In defense of not pivoting

If you watch me play, you can tell pretty quickly that I don't pivot as much as other players. In fact, I think everyone pivots way too much. I know it opens up looks, gets your mark moving, and can help your players know what you're thinking, but I have suggestions for those three things, as well as the main reason I don't pivot.

Opening up looks - If you have a quick enough release, you need to fake a maximum of once before you throw. It sounds ridiculous, but marks just don't adjust to what throwers have often enough (that's another post in itself). If you have multiple release points (can let the disc go from different angles and spots while still putting lots of spin on it), you can find the holes in the mark (and they'll always exist) and exploit them. Don't believe me? Try to stop a thrower from throwing between your marking arm and your body - you can't, unless you touch your arm to your body, which isn't a very effective mark in the first place.

Getting your mark moving - This is where shimmies are much more effective than pivoting itself. It may not work well in a marking drill, but in the game, small wrist fakes, shoulder/hip shimmies, and eye movement will move a good mark plenty. Though once again, you don't need the mark to move that much; when the mark is stationary, you can exploit the already open holes.

Help your teammates know what you're thinking - Use your voice. Tell your cutters to clear or run deep or go to the breakside or to move. It's easier both to interpret/react to as a cutter and to say what you're thinking as the thrower.

Most importantly - When you are pivoting, you lose opportunities. You may have to look off something completely open because you're on the wrong side of the pivot. Great throwers can't hit wide open looks because the disc is in a backhand grip but the cutter is on the flick side. In good ultimate, you only have a second or two to hit an open look before it's covered again.

I'm not saying never pivot. I pivot occasionally,either my mark isn't reacting how I want or if I want to throw something and it gets covered, so I have to go back to standstill. That said, everyone should probably pivot less until there is a dramatic change in marking (again, to be posted later).