In a man-to-man defence, the marker is responsible for preventing the thrower from throwing the disc to a large area of the field. The team should agree in advance on a significant object or objects on each side of the field, say a clubhouse on one side and trees on the other, or use generic terms such as "Home" and "Away" which can apply to any field. The marker then calls a force, eg "Force clubhouse", which means that he will only let the thrower throw to that side of the field. He does this by standing at about 45° to the thrower on the opposite side to the force. The defenders then assume that throws are far more likely to come to the force side, and defend accordingly.
It is the marker’s responsibility not to let the thrower throw in the opposite direction to the force. If this happens, it is called a break of force, and often results in the opposition getting two or three easy passes in a row, as the defenders are assuming that the force will be held. If a break happens, the marker should call "Break" loudly and clearly for the benefit of the defenders.
Which direction to choose to force in the first place is determined by the marker, but influenced by a number of factors. Often a team will have a plan in advance for which way to force in any given situation. These include :
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The thrower is always forced towards the middle of the field. This quite common, as it stops teams from stringing a number of passes together down a sideline ("Flow"). |
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The thrower is always forced towards the nearest sideline. This is used against teams with weaker throwers, as it leaves only a very small area on the side of the field for the thrower to throw into. The disadvantage is that with good throwers, it leaves the endzone fairly open, and makes goals off one or two passes much more likely. |
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Always force to a particular side eg "Force clubhouse", regardless of where the thrower is. This is easy for both marker and defender as they always know how to mark up, but suffers from the same danger as force line. |
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The thrower is always forced into/against the wind. This is also effective against weak throwers. |
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The first throw is forced towards the nearest sideline, but after that, the plan reverts to some other force. This is designed to make the first pass difficult, but removes the disadvantage of always forcing line. |
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Force up, or force straight up, means that the marker stands directly in front of the thrower, and does not force to a particular side. This is usually only used for a couple of seconds, to prevent the thrower getting a quick pass away. The marker then reverts to a directional force. It may however be used effectively to stop teams who are hucking a lot, but places a heavy load on the defenders. It can also be used against weak throwers. |