Over the last two seasons, I've seen our team improve significantly on defense. Particularly compared to my freshman year, we play significantly harder and force more turns. At the same time, we haven't reached anything near great defense. I think part of this lies in our philosophy.
We often talk about "winning" individual match-ups. In pregame talks, we tell people to "beat" their men to the disc. However, even if you are more athletic, more skilled, or more good-looking, you won't always be able to do this. Positioning, situations (particularly fast breaks), and dumb luck constantly allow comparatively slower or weaker players to get the disc. This isn't an insult to our players, it's simply the truth about a game that is heavily weighted towards the offensive team.
Great defense is not seven individual's "winning" their match-ups. There are a host of small, important details that separate seven glory-minded players from a hard-nosed defensive team. If we want to win games at big tournaments and at regionals, we need to incorporate these elements.
Thinking about our last season, our deep defense was never particularly strong. Our dump defense wasn't particularly effective and we often got beat on the open side. While we did play strong defense against weak teams (a difference from previous years), we couldn't hold that same intensity against stronger teams (GDub, Pitt).
The failure of an individual-centric defensive philosophy is its lack of trust. On defense, trust between teammates is essential because it evens the playing field between offender and defender and allows individuals an even chance to "win" their match-ups.
Simple things like holding forces (NOT reaching for the point block), utilizing the mark as a method of dump defense, and calling switches to prevent deep throws require trust and unselfishness between teammates.
On defense, it doesn't matter how many blocks you get or how many in-cuts you cover. If the other team scores, you failed. Period. We need to approach defense with a chip on our shoulders. We need to be just as happy when a teammate gets a block as when we do. GDub once described their team strategy as blue-collar defense. We play too much white-collar defense, relying on ourselves over our teammates. We need to be smash-mouth, hard-nosed defenders, but we also need to be a team. I think the only thing holding us back is desire, a willingness to be part of a team.
I'm fucking excited for next season, are you?
Today's Workout:
Shoulder Rehab
Pike Core Workout
Currently Reading:
Mists of Avalon by MZ Bradley (on hiatus)
Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
On the iPod:
Greatest Hits by Bob Dylan
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