USA Ultimate

The Huddle, Issue #16: Using The Sideline

We asked our authors what they do in their practices to prepare for sideline situations, and how it changes their on-field tactics. While we've asked our authors to approach their writing from an offensive standpoint, it is important to realize that for every offensive guru writing here, there is an equally motivated defensive coach plotting to beat those strategies. As Dr. Reznikoff says: "Greater than half of all possessions either start on the sideline or end there." Let the games begin.

 

• The Extra Defender
  
  
  
  • I've always viewed the sideline as an extra defender that can be utilized by the defense to gain an advantage, especially in a vertical stack offense. As the disc moves to the sideline, the thrower and cutters have less viable space to work with, which restricts them to two kinds of viable cuts; a deep cut and an under cut. For a defender, shutting down these two sideline options simplifies the task that is presented when the disc is in the middle; a deep cut, an under cut, and a break mark.
    
    As soon as the defense adjusts their positioning to the two remaining options, the offense loses whatever advantage it gained in moving the disc to the sideline. As such, it is my belief that the sideline is a land of limited opportunity that quickly turns into a trap. Offenses would be best served by capitalizing quickly on any advantage presented by a sideline situation, but then turn immediately to the task of getting the disc off the sideline, and present the defense with a different set of cuts to defend.
    
    The defensive advantage on the sideline is magnified when considering dump throws to simply reset the disc. In the middle of the field, the dump has the option of working entirely on the open side, greatly reducing the influence of the mark on completing a throw. A sideline position, on the other hand, requires the dump to work around the influence of the marker, and again reduces them to two options if they want to make a cut; up the line, or behind the disc.
    
    Furthermore, I would argue that isolating one or two downfield cutters is not a pure advantage to the offense (regardless of sideline or midfield positioning), as the defense is usually also aware of this isolation, and can adjust accordingly. Even if it is as simple as the defender on the isolated cutter being prepared to react to the cutter, or as complex as shifting defenders to crowd the open side, the defense can reduce the advantage of isolating a cutter.
    
    As for training to use the sideline effectively, two things need to happen. First, the players on your team need to buy into the same philosophy. As somebody who espouses the "move off the sideline quickly" point of view, nothing is more infuriating than seeing a thrower stare down a receiver in the lane for eight seconds before turning to the dump. Likewise, I'm sure that a cutter in the lane who thinks "the sideline is a land of opportunity," and got open at stall nine would also be upset at seeing the thrower looking at the dump. Second, everybody needs to get on the same page in terms of the types of throws and movements that are in line with the philosophy you choose. I've always been a big fan of playing full games that have one tweak to emphasize a certain idea. For example, if you want to work on moving the disc off the sideline quickly, make a count of six be a turnover. Alternatively, if you want to work the sideline, make any dump throw before stall seven a turnover. Small changes like these seem silly and contrived when you first try them, but work very well if they are implemented correctly and limited to a specific goal.
     
  • JEFF EASTHAM-ANDERSON
• Attack Both Sidelines
  
  
  
  • Offenses used to look to get the disc near the sideline and then attack from there. Teams didn't want to be right on the sideline—with a foot on the edge hoping to attack from there, but a vertical stack offense looks to move the disc to ~5-10 yards from one sideline, take a good long look up field and then swing it around and try the other sideline. This offense can still be effective and all teams should have the ability to use this, even as simply a change of pace.
    
    First, let me eliminate an obvious situation, as there is always a reason not to do something. When the wind is strong and blowing cross field, you do have to stay away from the downwind sideline. The wind becomes an extra defender and it allows the defense to overplay.
    
    All offenses have the same basic philosophy: you need to create space in a way that gives you the advantage over the defense. This is difficult to do, because there are 12 people upfield and it can get very crowded. On defense, it'd be great to have 8 or 9 people on your side. On offense, often you want to have about 4—big open spaces to throw into. Therefore, you have to make more of the field available.
    
    When using the sideline, you can afford at most 2 people in the area directly upfield of the disc. The others must keep the attention of their defenders, and keep them from poaching. This poaching is, of course, a big risk, because the players not upfield are usually a bit less of a threat, so their defenders can range off of them farther than usual. However, note two things about this: First- poachers only come from one side of the field. This is different than an attack that uses the middle of the field. Defensive help can come from both sides of the attack. Second- if they leave the players on the far side, those players do become threats. Immediately, the open offensive player is a threat to take off deep (if the poacher went in) or to come in (if the poacher went deep). So, movement and preparedness is important there.
    
