USA Ultimate

The Huddle, Issue #9: Sub-Calling

• A Basic Checklist
  
  
  
  • Sub-calling is probably the least rewarding aspect of Ultimate. Not only will you rarely be recognized for good sub-calling, but instead sub-calling is the easiest thing for many people to blame for problems on the field. Additionally, problems (real or perceived) with playing time and sub-calling are often the number one issue affecting team dynamics and player satisfaction. In my experience, the easiest way to avoid issues with subcalling is to have a plan ahead of time and to communicate as best as possible to individuals where their role fits into that plan. A good plan can then be passed along to someone else who needs to fill in for sub-calling in a pinch (like losing your voice in a freak scenario). Here's a basic checklist of questions you can answer when devising your plan:
    • Which handlers do you want playing primarily offensive points and which do you want playing defensive points? Who do you want to be able to go both ways?
    • Which downfield cutters offer a competitive advantage on O lines or D lines?
    • Which defenders primarily guard handlers? Which are especially good at covering downfielders?
    Who fills special niche defensive roles on the team? For example, an especially tall defender to neutralize the deep threat or an especially good marker to put on a big thrower.
    • Divide your handlers up into groups of those who generate offense with their throws (big breaks and/or big hucks) and those who generate offense with their legs (effectively get the disc up-the-line and are always open for resets). You'll want some players from each category on every line.
    • Divide your downfielders into groups of those who can get open with jukes off of a stopped-disc and those who are great at getting open in flow with timing and filling spaces. Again, you'll want some players from each category on every line.
    • Are there players who have especially good chemistry on the team together?
    • Who are on your special teams? Who are your top zone D players, zone O players, clam defenders, and so on.
    • Who are your clutch players? Who do you put in for critical points that are must-score situations on O and/or on D?
    • What are the situations that your bottom of the roster performs best in? Being able to utilize your bench players effectively is often the difference between winning and losing in the long run.
    
    Obviously, there are a number of different questions you can ask yourself about your team and its players. The important part is that you are creating an accurate assessment of your players and how they fit together in various different situations, so you can create a subbing structure around that and communicate it to the team. Subbing structures don't need to be super sophisticated, but having guidelines on how to choose players for each line will greatly speed up the process for your subcallers, enable them to call better lines under time pressure, and allow players to better expect when they are likely to go in or remain on the sideline.
     
  • GWEN AMBLER
• Be Careful What You Wish For
  
  
  
  • "Be careful what you wish for."
    — Ken Dobyns over the phone, NYC to Hampton Bays, August 1995.
    
    Calling the D line that season isn't something I necessarily wished for, but blindly accepted the vacancy; possibly a dumb move for a not proved new face on a second year team still fielding much of the leftover NYNY dynasty. We beat Boston four times that season: Regionals, Tune-up, and two small pre-season tourneys. And that season we lost two games, both at Nationals: Sockeye in pool play, and Boston in the semi-finals.
    
    "If you don't step up your game, quit calling yourself in!"
    
    This said with spittle flying everywhere; and that comment is watered down compared to others heard and learned of later, not to mention the immediate silence encountered after hobbling down the hall and popping into room 237.
    
    As a spectator in 2002, I hustled over to see the end of the Furious/Boston semi after Ring defeated Sockeye in the other semifinal. I found myself standing behind a handful of Sockeye players seated along the sideline. They were not quite digesting the big let down and were busy chewing on the bitter pill, calling out the late-game leadership and decision making, dragging everyone under the bus. All of the trust building drills throughout the course of the season seemed to be a pitiful waste. Though rotation wasn't the issue, part of me was them. Weeks before I watched, somewhat helplessly, a 14-10 lead on Ring and a sure ticket to Nationals slip away as Ring rolled off five for the win and a spot in the Regional final. The old Gas House Gorillas routine was certainly overlooked that day.
    
    A place in the sun isn't meant for everyone (and Sockeye's casting a long shadow), and when the chips fall the other way, a thankless job is, indeed, thankless.
    
    Be careful what you wish for.
     
  • TULLY BEATTY
• The Best Sub-Caller Is...
  
