Playmakers make plays

Someone whose opinion I hold in high stead once told me that you can only teach so much about ultimate. After a certain point, the student has to figure the rest out; otherwise, the student will be just that: a student, and not an ultimate player. Students of the game can do really well, but they can also flounder, because there's not an exact comparison to every aspect of the game that they can utilize. Playmakers are the ones who can take into account what is happening and has happened, and they are the ones who take advantage of that situation.

A coach or two at the elite level right now is putting some of those thoughts into practice. Without a set structure on offense, the players can find space and abuse defenders too used to predictable patterns. If you govern by ideas (clear hard, cut to space, look out for others) rather than plays, the plays become usable but not stale. If the in-cut around which the "play" is designed is guarded, there is somewhere else to go.

At the top, there are five or so teams that use it best, and it is no surprise that they succeed at the highest levels of the game. They read the defense, see where their defenders want them to go, and go in the opposite direction. As they are human, they err in both execution and decision; however, they are putting themselves in the position to win. They let their playmakers make plays, and, when you have some of the top playmakers in the world, that leads to wins.

What this means for the average team, however, is that you can only teach so much. One cannot answer every "what if," nor prepare their protégés for every situation; players have to use their instincts. If their instincts are not there, fear not, because that's where drills and scrimmages come in. Instead of having everyone follow a routine, set them up to succeed by letting their instincts do the thinking. In that split second when the opponent is indecisive, anyone can abuse.