    More importantly, an attack on the sidelines dares the defense to overplay it. The offense is all but begging the defense to come and take the sideline away. As an offense, send the disc around and take a ton of free yards. A sideline attack must plan to attack both sidelines.
    
    So, a few keys to remember:
    • Having an offense that attacks the sidelines is necessary—if for no other reason than to change the look
    • Attacking a sideline requires that the offense creates space—in, out, throw towards the middle or straight up field
    • The other sideline is the key to success—all players must be ready to swing, clear space, and use it
    
     
  • ADAM GOFF
• No Room For Error
  
  
  
  • Typically, our offense thinks of the sideline as a trap if we are being forced to that sideline. Given the right thrower, it could be a land of opportunity as it is much easier to destroy a defense with one break throw from the trap sideline. But, given that there are few throwers that skilled on a team, as a whole, the sideline is viewed as a trap.
    
    The sideline is a trap because it gives throwers who do not consistently break the mark a very small window to work with when throwing to an in-cutter. The target is probably about two feet by two feet and there is no space (unless you can throw break) for the thrower to throw to. Therefore, there is no room for error. If you are a smart defense, and there is a significant amount of wind, you will force to the downwind sideline. Now, not only are half of the hucks down the sideline going to be out of bounds, but you will have a much more difficult time breaking the mark because it will be into the wind. Typically, our offensive motto has always been, "find the upwind sideline and stay on it."
    
    How can teams train to use sideline space most effectively? Spend as little time there as possible, but make large gains with your time there. For instance, if you have a really good thrower with the disc on the sideline it may be best to set up an away cut from the opposite sideline or a break cut. Also, nothing destroys a defense more than getting the disc trapped on the sideline and then letting the team work it effortlessly off the sideline. Therefore, visiting the sideline is not the worst thing in the world; just don't plan on staying for too long.
     
  • LINDSEY HACK
• Three Lane Theory
  
  
  
  • I tend to think of the Ultimate field in three lanes running down the field. When the disc is in one of the side lanes, you really only have that lane and the middle lane available, as throws to the far lane are quite risky. Sometimes focusing on just two lanes can mean that you reduce the complexity for the thrower and the offense, and it limits the angles that poachers can come from. However, as a defender, I have always felt much more comfortable when the other team has the disc on the sideline (with certain exceptions) rather than in that middle lane. As a thrower I like the freedom of using all three lanes to throw to, and also having a lot more variety of options with a dump for a reset. For all these reasons I prefer using the middle third of the field as an offensive player.
    
    The biggest thing to focus on in attacking the sideline is keeping good space between players upfield. Whether utilizing a vertical or horizontal stack, the players must be spaced such that they have multiple cutting options, and their movements must be coordinated enough to create space for one another to avoid poaches and picks.
    
    Having an offensive philosophy stressing certain movement principles (for example: cut deep from the middle lane and in up the side lane; or clear that side lane for more horizontal cuts from the middle-lane while deep players come back toward the thrower up the middle) will provide guidance to the cutters in flow and give them an idea about the general circulation of the offense. Within that structure players can take advantage of what the defense is giving them to move the disc up the field.
     
  • GREG HUSAK
• Paraphrasing Parinella & Zaslow
  
  
  
  • Moving the disc does one of three things:
    1. Gains ground (i.e. attacks)
    2. Moves you to a better place from which to attack
    3. Maintains possession
    
    Because there is less room, the sideline can often be a harder place from which to do 2 and 3. But if you can make space for your teammates, it can also be an ideal place from which to attack.
    
    As always, personnel and approach determines much of what you do. A dominant handler who can always get the disc makes the liability of going to other players on the sideline less risky. A team that wants to send it often better know how to get a few attacking looks once there. A team that likes to work the disc or does not have a lot of downfield offense should spend less time on the sideline and have a clear system for moving the disc back to the middle and across the field.
    
    In practice, do lots of starts from the sideline. After a turn in a scrimmage just stop for a second, throw the disc to the side and start again. If you are comfortable on the sideline—attacking or moving off it—your team will excel.
     
  • TED MUNTER
• Drilling For The Sideline Trap
  
  
  
  • An organized approach to sideline situations gives the offense a great advantage. For example: a well-isolated huck down the line or a series of swings to the breakside. Unprepared and against a good defense, a team facing a sideline trap will likely turn the disc over. I would challenge any team to spend more time practicing from the sideline. Most teams have only one play for the sideline, and many for a centered disc. Most teams design their plays to start from a stopped disc. Most teams draw up their endzone offense assuming the disc centered, ten yards out. Most teams do not train for when things break down. Like most teams, Sub Zero spends the majority of its energy developing strategy for the middle of the field, for the best case scenario, and for the O-line catching the pull, though this represents the minority of our actual offense. Teams that use wishful thinking when designing strategy and drilling will get forced into unplanned situations by a good defense. No situation more exemplifies this than the sideline trap.
    
