Protecting the upline cut by Mish Phillips
Setup:
A thrower, A, stands on the sideline marked by D1 who applies a trap mark. A reset, B, starts 5-10m away from the disc, perpendicular to the sideline, guarded by D2.
Step 1
- D2 positions themselves to protect the upline cut.
- When ready, D1 checks the disc in, and B makes one cut straight up the line.
- A must only throw the disc if B is genuinely open.
Pre-Requisite Drills:
Tips:
Mish Phillips says:
This is a defensive drill, therefore the offence must hold to some rules so that we can get success out of the drill.
The first defensive principle applies: “If your player is moving, you must be moving”, so as soon as B begins to move, so D2 must move to maintain their relative positioning. You have lost this defensive matchup at the moment the offender draws level with you, because they have momentum and you do not.
The second defensive principle applies: “Know your priorities”. If as a team you have decided that the up the line handler cut is the most dangerous cut, then as an individual you must commit absolutely to shutting it down
Once your defenders have got this down, make life more difficult. B may now attack up the line however they want.
When drilling this, I like to create a punishment that is large enough that everyone forgets everything else other than their objective of not being beaten up the line. If the offence doesn't get the disc up the line, that's fine. But if they do, the entire defensive team owe 20 push ups! This gets the whole team engaged in the drill
Why not make it a competition? Pit your best defenders against your top handlers and see who is the champion!