Japan v USA p07: Japan Pointing & Shouting but leaving Schlachet Unmarked



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… full transcript …

Japan don’t care about marking players who are behind the disc – you can see #17 look around to find alternate marking options when his player occupies the backfield. He does however make a mistake at the end of the clip by paying too much attention to the thrower and biting on a backfield threat.
#3 Yasuo Takahashi, top left, bumps into Beau early on in the clip, then points and shouts in order to pass him off to a deeper defender. When #19 Mickle comes near to him, he takes him as a mark, but doesn’t follow him into the backfield – instead takes the force.

#19 Masashi Koike as the central defender is the first to point and shout to pass off an offence player who is jogging deep. Note how often he looks at the disc, checks the space around him, points to any nearby offensive options, and closes down offensive players when they are potential threats (depending on the status of the disc).

#7 Yuta Inomata enters screen left after a few seconds, and is also clearly conditioned to point and shout at any nearby offensive players, as he does three times in these first few seconds of defense. He makes a mistake however – not marking #4 Schlacket, who receives the “zone-busting” pass at the end of the clip (though I would not call this defence a ‘zone’).

The reason Inomata did not mark Schlacket was two-fold – firstly, he was in a zonal mindset, (falsely) trusting that #19 Koike would pick up any player in the middle of the field.
Secondly, he was drawn towards drawn towards a deeper offensive player who must have posed a threat (we can’t say for certain as we can’t see the deep marking). #19 Koike, who starts as a central defender, was occupied with a live offensive threat on the sideline, however by slightly poaching he sent a false-positive signal to #7 Inomata that he could cover a central offensive threat, hence why this player was left unmarked.

If the deep marking was tighter then this would have sent Koike a positive signal that he could commit to marking Schlacket and not worry about the deeper threat. Of course the tighter deep marking would have increased the risk of a USA huck – which was likely against the general Japanese team-strategy for this game.

The interesting positive theme of this clip is the repeated pointing and shouting whenever a Japanese defender identifies a potential offensive threat – even if it isn’t always directed towards a specific teammate. This is clearly a cornerstone of the defence – communicate the location of offensive players through gesticulation and vocalisation.

What could be improved, is making sure every offensive player is covered, as this would help prevent the “zone-buster” to Schlacket. It’s worth noting the root cause of the offensive player being unmarked was a knock-on effect of poaching (by #19 and the deep defenders), meaning #7 Inomata felt he could pass off Schlacket rather than mark him.

Machine’s Comeback (Final Part + Summary) – USAU Nationals 2019 Final vs Sockeye



reddit post & comments about this video…
… full transcript …

Hey everyone, in this 4th and final part of this series we’re going to break down the last 3 points of the USA 2019 National Final, including a couple of contested hucks, an inward pivot leading to some nice flow from Sockeye, and pass-by-pass analysis of the all-important universe point to decide the US Men’s Champions. In the last two minutes of the video we’ll summarise how Machine’s comeback unfolded and was ultimately brought to an end by Sockeye. We rejoin the match at 11-11, Machine having just scored 5 points in a row.

Sockeye’s fielding of the pull looks nervous as Montague centers to Dixon. They waste no time in getting the disc away from their end zone, as Trent Dillon goes deep. Dixon puts the disc in the air but the Machine defenders are ready for it and Goff gets the block. The moderate deep separation that Dillon gets on Goff doesn’t matter in the end as Nelson and Graffy are poaching 10 and 20 yards off their marks respectively, leaving Dillon with too much to do. If the huck had been faked, then an overhead to Rehder here in all that space could’ve got opened up an opportunity for Sockeye to flow towards the end zone. After 5 points in a row by Machine, it’s possible Sockeye were snatching too keenly at the opportunity for a quick score, abandoning their usual flow in favour of backing their receivers in the long game and throwing to percentages. Machine’s defence is too solid for that, with downfield defenders very aware and ready to drop onto deep threats, especially early on in the possession. Also note how the defenders around the disc pinch the throwing lane – Bansfield early on, followed by the flash of a foot from Gibson. The foot forces Dixon to use quite a high release for the huck, adding float which allows the defenders time to make up the ground on Dillon. If Goff had managed to catch this block then Machine would’ve had a 3v1 with the nearest other defender last seen 30 yards away.

