The fundamentals of catching hucks

Let's face it, there are very few true deeps out there. I'm talking about cutters with fantastic speed, great hands, unbelievable body control, and can jump out of the gym (10 ft+). This post is not written for true deeps. They don't need any help catching hucks.

Fortunately, almost every offensive player has opportunities to go deep and catch a huck. Because good offense is about exploiting match-ups, it may even be a relatively slow player with a mediocre vertical jump who finds himself as a deep target when he's covered by a clueless or poachy defender. What I'm saying is that, when your on the field, you must be prepared to cut deep and catch a huck at any time.

Catching hucks is not like catching other throws. For one thing, they are most often caught above the head. For another, they are often contested in the air.

I'm going to run down a list of fundamental things you should do to give yourself the best chance of bringing down a huck.

1. Get there early. When you begin your deep cut, don't worry about the thrower or the disc. Make 5 hard sprint strides deep before you look over your shoulder to check the disc. This should allow you to separate from your defender and give you a cushion to read the throw. Remember, it's a hell of a lot easier to slow down and cut back in at the last second to catch a huck that has come up short than it is to really turn on the jets to catch a huck that is overthrown. Use the first 5 strides to put yourself in the luxurious position of being able to read the disc in a relatively pressure free environment.

2. Read the disc. This is why "getting there early" and arriving downfield before your defender was so important. Hucks, because they a long throws and necessarily must travel at a higher trajectory to get above the defense, are highly affected by wind. They are also difficult to throw and so may not always end up where the thrower intended. As a receiver, you need to recognize the essential flakiness of the huck (and possibly the hucker) and respond accordingly. After your initial burst to "get there early" you need to continue sprinting but also look over your shoulder to find the disc. Figure out where it's going and make a bee-line to that spot. But, continue looking at the disc so that you can adjust your bee-line until the last possible second.

3. Catch the disc at the peak of your jump. So, you've made a bee-line for the spot where you think the disc is going to fall. Now, you have to catch it. Hopefully, it was a good throw and you made a good cut and there is no defender to challenge you. But, let's be realistic, there will probably be a defender bearing down on you. Your goal is to catch the disc at the peak of your vertical jump. Unless he's right next to you, don't worry about the defender. He doesn't matter as long as you catch the disc at the peak of your vertical jump. Concentrate on timing your steps so that you get a good, clean take-off.

4. Get inside. This only really applies if a defender is right next to you and you know that you are not only going to have to catch the disc but also win it from the defender. If it feels like a jump ball in basketball to you, then you know that you are in this spot. As the offensive player in this "jump ball" situation, there are two things you must do. The first thing is to "get inside". Means that you need to put your body in between where the disc is going to be caught and the defender. You MUST NOT allow the defender to put his body in between you and the disc. Making a good read and arriving early should allow you to dictate position. YOU CANNOT BOX OUT. Putting your body between the disc and the defender is different than boxing out. Boxing out involves backing up into your opponent after achieving good position. We cannot do that in Ultimate. However, achieving good position allows us stand our ground and puts the defender in a difficult spot where he will likely foul by jumping through us to get at the disc. If you get good position and he fouls, don't hesitate to call it.

5. Be first in the air. Now, you've "gotten inside" and you're not screened by the defender. As an offensive player in a "jump ball" situation, the second thing you must do is be first in the air. Basically, you need to get up for the disc before your defender does. I know that it may disrupt your timing, but you don't have much of a choice in this case. All that the defender has to do is knock the disc away. In a "jump ball" spot, it is MUCH MUCH easier to knock the disc away than it is to catch it. So, as a receiver, don't wait. Go up early and try your best to bring the disc down with you. The hidden bonus to being first in the air in this "jump ball" spot is that the defender will often jump through you late to try to tip the disc. This is, of course, a foul and you should call it.

I want to emphasize that we don't look to call fouls when we try to catch hucks. We look to put ourselves in the best possible position to win the disc. If we happen to be fouled in the process, we call it. But, our main goal is getting ourselves in the best possible position.