Pull coverage in ultimate frisbee

Pull coverage in ultimate frisbee is what the defence does between the pull and the first throw. The team runs down the field together in a line, slows down before it reaches the offence, and has the disc marked and every offender picked up before the offence is organised. A team that covers the pull well starts each defensive point in position instead of chasing.

Running down together

Agree on two things before every pull: the force, and who is pulling. Then spread out along your end zone line so that each player has a lane of their own, from one sideline to the other. Nobody may cross the line until the pull is released, so wait for the disc to leave the puller's hand and then go.

Run hard down your lane and stay roughly level with the players either side of you. A line across the field means every part of the field has a defender arriving at about the same time, and nobody ends up facing two offenders alone. Keep your eyes on the disc and on the offence as you run, so you can see where the stack is forming. The longer the pull stays in the air, the further the defence gets before the catch, so the puller's first aim is height rather than distance.

Some teams keep one or two players a few yards behind the line to protect the deep space while the others close in. That is a choice for your team; the basic version keeps everyone level.

Pull coverage in ultimate: picking up

Slow down before you reach the offence. A defender who arrives at full speed can't stop and turn, and a cutter can step past them. Arriving under control, a few yards away, lets you go with whoever moves first.

One defender, usually whoever is nearest the disc, sprints in to mark the player who picks it up and sets the force straight away, before the first throw. The rest pick up the nearest offender who doesn't already have someone, and say out loud who they have so two players don't take the same person. In the stack, stand on the open side of your player, the side the mark is sending the disc. The force forehand article covers why the whole team takes away the same side.

The puller comes down last and takes whoever is left, usually a player far downfield. The matchups you end up with may not be the ones you would choose. Sort them out at the next stoppage, or with a switch during the point, rather than running across the field to find your usual player while the offence is starting.

Step by step

The defence lines up on the right and pulls to the offence on the left. It is forcing forehand, so the open side is down the picture. The article on receiving the pull shows the same moment from the offence's side.

D1 pulls high toward the middle of the field. The rest of the defence waits for the release, then runs down in a line across the field.

The defence keeps its spacing as it runs. O1 calls for the pull and moves under it, and the cutters walk forward.

O1 catches. D3 sprints in to mark O1 and sets the forehand force, while the rest of the defence slows down and the cutters walk into a stack.

The other defenders pick up the offenders who are still free, and those in the stack stand on the open side. D1 comes down last from the pull and takes O7 at the back.

O4 cuts under toward the open side. D2 is already on that side and goes with O4.

Every offender had a defender before the first cut, so O1 has no easy throw while D3 counts.

To practise it, walk it through with the whole team first. One player throws a gentle pull, the rest walk down in their line, stop a few yards short of the offence and call out who they have. Then run it at full speed with a real pull. Watch for players arriving too fast and running past their offender, and for two defenders going to the same person while someone else is left free.

The full play

You can take this playbook into your own account and change it for your team, for example with a backhand force or a player held back to protect the deep space.

If you captain a rec team, you can also put your roster on Playspedia so everyone knows who is playing each week.