Machine’s setup from this static disc looks like an iso on Goff, but the movement looks more like clearing or flooding to one side for Bansfield to come under. Kosednar puts Gibson off the early pass to Bansfield and then Graffy goes down with an injury. There was contact with Dillon which was just at an unfortunate angle, and the game stops for 120 seconds as Graffy is helped off.
Machine’s offence is far from smooth as Gibson, Bansfield, and Nelson keep the disc alive on high stall counts. Kanner touches the disc for the first time in the possession and rips it deep. Joe White arrives as backup but is unable to secure the catch. Bansfield started to go deep from the far side early, but the disc takes too long to move – resting in Machine’s hands for an average of [ 31:30-39:15 = 7.8s | 40:00-46:00 = 6s | 46:36-49:36 = 3s | 50:30-53:23 = 2.9s | 7.8+6+3+2.9 /4 = 4.9 ] 4.9 seconds per player for this possession, so Bansfield has to delay his deep cut until Kanner gets the disc and looks up. Whilst he’s eyeing up space for a run-up jump, White, Dillon, and Matt Russel arrive, meaning he can’t bid early without it being a dangerous play and he pulls out. White gets up high between two defenders, and the disc actually bounces out of his hand, in what could’ve been the defining catch of the game for this young player very new on the Club scene. Charlie Eisenhood said before the game that the result could rest on the performance of White, and although he’s had a good game, a catch here would’ve made a big difference late in the game for Machine. White had actually started to cut deep, but saw Bansfield cut deep from arguably too deep a position, which makes him hesitate. Dillon keeps his eye on the thrower for the release, gets a great early read, and burns past White to get early position. In the end Dillon can’t bid as early as he wants either because he’d flatten Dixon. White gets the best take-off but it’s just too hectic to secure the catch this time and Sockeye get possession.

Bansfield pinches the throwing lane as Sockeye work the disc around the back. Gibson gives Freechild a bit of a push to let him know he’s there. Freechild comes under and has to go to ground for a left handed catch, Rehder sets off deep and Goff and Kanner expertly switch to neutralise the threat – Dixon spots this early and fakes the huck. Dillon is in space as White was sucked in by the huck fake. After the disc rests in Dillon’s hands for 4.3 seconds, Sockeye flow smoothly to the endzone, each player holding onto the disc for an average of just [ 3.48-8.04:(4.16=4.3s) – 9:05-12:09:(3.04=3.1s) – 13:12-15:07:(1.55=1.9s) – 16:18-16:55:(0.37=0.6s) – AVG = 3.1+1.9+0.6 /3 = 1.9s ] 1.9 seconds.

But how come they had stall zero options? Bansfield has extended his leash on Dixon, trusting that he can switch with a teammate and efficiently stay in the space near the disc. After the switch Nelson looks to help deep briefly, but because Matt Russell pivots inwards as he catches the disc, he is able to release the crossfield disc within 1.9 seconds, and hit Dixon directly. White is now out of position due to the quick disc movement changing the angle of attack so quickly, and his bid on the scoring pass is as good as it can be without causing contact – Dillon holding his ground and not opening a window for the D by shying away. This is the third time in this point a player has adjusted their bid to avoid dangerous contact with an opponent, it’s great to see players at this level using their athleticism not only to make bids, but also to avoid risking the safety of their opponents – White here having to make a late adjustment on his last step to avoid contact.

At match point Sockeye, their first pull in 6 points goes sailing out of bounds. At the moment of the check, they’re marking 1-to-1 against a tight vert stack, and poaching off Yiding Hou in the reset position, who is interestingly setting up downfield of the disc which enables Machine to immediately make use of the space. Keegan North pulls two defenders deep, allowing Arters to get free under. North makes a nice layout to keep the disc alive, and the Sockeye defence is revealed to be force-middle. Friedman bites on the inside fake and White pivots aggressively inwards after catching, but the Sockeye defence is doing well to stifle the stall zero options and force the disc to continue moving across the back.

