Run Run Run cause it's fun.

Having played basketball ages ago (in the dark ages before I knew about Ultimate), I never used to understand why our team would always run back to the other end of the court to set-up zone defense. Not understanding or more likely disobeying it I would often sit there up at their backcourt end where they threw it in, waiting for a chance at an easy steal as they threw the ball in (to a retarded player who wasn't moving much or expecting me to try) and I'd often intercept it and have an easy lay-up. This kind of thing works at lower levels of play where the awareness of the player isn't there and where the pressure usually isn't found. Why not apply the same thing on the frisbee field?

Our finals begin this week and the intensity will hopefully lift to another level as everyone tries to rid themselves of the stress of the end of semester and focus all their energy on running around on a field chasing a frisbee. At least that's what I do when I come to play.

Thinking of things tonight that will help lift this intensity almost straight away and which is something that is easy for beginners to apply immediately is:

Running hard as a team on the pull.

Who's hungry for a D cause that's what you can get when you run hard on the pull. Getting downfield early puts pressure on the first throw which is usually made to a player who's moving in a forward direction or standing still (with their defender running the opposite way towards them) unlike other cuts in frisbee. Getting there early takes away this first easy upfield throw. Individually, if you can get there quickly enough with an unaware handler or receiver taking then it can be an "easy" run-through D.

As a team on the field in Ultimate again, if everyone runs hard on that pull then your whole team is now apply defensive pressure 2 or 3 throws earlier than normal and making the other team work harder for that ground.

My team is ready for the lift in intensity so let's see all the teams run hard to get down there and make things harder for the opponents!

See you Wednesday!