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- Team Defence Session plan
Hey everyone,
For this month’s training content I’m sharing a Team Defence Session plan which I ran with campers at the Disc In camp in France recently. The session works on players awareness and communication, including their ability to work with each other to contain and frustrate the offence.
This article features several Patron-only videos which contain the specifics of the drills.
Here’s the basic plan, lasting around 3 hours:
1) ‘Hey’ game
2) 3v1 Cone Defence Reaction game
3) Lateral Switching drill
4) Vertical Switching drill
5) Triple sandwich surrounding drill
6) Trent’s surrounding drill
7) Triple fist bump conditioned gameFirst order of business (after a warm up) is to break the ice and get players communicating. You can be creative here – the aim is to get everybody looking around, gesticulating in some way, and using their voice. One way to do this is the “hey” game – everyone in a circle, point at a player and say ‘hey’, they have to point at another player and say ‘hey’, and so on. If two people react because they both thought they were being pointed at, then continue with two ‘hey’s being passed around. If a player doesn’t see / react to being ‘hey’d, the ‘hey-er’ should continue pointing and repeating ‘hey’ until they get their attention. You can start a round with two ‘hey’s at the same time to spice things up. You can also split into smaller groups for more involvement.
Simply pointing and saying ‘hey’ can be effective as communication on defence for a variety of situations. Switching, surrounding, alerting teammates to your poach – if a defender is pointing and saying ‘hey’ then it’s miles better than staying silent in these situations, and the tone of their voice, the situation, and the target of their pointing will usually tell their teammates everything they need to know.
Next up, the 3v1 Cone Defence Reaction game. This gets players recognising movement of their teammates and the opposition at the same time, recognising spaces / threats on the field as they develop, and moving to cover them. Players should immediately be using lots of pointing and ‘hey’ shouts in this disc-less exercise. Throughout this (and every subsequent) drill, remind players they should be communicating – there should be plenty of noise during this sessions:
In the next drill a disc is introduced, as two players work together to bracket and cover a couple of O players working in a shallow, lateral space. During / after the demo of this drill, it’s worth talking to players about how unique each situation is, and how there aren’t so many “hard and fast rules” to abide by when playing defence like this. Their best weapons are their awareness and communication, and their ability to adapt to each situation as it develops. Rules of thumb can help, and it’s great to chat and recognise what they could’ve done differently after a rep, but this is a learning process for everybody involved. Break into groups of 6-7 for the Lateral Switching Drill (can be run without a defender marking the disc):
The next drill – originally called the Conical Switching drill but then revolutionised byIzzy Collins by removing all cones and renaming to the Vertical Switching drill – is similar, but this time the space is vertical, so the defenders are executing under/deep switches. Having one thrower with a force on works fine for this exercise:
Triple Sandwich Surrounding drill – now the concept of surrounding is introduced. You can talk about how, at the moment of a switch, two defenders are essentially surrounding two offence players, and would be in a good position to ‘re-switch’ (stick with their original marks) if those players changed direction. When two or more players are in very close proximity to each other, surrounding them is more efficient for the defence, at the expense of match-ups. When setting up this drill, encourage players to position the three defenders around the tight three-person stack, and discuss the priority areas in a one-way force situation.
After I introduced surrounding to the university team I coach, they developed it further, and would bring the break side defender much closer to the stack than the open side defender. Ask players why they might have done this, and walk through a couple of examples where this adjustment pays off.
When walking through examples, demonstrate how defenders need to cover the space created by offensive movement. Also demonstrate a classic ‘rubber’ play, where the two front players split and the back player comes forward, and focus on how the furthest back player must stay active and aggressive with closing down the last player when they recognise the movement of the other two.
When running this drill, be sure to switch from a vert stack to a side stack half way through – this changes the dynamic significantly and serves as valuable practice.
Next up is a classic – Trent’s Surrounding Drill. Introduce ‘push’ and ‘pull’ shouts during the explanation / demonstration (to move teammates away from / towards the origin of the shout), and be sure to walk through a few demos where a defender needs to stick to an offensive player who has ‘broken through’ the D, and shepherd them back in to the stack (and how the other defenders should react to the space being created by the defender leaving, and then rejoining the surrounding setup). This drill works well with 6v6, where the O must keep 3 players within the stack at all times.
It can take a while for this drill to work well – often there will be one or two players who really ‘get it’, are really vocal and help motivate/coordinate their teammates – move these players between groups/teams so that all the other players get the experience of playing with them, as it will really bring their level up.