Hou throws and immediately accelerates crossfield. North turns inwards on his catch and accelerates out of his throw, using excellent technique and balance control. On defence Snell recognises the crossfield threat and switches to stifle North’s move. Machine’s attack immediately changes direction, as North turns the crossfield move into a fake and attacks upline. Kulczak and Snell switch to also neutralise this move, which leaves a pocket of space in front of Arters. If Hou had continued his move after reversing the flow, then it would have been dangerous for Sockeye with or without the second switch. Instead he sets up in the conventional static dump position, allowing Friedman a rare opportunity to reposition.

Janas touches the disc for the first time since bricking the pull, fakes the flick continuation before throwing the around break backhand to a well timed cut from Hou. The fake keeps Friedman occupied for just long enough, moves the mark over to the open side, and gives Hou something to synchronise his cut with. Machine’s vertical stack counters the force-middle from Sockeye nicely as it opens up around break channels towards the sidelines.
7 points ago Sockeye were up 11-6, after a 6-1 comeback run by Machine it’s now 12-12 – Universe Point in the Men’s Final of 2019 USAU Club Nationals, with Seattle Sockeye receiving the pull.
Sockeye set up a stack whilst Kanner poaches off the dump to disrupt the throwing lane. Montague breaks to Janin and Kanner continues to roam into the downfield throwing lane, so the disc swings back over to Murray, who continues to Russell for yards on the far sideline. There’s some unfortunate hand to face contact between Gibson and Montague, and the play stops for 35 seconds, giving the players a chance to re-assess the field.
Rehder uses his separation to cut into the backfield and Bansfield forces an unfavorable backwards inside-break throw. This extreme force allows Russell to take off deep, but this move is negated by a pick.
20 seconds of stoppage later, with a rising stall count it begins to look like Freechild is in trouble, but Rehder is surprisingly free up the line. Freechild follows his throw to receive a return pass in the narrow channel, Goff switches to help and Freechild dishes to Janin for the winning score. Check out Janin’s footwork as he throws off Weaver to get free at the front corner.
How was Rehder so free up the line for Freechild at a high stall count? Late in the stall, Goff flash poaches into the backfield space, gambling on the disc being released but allowing Rehder to get free downfield. Rehder and Weis crossing paths is an indication that a switch could’ve worked here, but Gibson has already committed under and it’s outside his field of vision. Kanner also thinks about the switch and flash poaches in sync with Freechild’s pivot – but doesn’t follow through. The switch was an option due to Rehder crossing paths with Murray – if this trigger had been recognised and acted upon early by Kanner then Goff could’ve easily picked up Murray, and neutralised all of Sockeye’s options late in the stall.
When Freechild receives the return pass, instead of automatically pivoting and faking down the sideline, he adopts a neutral stance looking infield. This means the defence has to mark honest whilst he keeps his cards close to his chest. Freechild’s use of these critical first few moments after catching the disc, combined with Janin’s excellent footwork, create a window which is only just big enough and only just kept open long enough for the scoring pass.

9 points ago, with Sockeye leading 10-6, they started to falter with overthrows. Machine’s clogging, flash poaching, and highly aware defence was always ready to pounce, taking away Sockeye’s confidence, causing them to hesitate, and punishing them for predictable moves.
When Machine scored it was usually from 1 or 2 passes after a turnover, or Gibson and Bansfield patiently looking for opportunities from the back. White, Kanner, and Hou also made big contributions to Machine’s late run on offence, but they did give Sockeye the disc back a couple of times.
With the game tied at 11s, Sockeye faked the long throws which hadn’t been working out for them, worked the disc under, and took advantage of Machine’s clogging and flash poaching with patience on high stalls and quick disc movement on low stalls. The last point saw Freechild following his throw to get into a powerful position outside the end zone, where some great footwork by both the thrower and catcher secured Sockeye’s first USAU Nationals victory in 12 years.
I hope you enjoyed this series, stay tuned for more and I’ll see you again soon!

