One of the most underrated parts of the game in ultimate is the sideline. There is no bench in this game, good teammates understand that when they come off the field it's time to get some water, maybe stretch a bit, get something to eat if that's what your body needs and then go to work before the point starts. Going to work in this case means being that 8th man on the field and helping your team by talking to your teammates. Avoid the tendency to stand around by your stuff, move up and down the field with the play and be talking to your teammates that are out there on the field! I think a lot of players underestimate just how useful it is to have someone in your ear on defense constructively talking to you about what is going on around you on the field. Not only is talking to your teammates helpful strategy-wise, personally I find that it motivates me to work harder.
First up - The Language.
You want to be on the same page with what everything means. Some of this may not be entirely clear without a visual demonstration, I highly recommend talking with a more experienced player if you aren't sure what any of these terms mean.
1. "No I/O" aka "No Invert!"
-What does this mean? What do I do?
This means that the person you are marking is looking to throw an inside-out throw to the break side. When you hear this you want to move your force-side marking hand closer to your body and lower while also taking a slight step back. You may also want to shuffle a bit toward the force-side if the person you are marking is very tall/lanky or if you are short.
-When do I say this?
If the person is standing in a position were it is unlikely they will be able to extend quickly to the other side for the break-throw, it's very likely they are over-committed to throwing the I/O and the mark should adjust accordingly (see above). You also want to look at where the defense is standing, if they are taking away the force side but there is a decent amount of separation between the defensive and offensive player the break-mark throw is likely and it's up to you to make the No Invert or No Around call based on how they are standing and what the throwers tendency is.
2. "No around" aka "No around backhand or No around flick!"
-What does this mean?
The thrower is likely going to turn and face you to make a throw to space, usually in a reset or break mark situation. For example - If you are forcing fore-hand near the line in a game and hear, "No around!" in this case I would assume the mark is likely going to turn and look for a reset to backfield space with the "around throw" of choice being the backhand in this instance. This isn't always an anti-reset call, it's often a no-break call in the sense that it means you want to avoid them making a throw to the break-side with whatever throw the break-side is trying to take away - for example if we are forcing backhand a "No around!" call would mean you don't want them to throw a forehand "around you" up-field, and likely means they are going to extend as far as they can toward the forehand side for the break.
-When do I say this?
If you see no down-field options for the thrower but an offensive player is setting up a cut to make space on the break-side usually but not always for a reset and a lot of the time this is a handler cut to the back-field, then you can assume they are looking to make an around throw to space.
-What do I do?
Shuffle your feet and take a step back off the mark toward the around break side. This is a very similar movement to a "No dump" or "No reset." Keep your hands active as this isn't necessarily a low throw, think about your marks throwing preferences and what he has done earlier in the game and go off that.
3. "No dump" aka "No reset"
-What does this mean? When do I call this?
The person you are marking has basically no options up-field. All of our players are tight on our guys or in favorable positions to stop anything but a very difficult or well placed break-throw. So when you are on the sideline you want to call this when you see that our down-field D is doing a great job, we are at least past 3-4 in the stall count, and sometimes you'll want make this call if you know the player that has the disc is not a strong or confident thrower and is depending on getting a dump off.
-What do I do?
Shuffle quickly to where ever the nearest dump option is and get between the disc and that man while on the mark. You are not worrying about an up-field throw at this point and are trying to take away a throw to the backfield. If it's windy keep your hands low yet active and try to force a high throw. As the guy you are marking turns to look dump you follow him when you hear this call.
4. "No Strike" aka "No up-line" aka "No o-2 cut"
-What does this mean?
The person you are marking wants to beat you up-line, strike, o-2 whatever you want to call it. If you are shading no dump or playing even with the handler you are guarding, you probably want to take a step toward the strike side just to be safe. Normally (unless we are playing a different style) you should already be doing the best you can not to get beat strike anyway...
5. "Strike" aka "Flat" aka "No huck" aka "delicious alcoholic drink that we use as a code word for this call"
-What does this mean?
If you hear this while marking you can assume someone is getting beat down-field and the guy with the disc has an easy throw to the open side.
-What do I do?
Jump in front of your guy and get active on the mark. Don't worry about a reset, you want to stop the up-field throw. Remember to put the force back on relatively quickly, you should think of this as a 1-3 stall window to be in front of your guy but then you have to put the force back on ASAP afterwords (and probably take a step back if it's past 4-5 in the stall count to avoid drawing the foul).
