Fielding The Pull

THE EASIEST YARDS on offense are typically available in the first throw of the point, as the defense is still chasing down on the pull. Especially when the offense is going upwind, defenses are likely to out-pull their coverage and give the offense an opportunity for 5-25 free yards. Depending on the strength of the wind, five yards can become increasingly difficult to earn the further up the field and later into the point you go, so be sure to get as much as you possibly can out of your first pass.

Depending on the strength of the wind, five yards can become increasingly difficult to earn the further up the field and later into the point you go, so be sure to get as much as you possibly can out of your first pass.

Using two pull-fielders can ensure that the fielder is not running so far that it impacts their first throw. In higher winds, they can act as a primary and backup against difficult rolling or blading pulls. Defenses often have a single player running hard to cover, so having three handlers involved in the initial throw may give more easy, profitable options than the defense can cover. A combination of two short throws between the handlers may advance the disc farther than a single throw more limited by the wind. While this can sometimes throw off the timing of the initiating cutter against man coverage, the additional yards gained and the opportunity to keep the disc in your handlers’ possession for another throw potentially make up for the momentary interruption; offensive flow into the wind is difficult to sustain anyway.

Certain set pull plays may be more difficult to run with fewer offensive players downfield, but in general the offense will gain an advantage by having fewer players in more space, provided that the handlers can advance the disc past the initial wave of defenders. Having three handlers back to start may also save time, as the defense is more likely to try a zone or other scheme for which those handlers would be spread along the back (instead of in a formation) anyway.

The easiest way to move the disc against the wind is to move it without throwing it. Yards after the catch (YAC) are a way to advance the disc at the end of high-speed cuts towards the upwind endzone.*³ Because of this, comeback cuts are less effective in the wind as they yield negative YAC, while handler dishy cuts or sweeping sideways cuts can be significantly more valuable when the YAC are factored into the total distance of the throw. Handlers on the break side should be looking for lateral passes after upfield breakside throws: this can turn a lateral pass into positive YAC as well as putting the disc in the hands of a better thrower with vision of the field and a mark struggling to regain defensive position. Note that offenses can be more efficient just by eliminating the large negative YAC of direct lane-running cuts as well as using this to advance the disc.

There are good reasons in many situations to throw passes that don’t necessarily advance toward the endzone. Generally, this is because they keep possession. Against the wind, though, sideways and backwards throws significantly increase the total risk that will need to happen in the point. Because fewer upfield throws are likely to be open, this effect is disproportionately large in upwind zone points where more backfield resets are thrown.

*³ A point of clarification: players must stop after catching a disc as quickly as is possible. Extending the run beyond that point is traveling, illegal, and not worth it (from a number of different angles). What you can do, though, is speed up before the catch to extend the distance over which you’ll stop legally. I repeat: Don’t travel.

Jenny Fey at the 2015 Pro Flight Finale. Photo: Alex Fraser — UltiPhotos.com

Handlers can stop losing ground by starting handler moves farther upfield, being more likely to make upfield cuts into the wind, and by prioritizing upfield break throws over ‘safer’ backfield resets. Against zone defenses in the wind, there is even less reason to move the disc backwards unless you are very likely to move the disc easily to a position for an even longer upfield throw. We’ve seen examples at recent College Championship tournaments where 3-handler zone offense sets systematically move backwards against zone fronts. Dump-and-swing can be a machine for ensuring that the defense gets the shortest possible offensive possession when you inevitably turn the disc over. Teams can stop this loss by resetting to handlers moving upfield more often — especially by crashing in and through the cup — and making use of their appropriate YAC. In order to effectively apply this principle, handlers should expect and warm up for throws coming at them from short distance, with a bit more speed, and under the duress of some physical contact more than they would see in a no-wind situation.