The Reason Offenses Fail: Part II (Jury Duty Style)

Good offense starts with 2 basic commandments for all players involved:
1. Understand your purpose in the offense.
2. Be deliberate in your execution of that purpose.

Understanding your purpose in an offense is not an easy thing. For one, it assumes that your offense has a strategy (one more refined than "scoring goals"). Let's say, for example, that your offense's strategy is to get the disc into the hands of your big throwers in positions where they can huck to your big receivers. If you are a big thrower in this offense, your purpose is to get yourself into a position to huck and then huck the disc. If you are a non-big throwing handler in this offense, your purpose is to move the disc laterally (play catch) while looking to set up the big thrower in a position where he can huck the disc. If you are a big receiver in this offense, your purpose is to cut for big yardage by either cutting deep or by faking deep and then catching 20 yard unders. If you are a non-big receiver in this offense, your job is to actively clear space for the big receiver, make breakside cuts to relieve pressure, and move the disc laterally (play catch) when you catch it. These descriptions are somewhat simplified, but I feel they give an accurate notion of the purposes of the 4 different positions in that version of the run and shoot offense.

Understanding your purpose is not enough, however, to succeed as a part of a given offensive strategy. You must also deliberately execute that purpose. I use the word "deliberately" to emphasize the point that, in a good offense, everything happens for a reason. Good offenses succeed on purpose. They fail on purpose. Bad offenses succeed and fail accidentally.

When all seven offensive players execute their purposes deliberately, they each move around the field with confidence.  They move like they mean it.  This sort of purposeful, coordinated movement destroys defenses. When an offense moves this way, it drastically reduces unforced errors (the bane of every offense) because:

1. There is no miscommunication.

2. Individual weaknesses are avoided.

Seven players working together while doing the things they are best at should be the goal of any offense.  So why don't we see it more often?

Reason 1: There is no offensive strategy. No individual can be expected to understand and deliberately execute his purpose if that purpose doesn't exist.  Without an overarching offensive strategy, no player has a meaningful purpose.  This is a failure of leadership.

Reason 2: Players are not able to understand a given purpose or offensive strategy.  This one just comes down to repetition.  The movements and responsibilities of positions in Ultimate are not impossibly complex even for a novice.  They just take time.  How much time depends on the player's skill level and experience.  Sadly, this isn't a failure of anybody.  It's a reality. Sometimes, some players just shouldn't be on the field until they get more reps in practice.

Reason 3: Players are not able to execute a given purpose or offensive strategy.  This one doesn't come down to repetition.  People have physical limitations.  Smart players figure out what they can't do and develop ways of working around that.