C is for Contain

We're starting off the spring semester with a bang - ZONE!

I love team defenses because it can offset discrepancies in athleticism with intelligent decision-making and communication. When a team plays zone well, every position knows their role and responsibilities, as well as the goal of the specific type of zone that is played, with the overall effect of the zone moving as one organism that is able to intelligently decide which risks to take and threats to stifle.

Let's talk first about the cup. The cup is a group of usually 2-4 players who act as one mini-unit. They never stray too far away from each other, and are pulled into position by one another. The cup's job is to contain. Keep the disc at or behind the level of the cup, and always look to stop the next throw.

The biggest mistake I see new cup players make is to run after the disc, as opposed to anticipating where the disc will be going next. Take a 3 handler set: If the disc is thrown to from a side handler to the apex, well, they're next going to want to swing it across the field, and so anticipate and stop that next throw across the field. If you can stop that throw, you've just forced them to lose yards and to keep the disc on the same side of the field, and thereby also making you run less. And even if you can't stop the swing, by anticipating that throw, you're already on the way over there before the pass even goes up, and so you're able to more quickly put on the mark and contain from there.

The other job of the cup is to harrass the thrower. Put on a big solid mark, set up close enough to one another (or on the poppers, depending on the type of cup you're playing), and make it hard to throw. Pressure the handlers and make them hesitate before throwing, because that in itself can create turns. And especially for the middle of the cup, check behind you and figure out where the threats are, so that you can better position yourself to take them away - or to bait it.

Next up: Wing