[Re-stream] Stevens IoT playing Hex – Analysis

Originally a private team session with Stevens Institute of Technology in April 2019. Stevens had been playing Hex for a while by this point – you may recognise them from the “14 passes in flow” video from the “How to play Hex” series: https://youtu.be/OpuW2diMKAg

Original 2019 chat is shown at the top right of the screen, re-stream 2020 chat is shown on the bottom of the screen.

Part 2: https://www.patreon.com/posts/40093188 ($8 patrons only – includes Q+A with coach Jason “CJ” Thompson)

Fury v Riot w/Miranda Roth Knowles – 2011 USAU National Women’s Final

Miranda Roth Knowles (Callahan winner in 2004 and Atlanta Hustle AUDL Coach) joins Felix Shardlow to analyse the Women’s Final of the USAU Nationals 2011 between Fury and Riot.

Part 1: https://youtu.be/03CZYBmZ9NE
Part 2: https://www.patreon.com/posts/40220621

Support the stream: https://patreon.com/felixultimate
Tip: https://www.streamlabs.com/felixultimate/tip
Patrons get access to the full livestream archive and become part of the community.

[Re-stream] Brighton v Clapham 2018 – Analysis

Felix analyses Brighton City v Clapham at 2018 UKU Tour 1 in a session first broadcast privately with the Brighton team in 2018. Original 2018 chat from Brighton is shown on-screen, Felix and others are in the live YouTube chat watching this re-broadcast.

Part 2: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39598507 ($1/patrons)

Great Britain v Germany w/Justin Foord (3 parts) – 2015 EUC Men’s Final

Justin Foord joins Felix to analyse the Men’s Final of the European Ultimate Championships 2015 between GB and Germany.

Part 1: https://youtu.be/v0ezo9j-3SA
Part 2: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39673259
Part 3: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39890774

Clip: How to Take Advantage of a Sustained Poach- Analysis

How to Take Advantage of a Sustained Poach- Analysis from r/ultimate

Bravo v Revolver w/ Bryan Jones (pts1-4) – 2014 WUCC Semi Final

Bryan Jones joins Felix analysing the 2014 WUCC Semi Final between Johnny Bravo (Boulder) and Revolver (San Francisco).

Part 1: https://youtu.be/QWI3GeeguMQ
Part 2: https://www.patreon.com/posts/film-session-fri-37667545
Part 3: https://youtu.be/ZdQgJ6C1u68
Part 4: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39280037

Group Hex – Non-stop Hex footage analysed by coaches

A group of coaches look at non-stop footage of Hexagon Offence being played by different teams around the world, discuss the pros/cons, field questions from the YouTube chat, and provide critical analysis!

Machine’s Comeback (Part 3) – USAU Nationals 2019 Final: Sockeye v Machine


reddit post & comments about this video…

In this video – 3rd part in a series looking at how Machine almost stole the 2019 Final away from Sockeye – I take an in-depth look at the turnovers and critical moments in the last few points of the game, including noting how Machine’s D uses teamwork to get the disc to the sideline and apply immense pressure, and Alanguilan’s incredible layout block.

Part 1: https://youtu.be/Q_CnWLW2L9A
Part 2: https://youtu.be/kE57V7dNOiY
… full transcript …

Transcript: Hey everyone, in this video we’re going to look at a contentious foul call, *that* D from Alanguilan, a nice poach block from Nelson, and Gibson & Bansfield continuing to dominate on offence to bring the scores level at 11-11 in the USAU Nationals Final 2019.

