I think there is a trap young teams can fall into where they rely far too much on hucking. I think there are a few reasons this happens.
1. It works against teams that are less athletic.
2. It can seem to make sense statistically if: your offense cannot possess the disc and you know your opponent can't work it a full 70 without doinking an under and giving you a short field.
3. Some players are obsessed with hucking. A strong thrower feels like they have to win the game themselves.
If a team can win games by hucking due the reasons above, those are probably games that would be won regardless of strategy. I feel strongly that hucking is often used as a crutch, and never should be. I think teams that overly rely on hucks tend to be one-dimensional, and teams that are one-dimensional are very easy to stop. I think we can and should strive to be better than this.
I think that an offensive foundation must be built and that a team must earn the ability to huck. If a team's offense is like a skyscraper, hucking is the penthouse suite. Everyone likes to talk about how cool it is and how fun it is to be there, but without a strong foundation and lots of lower floors, the penthouse suite can't exist.
In the effort to create a multidimensional offense, I think that a foundation must be established first. For Bolt, this foundation might be built on: the reset pass (upline, around swing, dish) and the openside upfield under (20 yds or fewer, receiver coming towards disc). These foundational pieces make up 80% or more of everything the team does on the field. It takes time, effort, and focus to work on these skills, and it takes patience to use them in the heat of competition.
Our quest to master these basic skills plays a huge role in how much better we get and in how well we play in April. I think a team should strive to be able to do these things well under as many different circumstances as possible. Specifically: in different kinds of weather, in low energy situations, in high pressure situations, against different levels of opponent, and with the as much of the roster as possible. I think competence at these skills is completely within reach for a hardworking true rookie, within a 7 month college season.
Once this foundation is established, opposing defenses are forced to respect the scoring threat of possession based offense. They have to fight harder to contest unders and handler resets. I think this is when the deep game opens up, and the right to huck has been earned.
When I'm coaching, I will often ask myself: If we got the disc on universe, could we march it up the field with our foundational skills?
-------
When I watched Illinois win the regional title game in 2015, it wasn't the hucks or the skies that stood out to me. It was the methodical and juggernaut-like d-line offense, marching the disc in for break after break.
1. It works against teams that are less athletic.
2. It can seem to make sense statistically if: your offense cannot possess the disc and you know your opponent can't work it a full 70 without doinking an under and giving you a short field.
3. Some players are obsessed with hucking. A strong thrower feels like they have to win the game themselves.
If a team can win games by hucking due the reasons above, those are probably games that would be won regardless of strategy. I feel strongly that hucking is often used as a crutch, and never should be. I think teams that overly rely on hucks tend to be one-dimensional, and teams that are one-dimensional are very easy to stop. I think we can and should strive to be better than this.
I think that an offensive foundation must be built and that a team must earn the ability to huck. If a team's offense is like a skyscraper, hucking is the penthouse suite. Everyone likes to talk about how cool it is and how fun it is to be there, but without a strong foundation and lots of lower floors, the penthouse suite can't exist.
In the effort to create a multidimensional offense, I think that a foundation must be established first. For Bolt, this foundation might be built on: the reset pass (upline, around swing, dish) and the openside upfield under (20 yds or fewer, receiver coming towards disc). These foundational pieces make up 80% or more of everything the team does on the field. It takes time, effort, and focus to work on these skills, and it takes patience to use them in the heat of competition.
Our quest to master these basic skills plays a huge role in how much better we get and in how well we play in April. I think a team should strive to be able to do these things well under as many different circumstances as possible. Specifically: in different kinds of weather, in low energy situations, in high pressure situations, against different levels of opponent, and with the as much of the roster as possible. I think competence at these skills is completely within reach for a hardworking true rookie, within a 7 month college season.
Once this foundation is established, opposing defenses are forced to respect the scoring threat of possession based offense. They have to fight harder to contest unders and handler resets. I think this is when the deep game opens up, and the right to huck has been earned.
When I'm coaching, I will often ask myself: If we got the disc on universe, could we march it up the field with our foundational skills?
-------
When I watched Illinois win the regional title game in 2015, it wasn't the hucks or the skies that stood out to me. It was the methodical and juggernaut-like d-line offense, marching the disc in for break after break.
No comments:
Post a Comment