  
  
  • Here are a couple little tricks that can really help you out.
    
    This first technique is something I've never done, but I'm still gonna name it. Let's call it Repeater. I saw it first at College Nationals this year, where Syzygy was using it (they crushed us) and I later overheard teams using it at Solstice (Eugene) and HoDown (Calgary). Basically, your sub caller yells out the names just as usual and then everyone repeats them. "Beth." "BETH!" "Kate.""KATE!" And so forth. It's really a wonderful piece of technology. It focuses your team on the point ahead and helps avoid that dratted looking-for-someone-on-the-sideline-and-yelling-their-name business. This technique does require that your sub caller have a decision very quickly, but you can always make on the line changes after the seven are out there.
    
    This second technique is one that I've used twice and each time it was incredibly effective. You almost always (particularly in women's) have a player with a season ending injury. Have them call subs. I had a sophomore (Jinny Eun of Riot) do this for Syzygy the year we won. Did she know what she was doing at the beginning of the season? Absolutely not. Did she know what she was doing at the end of the season? Definitely. It takes a lot of work on the part of a coach or a captain to teach someone to call subs, but it is absolutely worth it. Obviously, this person doesn't have to be a rookie. This past year for Oregon, one of our captains (Gordy) blew her knee out and immediately took over from me as main sub caller. As a coach or captain, you are freed from the tyranny of the clipboard. Free to actually coach or play. Then, subbing becomes one more area of oversight, like play-calling or defense or analyzing the other team's best player.
    
    Remember, the best sub caller is Victory and the worst sub caller is Defeat.
     
  • LOU BURRUSS
• Preparation
  
  
  
  • First things first—calling subs for a competitive team is a big job. It will take a lot away from anyone's playing ability. There may be someone out there who can play at their best and call subs at the same time, but I haven't met them. Because of this, I think it's better to split sub-calling duties between two or three players, or expect that the person calling subs is not going to play very much.
    
    To me, the most important element of sub-calling is being prepared. You should know pretty well before the tournament starts who's going to play, how much, and in what situations. You need to leave room for adjustment based on how each person is playing at the moment, but having an idea beforehand is a huge help.
    
    Sub-calling sheets are great. A simple grid works well, with the players listed on the side, and points across the top. You can easily see how many points each person's played, how long they've been in or out. Grouping handlers, cutters, defenders together also helps. It's pretty easy to add basic stats to such a grid, and to get your next line ready during the point. In a game with strict time limits, you should ideally have an O line and a D line ready before the point ends. If you need to change one or two people, that's much easier than picking a full seven.
    
    When it comes to picking players for each line, subbing should be strategic, over the course of the game and the tournament. If your defense is forcing lots of turnovers but having trouble scoring, you can bring over a more offensive-minded player. In general, you want your best players to be in when you need them, but rested enough that they're still going strong in finals or that last backdoor game of Regionals. This strategy will vary depending on your team's composition, but here's one example of what I mean.
    
    For many of its years at the top of the Open ultimate scene, Furious George has been a top-heavy team. Their best five or six players were better than anyone else's, and they knew it. But they couldn't play those guys every point, so most of the time they'd mix them in with role players (who were, granted, also very good). A couple times a game, they'd put most or all of their strongest players in for one defensive point, with the intention of getting a break on that one point. It usually worked. Against the consistent offenses in the elite game, defensive breaks are enormously important. One break can be the difference between a win and a loss, and a huge momentum swing. By targeting particular points for breaks, Furious George was able to maintain a high level of play throughout games and tournaments, but bring it up one big step when it counted the most.
     
  • MATT DUFORT
• Practical Considerations
  
  
  
  • When I was calling subs, I also usually was calling the "strategy" for the points. (Are we playing zone? Are we setting horizontal? Is this point the most critical point ever?). That helped me when it came to determining players based on the roles needed. It also made me pretty tired by the end of the day. How these decisions are made on your team will help dictate who should call subs when the sub-caller goes down with a freak throat injury (Larynxeum andibenitis). For example, if there are two people who call the O and two people who call the D, can one of them handle the sub-calling as well? That will simplify the discussions, and it will help with establishing authority for the sub-caller. If this is not as strict (is it just a leader on the field who does it?), then I would suggest establishing a short discussion prior to each point to set that down. That discussion should be 5 seconds or less.
    
