Everyone loves seeing a contested D. Up high, down low, laying out, laying out to D a laying out O player. It demoralises the opposition and pumps your own team. Everyone loves it.
The very best defence however, tends to go unnoticed. The best defence, is marking your player so tight, they don't get the disc. Staying with them short, covering them long, not letting them get to the open side. If they get a step in front of you, you get it back. The best defence is taking your player out of the game.
It's easy to poach, it's easy to let up when you're tired. But if you want to be the best player you can, stick to your player, and shut them down. Whether your teammates notice or not, that is the very best defence there is.
I feel like this was the key to our defense against UQ in BPL the other night. I also feel the same mentality applies when playing long on offense (against a zone defense). Sometimes you won't touch the disc much, but just making deep cuts and dragging the deepest defenders with you will free up the mid field to do their thing.
ReplyDeletewing players also need to come up the ground and get involved
ReplyDeleteyou don't really play "long" or "deep", you go long and deep but you come up and under as well. IMO
You're right, but it's strategic. coming up the ground at the wrong time will bring in the deepest player and congest the middle.
ReplyDeleteas deepest player, you had the chance to see how dojo used the wings/deeps, drawing your attention, bringing you across the ground while the other drifted long. You handled it well, actually. Our zone was great!
ReplyDelete