Tuesday, July 17, 2007
More girls than boys
It is just in my nature to be competitive. Small Rackages practice had a much better turnout than The Van Buren Boys, although I don't think we had that many more actual team members present- we just had more extras. Saturday we had 21 & Sunday we had 25. Lana, Jaz, and I made record time: 2 hrs 45 minutes from 13th street, Ames to the practice site in St. Paul. Practice didn't start until 4:30 on Saturday which was nice for 2 reasons: 1, I had time to hang out my laundry that morning, 2, it was really pleasant weather to play. We drilled a lot more this practice on both days than we did last time in Ames. I had drawn up a little more rigid idea of practice- as in, had a printed practice schedule. This helps me a lot because I am spastic and can get focused on my own play and what I want instead of contemplating what the team needs overall. One big thing we worked on was Stanford O, getting the disc off of the sideline. I think it went pretty well, and I did see it used effectively at least once during scrimmage on Sunday. However, I also saw it used inappropriately: during a force middle start from the sideline. It is a SIDELINE BREAK- I can't remember if I mentioned this to everyone or not, I mean the fact that it shouldn't be used in FM b/c there are better ways to start the disc. I am pretty sure there were ZERO layouts on Saturday. I had one that definitely would have been a D- my hand closed on the disc the same time as Gibbs'. I did have a couple Ds and grabs in the air over the weekend that made me happy- I think this is usually my weak point. We had a pull contest at the end of the day on Saturday, and surprisingly, Solarz didn't win either the distance or hang time category- Gibbs got distance, Kara got hang time. Mine were pretty abysmal, which is why I don't pull- not because I am not capable of pulling high and far, but because I can't be counted on to do it consistently. Sunday we started with the cheer contest. Gibbs had the most, and some of the tuniest, Jill was the eventual winner, Katie had some with awesome motions as well as lyrics, and Meghan C. and Swarty had a pretty funny rhyme (with a limmerick feel). I must say, the ex-Bait ladies definitely added to our cheer-power. I am expecting big things from them at Motown. Sunday we did more drilling, then started scrimmaging. It was FAST on Sunday- it looked like everyone was at top speed all the time, but consequently led to some hectic turnovers. The Great Zone Debate between Shel and myself continues: 3-2-2 Trap vs. 3-3-1 Force Middle. Shel, you HAVE to play either crotch or hatchet in the 3-3-1 before you stick with yours- those are the hellish positions that get the most pressure. I think 3-2-2 evens things out a bit- yes, it does allow easy throws. That is the point of the one way force. BUT I would say FM also allows easy throws, right back to the pivot handler, which is where teams usually put their main one, at least at first. The one way force eventually forces the disc to trap a non-handler. Awesome. Also, with the pushing marker playing parallel to the thrower instead of behind as in many traps, the recovery is easier (it is the trapping marker's responsiblity to cut off the dump). The Pushing marker doesn't have to run top speed at all times, either. Rather, she wants to have a SMART approach that denies the return throw (to the break side). The only time the cup needs to truly, truly sprint is when the trap is put on. If the trapping marker waits until the side handler makes ONE MORE THROW, it should be a short sprint. That is actually something I discovered this weekend- don't trap the side handler on the swing unless they are on the line or if it is a short swing from the middle (as in, the middle is playing closer to the trap side)- that long swing makes for a long sprint from the crotch of the cup, who is really covering the most dangerous break at that point. The FM cup relies very heavily on a fast, anticipatory hatchet- I can anticipate, but not get there, as I saw over and over again in Boston. So, next time you play that cup, Shel, YOU play the Hatchet and see what you think. I think teams with strong handlers will break it every time. For people reading & for Shel (who I think already knows it), I love having Shel as a co-captian for exactly this reason: she says what she thinks and has excellent input; we can heatedly argue about points without anything ever turning personal- which hasn't always been the case with other people I've been a leader with. What we need to do is spend a practice on zone. We might do that next time, focusing on one zone, then the other. I think in the 3-2-2, not everyone is yet sure of their job. I also want the next practice (if it occurs) to be Rackages-only. I cannot say how much I appreciate the ISU, Twin Cities, and other extras coming, but the main reason most of them weren't invited to Rackages is because of their inexperience, and it shows when we play. They play hard, but they are facing women with 2, 3, up to probably 8-10 times the experience (really, I've played for 8 years, compared to 1 for some of the gals, and I've had more opportunities to play higher competition). I am itching to coach the Iowa State women again, because I see so much potential, but right now I want to see how things like zone and FM work with entire lines of Racks. There is also the issue of trying to talk to people too much while I am playing- small things are okay, but trying to figure out if they are thinking what I am thinking, if they can get the job done without my help brings down my game. I need to shrug off some of that responsibility, which will happen naturally, if I know I can count on another Rackage. One thing I was disappointed about over the weekend was defense. Not to say it was bad, but