three defenders jumping against your 5’2” teammate) it will be best to get in there and try to make the catch yourself, but more often, you’ll help the team most by being a backup. First determine where the disc will land if it floats over everyone’s heads. If only two players are going for the disc, you should set yourself so you can get to either that overthrow or one that gets tipped. If many players are involved already, then one option is to get on the side the disc is coming from, since it’s more likely the defense will hit the disc first and will smack it away from the receiver. Another option, especially when it’s obvious the disc won’t make the end zone, is to get close to the sideline so the thrower has an easy goal pass if he does come down with the disc. A third option is to run beyond the disc in case it’s barely brushed, as the mac will send it quickly toward the back of the end zone.

As a thrower, I’m not particularly enamored with routine fakes, for the simple reason that when you’re faking, you can’t be throwing. In an earlier column (Offensive Thoughts, August 1999), I referred to the concept of spatial margin versus temporal margin, how some passes have to be precisely located but can be thrown at any time within a 3 second window (a player with defender close behind running hard straight back to the thrower), while others have lots of physical room for error provided they are thrown at the right time (most leading passes thrown to space). A slow fake can eat up all the temporal margin on a cut., so the thrower is better suited by doing something else while waiting to throw. Often times a simple weight shift from one leg to the other accompanied by some disc motion is just as effective at moving the marker to that side.