Collections Poaching

Check out the Poaching articles below to find out how the top teams in the world do it!
Team Analysis Collections
All (36)
1-6 Vertical Stack (7)
Cyclone (1)
Defence (33)
Dominator (1)
Endzone Defence (8)
Endzone Offence (72)
Fast Break (19)
Fielding the Pull (25)
Flow Offence (134)
Handler Resets (150)
Horizontal Stack (69)
Lateral Cuts (42)
Peppermill (25)
Poaching (36)
Power Position (25)
Set Plays (28)
Short Hucks (19)
Side Stack (11)
Split Stack (6)
Switching (12)
Vertical Stack (41)
Zone Defence (16)
Zone Offence (11)

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Boston Brute Squad 2025 (2)

Fury poach heavily on the open side, forcing the handlers to reset the disc often. Brute Squad show a lot of patience and ability to create gaps with player movement and their break side throws.

Poaching

Vertical Stack

Boston Brute Squad, USA Nationals 2021 (2)

After pulling the disc deep into the endzone, Brute Squad poachess off a cutter to generate a turn. They then use changes of direction and pivoting to score on the break side.

Endzone Offence

Poaching

Boston Brute Squad, USA Nationals 2021 (6)

Brute Squad's active marks slow down the offence, and some defenders poach into the deep space to block a deep throw.

Defence

Poaching

Boston Brute Squad, USA Nationals 2023 (2)

Boston Brute Squad starts out with a zone defense to force handler resets before using tight person defense and well-positioned marks to make throws difficult to catch and gain yards. Later, an active mark is able to block the disc and cause a turnover.

Defence

Poaching

Zone Defence

Boston Brute Squad, USA Nationals 2023 (5)

Boston Brute Squad's strategic marking limits throwing options and forces difficult throws. A poach off of handlers prevents downfield throws, and when the disc hangs in the deep space, a downfield defender poaches off of her cutter to help defend the deep space and prevent the offence from scoring.

Defence

Poaching

Chicago Machine Endzone Offence (5), USAU National Championships 2019

Chicago Machine's swirling offence utilises multiple cutters, making it difficult for PoNY's defenders to keep track of all the options. This allows veteran Machine handler, Pawel Janas, to sneak open for the goal.

Endzone Defence

Endzone Offence

Handler Resets

Poaching

Clapham xEUCF 2021 (2)

Clapham's handlers punish CUSB's poaches again, working to ensure that there is always a short range throw available, and using almost entirely handler resets to score

Handler Resets

Poaching

Vertical Stack

Colombia Revolution Poaching

Here we show a poach set used to deny big lane cuts, and highlight some weaknesses that Austin Torch exploit

Poaching

Denver Molly Brown, US Open 2018 (6)

Denver Molly Brown's handlers swing the disc to take advantage of the poaching defence. Molly Brown's cutters time their cuts to set up multiple deep options for a score.

Flow Offence

Handler Resets

Horizontal Stack

Poaching

Denver Molly Brown, US Open 2018 (7)

Denver Molly Brown's poaching defence results in a run through interception, and Molly Brown uses a fast break to score.

Defence

Endzone Offence

Fast Break

Poaching

Denver Molly Brown, USA Nationals 2021 (2)

Denver Molly Brown's handler defenders work together to put pressure on the offence and generate a turn. Molly Brown then uses handler resets to move the disc to the break side and score.

Defence

Handler Resets

Poaching

Denver Molly Brown, USA Nationals 2022 (1)

Molly Brown's team defence uses poaching to prevent downfield throws and easy handler resets. Molly Brown generates a turn after a risky throw into the endzone is blocked.

Endzone Defence

Handler Resets

Poaching

Ellipsis, WUCC 2022 (2)

An Ellipsis defender anticipates a downfield throw and successfully poaches to get the disc. After using a series of short passes and handler resets to move the disc closer to the endzone, and Ellipsis cutter shakes off her defender and gets open with an away cut.

Flow Offence

Handler Resets

Poaching

GB Men, Windmill 2019 (2)

GB react to a poach by moving the disc away from the poaching defender towards the open player, then throwing deep continuation against the out-of-position marker.

Poaching

Japan, WU24 2023 (4)

Off of the pull, Japan contains the disc using a one-way mark and a handler defender sagging into the open lane. When Australia attempts a break throw to the inside lane, a Japan uses reactive poaching to block the disc.