it wasn't inspired, there were zero layouts, and not every disc was run down. This includes myself- I can think of 2 specific instances (1 I mentioned, the other I let my player cut in when I could have gotten the layout D) when I didn't give it my all. I did better on Sunday. I said it a couple times, but I want to reiterate that Small Rackages wont' just be A defensive team, they will be THE defensive team. They will have more Ds than other teams, they will have the most stifling team defense, they will be the thorn in every offense's side. On Sunday we also went over some endzone plays and had a 40 yd dash contest. I was not close to winning, never quite breaking 6 seconds. Gibbs won at the end of practice when we finally put the fastest 5 or 6 directly against one another: 5.2, I think. I am hoping at MUDI that the ladies will have a chance to run some endzone plays, maybe some Stanford, and generally get a better understanding of each others' nuances. On one hand, I wish I could be there, but I really love weddings, and as Jon wouldn't let me go to one earlier this summer, it is my first of the "season", a warm-up for the one in August where two of the most amazing peole I know will be united. That's saying something, because I know a lot of people. Lana is a true Warrior Princess, I think of her as The Warrior Princess of God. Kevin has probably had more impact on me than any other male in my life except my father and maybe my brother. My heart swells with gladness that they are in love with each other. And, it will be another Ultimate wedding. The one this coming weekend is also two Ultimate players. Let me know if you'd like me to drink one for you; Rackages, be prepared for a Saturday evening/Sunday morning call (or calls). Oh, we got our artwork in to the printer, so we are waiting to hear back from them with proofs.....there is still an outside chance of having jersies by Motown. Yes, the UPA did approve the name Small Rackages.
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6 comments:
I'm completely accepting of the fact that I might possible be crying the entire ceremony of the wedding of Lana and Kevin. What I'm trying to plan is the logistics of the event. I won't want a purse...should I stuff my bra with tissues? Will a stuffed bra of tissues be enough? Looking forward to laughing and crying during the ceremony and looking over to see you doing the same.
Yes, good things in post, can't wait for my SR Solarz replica jersey!
I think VBB experiences the same problem defensively as you did in practice - a lack of real intensity. As much as offensive players might deny it, I think playing stifling defense at the club level requires a higher mental focus, tenacity and awareness than any other aspect of the game. To be a truly great defensive player, you must let go of any thought process not devoted to shutting down your man and your opponent FOR THE ENTIRE POINT. This means no excuses for injury, unheard forces, switches, upline cuts, and stealthy breakmark throws - AND requires an attitude of confidence and cockiness that dictates that your man WILL NOT GET THE DISC, even if you have your doubts. Hard to put that mental responsibility on every point during practice. I believe there was one or two layouts last Saturday for VBB - but I hope and expect that the heightened atmosphere of this weekend will elevate our D-game to the level that is needed for a shot at the Big Dance.
Melissa, I plan on stuffing my underwear with tissues as well, but for very different reasons.
The main difference I see in the two cups is the distance the disc can move before being stopped and the momentum that that results in. Think about it. If you are playing offense against a zone, what throws are the hardest? The ones where the cup has you stopped…the ones where there is no momentum. A force middle cup repeatedly stops the disc making almost every throw one from stopped play. We annihilate zones once we get going and I would rather be a handler against a force sideline on a non-cross-windy day than a force middle. I know once one hard throw is made, that disc has at least 3-4 uncontested passes (and that’s assuming it only stays with the handlers and doesn’t even use the poppers). With that many open passes, it is easier to get momentum going and thus holes open up. Force middle is a more controlled/methodical defense.
I had a discussion once w/ Savage where I thought that there was no point at all to force one way cups. She was kind enough to explain that it is effective in strong cross winds. The wind is an extra defensive player that makes those throws harder (and thus the disc doesn’t move as fast away from the trapped line or at least there is a chance the wind will catch under it and pop it up/push it down). If there is a downfield wind, those throws are both unchallenged by defense and unchallenging by the wind.
Maybe I’m biased as all we ran on CLX was force middle and I ran it w/ the same people every time and it did work very well and I have learned how to get D’s in it. I feel like the force one way has one chance for a D and if you don’t get that, you wait for them to turn it over. Waiting for turnovers isn’t good against experienced handlers. It’s possible you get turns from people outside the cup, but those people outside the cup don’t see the disc nearly as often as the cup. Force middle has lots of opportunities for the cup to make a play. Maybe that’s what makes me like it…I know I can get a D…I know I have control. I like control;)
I agree that we have yet to run it effectively (although I haven’t been that impressed w/ force one way either) Practices would help that as we’re a put together team (and so would us working on our marks). Just like force middle man…it has its place on the field and if run properly, can be a momentum killer.