As mentioned in the video, classic things you’ll need to re-iterate are the ‘shepherding’ of free O players back into the stack rather than forgetting about them, and dissuading players from using their arms to block cuts (“beat them to the space with your legs”). The last group I ran this session with started calling it the “Sheepdog drill”.
Finally, the Triple Fist Bump conditioned game. The purpose of this condition is to give the defence clear opportunities to switch/surround mid-point, by recognising early that the offence are bunching up, and reacting accordingly. Full details of this game condition are available in the Patreon post.
At the end of the session you can talk about how utilising teamwork between defenders is an incredibly powerful tool which is very under-used in ultimate currently. You can note how sometimes a blown switch will cause a player to be wide open, and often this elicits the response from a coach to abandon the idea of switching/surrounding because the failure was so monumental. However, this response isn’t logical because 1-to-1 defence fails very frequently, and when it fails the coach doesn’t consider abandoning the idea – they mostly consider making small adjustments or wishing their players had run more track in the off-season.
Defence is never perfect, and 1-to-1 has clear limitations, but harnessing teamwork takes the ceiling off what it’s possible to achieve. If the success of your D depends more upon your awareness and communication skills, then it gives players something interesting and engaging which they can work on and develop together – strengthening their team dynamic, and opening the possibility for them to reach a higher level of defence than they could reach otherwise. It requires buy-in and training from everyone on the team to be robust, but it’s also a really fun challenge which can yield very satisfying results very quickly. Even when it’s chaotic it can generate a turnover. The more organised and disciplined a stack is, the better team defence will work against it.
The principles of this type of team defence can also called “Flex Defence”. Playing Flex is often something teams will do by default, and it essentially means the team agrees that switches should happen / be looked for when they an be advantageous, and that players should react to tight stacks / grouping of players by initiating surrounding.
Not able to access the Patreon videos? You can join our community! You’ll get access to the full training video archive, and through Discord you can chat to other modern-thinking players and coaches, or just eavesdrop on their conversations if that’s how you roll. After your 2nd payment we’ll send a Discraft Ultrastar to your house with a sweet Hexagon-themed Hive design, wherever you live in the world!
Enjoy,
Felix
- Mooncatchers Give-Go Warm Up Drill
Last month I was lucky enough to be invited to Mooncatchers training with Stef Pazzo, and coach of Mooncatchers Pierre-Alain was kind enough to let me film Moon’s flowy dish pass warm up drill. This drill marries simplicity – every person does the same thing every time – with a high density of touches on the disc. I think it would be a great drill to add the the repertoire of any team who likes to take these small dish passes.
- More Keepdisc Variations!
This month we gathered together some footage from a few sessions where we ran some of our favourite keepdisc variations. These rulesets all help with positioning and spacing of the players off the disc, as well as working on core throwing, catching, and decision making skills.
Full video available for Training Tier patrons, check it out here.
- Patterns of Play – Continuation after Open Unders
In this set of drills we’re looking at patterns of play likely to follow from an open under pass. First the most classic cyclical isolation, then finding a power position from a backwards pass to dump, and then finding power position from an open under.
Full training video available here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101433438
- Sliding Puzzle Drill / Space Session Plan
This exercise trains players ability to recognise space, to create space for each other, to communicate / cooperate with teammates, and to use space on the field. It’s a flexible drill so I talk about many additions, modifications, and keepdisc game conditions which can be used to run a full session on Space.
- Run’n’Gun Training Session
Following on from Tobe Decraene’s Run’n’Gun Loophole video, this training session covers a new Run’n’Gun drill by Felix, a variety of warm-up exercises and throwing exercises, and details on a modified game to provide more opportunities and motivation for players to try the run’n’gun move in-game. Full video available to Training Tier patrons.
- Keepdisc Zombies
This is a fun variation of Keepdisc which works for 6-14 players and involves players changing from offence to defence when they turn over. Full video.
- Double Dribble Gauntlet Drill
This drill is a short minigame where pairs of players compete. The goal of the attackers is to use the positional advantage they have by double dribbling the disc towards the endzone whilst maintaining flow. The goal of the defenders is to stop flow and prevent the attackers from scoring. Full video available to training tier patrons.
- Throw’n’go Mechanics Training w/TobuFitness
This training video dives deep into exercises that can help improve your ability to do the “Throw and Go”, an integral part of dribbling or a small-ball style offense. We partnered with Justin Shelby from TOBU Fitness, an Ultimate Frisbee-specific strength and conditioning coach, who breaks down the specific joint and muscle movements needed to perform the “Throw and Go” at an elite level.