    Here's a suggested transcript:
    
    Sub-Caller: What's the D?
    Strategy Person: Clam for five to backhand.
    Sub-Caller: Ok, (seven names) you're in.
    
    
    It is within the idea of strategy that some of the subtleties that I believe are the hardest to convey to a new sub-caller appear. A few examples:
    
    - It's double game point and we're receiving. Perhaps one of my top handlers is also one of my higher risk handlers (bigger throws, less prone to possession) or maybe one of my top handlers has a habit of tightening up on the big points. Do I need that person on the field or is it too high a risk at that point in the game?
    
    - The other team is kicking our butts by sending out three tall receivers, but it's the mark getting broken that is setting up the throws. Do I need my best markers or tallest players (or both)?
    
    Given the parameters of the question, I bring out a pad of paper and a pen for stuff like this. The strategy leadership needs to pass this information to the sub-caller. This needs to be communicated during the game, and the number of people who are allowed to talk to the sub-caller about this has to be limited for a new one. That needs to be established prior to the weekend with the entire team.
    
    Sub-calling starts early in the season and lasts throughout the year. This doesn't just mean the act of calling out names between points, but rather consists of preparing people for the role that they will play, ensuring that they know that role and clearly communicating expectations throughout the year. If the fourth person down the depth chart of O handlers who has never played a D point actually expects to go in when you're pulling at 14-14 in the semis of regionals, that's a personal problem. Sub-callers and captains need to ignore that at all points at Regionals. It's more likely that someone who is down the depth chart a bit starts to think that they should be playing more at the end of games. This is still a personal problem, not a team one. It only becomes a team problem if it distracts leadership from their roles. If I'm training a new sub-caller, I tell them that during the game is not the time for this, and they just need to send that person to me or to a different captain at that point. The sub-caller can't spend time on it. No need to yell at this person, but the sub-caller needs to simply-and-firmly tell the person to go away until after the game. Then, I'd suggest that the person only talk to the captain, and the captain talks to the sub-caller (assuming they are different people). That message also needs to go to the entire team before the weekend. Captain to team: "Billy-Jean will be calling subs this weekend. Do not insert yourself into this process. If you have a problem with this, talk to me. If Billy-Jean asks you to do something, play or sub out, do it."
    
    Most teams have defined positions or roles (O/D, handler/upfield, more points/less points, zone breakers, upwind players), and the general theory of the team has likely been discussed prior to the week of Regionals (fortunately). The sub-caller should understand these key principles and who fits into what roles. A hierarchy can be important to understand as well. Some teams seemed to have a group of individuals who can self-sub (Did it look like DoG was calling subs on offense when they were winning? Or did 7 people just kind of wander out on to the field and then score?). The sub-caller absolutely has to know who can and cannot do that and has to have the confidence and strength of personality to stop those who can't do it and sometimes stop those who can do it.
    
    When I called subs for teams, I kept a sheet of who had played how many points. I changed organization of the sheet depending on the team, but:
    
    - For teams which were almost exclusively O/D, I would split the list that way. This presented some challenge for the few players who did play both, but it was helpful. Then, within the groups I split handlers and upfield cutters.
    
    - For teams which were not as heavily O/D, I split handlers and upfield. This is what I did almost always. I expected some variance, but usually wind, the type of O or D, the situation dictated which of those groups I needed more than anything else.
    
    I would refer to the sheet occasionally through the game, but not necessarily on every line call. I also had others helping keep the sheet filled out so that I could pay attention to how the game was going. I asked those people to tell me things like: if a key player has played four or more points in a row early in a game, if a player we'd need at the end of the game hadn't played in six or more points, and so on. Just those things are enough to help guide what needs to be done. When I coached, I did the same thing. In addition to the points-sheet, it's useful for a new sub-caller to have a sheet which has the roles and hierarchy. For example, that sheet might have four sections: Vertical O, Horizontal O, Person D, Zone D. That's the playbook. Laminate it and tape it to the sub-callers arm. Within each section, it would list in order of hierarchy, handlers then upfielders. That's the sheet that person would use most often. I didn't actually carry this, as I felt that I knew it by the time it mattered, but if someone is doing it for the first time at Regionals, it will help.
    