-When do I call this?
Be the eyes in the back of the mark's head. If you see a guy going deep with steps that they LOVE throwing to... call it, if you see Nate getting burned up-line by a handler... call it, if Hinze falls down and his guy is skipping on the open side wide open... call it! If they are on the trap-sideline and we have one of our better handler defenders playing even on the middle handler and you think that is a more favorable match-up then sideline and or middle match-ups... consider calling it! You should get the point. Calling it is the easy part, making it a habit when you are on the mark is the hard part but will make you and our team very dangerous.
6. "No break"
-What does this mean?
After explaining what "No I/O" and "No around" mean you should understand that "No break" is less helpful than using those more specific terms. However this is better than nothing in my opinion, and at least let's the guy marking know that there is a threat on the break-side and that he probably needs to adjust if he is too tight or not tight enough or shifted to far over on the mark one way or the other.
-When to say it?
When there is a guy open on the break-side and the thrower is capable of making the throw.
-What do I do on the mark?
Assume they are going to try and break you and adjust accordingly, many tips listed above and I assume ya'll been putting a lot of work into improving your marks at practice.
7. "Up!"
-What does this mean? What do I do?
The disc is in the air, look around and FIND IT! It's almost always better to play the disc vs playing your man.
-When to say it?
When they throw the disc.. which is usually pretty often. This call is obviously the easiest and a great way to get started and build confidence in your sideline talk.
So here are some tips on how to be a great teammate from the sideline.
1. Be positive - Some of us struggle with this more than others but you have to stay positive and encouraging. If Zach gets beat strike instead of saying, "Don't get beat upline!" -which already happened and Zach is probably already pretty upset about it... let him know about what's next like, "watch for the give n go!" or "No around now Zach!" or at the very least, "You got it, keep working!" If you want a shining example of a teammate whose attitude I have always admired look no further then Josh Hardie...! Be like Hardie! Regardless of the weather, regardless of the score, regardless of how good or bad we are doing in a game Josh always seems to have a smile on his face and words of support for his teammates.
2. Get on the field between points - At the very least get out there and slap someone's hand, ideally pick someone up if they just got beat - talk some strategy or point out something that you think can help the team, "#22 on the other team is all dump, he doesn't even look up-field!" or "We have to swing the disc more.. we get trapped on the line too often!" or "Austin is open deep and is mismatched!" etc. GOING ON THE FIELD SHOWS YOU WANT TO PLAY, it shows you care.
3. Get PUMPED if we score, it's the easiest energy to feed on when we are doing well or someone makes a sick play!
4. Pick your teammates up when our team gets scored on - what I mean by this is when you see a teammate walking back from the other end zone, his head down, get out there and be supportive! Some people perhaps want to be left alone (give them a high-five or something muhaha), some people want tips (let them know what you saw), others might just appreciate some water or a bite of your Thor Snacks. If we get scored on the worst thing we can do is get quiet and accept it. We are going to get scored on and we are going to get some streaks run on us... it's going to happen. Let your captains/coach worry about the score, you worry about keeping your energy up, your legs loose and have fun!
5. Watch not what you say but how you say it - hopefully after reading all of this you have a better idea of what to say to help your teammates out but for the sake of the game avoid using terms that would potentially stop play - "He is traveling!" or "That is a fast count!" While both of those may indeed be true and good observations you don't want to be the guy that accidentally stops play from the sideline. Instead say, "Pickles watch your guys back foot, he is dragging it!" or simply "watch his pivot pickles!" While for the fast-count example you could say, "his stall is really fast!" It's the art of saying it without saying it if the game is going on. Otherwise these are things that are great to bring up between points. Personally I am challenging myself to use my contact call more often, simply because it is unfamiliar to me still. My teammates this past summer would always shout "contact!" after a foul call was made that stopped play and hindered our offense instead of using the wiser contact call.
6. Be respectful of your opponents - Win or lose it's better to do it with class. Look at our Chicago Invite spirit score from last year, we did pitiful and it showed on the field and in the huddle. Treat yourself and your opponents with respect, enjoy the game and be confident enough to disagree and contest (if that is how you feel and what you saw) with integrity and a cool-head. Show that Mamma didn't raise no fool and remember you are representing more than just yourself, you are representing your teammates and the club.
See you guys in the spring! As always if you have any questions about anything let me know.
-James #2
If anyone thinks of any other useful or obvious terms I am missing please let me know and I will edit this.