- Throw’n’go Gate – Basic Tekkers Drill
This is a simple drill to work on fundamental throw’n’go technique, suitable for players of all experience levels.
This video is slightly different to usual as there are no edits – you see the full explanation, execution, and group review of the exercise. Full video available for training tier patrons. - Charmaine’s Drill (Flow version)
This drill puts the spotlight on one player at a time. First they catch & throw from a feeder, passing to every player cutting under, then they bounce discs back to every player as they give-go attack downfield.
The huck extension adds a long throw to the end of the drill, after the players are set up perfectly in power position by the spotlighted player, who is bouncing the disc back to them. Full video available for Training Tier patrons. - Teaching Hex at the Middle School Level
This intensive and fun 9-week training plan is a great introductory resource for youth teams and college teams too. It is aimed at teams with some players with a year or two of experience and some beginner players. This resource is available to Training Tier patrons.
- 3v1 Cone Defence Extensions
After last month’s 3v1 video blew the doors open on a new way of training defence, we’ve tried to expand on the exercise by changing some of the variables. We’re going to look at 3 extensions to the original exercise, with different numbers of players, cones, and discs added. Full video available for Training Tier patrons.
- Cone Defence Reaction Game
This is a quick, fun, and easy-to-set-up game gets players moving and reacting to each other, helping develop defensive teamwork and fundamental movement skills. Full video available for Training Tier patrons.
- Grid Game
Here’s a good game to expand your offence, encouraging your players to look for bigger throws to bigger spaces, and to use the space effectively by spreading out whilst staying active. Video available to Training Tier patrons.
- Multizone Keepdisc
This exercise is similar to Keepdisc, but with the addition of multiple scoring zones marked by different coloured cones, which the offence transitions between attacking. A great exercise to run at the end of a warm-up / keepdisc to aid with the transition into full blown Ultimate. Full video available to Training Tier patrons.
- Triangle Give-Go / Double Dribble Drill
This drill (and the double-dribble extension) practices give-go and double dribbling moves on offence, and is a new favourite of mine! The Triangle Give-Go involves a basic straight-line, three-touch give-go/dribble move before passing on to the next player. The Double Dribble extension involves two players dribbling together, and includes a change of direction whilst the disc is in-hand in order to continue the dribble. Full video available to Training Tier patrons.
- 10 Second Attack
This exercise encourages players to be aggressive with their moves, generating quick forward movement / penetration and scoring opportunities. Full video available for Training Tier patrons.
- Training the Next Pull Fielding Meta
Molly Brown and Valeria Cardenas recently set a new standard for fielding the pull which involves a quick give-go off the pull catch, getting the disc back moving aggressively forwards.
Felix breaks down the method into it’s component parts and shows how you can build up a similar good pull fielding routine through training. Available for Training Tier patrons only. - Rondo (2-post) Training Exercise
This possession exercise practices 1v1 and 2v2 situations with extra support from posts (or bouncers) on offence. It’s inspired by the “Rondo” football exercises which Johan Cryff brought to Barcelona – he said “Everything that goes on in a match, except shooting, you can do in a rondo”. Rondos are said to improve player decision making, coordination, team play, creativity, competitiveness, and physical conditioning. Full video here (Training Tier patrons).
- Catching – 4 part series
Everything you ever wanted to know about catching (plus loads of things you never asked for) are covered in this 4-part series from Felix. Available to Training Tier patrons only, this 2018 brain-dump covers the 6 basic types of catching, the variables which affect your catch, what the ‘ideal’ catching technique could be, how to train to improve the consistency and the versatility of your catching, and catching under pressure. Read more…
- Travis Norsen – Keepaway
Traditional scripted drills don’t involve much decision-making and hence don’t give players much of an opportunity to learn, through creative trial-and-error, game-realistic ways to pivot, throw, find space, create space, and attack space. Keepaway is the simple, obvious, and most effective way to work on these things in a fun and intense way. Full content available to Training Tier patrons.
- Travis Norsen’s Games with Modifications / Conditions
In this patron-only training article, Travis explains the two different types of game modifications or constrictions which can be applied during scrimmages, which he prefers, and provides a number of examples of modifications he has found to work well with a youth team training hex-style. Training Tier patrons can view the article here.
- Flags
Flags is a great game for 2-5 players of any level to work on throwing/catching and a few other skills, with initial similarities to ‘piggy in the middle’. Offence pass the disc around, aiming to pass over a line marked out by ‘flags’ (or cones, or water bottles), whilst a defender tries to intercept. This 15 minute Training Tier video explains the rules in full, features footage of the game being played semi-competitively, and has Felix explaining the game to a group of 20 players of mixed ability who then try it out.