    Sub Zero ends practice with a scrimmage, O-line versus D-line. If the O-line scores, they pull to the D-line. The D-line calls a play, receives the pull, and centers the disc. Yet this never happens in a game. Why not instead have the D-line set up on the sideline with the disc? Why not spend entire practices with possessions starting randomly around the field, giving the team only 20 seconds to set up? Or, do the same but ask your players to set up out of position with no play call. You could practice offensive possessions with your team setting up a play, but start with a swing to the trap and flow from there. Your frustration in that practice will lead you to develop strategy for those situations. I suggest that every team dedicates fifty percent of its practice time to sideline situations, and do so in the most realistic manner possible.
     
  • CHARLIE REZNIKOFF
• Field Spacing & Offense
  
  
  
  • Field spacing depends on the offense your team is running. This is dictated in part by the defensive strengths of the team you are playing and in part by your own team's strengths.
    
    In the mid-to-late 1990's, the offense of choice for us (Furious) was the vertical stack. In the vertical O, the idea is to move the disc to one sideline or the other and flood the stack to the other side of the field, thus isolating a cutter. The shorter the stack the better—thus allowing for more effective deep cuts. We used this offense very successfully as we had tall and fast receivers. Defenses at the time where not very sophisticated—except for DoG who was able to use the "clam" to slow things down. However, around 2000 teams started to get wise to the fact that it is pretty easy to poach on in or out cuts in the vertical setup. When the players in the stack flood—defenders just sit in the lane—and there is nowhere to go. Suddenly, the sideline is a war zone where cutters have to battle for every 5 yard gain.
    
    Then we adapted and started the "West Coast" Horizontal Offense. At first it did not really matter where the disc was on the field. Teams were slow to adjust and we had our way for a number of years. We were able to cut out or come under for big yards, as defenders did not know how to match up against us.
    
    It was not until Sockeye started to figure out that if the disc is on the sideline in Horizontal O, that a deep poach on the far side of the field is possible. It took them a couple of years to perfect it, but eventually they did and this created all kinds of problems for our team. Having the disc on the sideline was a terrible place to be once again—and we had to work hard to break our old habits and move the disc to the middle of the field. In Horizontal O, if the disc is in the middle of the field—it is really hard to poach, as defenders have to play more honest on their checks—and the thrower has access to the entire field.
    
    The game has now evolved to the place where handlers are even more important than ever to moving the disc. In years past, the handler could just be a reset/babysitter of the disc. However, with the latest improvements in defense, handlers are required to constantly attack and look for the disc. The "flip" to the handler (a play that 4 years ago was very rare) is now commonplace and a necessity for a team to have offensive success.
    
    The best philosophy in today's game is to:
    1. Keep the disc in the middle of the field
    2. Activate handlers to move the disc and to keep the angles changing downfield for the defenders. †
    
    Our team has the advantage of having played together for many years. We will change our offensive sets from vertical to horizontal to split to stretch to keep the other team on their toes. This constant changing of styles allows for a team be most effective. My advice is to work on a variety of offensive sets. This variety will also pay off for your defensive line, as you cannot always be sure of the style that a team will play against you.
    
    † This is much like a power play in hockey where the offensive players move the puck around the perimeter of the defenders looking to change angles, which creates a breakdown in positioning and an opportunity to strike.
     
  • KIRK SAVAGE
• Yardage Opportunities
  
  
  
  • The sideline is a great space to look to gain yardage. If your dump can beat his defender up the line, it should be a relatively easy pass to space in front of him, and he can then potentially hit a deep throw. This is probably the best way to get off a high percentage huck (and doesn't necessarily need to happen on the sideline). It's easy for the downfield cutters to time a deep cut when they see this up-line cut developing, and the thrower can use his momentum to get off a big throw.
    
    Of course, this is just one option. Like every other play ever drawn up, it doesn't work every time. No matter what part of the field you want to attack, you need to be able to move the disc off the sideline. Generally, an offense is most effective when it changes the point of attack - that is, downfield throws can (and do) come from the middle of the field and both sidelines. This means using swing passes to move the disc laterally. Using the whole width of the field puts far more stress on a defense than working down just one sideline. If the disc stays on one sideline, the defenders can limit their focus to cuts toward that sideline, so they only have to worry about guarding in-cuts vs. out-cuts. On the other hand, when the defenders aren't sure where the disc is being thrown from, it forces them to respect a cut to almost any part of the field, making their job that much more difficult.
     