Defence

Poaching

Johnny Bravo, USA Nationals 2022 (1)

This is a great example of how quick and simple it is to score using a horizontal stack, even when the defence is poaching

Fielding the Pull

Horizontal Stack

Peppermill

Poaching

Short Hucks

Johnny Bravo, USA Nationals 2022 (3)

Truck Stop use a poach set to surround Johnny Bravo's side stack. Bravo respond by cutting, causing Truck's defenders to switch, and in the ensuing defensive chaos Bravo are able to identify a wide open player for a quick deep strike

Fielding the Pull

Poaching

Medellin Revolution, WUCC 2022 (3)

This is a great example of how fundamental handler movements build into an offence, with swings, dumps, give & go moves, dishes, continuation throws and more.

Handler Resets

Lateral Cuts

Poaching

Switching

Melbourne Flames, AUL 2019 (1)

After a turnover, the defence flood their own endzone, playing almost a zone-like poaching scheme designed to slow down the offence. Flames show patience to move the disc around before they find an isolated cutter.

Fast Break

Poaching

New York Gridlock v Indianapolis Red (1)

After swinging the disc to beat a poach, Nightlock hit a cutter on the break side who throws across the stack for the score

Poaching

Philadelphia AMP, USA Nationals 2019 (1)

Philadelphia AMP's team defence gets them the disc after blocking an up-the-line cut, and then AMP scores in two throws.

Defence

Handler Resets

Poaching

PoNY Endzone Defence, USA Nationals 2019 (1)

PoNY combine elements of zone defence along with switching & poaching to make life difficult for Rhino Slam!

Defence

Endzone Defence

Poaching

Switching

Zone Defence

PoNY Endzone Defence, USA Nationals 2019 (3)

After a short huck from Rhino Slam!, PoNY flood the endzone to apply their endzone defence

Endzone Defence

Poaching

Zone Defence

Raleigh Phoenix, Pro Championships 2021 (2)

Raleigh Phoenix poaches off a clearing player to get the disc in front of their endzone. They then score via a dump behind from the middle of the field to the break side.

Defence

Endzone Offence

Handler Resets

Lateral Cuts

Poaching

Revolution Defence, WUCC 2018

Revolution are strategically poaching to make MUD throw long, and put all of their efforts into shutting down handler movement

Defence

Poaching

Ring of Fire, USA Nationals 2014 (1)

Keeping the disc moving is one of the best ways to beat a poach. Ring swing the disc to the far sideline, hit two poached cutters, swing the disc back then throw deep into undefended space to defeat an uncoordinated Chain Lightning defence

Flow Offence

Poaching

Riot, WUCC 2014 (1)

As Riot fielded the pull, they found themselves facing a lane sag defence to combat their horizontal stack. By swinging the disc, they were able to set up a deep strike which they quickly converted with a dish.

Horizontal Stack

Poaching

Short Hucks

Riot, WUCC 2014 (3)

Riot quickly beat a poach set by swinging the disc, attacking laterally then hitting a crossfield deep throw

Horizontal Stack

Poaching

Seattle BFG, USA Nationals 2021 (2)

Sound defensive fundamentals caused difficulties for AMP's resets, piling on the pressure which led to some handling errors, and in this case, a high stall timeout due to the complete shutdown of all options

Defence

Poaching

Sockeye Switching Zone, USAU Nationals 2018

Sockeye are playing a help scheme defence aimed at clogging throwing lanes and preventing short handler movement

Defence

Poaching

Switching

Zone Defence

Sweet Cat, Richmond Cup 2021 (3)

Sweet Cat's offence throws to poached players early, and their use of break-side momentum through swinging the disc allows them to move the disc downfield and score.

Flow Offence

Lateral Cuts

Poaching

Vertical Stack

Toro, Richmond Cup 2021 (3)

Toro uses tight handler defence and poaching to limit handler movement and get the disc. They then use a series of give-and-go moves to get to the front of the endzone before scoring with a lateral cut.

Defence

Fast Break

Poaching

Toronto 6ixers, USA Nationals 2019 (4)

The Toronto 6ixers successfully defend their endzone by forcing backfield resets with their marks, switching to defend handlers, and poaching to guard lanes.

Defence

Endzone Defence

Poaching

Switching

US Open Final 2021 (1)

Having dropped a pull, Chicago Machine have a few seconds to quickly set up their end zone defence in the US Open Final 2021 against Seattle Sockeye. What follows is a great example of a sophisticated switching & poaching defence, and how an offence might try to break it down.

Endzone Defence

Poaching

Switching

Vancouver Traffic, USA Nationals 2021 (1)

Vancouver Traffic plays tight handler defence on a sideline reset to generate a turn. They then score using a short huck, lateral disc movement, and throws to poached players.

Defence

Endzone Offence

Handler Resets

Horizontal Stack

Poaching

Short Hucks

Yaka, xEUCF 2021 (3)

Yaka work their way out of coffin corner, taking advantage of some poaching defenders to generate a full field huck, then a simple handler reset to set up a goal

Endzone Offence

Horizontal Stack

Poaching