Coaching - IFDA Clinics - Forcing
IFDA Clinics
Forcing
At this session we discussed the basics and finer points of forcing, and the rules that were involved. The Luke Skywalker and the Break force drills used were to emphasise the points being taught.
The Force is an attempt to pressure the thrower to throw the disc into an area of the defence’s choosing. The defender who is putting on the force is called the Point Marker and has a lot of responsibility.
Many players see it is as a time to rest and catch their breath. This is NOT the case!
The Basics of Forcing
- Know the Force
You and your teammates should know and discuss what force is being used using prior to the point being played i.e. Home/Away. - Get into Position Quickly
It is essential that you approach from the right direction i.e. along the passing lane(s) to the area the defence is seeking to deny. - Your Stance
The angle of your stance is important. You should be on the balls of your feet with feet around shoulder width apart. Knees should be bent so that you can remain ‘bouncy’. Remain balanced and shifting from side to side with your legs, not your waist. Arms should be out and low. You should shuffle left and right along with the thrower. - DO NOT GET BROKEN!
The force must be strong to prevent any breaks. If the force is broken the defence breaks down. Don’t over commit and be cautious of fakes, concentrate on not getting broken.
* Most break throws are under rather than over the markers outstretched arms. - Communication
Communicate with your teammates as to where the disc is or where the thrower is looking to throw it. An extra voice on the sideline is a great help in these situations. When the disc leaves the hands of the thrower, shout “UP!”. This tells your teammates the disc is in the air.
It’s the markers responsibility to prevent throws to one side of the field. The objective of marking is not to get point blocks. Point markers who lunge for point blocks abandon their priorities and get broken.
Rules from "Official WFDF Rules of Ultimate (2008)"
16.2 Marker Violations- 16.2.1. Marking violations include the following:
- 16.2.1.1. "Fast Count" – the marker
- 16.2.1.1.1. starts the stall count before the disc is live,
- 16.2.1.1.2. does not start the stall count with the word “Stalling”,
- 16.2.1.1.3. counts in less than one second intervals, or
- 16.2.1.1.4. does not subtract two (2) seconds from the stall count after the first call of any marking violation.
- 16.2.1.2. "Straddle" – a line between the marker’s feet contains the thrower’s pivot point.
- 16.2.1.3. "Disc Space" – any part of the marker is less than one disc diameter away from the torso or pivot of the thrower. However, if this situation is caused solely by movement of the thrower, it is not a violation.
- 16.2.1.4. "Wrapping" – the marker uses their arms to prevent the thrower from pivoting in any direction.
- 16.2.1.5. "Double Team" – two defensive players are within three (3) metres of the thrower’s pivot point when no other offensive player is within three (3) metres of either defensive player.
- 16.2.1.6. "Vision" – the marker uses any part of their body to intentionally obstruct the thrower’s vision.
- 16.2.1.1. "Fast Count" – the marker
- 16.2.2. A marking violation may be contested by the defence, in which case play stops.
- 16.2.3. On the first call of a marking violation that is not contested, play does not stop.The marker must subtract two (2) from the stall count and continue. A marker who is executing a stall count may, when a marking violation is first called, continue the stall count by reducing the count by one (1) and then continuing the count. The effect of this technique is to subtract two (2) seconds from the stall count. (e.g., “Stalling, 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 4, 5, 6…” if a marking violation was called at the fourth (4th) stall count).
- 16.2.4. The marker may not restart counting until any illegal positioning has been corrected. To do otherwise is a subsequent marking violation.
- 16.2.5. For any subsequent marking violation call during the same stall count, play stops, and, if uncontested, the count is reset to one (1) and play is continued with a check.
- 16.2.6. If any marking violations are contested, the stall count restarts at maximum six (6).
- 15.5.1. The marker is illegally positioned (Section 16.2), and there is contact with the thrower; or
- 15.5.2. The marker initiates contact with the thrower, or a part of the marker’s body was moving and contacted the thrower, prior to the release.
Stall Count
The nature of the mark changes with the stall count.
- Early in the stall count (1,2,3) marking risks are more dangerous because the thrower has more time to recognise and take advantages of opportunities.
