I wonder how many multi-part posts I can start before I finish any of them?
I like playing games, and I like making games. It is one of the things that I really enjoy about coaching. Finding the right tweak or an existing drill (or whole-cloth new drill) to teach the specific thing you are trying to get at is a ton of fun.
One game that we created is called 4v6. I'd make a diagram of it, but the diagram is incredibly boring. 4v6 is played in a box of four cones approximately 10yds by 12 yds. The team of six is on "offense" and is simply trying to keep the disc alive (no turnovers). The team of four is on "defense" and is trying to generate as many turns as possible. The game is played for a short amount of time (5 minutes) where the offensive team is always on offense. In the event of a turn, the disc goes back to the offensive team. The defense scores one point for each turnover. After the 5 minutes is over the two teams switch and the second defensive team tries to beat the first defensive team's score.
The stall is 5, but you don't have to be marking to stall the person with the disc. All offensive players must have one point of contact with the ground at all times. This basically means no running or jumping. The defensive team does not have this restriction. This really helps because the defensive team can "guard" four of the five non-throwing offensive players and can run to get the fifth.
A few other rules/tweaks we have tried:
-Have two teams of four and keep two people as permanent offense.
-No patty-cake rules where you can't throw back to the person who threw to you unless the count is over three (basically no back and forth with another player)
-Changing the size of the box. This really matters depending on disc-skill and athleticism. With Chain I had to use a larger box because the defenders were so fast.
-Changing the number of players. Really the game should be called "N+2" because the offense should always have two extra players. That means the defense can't shut down everyone and has to work together to cover the extra open offender.
If anyone still reads this blog and has questions, comments or suggestions about this game please don't hesitate to leave them below. 4v6 is far from perfect, but it does work on some good ultimate skills in a focused fashion.
2 comments:
I love using games like this to reinforce a skill or style of play over more rote drills or general scrimmages. What skills do you feel this game focuses on?
I like to think this games work on zone offense and defense simultaneously. Offensively it is about spacing well, moving the disc quickly and having a variety of overhead throws. Defensively it is about seeing the gaps, finding the next target, and making sure you and a teammate aren't double-covering an area. The balance of having one less defender than offender makes the defensive synergy really important.
The biggest weakness I've found it players basically handing the disc off to each other. We have tried many rules adjustments to stop this, but so far the best tactic is to just get a defender in there. This typically results in the game being more small-ball than longer shots, but the direction zone offense are going now that is a pretty good skill to work on.
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