Individual sports are defined and molded by the fundamental rules that govern the game. Basketball is a largely vertical and physical activity. Get tall, strong teammates. Likewise, volleyball players are generally vertically oriented (either by height or leaping ability). These are the outcomes of rules. If a volleyball court was enlarged 3 meters in every direction, then foot-speed would suddenly be an important factor. Consider how the 3-point line and the forward pass have formed the modern versions of basketball and football.
Ultimate is likewise shaped by rules. The dimensions of the field, the amount of contact allowed, and various smaller advantages given to the offense have created the style of play we know today.
I am sometimes shocked by how little most ultimate players think about the fundamental essence of the game. I play for an elite men’s club and, no doubt, compete with and against people who have not given 10 minutes of their lives to deeply, seriously analyzing the game. Pondering the horizontal offense or drawing Xs and Os does not count. I’m referring to something deeper. I hesitate to call them strategies because that almost sounds too specific.
In my estimation there are 4 important philosophies that are fundamental to ultimate. At first glance they are pretty simplistic. But, so are the principles that spawned the pick-and-roll, Wildcat, and triple threat.
These are neatly divided into O and D. I’ll attempt to flesh them out in subsequent posts. Briefly, they are:
Offensively
1. The Split.
2. Offense is easy.
Defensively
1. Shrink the field
2. Let the O turn it
No comments:
Post a Comment