If I make it to Mudi I’m going to teach everyone to love my cup (and I’ll even play hatchet). Where are Trent and Amy when I need them?
I can't get into it right now, but I am going to have to side with Shel on this one. More of my ramblings soon to come.
The great zone debate of 2007…here we go. Before I get started I should give a disclaimer that these comments are coming from a non-cup person, but from the stance of an offensive handler who has seen her share of cup formations.
As I said earlier, I have to go with Shel on this one. I think we should do a force middle in the cup, and save the force one way ONLY when there are strong cross-winds. Now, before I give reasons why, let me say that I do like your side trap. In fact, it might be the best side trap that I have seen in terms of recovering after the disc gets centered from the sideline; however, I don’t think it should be our default cup. As Shel mentioned in her post, offenses beat defenses by getting the disc moving. In my opinion, it is far easier to get the disc moving and create give-and-go situations in a force one-way than a force middle. Other posts have talked a lot about contested throws, but I would argue that force middle is more about containment than contesting—although, I think it does contest more throw than a force one-way. Force middle contains the offense between just 2 players—usually handlers—and forces them to break or throw through a moving cup to get up field or to another handler. This creates more of those stopped disc situations Shel refers to. These are harder to get an offense started from, and it cuts off the flow by containing the give-and-goes. Also, as the cup moves over, the passing lanes that are open change as the cup sets up around the handler. This means the window for an open throw is much smaller and cutters have to adjust downfield if they want to remain open—again, slowing the offense’s ability to spring free. In force one way, you always know where the lanes are, and are often given an open throw that can lead to big gainers.
In practice, when we were discussing the trap on force one-way, you made a comment about waiting until a “weaker” (aka non-handler) had the disc on the line. Ok, waiting is the wrong word, but I feel like that is what the aim/goal of this cup is…wait for a weak thrower to get it and then pounce. A good thought, but honestly, we aren’t in college women’s anymore. Most teams that we play at the top level aren’t going to have weak throwers—handlers or not. Think of the Brute game. Do you honestly think any of those ladies would freak out with a line trap on them? I would venture to say no. From a handler position, line traps are a great time to look down field because your wing is going to get sucked in, so if cutters hang out in mid range, that’s a relatively easy bender past 4 people. Even if we have 2 deeps—which I think is a bad idea, and will touch on in a second—it is still pretty simple for a good popper to get open in that area where they are too deep for the wing to pick them up and too far up for the deep to cover. Every team is going to have ladies who can make that throw. Then, it’s off to the races for the offense. Same thing if you break the trap by centering to one of the poppers. Our ladies are great at give-and-goes once the cup gets broken, and that won’t be a characteristic that applies only to the Rack Attack. Ok, comments on 3-2-2. Honestly, unless a team is destroying us deep, I really don’t think we should start with 2 back. Even if they are, we can always call the offside wing to drop—they should be doing it anyway to cover the hammer threat. As a handler, when I see only 2 mids/wings I know as soon as I find a whole in the cup (especially in the middle of it) I can just zip it by. I don’t have to worry about where the mid-mid is, and, chances are, the wings are still on the sidelines. This leaves the middle of the field wide open for folks who have IO’s and the ability to thread the needle through a cup. Then we go back to the give-and-go situation. With only 2 mids, if the cup is out of position, they are toast. Even if just one member is out of position by half a foot they are done for. Granted, I might take more risks or be a bit more confident with some of my zippy throws than most, but I have seen Shel make some of those same throws to destroy a cup and she will be the first to tell you she is no handler. If we do decide to do force one-way, I beg you to put 3 people in the middle. If the cup gets beat, it’s very hard to contain the give-and-go with just 2 people in our second line of defense who are focusing on the sidelines.
I think I failed at articulating my points, but I hope my general thoughts and concerns are clear. I know I have more to say on the subject, but it’s hard to focus on a Friday afternoon—and I am guessing this whole debate would be better handled in a face-to-face discussion. I look forward to reading people blast apart my points and tell me what a tool I am. After all, this girl won’t be in the cup, but she has destroyed her fair share of them.
See you at MUDI…or Mo Town.
Solarz
PS—Tai needs to tan more!! She is looking a little pale.
I use a sideline trap with Wellesley with pretty good results. I also don't like the FM that much as it allows, as has been mentioned, the easy throw back to the pivot.
However, as most of the teams you are going to play, especially at Nationals, are going to adjust quickly, why not have it all? Trap both sides and FM. At the minimum, you will have some shot of keeping the other team on their toes.
-G
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