Cup zone defence in ultimate
Cup zone defence in ultimate: three players surround the disc and slide together, while wings, a middle and a deep cover the throws around them.
Cup zone defence in ultimate means three defenders surround the disc and move with it, while the other four cover space instead of following a player. The three around the disc take away the short throws through the middle. The offence has to pass sideways many times before it finds a way forward, and every sideways pass is a chance for a drop or a poor throw. It is a good first zone for a rec team, and it is hardest to play against when the wind picks up or the other team has few long throwers.
How a cup zone defence in ultimate works
The seven defenders have four jobs. One marks the thrower and counts. Two more stand either side of the mark, a little further downfield, and together those three make the cup. The rules let only one defender stay close to the thrower, so the other two stand just outside that range, near enough to reach a throw that tries to go past. The picture spreads them out a little so the pieces are easy to read.
Behind the cup, two wings look after the sides of the field, a middle covers the gap straight behind the cup, and a deep stays behind everyone to take the long throw. None of these four has a player of their own. They watch the disc and move to whichever receiver is the nearest threat in their area, then let that player go when they leave it.
The cup only works if its three players move together. If the mark runs to a new thrower and the other two stay where they were, a gap opens and the throw goes straight through it. So on every swing the whole shape slides across at once, and the players behind shift the same way. Some teams have the nearest cup player take the mark on a long swing instead of asking the same person to run every time. Either way works, as long as the team has agreed which one it is doing.
Try it below: drag the disc toward a sideline and watch the cup turn to trap it there, then drag it back across quickly and watch for the gap when the cup is late.
The cup is tiring, and it gives up the sideways passes on purpose. Don't chase them. The aim is to make the offence throw many passes and then a hard one, and to have someone in place when it does. An offence that knows how to break a zone defense will try to get a receiver into the gap behind the cup or throw over the top, which is why the middle and the wings matter as much as the three players around the disc.
Step by step
The offence has three handlers across the field, O4 and O5 wide, O6 in the middle and O7 deep. D1, D2 and D3 are the cup, D4 and D6 the wings, D5 the middle and D7 the deep.
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Step 1
O1 has the disc. D1 marks, D2 and D3 close in either side as the cup, and D4, D5 and D6 drop behind them.
As O1 picks up the disc, D1 runs to mark. D2 and D3 close in either side, and the wings and the middle drop into place behind them.
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Step 2
O1 swings to O2. D1 runs to mark O2, D2 and D3 slide with them, and everyone behind shifts across.
O1 swings to O2. D1 runs to mark O2, D2 and D3 slide with them so the shape stays the same, and everyone behind shifts toward the disc.
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Step 3
O6 cuts into the gap behind the cup and D5 steps into that throw. D4 is in the lane up the line, so O2 holds.
O6 cuts into the gap behind the cup, and D5 steps into the path of that throw. D4 is already in the lane up the line to O4. O2 has nothing going forward and holds the disc.
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Step 4
O2 passes back to O1 and the cup slides back the same way, as D4, D5 and D6 return and O6 clears.
O2 passes back to O1 and the cup slides back the same way. The wings and the middle return to their spots, and O6 clears out of the middle.
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Step 5
O1 swings to O3. D1 runs to mark O3, D2 and D3 slide with them, and D6 steps into the lane to O5.
O1 swings to O3 on the other side. The cup slides again, and D6 steps into the lane to O5.
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Step 6
With the stall count high, O3 throws over the cup to O5. The throw hangs, so D6 runs under it and D7 comes up.
The count is getting high, so O3 throws over the cup to O5, who runs upfield. A throw that has to go over the cup hangs in the air for longer, which gives D6 time to run under it. D7 comes up behind in case it carries further.
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Step 7
D6 gets to the disc first. The short throws were covered, so the offence had to try a long, slow one.
D6 gets to the disc first. The short throws were covered, so the offence had to try a long, slow one.
To practise it at walking pace, put three handlers against the cup with no one downfield, and have them pass slowly across the field while the three defenders slide together. Stop and look at the shape after each pass. Once the slide is reliable, add the wings and the middle with a few receivers, and let the handlers speed up. The mark counts and holds their angle as in the marking drill, but with two teammates beside them, so they don't have to stop every throw alone.
The full play
You can take this playbook into your own account and change it for your team, for example to have the nearest cup player take the mark on a swing.
If you captain a rec team, game day on Playspedia helps you set lines and keep playing time fair. Set up your team here.