    I didn't keep turnovers, O/D or other information on the points sheet, because that was simply more information than I could process while making decisions. If others put the information on the sheet, I thanked them nicely and then ignored it. It's good information to have when evaluating how things went, but just too much for the heat-of-the-moment. Some people may be able to process all of that information, but I kinda doubt it. My feeling was that, unless a key player was having the type of hellish game that was obvious to everyone, that person didn't sit more when it mattered. Play time is usually earned over a season, not in the 1 vs. 16 game at Regionals. Likewise, if a player down the depth chart had earned more points, it's obvious.
    
    One special situation: Let's say my team is pretty much O and D split. Let's say the O isn't getting it done. We had a three point lead. The handlers seem spent and we've turned it over two in a row, and it's now tight. My D line has 2 of my best handlers on it. Do I put the two D guys in with the rest of the O line? Do I put seven from in the D line to play O? To oversimplify the answer: If I practice almost entirely split between the lines or if my D plays O differently than my O, I put in the D line. Otherwise, I put in the D handlers with the O line.
    
    Special Mixed Note: I've seen a number of teams that have a woman sub-caller and a male sub-caller. Those two tend to work together on some teams and independently on other teams. I think it's natural that the players are aware a bit more of their gender on the field. It's important that the "new" sub-caller get with the other sub-caller in this situation and understand when to and when not to worry about what the other one is doing. Both are still subservient to the strategy role, but they need to know how the roles work together.
    
    And a final point about picking a sub-caller: some people with all the skills (confidence, authority, perception, know the players, see the game) can't manage to call subs and play at their top level. Some can, but some just can't. If someone struggles to focus on their own game when they are calling subs, that person can really only be the sub-caller if they don't have to play at all. Perhaps the editors can twist an ankle on that person and make this assignment easy? (Editor's Note: No.)
     
  • ADAM GOFF
• Empowering The Team With Self Subbing
  
  
  
  • I've been very fortunate in my career to play on many successful teams that did not call subs, and this hypothetical situation could be a blessing in disguise. Most players at elite levels are fairly self-aware, and after a season of playing together most can recognize the hierarchy within the team and could make an honest appraisal of their optimum contribution to the team in terms of quantity and type (O or D) of points.
    
    Some players may have to be told more explicitly ahead of time (and reminded during a game) but most will have a good idea. At its best, allowing players to put themselves in the game empowers them to control their contribution, to put themselves in when they are feeling ready, and gives the rest of the team confidence in them.
    
    This may not work for every team, but I have been a part of very successful groups where self-subbing was an ingrained part of the team structure, took the onus of subbing off one person and distributed it to everyone, and created an environment of success which pushed each player in practice and games to achieve their best on the field.
     
  • GREG HUSAK
• Elocution & Enunciation
  
  
  
  • There's nothing worse than calling a line a finding an uninvited guest has wandered onto the field. Not only do you have to recall the correct name, but you have to break the news to the overzealous player and watch them slink off sadly like Charlie Brown after failing to kick that football. Rats.
    
    To avoid this situation you must speak with the uttermost clarity and amplification. You mustn't slur your speech; too often names like Sean and John or Brett and Bren become confused. You mustn't misspeak—say who you mean and mean whom you say. And finally, you mustn't forget the names of your players. Nothing is worse than failing to recall (or actually not knowing) a player on your team. Review the roster list before the tournament. Believe me, this can be embarrassing.
    
    Beyond basic slips of the tongue, you must be wary of under- or over-counting. Thou shalt count to seven. No more, no less. Seven shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be seven. Eight shalt thou not count; neither count thou six, excepting that thou then proceed to seven. Nine is right out. Use your fingers to keep count if you must.
    