Full video available to Training Tier patrons on Patreon. - Travis Norsen’s Diamond Throwing Exercise
Travis Norsen talks through this bread-and-butter, everyday-at-the-beginning-of-practice, exercise that allows players to practice throws in somewhat more game-realistic ways compared to traditional partnered throwing. Full post available for Training Tier patrons.
- Modified End Zone Drill
This modified version of the classic end zone drill incorporates two extra passes which encourage throw’n’go moves and hitting return passes / give-go moves, adding more flow to the offence when this drill is used as a pre-match warmup, and practicing moving the disc off the sideline with a lateral give-go move. Available for Training Tier Patrons. Watch video…
- Hive Training Program – Uni Sessions
This 19 week training program was constructed by Felix over the course of the last 20 years of training Sussex University. It has been refined for the 2021-22 season, with diagrams and drill videos added for clarity. The program is aimed at University / High School teams, and any teams which have a large influx of beginners. Follow the program week-by-week, or pick the sessions or drills/exercises you wish to add to yours! By following this exact program in the 2021-22 season, Sussex finished 4th in the Men’s division and 2nd in Women’s division 2. Watch video & access the spreadsheets (Training Tier patrons only)…
- Training Hex: Dynamic Hex Shape Exercise
This exercise is an engaging way to teach good spacing and hex shape. It challenges players to focus on maintaining shape under increasing amounts of defensive pressure, moving the disc quickly (stall 4 counted from anywhere), and prioritising taking the open pass over looking for yards. Full video (Training Tier Patrons only).
- Triangle Dominator Weave Exercise
This exercise (available to Training Tier patrons) replicates the triangle motion offense pattern that Jack Williams talks about in his analysis video of Ring’s dominator offense. Easy setup and execution of the exercise with a group including demonstrations, and head-cam footage breaking down the details from the first person perspective, so you can effortlessly integrate it into your session. Watch the full video here (3:05).
- Training Hex: Dribble Dominator Drill
This drill (available to Training Tier patrons) challenges players to level-up their dribbling game, and trains how to support an active dribbler. One player, being marked by multiple defenders, dribbles between several teammates, who bounce the disc back to them until a turnover or a stall out (4s). Watch the full video here.
- Training Hex: Disc Footwork Ladder Exercise
This exercise (available to Training Tier patrons) trains players footwork, coordination, and balance control. Mastery of this exercise ensures players fluency with the disc – being extremely comfortable with short passes in small spaces, maintaining good pivot discipline and balance control, and being able to quickly utilise space near the disc to begin building an attack. Watch video in full.
- Training Hex: Up-line Flow Drill
This drill (available to Training Tier patrons) involves 1 disc which moves continuously. Players catch and throw, accelerating out of their passes, simulating up-line or slashing cuts, and lateral dribble moves after passing into the backfield. A great replacement for the End Zone Drill which many teams run before matches – gets everybody involved, catching and throwing a number of times each rep. Watch video in full.
- Training Flex: Lateral Bracket Switching Drill
This drill video (available to $8 tier patrons) trains defenders’ ability to bracket effectively with a teammate in a 2v2 situation where the offence are crossing over or positioned near to each other. Field awareness and communication are trained as the two players coordinate to keep the offence covered whilst they & the disc moves. Suitable for end zone defence, front of stack defence, and more dynamic situations on the field where two offence players are in close proximity to each other.
- Training Hex: Turn’n’Go Double Dribble Drill
This drill video (available to $8 tier patrons) trains players’ ability to accelerate out of their throws into a double-dribble with a teammate. Specifically, bouncing the disc off a player who is moving forward from behind the disc, and attacking downfield with them. Features two examples of this move from the recent US Open 2021 Final between Sockeye and Machine. Full video available to Training Tier patrons.
- How to Train Flex: Triple Sandwich Drill
Training video for $8 Tier patrons – a drill which trains defenders’ ability to surround a tight stack of 3 offensive players, and the offence’s ability to sustain flow once the disc is moving.
SKILLS:
– surrounding basics
– defensive awareness & communication
– reaction to offensive movement - How to Train Flex: Conical Switching Drill
Training video for $8 Tier patrons – a drill which trains defenders’ ability to switch or stick as appropriate, specifically in a width-restricted throwing channel.
SKILLS:
– switching basics
– defensive awareness & communication – gesticulation, voice, eye contact
– reaction to offensive movement - How to Train Flex: Trent’s Drill
New training tier patron-only video; a simple drill which develops defender’s basic surrounding skills, awareness, communication, and reactions to offensive movements.
