Handling

This clinic looked at three facets of being a handler:

1. Starting play, both off a pull and off a turnover (or any disc on the ground).
2. Getting open for a dump pass
3. Throwing a swing pass

While these are by no means all that is involved with being a handler, they are three of the most common and more important aspects of the job.

1. Starting Play - Receiving the pull.
Your team is about to receive the pull to start a point. Should your handlers start anywhere in particular or does it even matter?

I say it does. If handlers start out on either side line it becomes a lot easier to catch the pull and get your offence up and running straight away. By starting on the side line, a handler will know if a pull is going out or not simply by whether it is over their head or not.

If the pull isn't going out, then they are in a position to move towards the disc for the catch. By moving towards the disc, the handler already has their body position ready for the first throw.

Conversely, if the handler started in the middle of the pitch and had to run towards the side line chasing the pull they would not be sure if it was going out or not - it's quite hard to watch the disc and the line while on the move. When this handler does make it over to the disc for the catch, they will frequently have their back to their team mates. Although it will only take a second for this player to turn around and look for the first pass, I'd consider this a second wasted. Who knows what options might have been available that are now shut down?

Starting from a turn over.
Your team has worked hard and got a turnover, what do you do with the disc now. There are two main schools of thought. First, go slow and make sure everybody on offence is set up and ready to go. Second, pick up the disc as quickly as possible. Both of these are good, work and have their time and place. Let's consider some scenarios:

A - The turn over takes place off a huck (i.e. near or in your own endzone) with a lot of your team further up the field and possibly close to the other endzone. In this situation, I'd go with option one. Let your team mates come back close to the disc so they can be a threat in multiple directions and not just coming under from so far away. If you are the handler closest to the disc, be willing to walk away and let one of the other handlers pick it up when everybody is set up or at least in position to cut effectively.

B - The turn over takes place in the middle of all your team (i.e. some people in front of the disc, some behind). I'd say this is a good situation for option two. There are a few people down field that can get involved and the others will move up field and threaten as the disc is moved.

C - Turn over happens with all your team behind the disc. I'd say this one can go either way. By picking up quickly you can catch your opponent in disarray but you may also end up not having anyone to throw to. Alternatively, by letting your team mates set up you will have lots of options but you're letting the defence set up as well.

Whatever the scenario, one simple rule of thumb, is if you are going to pick up the disc - have a receiver in mind and also make sure the receiver knows you are looking for them. As long as you know who you are going to pass to and they know it too, anything goes!

2. Getting open for a dump - a few steps, change, a few more, change
By now, everybody knows where a dump receiver should stand - either diagonally back on the open side, or level on the break side. Hopefully everybody would also know why - so you can be a threat in multiple directions. But how many people know how to make dump cuts?

How far do you go? When should you make the next cut? What counts as free or covered?

Consider the case when setting up diagonally back on the open side. As a dump receiver you have two options here, receive the disc going up field or receive the disc going towards the break side. Either way, you always want to be gaining something when you receive a dump pass, not just going backwards.

A rule of thumb that I try to follow is to make cuts or fakes within an area twice the size of my wing span. This should take you to almost level with the thrower if you go forward and almost directly behind the thrower if you go break. If you go beyond this point, your threat as a dump receiver is greatly reduced as the person marking you knows you will have to come back inside the wing span area in order to get a pass. Thus, if you go beyond this double wing span, keep going. Let someone else come into the space you have left and let the thrower stop looking at you to get open.

When you make your cuts within this area, you are constantly a threat. Your marker doesn't know when you are going to change direction and so is forced to cover you. This is when an opening appears and you get open.

Further, being open for a dump is not the same as being open on an under cut. A dump receiver only needs to be an arm or even hands length away from their marker. Given the short nature of the pass and the speed with which it will be caught, the defender will not have time to stop it. Any attempt they make to launch and block it will be futile as the receiver will be able to lunge and still be that arm or hands distance in front.

The same principals apply when setting up on the break side of the thrower, except this time it's one and a half times your wing span instead of two. Dumps in this situation are going to be much more like lead passes so going beyond the wing span makes it almost impossible to throw a lead to you.

As with the open side dump, a dump coming from the break side should be looking to gain something not simply run at the side line and catch a pass. Make your cut so you are heading straight up the pitch or straight back down the pitch about 3 or 4 metres from the sideline. The benefit of this is the thrower will have more room to work with if under pressure and you will have more momentum to put into your throw.

If you've gone straight forward you will be ready to huck forward, not sideways out of bounds. If you have gone straight backwards, your body will already be in position to swing the disc without a defender in the way, instead of having to turn around and be met by your trailing defender as you attempt to swing.

Finally, in terms of receiving a dump, take what you are given. The above principles apply when you are marked well and must get away from your defender. If you are not being marked closely or are poached in one direction, don't bother cutting - just receive a pass in the space the defender isn't standing.

Additionally, if the defender simply stares at you, they will have no idea where the disc is. You don't need to cut (so stand still!) as the thrower can simply throw to one side and you will be able to step and catch before the defender reacts. Finally, if the defender gets turned out of position and attempts to stop the throw instead of marking you, simply run away from the marker and the thrower will give it to you.

3. Throwing a swing pass
Whenever you receive a dump pass going forwards, you should look to huck. Whenever you receive one going backwards or break side, you should look to swing. No ifs, ands or maybes. Follow those two simple rules and you will be a much more effective handler and all around ultimate player.

When I say 'look to swing' what I mean is 'SWING THE DISC!, unless at the very last moment before release either: a defender jumps in front of you to block the pass; or a defender has jumped to the break side of one of your team mates to intercept the pass'.

If the defender has come around to block your throw, than your attempt simply becomes a fake. You have forced your marker to cover that angle which may open up other angles for you. You have also given the person who dumped to you a second or two to get out of the way, thus clearing the open lane.

If a defender has jumped to the break side to intercept a swing simply turn back inside and pass to the person who now has a clear path on the open side. If your team mate is smart enough they'll have spotted this too and will be running out waiting for the disc.

Something to be very aware of when throwing a swing pass is that you don't have to do any work. A soft, spinning pass that sits up out in the open space is a perfect pass. Don't go for speed, don't go for strength. Just put it out into space and let your team mate run and get it. A swing pass should be out in front of the receiver not behind them and not making them wait for it to arrive.

The team mate you are throwing to, can be as far across the pitch as you, when you throw and the pass can still be completed. Experiment with this and see how far away you can complete a pass to a team mate that starts level with you. You'll be surprised how far you can get and this will be how far you can throw a swing pass. It will also teach the dump receiver where they need to start from in order to receive a swing pass in stride and not end up waiting for it.