22 May 2007

Conventions to challenge

Conventions get challenged at the cutting edge of a sport, ie the elite level.

These conventions include those relating to training methods, tactics, attitudes and organisation.

Look at what used to be convention in ultimate, 15 or so years ago:

Once in zone, stay in zone. Stacks are vertical. Be patient against zone O.

Nowadays, these are no longer hard and fast "rules", merely suggestions for beginners.

Here are a few paradigms. I bet a proportion of these will no longer be set-in-stone paradigms, before too long. Maybe teams are experimenting with them right now.
  • mark on the open side of your man
  • stack upfield
  • don't reveal your plays to the opposition
  • throw to an open player
  • look at your dump on high counts
  • defensive plays are decided before you pull
Its a lot of fun to try new ideas - and its fascinating to see a paradigm be changed.

3 comments:

  1. Ta. Any to add? What concepts will not be hard and fast rules in 5 years time?

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  2. I think stacking in the middle of the field should be challenged. It's a symmetric option like one of your later posts, good sometimes. But on an elite team, I'd love to see the stack heavily shaded to the open side.

    The defense will stay on the open side of the cutter, but the cutter should be able to get a pretty easy "break side throw" because it's still the throwers open side.

    Best way to envision this is when you're forcing flick, but the disc is on the left sideline. The entire field is on the open side, but defenders play on the open side of their cutter, leaving the cutter close to the thrower.

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