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If there were no defending team on the field, the offensive team would be able to throw the disc in any direction with only the boundaries of the field as a limit. 360 degrees would be available around them (horizontally), and throws could be made from just above ground level to above the head releases. The thrower would be unconstrained. Defenders, of course, want to restrict the space into which (and from which) a throw can be made. Because contact is to be avoided in ultimate, they need to do this without restricting the physical movement of the thrower. When the play is person to person (much like man to man in the NBA), there's one defender for every offensive player. Every time an offensive player receives the disc, it is in the defensive team's interest to limit the space on the field that the thrower can pass to. This is normally done by the person who is guarding the thrower. The above picture shows an example of this. The defender stands about a foot away from the thrower. They need to be able to move back and forth on a plane as the defender can pivot (like in basketball). Because the defender can't realistically take away the 360 degrees of space around the thrower, the defender settles for trying to take away 120 degrees (or so) of that space. If this is done successfully, the defenders that are guarding the other players on the field can assume that the throw isn't going to go to the part of the field that the defender on the thrower (or the MARKER) is taking away. The mark is the defender's attempt to keep the thrower from utilizing the full field. This would be similar to a basketball defender who can't stop both the player they are guarding from taking both the outside shot and the inside shot. Instead, the defender tries to take away the more dangerous of the offensive player's options, and the defender relies on their teammate's defensive play to help stop the score. The rest of the team knows how the defender will be playing their player, so they also know where to expect the ball, and which shots the offensive player is more likely to get off. The Marker also initiates and follows through on the "Stall Count." They will move with the thrower, and will try stop a disc that is thrown by the thrower (but they can touch the disc only after it is released). All images are © bil elsinger. Please ask before using.
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