1. The Split

Imagine we’re playing a chess game. I move my knight into a position where I can take two of your pieces. You have one move and must decide which piece is less valuable. You can’t save both. You’re split. The decision of which piece to give up is made easier in chess because pieces are often assigned a point value (Pawn: 1, Rook: 5, Queen: 9, etc).

Likewise, in ultimate, defenders cannot cover all positions and must give something up. I think of this as “The Split.” A common example of this is the vertical stack. It’s an offensive structure that puts defenders in The Split. They cannot take away all places on the field. Generally, they choose to stay on the live-side and give up the break-side. This bet is hedged by the marker, who is attempting to limit throws to the break-side.

An ultimate field is huge. Anyone who has gone 1v1 against a cutter or dump in open space knows how hard it is to cover all areas. It’s not a matter of being faster or in better shape. I have smoked much more athletic people and been beaten by geriatric masters players because of this fundamental principle.

So, design your offenses in ways that force defenders to make difficult decisions and exploit poor choices. Running harder, jumping higher and precision throws are not strategies that put your defenders into The Split. If you can design an offense that systematically encourages as many 1v1 matchups as possible, you’ll have the best chance of creating chances for defenders to chose poorly.