    The worst scenario, though, is calling yourself onto the line when you're not even an eligible to play. You've graduated, you're washed up, and no one wants to see your slow, no-defense-playing, sorry ass on the field. The look of pure disgust and pity you see in the eyes of young men not legally old enough to drink and barely smart enough to dress themselves is seared indeliably into your consciousness. Nothing you can do, nothing you can say will restore your dignity and self-respect.
     
  • ANDY LOVSETH
• For Your Team, Not Your Teammates
  
  
  
  • Sub-calling, especially for one who one who plays at the same time, is one of the most difficult things to do. Personally, I hate doing it because I feel like it distracts me from my ability to remain focused while playing. But like everyone, I always have my own feelings about who should be playing at a particular time. Fortunately, as captain of my team, my opinion about who plays carries a bit of weight with the sub-caller. What I've learned is that the ideal sub-callers understand that they have a duty to the team rather than to their teammates, demonstrate objectivity and detachedness in performing that duty, and have an ability to quickly evaluate changing conditions.
    
    Of course when playing time is not distributed equally, there will always be someone who is disappointed with the sub-caller's decisions. Dealing with these types of complaints can be uncomfortable because they require explaining to a friend why you chose to play someone else instead of him or her. I think there are four things that the sub-caller has to do in these situations:
    
    1. Delay the discussion until after the game. Because of everything that a sub-caller needs to concentrate on during the game, complaints simply cannot be dealt with until after the game because dealing with complaints would disrupt effective sub calling.
    
    2. Listen to the player. Understand exactly what the complaint is. (Does he believe he is not playing enough? Believe certain types of players are not playing enough? Believe he is not playing enough at certain times (ie: zone)). Listening is extremely important because you can tailor you answer to his concerns. Also, sometimes part of the solution is for the player to know his concerns have been taken seriously.
    
    3. Honestly explain the decision to keep that player off the field (you haven't mastered this offense/defense in practice, you are not in condition, you were limping that last point and wanted to give you some time to recover, you displayed a string of bad decisions, the guy who played instead of you was on fire/had a great match up).
    
    4. Identify what that player can work on to fix it. This communication is very important because it gives the player a clear idea of what he has to focus on to get better. When he gets better the team gets better.
     
  • RYAN MORGAN
• Prepare Your Team For The Hard Decisions
  
  
  
  • It is a big point midway through a big game at the most important high school elite open tourney of the year. The opposing team has taken a timeout between points. You look at the team you coach to figure out what line you want in the game. You know that a number of your kids haven't been in the game yet and that they paid a lot of money to make the plane trip. Oh, and there are those same kids' parents who also came along and have been making runs to the store all weekend to make sure the team has everything that they need. You've been coaching some of those kids since middle school and you've known the parents for years because you coached their other child. Some of those great kids who haven't played yet are seniors who played on JV for three years and have been waiting for the chance to make the difference in helping the varsity win a championship. Because you work with your feeder programs as well, you notice that some of those other kids who haven't played are a couple of the freshmen who were the stronger players on the 8th grade team last year. Those freshmen love to compete and are going to be a big part of the team somewhere down the road. They are dying to get into the game to show they can make plays at important times in high school games. Everybody is looking at you with hopeful eyes of helping the team succeed. What do you do?
    
    There are a lot of pressures on coaches. Calling subs is one of those pressures. It is true in every team sport. Determining who actually gets to play can be very distasteful. It probably ranks third in the down sides of coaching behind a player getting seriously injured and having to cut people from the team. The question is: "How do you deal with subbing to help the team succeed?" Subbing is not a decision that is made in a vacuum of just this particular point. There is always the bigger picture of keeping morale high, keeping people invested in the program, keeping parents happy, and keeping the administrators off your back. And the truly odd thing is that winning does not cure all ills in a program. You can win championships and still be hammered on your evaluations because winning isn't everything even when losing is unacceptable.
    
    Back to the game. What do you do? Simple. You tell your power line and power rotation that they are in the game and that they are not coming out until the game is over or the other team obviously gives up. Are the players who haven't gone in yet mad because they may not get to play in this game? How mad are the parents who came to watch their kid play and their kid probably won't go in the game? The answer is that people might be a little disappointed which is natural and even desirable (you certainly don't want too many kids on the team who want to sit out the big points), but the bottom line is that every player on the team knows his role, as do the parents, because you have properly prepared them for this moment.
    