  • CHRIS TALARICO
• Depends On The Offensive System
  
  
  
  • The value of the sideline space depends on the offense. In a horizontal offense, the sideline limits your options. In a vertical offense, it's a great place to be—until it isn't.
    
    Horizontal
    
    From a downfield cutter's perspective, one unique benefit of the horizontal offense is that it lets you make cuts across the mark. With so much uncrowded horizontal space between the cutters and the thrower, you can threaten an open-side cut, then change direction to receive a breakmark pass. (Even a great defender cannot take away the open side and the break side, and a good thrower will be able to open up either the i/o or around break.) Some teams call this a "stop cut"—a short-yardage cut across the field and back, where the cutter often gains the disc with a 1-2 second unmarked throwing window. It's a great way to get a horizontal offense flowing.
    
    With the disc on the sideline in a horizontal offense, however, you lose the option of cutting across the mark. From a cutter's perspective, there are fewer "sweet spots" on the field where a thrower can likely deliver an accurate pass. From a defender's perspective, you have a much better idea of where your man wants to cut. Advantage defense. This isn't to say that your horizontal offense can't make lemonade from sideline lemons. (Indeed, any offense will end up on the sideline, so you should learn how to make the best of it—and I'm sure some other Huddle contributors have given good ideas to this effect.) But, in my experience, it's easiest to deal with problems, whenever possible, by avoiding them.
    
    I place the responsibility largely on the handlers. Good defenses will recognize that the middle of the field is more dangerous to them, so they'll often use a dump defender to poach the passing lane. One possible response is for the offense to swing the disc to the poached sideline handler. A better response, though, is to have your handlers cut towards the middle of the field. For example, if you're being forced forehand, and your forehand-side handler is being poached, send him on a 20-yard sprint from the sideline, behind the thrower, to the break side: the thrower pivots to the backfield, keeps his hips between the marker and the break side, and delivers a little flip pass to the streaking handler, who receives the disc ahead of his defender, open for a 1-2 second unmarked breakside throwing window. Even if the defense recovers, you've reset the stall and maintained possession at midfield. As a downfield cutter, I like the look of this setup much better than a narrower sideline cutting lane.
    
    Another easy adjustment is to create terminology that emphasizes how much you like the middle of the field. When we're running horizontal, my team calls the middle 20 yards of the field "on stage," and the 10 yards closest to each sideline "off stage." We want the disc on the stage. (As an aside: we also want no more than two cutters on the stage at a time.) If the disc is off stage, we want to get it back on stage. If you have the disc on stage, then you can look downfield an extra second or two before you look to reset. If you receive the disc off stage, you look flow for a second or so, then get the disc back to the stage right away.
    
    Vertical
    
    In a vertical offense, the sideline is like a good party—you can have a great time, but if you stay too long, you'll wear out your welcome.
    
    Again, I look at this from a downfield cutter's perspective. If my teammates and I are clearing space effectively (a big "if," which even many elite teams fail to achieve), then every downfield throw goes to a cut that originates in the vertical center of the field. This means that the cutter can choose the angle that will seal his defender from a play on the disc, and it means the thrower has a high margin for error, since a cutter can change his angle to account for an overthrow or underthrow. (If a cutter is entirely vertical to the thrower, on the other hand, he can only account for a throwing error by running faster or jumping higher.) As long as our cuts are originating from the middle of the field, we're going to have good angles and high completion percentages. If we work it up a single sideline, and every cut comes from the vertical center of the field, then I'm happy with our offense—even if every single pass is received within 5 yards of the same sideline. It's all about the percentages.
    
    Vertical offenses break down when cutters don't recycle fast enough. If the disc advances and cutters fail to push far enough downfield ahead of the disc, then defenders can back their man, knowing that the offense won't benefit much from a 5-yard in-cut jammed to the sideline. Similarly, if cutters fail to recycle to the vertical midfield (i.e., if they crowd the flow-side sideline), then their cuts (deep or underneath) will have no horizontal angle to the thrower, and the completion percentages will fall. At this point, it's the handlers' job to reset the offense. If you have a smart and hardworking corps of cutters, then all the handlers need is to throw a pass or two. (Swinging the disc to the opposite side of the field is always a good thing, but not essential.) Mainly, the handlers are buying time, keeping the stall count fresh, while the cutters recycle, create passing lanes, and put themselves in position to enter the lanes on good angles. Then, whether we're attacking a new side of the field or not, we are cutting on angles that give us high downfield completion percentages.
     
  • BEN VAN HEUVELEN