- How to Train Flex: Pop Pass Surrounding Drill
First in the How To Train Flex series available to $8+ Training Tier patrons – Felix breaks down the Pop Pass Surrounding Drill, with animations, video examples, and whiteboard sketches – going through the Basics, the Skills, the Constrictions, and the Modifications that can be made to excel at and expand upon this versatile drill.
Trains defensive field awareness, surrounding skills, reactions to offensive movements, and communication. Trains offensive space recognition & anti-bracket movements. Watch video.
- Chess Clock Drill
Time-limited drill aimed at training players to make aggressive moves on offence, using space and passes to build attacks whilst the defence tries to run down the clock. Includes Hex Movement Decision Tree. Watch video ($8).
- Pendulum Drill
Pendulum Drill – FREE DRILL VIDEO from the new Singapore Drills Collection – testing the accuracy and variety of short and long throws from flow. Watch video.
- Tennis Drill
2v2 / 3v1 Tennis-style game which practices many aspects of Flex Defence in a game-like situation – including awareness, switching, and surrounding. Full video available for Training Tier patrons.
- Drillsheet, Gamesheet, Coach Accessories
Felix introduces two sheets he uses to help coaching at trainings and in matches, and talks about his essential and his preferred Coach Accessories. These resources and a video explaining how to use them are available to Training Tier patrons.
- 1-2-3-Pass Drill
Two pairs of players work together. One pair runs a couple of give-go moves, then throws a connecting continuation pass to the other pair. This drill works on throw’n’go technique, two-step give-go / dribbling moves, and spacing/timing for a continuation pass after a give-go move halts. A good drill to run towards the start of training, developing good throw’n’go fundamentals, 1-to-1 connections, and repositioning to give teammates space/options. Full video available to Training Tier patrons.
- Keepdisc
Keepdisc is similar to ultimate, but with the endzones removed. This trains players to maintain possession in a sustainable way. This is the exercise that I run most frequently, as it works on running/catching/throwing fundamentals, whilst developing useful skills within beginners as well as experienced players. In this video I list a number of modifications which can be applied to expand on the basic concepts. Featured in the video are keepdisc reps from New York Empire tryouts. Full video available to Training Tier patrons.
- Brilliance Box Drill
The Brilliance Box Drill trains players’ ability to accelerate out of their throws, decelerate into their catches, and change direction with the disc in their hands. A progression of the drill also works on misdirection, and 2-person dribbling. Full video available to Training Tier patrons.
- Give-Go Swill Drill
The give-go-swill drill trains give-go and dribbling technique, along with misdirection, balance, and using flow and tempo to attack. Players should find that it is more effective to advance the disc through give-go moves – including moves away from the end target – than it is to directly break the force from static. Players also learn to communicate clearly (through gesticulation) with the static players about when/where they want the disc thrown back to them. Full video available to Training Tier patrons.
- Hex Puzzle Drill
Initiating flow from static, sustaining flow whilst in good shape, creating and using space as you see it appear, decision making, communication… The Hex Puzzle drill is unique as it trains all these elements which are important in Hex, and all at the same time. It is notoriously challenging to do well, despite the lack of defenders – all 5-7 players must stay engaged and alert in order to maintain the tempo & rhythm of the offence. Full video available for Training Tier patrons.
- Hex Huck Drill
Cutting and throwing deep from the type of movement / patterns seen in Hex – different to those seen in conventional stack offence. Good throwers can train their hucks, weaker throwers can train their shorter flow passes – the Hex Huck Drill provides multiple options with each rep, always including a deep, and challenges 5+ players to adjust their spacing, timing, and decision making on-the-fly in order to maintain flow. Full video available to Training Tier patrons.
- Hex Shape Race
The Shape Race is a way of bridging the gap between knowledge of shape, and the ability to get to the correct positions on the field. Players will be challenged to quickly identify what good hex shape should look like for a new disc position, and work as a team to get into good shape as quickly as possible. A competitive element can be added with 14+ players, and a progression can be added so the exercise ends with a point of ultimate starting. Full video available to Training Tier patrons.
- Hex Sprint Pattern
The Hex Sprint Pattern focuses on an individual’s speed, agility, and stamina, and it can be done individually or in groups of 2-5. With other players involved, the drill also trains synchronization between a thrower and catcher in a variety of short-quick-pass situations, an individual’s throw’n’go technique, and one long throw/sprint/catch per rep. Full video available for Training Tier patrons.