DEFENCE TIPS
Switching and
Poaching
BY jIM PARINELLA AND ERIC zASLOW
Great defensive teams are better than the sum of their parts. One player can front
her offender heavily if she knows she has a backup deep. A defender playing the
middle-middle zone position can take a calculated risk, with others picking up the
slack if her attempt doesn’t pan out. Critical to team unity is that some players have
an awareness of regions outside their immediate vicinity and are responsive to this
periphery.
Switching, or swapping offenders with a defensive way, one of you covers the redundant two until the
teammate, is a reassignment of defensive roles to other defender comes. (Similar considerations apply
take advantage of the defenders’ field positions. to a front/back switch against offenders oriented
Poaching, or leaving your offender in an attempt to vertically.) Figure 8.2 A two-man clam is signaled by a back-
thwart an offensive play, is a gamble that exploits the and-forth motion of the hand. If the offenders split,
element of surprise and offensive confusion. Both the defenders can cover both threats. If both offenders
switching and poaching allow defenders to work with cut in the same direction, there won’t be space to take
each other to cover the field better, but they present advantage of the momentary positional disadvantage of
considerable risks if done improperly or at the wrong one of the defenders.
time. Clear communication, whether explicit or
implicit, is the key to making these maneuvers low great position, it might take the offender a bit of
on risk and high on reward. time to realize the defensive lapse—long enough for
you to recover). The offense watches as its hard work
SWITCHING
is matched by a quick-thinking defense.
You’re fronting your offender, and he goes deep— What makes a switch possible is the synchrony
no chance to cover him. What if the thrower makes between you and your fellow switcher. As you might
a nice pass? As long as you have a fellow defender expect, synchrony comes through communication.
further downfield (and on the same side), you should New teammates will probably have to rely on the
be able to get help from her. She can come off her spoken word—“Switch!”—as well as eye contact or
offender and pick up yours. In the process, you must pointing to ensure that the call was received. Over
find and cover her offender as quickly as you can. time, you and your teammates will come to recognize
You’ll be temporarily out of position, so you need to certain situations and understand each other—then
get on your new offender before the offense can find you’ll be ready for the “switch” call before it comes.
him. At this point, a simple shout of “Hey!” or even just
You’re shading sideline, and your offender cuts a glance might be enough to communicate that a
breakside. Just at that point, the disc is swung to switch should occur. The transition from spoken
the opposite side of the field, and your offender is in Figure 8.1 Player A is trailing her offender deep, while word to tacit understanding takes time to develop.
a position to initiate an offensive assault down the player B is trailing her offender coming back. A front- Sometimes it’s not clear what to do in a situation, or
breakside. You should look for a fellow defender in back switch results in good coverage of both cuts. Note your teammate might feel she has the situation under
the stack to pick up your offender—and you should that the switch must be recognized in time for player B to control and doesn’t want the switch. This too must be
cover hers. shift her momentum to pick up the long cut. com municated. She should say, “I go!” or “I got it!” or
You’re trailing your offender on a cutback, while simply “No!” Avoid the word “stay” because it could
your teammate is trailing her offender on a cutout on You’re near the back of the stack. Your offender mean either “stay on your defender” (no switch) or
the same side (figure 8.1). The two of you should lock begins to cut in hard, and you go in with him. He “stay where you are” (and switch). After the point,
eyes and signal, call, or simply know to do a switch. turns and heads deep immediately, and the last discuss switches that were made and opportunities
You should fade back and pick up the receiver cutting player in the stack switches onto him. Meanwhile, that were not taken. Find out what your teammates
long. Your teammate should stay shallow and pick up the last cutter in the stack cuts in on the breakside prefer. Eventually, you and your teammates might
the offender you were trailing. Do this before it’s too and is picked up by the next defender. This player’s establish such a rapport that most switches occur
late for you to shift your momentum. offender is now open, so you switch onto him. A automatically and instantaneously (as in a great
You’re getting ready to play defense as the disc is multiple switch can involve more than two players. clam defense), thwarting the undertakings of an
checked into play in the red zone. The offense lines Each of these situations turns a weakness into a unsuspecting offense.
up in a stack. You stand on one side of the stack, a strength. One player (you) is out of position on her
teammate on the other (figure 8.2). You signal to assigned offender but finds another defender on the
POACHING
her before the tap-in that you’ll pick up whichever of field who is already in position for coverage. You Certain situations require unilateral action. You
your two offenders comes your way, and she’ll pick are then typically in a decent position to pick up the might be defending in the middle of the stack when
up whoever goes her way. If they both go the same offender your teammate left (even if you’re not in you see an open offender making a big comeback
10 Ultimate Canada Magazine — www.canadianultimate.com
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