    At the beginning of the season the coach needs to communicate with everyone about the expectations of being on the varsity team and what it means. Experienced coaches know the importance of putting it in writing, announcing it at the team parent meeting, and repeating it often at practices and games. Also, before and after every game you start your speech by pointing out how important the players who are not getting or did not get in the game are to the success of the team. You don't say this to be nice, you say it because it is true. It is both a cliché and very overlooked that being a team player is of huge value. Your chances of succeeding are vastly increased if the players who don't get much, if any, playing time, are as excited or more excited than the players on the field when the team has success. Those role players have very important roles in practices and games that are often overlooked by those people only watching the games. One of the great things about ultimate is that players on the sidelines can actually help the team succeed by communicating important info to the players on the field.
    
    Back to the game. Is the power line ready to go in? Do the players in the power rotation who are not in know that they are in the tighter rotation of people playing these next all important points? Of course they do. You have practiced and played with this rotation already in both practices and games. Plus you have it written down on your subbing rotation sheet.
    
    So why rotations and not calling lines? There is the issue of players knowing what to expect in situations so they can be prepared mentally. There is the issue of a coach trying to call lines and make strategy adjustments at the same time that just leads to the wrong players on the field and not so great adjustments. And yes, coaches want to control the subs and the adjustments. (There are two kinds of coaches when it comes to control. Those who are obviously control freaks and those who are good at hiding that they are control freaks). So, how do you get the right players on the field at the right time while still being able to make strategy adjustments on the fly? Well it obviously helps to have good assistant coaches who know what the plan is, can take charge AND do not get flustered when the head coach overrules them with an adjustment. But more importantly you have set up your rotations beforehand.
    
    It can be as simple as ranking your players as ones, twos, or threes, with ones being your strongest players. Usually you will have equal numbers of ones and twos with only a couple of threes. You add an "H" for the handlers. You then sort by rank. (I prefer a spreadsheet.) You communicate with everyone about their rank and you practice with different rotations. The rank includes both offensive and defensive talent. In HS elite ultimate you can generally figure out how to make sure your least able defensive player on the field doesn't mark up against the other teams' strongest offensive players. And every kid on the team knows how to throw resets and easy scores (and to know the difference between an easy score finish and a not-so-easy score finish) if they get the disc on offense and are not a primary handler.
    
    Different kinds of rotations (Ones will rotate in for ones, twos for twos, and threes for threes, in all rotations):
    • Standard Rotation: 1h, 1h, 1, 1, 2h, 2, 3
    • Even Rotation: 1h, 1h, 1, 2h, 2, 3, 3. (This can also be 1h, 1, 2h, 2h, 2, 3, 3)
    • Power Rotation: 1h, 1h, 1h, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Don't save the power rotation for late in games. Use it to get an early lead, to get the important breaks, to end a big game as quick as possible in tournament play)
    • 2/3 Rotation: 2h, 2h, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3. (This group has practiced against the power rotation so they are comfortable playing together. If the power rotation has just run off four or five points against an opponent, put this rotation in and tell them they stay in until they give up a score.)
    • Fun rotations: Tall, Short, Seniors, 9/10, Soccer, Basketball.
    
    If all goes well and you picked the correct rotations and made the proper strategy adjustments you have put your team into a position where they have found success on the field. It is not quite over yet, you still have to make a good post game speech where you will mention the role players first and stress how important they were to the success of the team. And when one of the parents who has been working hard for your program and whose kid didn't play in the big game comes up to you and says, "Hey coach, I asked my son how he felt about not playing in that game and he explained to me that he was okay with it because he knew his role and feels that he helped the team succeed as much as the guys who were in the game. Nice job coach. I'll see you this summer. My son is really looking forward to improving his skill set." Well, you know that you will probably get to keep your job for another year. You get three days before the high of winning the tournament wears off. Four days from now you get to start thinking about next year by looking at the rotation sheets to see how many points each kid played and what needs to be done for next year. Mike Mullen is a die-hard organizer and advocate of Youth Ultimate, both in Seattle and for the country as a whole. Besides leading the development of the Northwest School Boys Ultimate program, and coaching the team through their rise to national prominence, Mike has also found time to work for the growth of Ultimate in such projects as the Easterns/Westerns split, YCC, and developing Ultimate in urban communities in Seattle.
     
