tion might be unfavorable. Thus, players swings would have a large advantage over sional block as a bonus).
should be on the lookout for switches with unprepared offenses. Think of the clam as a one-on-one de-
mismatched teammates in the first few fense with some aspects of zone respon-
passes or any time they’re in the stack. THE CLam sibilities. At any given instant, most or all
There might also be some flexibility in The clam is the most famous of the hy- of the players are attempting to stop cuts
choosing match-ups during the transition. brid defenses. In the clam, the front three rather than blocking throwing lanes. The
Before the point, the team needs to decide players play one-on-one defense against clam differs from a conventional one-on-
when to transition to one-on-one de- the handlers while the back four players one in that the individual match-ups aren’t
fense and what the force will be after the each cover cuts from any of the downfield determined until a cut is made, and they
transition. A good transition can catch the defenders to assigned areas. The clam, de- exist only for as long as the cutter stays in
offense by surprise. There are several com- veloped to stop comeback cuts from the an assigned area. Furthermore, each de-
mon times for transition: long, spread-out offenses of the late ‘80s, fender has only one or two specific cuts to
• After a set number of passes (usu- was intended to get blocks on switches try to prevent instead of having to shadow
ally three to five). Some teams prefer and poaches and to force high stall count a cutter over the whole field.
to start counting as soon as the cup is desperation heaves. The clam was willing The clam offers an organized way
set up. However, there’s often uncer- to give up occasional easy goals on great to determine match-ups and intelligent
tainty about whether the cup has had passes and could be beaten by patient switches. The simplest form is the two-man
a chance to set up, so it’s better to be- throwers who had the coolness and pres- clam, in which two defenders split side-to-
gin counting from the pull. Usually, the ence of mind to seek out the third or even side or front-to-back responsibilities for two
sideline counts loudly to help the play- fourth option. These days, the clam de- offenders. For example, if two cutters are
ers keep track. The sideline should also fense is used more to disrupt an offense’s at the back of the end zone in a goal-line
count during regular zone D to avoid rhythm (especially the set play off the pull) defense, both defenders would be ahead
informing the offense that a transition and prevent a quick score (with an occa- of the front cutter, one on either side. The
defense is being played. Players actually only cutting options are at an angle back to
begin transitioning on the previous pass
FiG 11.1
the disc on either side of the field, so when
as they identify likely match-ups. one of the cutters commits, the defender
• After a stoppage (foul, pick, travel). on that side goes with him, while the other
The marker should remind the team be- defender claims the remaining cutter, re-
fore checking in that the transition is on.
6
positioning herself if necessary to take into
• At a particular place on the field, such account the force. Conventional defense
as midfield. The offense will have settled would have both defenders on the force
in by then and won’t expect a transition. side just in front of their respective offend-
• When a key defender calls it. One ers, relying exclusively on the marker to
player is in charge of determining when prevent the breaking pass for the goal.
to transition, and a predetermined call This concept is extended to four down-
activates it. The player can call it when field defenders and the whole field in the
the zone is broken, when a particular regular clam. The rear four defenders sur-
spot has been reached and the defense 3 round the last four players in the stack (we
has had a chance to set the cup there,
4
assume the offense is roughly in a stack),
when the zone no longer appears effec- 5 while the front three play the handlers one
tive, or at any sign that the team agrees on one. Defensive positions in the clam
is a good time to transition. are numbered 0 through 6 according to
2 their assignments (figure 11.1), the number
adVanCEd TRanSiTiOnS loosely corresponding to the position of
The disc world is currently showing the nearest offensive player in the stack.
1
some signs that advanced transition de- The marker (position 0) forces a prede-
fenses are in development—and this repre- termined direction, which will remain in
sents great potential for strategic advance- place for the point. Positions 1 and 2 play
0
ment. A defense that could flex instantly one on one against the first two players in
into a trap after a downfield pass on the the stack (usually the other handlers). The
sideline or one that could shift zones 3 (on the force side), 4 (on the break side),
between a 2-3-2 and a 1-3-3 as the disc and 5 (in the middle but favoring the force
6 Ultimate Canada Magazine —
www.canadianultimate.com
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