- The middle (4,5,6) danger diminishes as the thrower starts to feel some pressure to release the disc. At 5, the thrower will start to look at completing a dump pass and not look up again so take advantage.
- Later in the stall count (7,8,9) the thrower feels pressure to release and risks are more likely to pay off. A move in closer can apply more pressure but may also lead to a foul - each defender must use their judgment of the situation and the thrower. Be careful of the risks you take, late risks can prove costly.
Try raising the volume of the stall as it nears 10. This again adds stress to your thrower and lets your teammates know the disc will be released.
9.1 Stall Count- 9.1. The marker administers a stall count on the thrower by announcing “Stalling” and then counting from one (1) to ten (10). The interval between the first utterances of each word in the stall count must be at least one (1) second.
- 9.2. The stall count must be clearly audible to the thrower.
- 9.3. The marker may only start a stall count when the disc is live.
- 9.4. The marker may only start and continue a stall count when they are within three (3) metres of the thrower and all defenders are legitimately positioned (Section 16.3).
- 9.5. If the marker moves more than three (3) metres from the thrower, or a different player becomes the marker, the stall count must be re-started at one (1).
- 9.6. To restart a stall count “at maximum n”, where “n” is a number between one (1) and nine (9), means to announce “stalling” followed by the count at one more than the last number uttered prior to the stoppage, or by “n” if that value is greater than “n”.
- 16.3.1. After catching the disc, the thrower must come to a stop as quickly as possible, without changing direction.
- 16.3.2. After stopping their forward momentum, the player may pivot in any direction as long as one part of their body remains in constant contact with a certain spot on the playing field, called the "pivot point".
- 16.3.3. A thrower who is lying down or kneeling does not need to establish a pivot.
- 16.3.3.1. Once stopped, their centre of mass determines their pivot point, and they should not move away from that point while lying down or kneeling.
- 16.3.3.2. If they stand up, they must establish their pivot at that point.
- 16.3.4. The thrower may attempt a pass at any time as long as they are entirely inbounds or have established an in-bounds pivot.
- 16.3.5. A travel violation occurs if:
- 16.3.5.1. the thrower establishes the pivot at an incorrect point on the playing field;
- 16.3.5.2. the thrower changes direction before coming to a stop;
- 16.3.5.3. the thrower fails to stop their forward momentum as quickly as possible;
- 16.3.5.4. the thrower fails to keep the established pivot until releasing the disc; or
- 16.3.5.5. a receiver purposefully bobbles, fumbles or delays the disc to themselves in order to move in any direction.
- 16.3.6. After an uncontested travel violation the disc is returned to the thrower and the stall count restarts at maximum nine (9).
- 16.3.7. After a contested travel violation by the thrower the disc is returned to the thrower and the stall count restarts at maximum six (6).
- 16.3.8. After a travel violation, play is restarted at the pivot point or the place where the pivot point would have been had no travel occurred.
The Variations of Forces
- Forcing to a particular side: Home or Away
This is the most basic idea, forcing one direction so your defence can control the offensive flow. - Forcing Straight Up
Forcing Straight Up (or Fronting) means standing in front of the thrower with arms out wide, putting an aggressive and high-pressure mark on. A straight up force allows side ways and diagonal passes but does not allow forward passes. Fronting is commonly used to disrupt an opponents long game, to break up their flow or to simply change the type of pressure on a thrower.
When putting on a Straight Up force, it is common to change the force to a particular side if the defence has reached your brick mark. A deep throw is no longer a threat but a diagonal pass may be a scoring one.
So, ‘Fronting to Away’ or ‘Fronting to Home’ are the strategies used and means that if during the point the offence makes to your brick mark or close to your end zone you revert to a Home or Away force. - Forcing Middle
Forcing Middle (FM) is when the force changes depending on where the player with the disc is. Imagine a vertical line in the centre of the field of play and cutting through both end zones. You will be forcing towards this line throughout the point no matter where the disc is on the pitch.
The thought behind this force is that the offensive team’s flow will be disrupted as the force constantly changes.
It is important to shout the force you are putting on out loud so that all your teammates are on the same page all the time. If the disc is in the middle of the pitch you (the point marker) make the decision what way to force. Communicate it, so all players know the force.