  • MIKE MULLEN
• My Sub-Calling Philosophies
  
  
  
  • 1. If you pick the right personnel, there will always be a time when you can play each player. Think about when these times are for each player on your team and allow them to excel in these situations.
    
    2. Be clear to your teammates about the team's sub-calling philosophy. If it changes for a tournament, don't make it a hush hush operation—let everyone know so nothing is a surprise.
    
    3. When at all possible, have someone who's not playing (a coach or designated sub-caller, perhaps even an injured player) call subs. Sub-calling and playing time create the most opportunities for team chemistry to breakdown and when your playing time, which directly relates to most people's enjoyment of their playing, is dictated by peers, it can get ugly, fast.
    
    4. Sub to win. At the elite level, everyone would rather be on a winning team and play one point per game than be on a losing team and play five points per game. Or at least we should—if people aren't on board with this—reconsider their options, which is fine.
    
    5. Don't get caught up in specialization. I think this may apply even more to Women's Ultimate than Open Ultimate, but if you have a good player on your team, don't keep her in the "D line" or "O line" or "Zone" or whatever you think she is best at if she might be able to help the team in lots of different situations. The reality is that there will always be turnovers, teams will always throw different D and O looks, so just play your strong players that get the job done in all situations and be creative with their supporting cast.
     
  • MIRANDA ROTH
• The Pod System
  
  
  
  • Sub-calling is one of the most difficult parts of being a team leader, be it as a coach or a player. As coach of Kali (the University of Colorado Women's team), I have employed several different strategies throughout the years depending on the team. In this article, I'll try to give young players some insight into one coach's perspective of sub-calling.
    
    My sub-calling strategy begins in the organization of my sub sheet. I split players into pods, generally four or five.
    
    Pod 1—Veteran Handlers: As a coach, I realize that our chances of scoring increase significantly if there are at least two confident throwers on the line.
    
    Pod 2—Veteran Cutters & Defenders: These are my athletes who I trust in their knowledge of the game and defensive ability but may not be as comfortable with the disc.
    
    Pod 3—Young Handlers: These are the next generation handlers who may not have all the skills or confidence yet to touch the disc all the time, but are likely to develop into good handlers given enough touches.
    
    Pod 4—Young Cutters & Athletes: These are my first or second year players who seem to "get it" and have an idea of where to go on the field and when to go there, but aren't consistent yet with their skills.
    
    Pod 5—Rawest rookies: This pod contains the players who are very new to the sport and may tend to get a little lost or confused on the field at times due to the game being so new.
    
    My use of the pods changes based on the opponent. In games against inferior opponents where the score is unlikely to be close, I tend to sub liberally and pull 3-4 players per line from Pods 1-2 and 3-4 players from Pods 3-5.
    
    In games that are more competitive, I try to not have more than one player from Pod 5 on the field at one time. I tend to give more points to Pods 1-2 with 5-7 of them on the line at a time for offensive points. Occasionally I'll mix in pod 3-4 players with veteran throwers or cutters to give some rest. More frequently, I would put in an entire line of young players to give rest to all of Pods 1-2 at the same time. They play defense and are given chances to work together as a unit at practice prior to the tourney. Their job is to make life difficult for the opposing O and hopefully score, but making the other O work hard was the primary goal. If we can steal points with this line, all the better. Basically, I "go for" some D points by loading up with Pods 1-2 and then hope to get a couple of points out of the younger D line throughout the game.
    
    By using this pod system, I attempt to keep my veterans fresh for late in the tourney when they may have to play multiple points in a row while keeping young players involved in the action and giving them an opportunity to take ownership of making a difference in the game. The best way for a young player to increase playing time in this system and move from say Pod 4 to Pod 2 is for her to exert effort on D, catch the disc, and complete the next pass consistently.
     
  • MIKE WHITAKER