In Ultimate Frisbee,how do I defend a handler who is on the sideline of the breakforce side?

Question

Should you always force it to the sideline?

Answer 1

Definitely not. Different teams will have different policies about this, but the vast majority will agree that when the player with the disc is on the break sideline, you still should absolutely not give them the break throw. By forcing the sideline, you are giving them these easier throws, your all of your downfield teammates will need to adjust their defensive positioning to take them away.

Instead, what you should do is use the sideline to your advantage. Since you know there won't be break cuts coming from off the edge of the field, you don't need to mark against those throws. Shade your mark over to the force side, so you're slightly more straight up. You should still be giving yourself enough time to get over should the thrower go for an around break, but if you shade over to the force side a bit you'll be able to better cut off any inside breaks.

Answer 2

I'm not an expert, but I would think the direction of the force should be dependent on the situation. If there are a lot of the handler's team down the sideline and there seems to be a good chance the handler could advance the disk pretty far by throwing it to one of them, then I would force a swing across the field. If, however, there are lots of good swing options, I would force the sideline. Also depends on if the handler has a weak forehand or backhand; if so you always force the weak throw.

Answer 3

I agree with Jeremy; you run the risk of hanging your teammates out to dry.

Sometimes (but generally only on the first throw in after a turnover) you will here folks shout "trap one" which tells your team that you are switching forces *for one throw only* to do just what the original responder said. Whether you do this or not depends on the situation but you should *always* (unless it's an unspoken policy for your team) let folks know what you are doing.