The pressure is on for Sockeye fielding the pull – the last 3 attempts have either been misfielded or turned over on the first pass. Montague milks the first pass for as many yards as possible and steals an extra step, risking a travel call and immediate halt to flow. Machine again overload the centre of the field, forcing the disc to initially go out wide. Bansfield moves the force to cover the up-line, and Dixon breaks to Rehder in the middle of the field. Freechild attacks the centre but Weaver poaches to cover the break side and Bansfield flash poaches off a handler to pinch the throwing lane from all sides. Murray goes deep and Kanner switches to mark Freechild under. This would be a great switch, but Alanguilan isn’t on the same page, so Murray ends up free deep. You can see from his shadow that he doesn’t pull out of his deep cut, and with 7 Machine defenders on-screen there is definitely no deep help. The timing seems good as Dillon winds up for the huck, but then he fakes it, and you can see Freechild doesn’t know why. If this connection was the other way round, with Murray throwing to top-scorer Dillon, there’s a good chance the disc would have gone to the end zone for the score. It’s possible Machine have engineered the less likely deep look, and after the fake Sockeye must begin to build their offence again from a reset.

Bansfield poaches into the central space which is Sockeye’s primary look, forcing the 8th pass of the offence to again be laterally towards the near sideline. Freechild gets the disc in his hands for only the 2nd time since 9-6, and I’ve noticed a tendency for key players who have not touched the disc in a while to rip it deep when they do get it, which is followed here. Before we look at the foul call, take note of Machine’s smothering defence. There’s a deep poach, Gibson poaches to take out the open under throwing lane and the up-line space, and Bansfield and Alanguilan force Sockeye’s resets to go deep or up line. The poaching is so smooth and coordinated that it gives the appearance of Machine transitioning to a cup zone.

The deep throw is a high stall hail mary thrown to no separation, and Rehder emphatically makes a foul call, illustrating that Weaver pushed him out of position whilst Weaver shakes his head. From the first replay you can see there is significant contact between the two, from the second you can see it is initiated by Weaver and drastically affects Rehder’s line. If you compare their positioning to where the disc is caught, you can see Rehder would’ve easily had a bid on the disc. Unfortunately the call goes to observer, fortunately they rule in favour of Sockeye and they keep the disc.

Unfortunately the call has to go to the observer, who rules in Rehder’s favour with the two still disagreeing emphatically.

WOW! Where did Alanguilan come from? Although there’s clearly a 3v2 situation going on in the end zone, meaning the players should ‘take the runners’ instead of marking the disc, Weaver continues to foul Rehder and puts on a tight mark, leading to double coverage at the front corner. Alanguilan is still far away at this point, but Rehder hesitates on the throw, possibly due to a push from Weaver. At the moment of release Alanguilan is going at full speed, takes 3 more powerful steps, and launches himself through the disc. He also catches this interception, which is a great habit to get into not only to secure the blocks and start quick breaks, but it also makes it look around five times cooler than just knocking it out of the air.

Machine keep the disc alive for a while and there’s a weak travel call on Gibson. Freechild calls an early switch to neutralise Bansfield’s under cut, Dillon is a bit slow to react but nothing comes of it, and Freechild continues to switch onto the unders. Weaver hits an under pass to Goff with an around break flick, but he fails to attack the disc or do the footwork necessary to keep it in-bounds.

Bansfield is at it again – clogging the key space whilst the disc is moving, smoothly switching marks as Kanner picks up the deep cutter, and denying the easy backwards reset off the sideline. But where did Nelson come from with the poach? At the same moment that Bansfield’s mark chooses they must go upline, Nelson’s mark also moves to attack this space – some great awareness and early movement from Nelson gets him in the right place at the right time to put pressure on the catch, and note how Bansfield was already moving to cover the mark Nelson left. Again, it’s the Machine defence working together which results in the turnover – covering the behind and upline spaces with switches and poaches when the disc is on the sideline.

After the turn, Nelson and/or Bansfield should probably go deep whilst Gibson picks up the disc, but they’re both keen to get it moving so Gibson streaks deep instead – Russell and Murray switch nice and early to neutralise the threat, and after a couple of passes Bansfield calls a time-out.

After the time out Machine set up a vertical stack and run a very conservative and calculated offence, with Bansfield and Gibson adopting field-surveying, quarterback roles, and Sockeye switching to cover the big under and deep threats.

—-

This score, again created predominantly by Gibson and Bansfield connecting, is the 5th point in a row for Machine and brings them level with Sockeye at the climax of the 2019 club season – 11-11 in a game to 13.