Overview
Power Position Continue is the live-decision drill for Playing the Power Position. A handler delivers a leading pass to a cutter into the Power Position Channel. The receiver — now in power position — has three live options arranged for them: a deep cutter, a lateral continuation cutter, and a give-and-go partner. They must read the picture before the catch, commit to one of the three within the 2 Second Window, and execute.
The drill exists because the power position is the moment our system depends on most, and most teams waste it. Players in power position default either to the safest reset (treating the window as a normal possession) or to the throw they had pre-decided regardless of what was actually on. This drill puts all three live options in front of them and trains the read order: deep → continuation → give-and-go → reset.
Aims
Aims
- Train the read order for power-position throws — deep first, continuation second, give-and-go third
- Develop release speed under live decision pressure inside the 2 Second Window
- Build the habit of scanning the full picture before the catch
- Reinforce that the power position is a two-second loan that must be spent
Targeted Core Skills
- Reading three live options simultaneously — see Scanning
- Committing inside the 2 Second Window
- Catch in Stride facing upfield, not sideways
- Leading pass accuracy on whichever option is chosen — see Power Position Channel
- Release shape selection — flat, IO, roll-curve depending on which option opens. See Inside-Out
Setup
- Handler (H) — starts with the disc at the back of the central handler space
- Receiver (R) — starts in the iso position, ready to make a cut into the power position channel
- Deep cutter (D) — positioned downfield in the deep lane, ready to break for a strike cut
- Continuation cutter (C) — positioned lateral to the receiver's expected catch point, ready to cut into the lane in front of R
- Give-and-go target (G) — positioned in dump space, ready to be the safe give-and-go option if the first two reads aren't on
- Cones marking the receiver's expected catch zone (the power position channel)
(Diagram to be added — H back-centre with disc; R cutting into a central catch zone; D, C, and G positioned to offer three live options when R catches.)
Execution
- H delivers a leading pass to R as R cuts into the power position channel. The throw must arrive ahead of R, not at them. See Thrower Lead Leading Pass for the foundational mechanic.
- R catches in stride, facing upfield. Their read should already be made.
- As R catches, D, C, and G all offer live cuts:
- D breaks for a strike — the deep look
- C cuts into the continuation lane — the lateral look
- G offers the safe give-and-go return
- R reads the live picture and releases inside two seconds. The read order is deep first, continuation second, give-and-go third.
- After the throw, R follows their throw — into deep space if they hit D, into the continuation lane if they hit C, or into the cut after G for the return give-and-go.
The cut from D, C, and G must be live every rep — they are not predetermined. Whoever is genuinely open is the read. If none of the three is open (because the defenders read it), R resets cleanly to a fourth handler position — and the rep counts as a successful read, not a failure.
Rotation: After each rep, players cycle: R → joins back of queue, H → R, C → H, D → C, G → D, queue → G. Or simpler: rotate by role every 4 reps.
Emphasis / Coaching Focus
Coaching Cues
- Read on the way in, throw on the way out. Scanning starts before the catch. By the time R is in the air to catch, they should know which of the three options is most likely to be on.
- Deep first. Power position windows produce the highest-value deep look in our offence. Train the eyes to look deep before defaulting to short.
- Catch facing upfield. A receiver who catches sideways has lost the window before they pivot. See Catch in Stride.
- Two seconds, then reset. If none of the three options is on, the reset is the correct play. Forcing a power-position throw after the window has closed is the most expensive decision in our offence. See Playing the Power Position.
- Follow the throw. R is not done at release — they are the next cutter. Connect to Give-and-Go.
Common Mistakes
Common Mistakes
- Defaulting to the give-and-go without reading deep first. The give-and-go is the third read, not the first. A receiver who never looks deep is wasting the window.
- Catching sideways. The catch shape pre-decides the throw. A receiver caught with hips perpendicular to the field will not throw deep — they will throw whatever is in front of them. Reinforce upfield catch posture.
- Pivoting to find the throw. Pivoting is delivery, not search. If R is pivoting because they are still scanning, the window is gone. The pivot should confirm the throw, not reveal it.
- D, C, or G cutting on a script. The drill is meaningless if the three downfield players are running predictable patterns. They must commit to live cuts that make the read genuine.
- Forcing the throw after the window closes. A receiver who throws on stall 4 because they "had to do something with it" is making the kind of decision the drill is built to remove from their game. The reset is the correct play after the window.
Developments
Development 1 – Defenders on D, C, and G
Objective: Make the read live by adding real defensive pressure on each downfield option.
- Each of D, C, and G now has a defender — initially passive, then active
- The defenders' job is to make at most one of the three options genuinely open per rep
- R must read which option the defence is gifting and take it
Coaching Emphasis:
- "Don't fight the picture. Take what they give you."
- The defenders are essentially modelling Free Poaching decisions — which option does the defence think it can give up?
- If R reads correctly but executes badly, that is a throwing rep, not a decision rep. Separate the feedback.
Development 2 – Live Mark on the Receiver
Objective: Add a marker arriving on R as they catch, replicating the real timing of a power-position window closing.
- A defender starts level with R's catching position and arrives on R as R catches
- The mark applies a Force — but the force is not yet effective for the first second of the catch (the defender is still arriving)
- R must release into the open picture before the force becomes effective
- After two seconds, if R has not released, the rep is over
Coaching Emphasis:
- The mark arriving is the visible version of the window closing. Watch how players react when they feel the defender close.
- Connect to Effective Force: the throw goes before the force is set, not after.
- Throwers who default to a reset under arriving pressure are the ones to coach next — that habit is the most expensive in our system.
Development 3 – Chain Sequence
Objective: String two power-position decisions together.
- After R hits the continuation cutter (C), C catches into a new power position and the picture resets — D, C, G all offer new live cuts to C
- The chain runs for up to three power-position decisions before the rep ends
- Models what a continuous flow sequence actually feels like in a game
Coaching Emphasis:
- "The continuation is the next power position, not the end of the play."
- Connect to Continuation and Flow: each catch is the start of the next sequence, not the end of the last one.
- The drill becomes very demanding fast — keep reps short and rotate roles often.
Progressions / Regressions
Regression:
- Remove one of the three options — run with just D and G, or just C and G — until the read is reliable, then add back the third option
- No defenders — focus purely on R's read order and release timing without defensive variability
- Slow the cutters' commitment — D, C, and G run their cuts at jogging pace so R has more time to read
Progression:
- Add Development 1, 2, and 3 together — full live picture with defenders, live mark, and chain sequence
- Add a stall count of 3 on R — must release inside three counts or the rep ends as a stall
- Run from a Vertical Stack or Spread Stack starting shape rather than abstract positions, so the drill connects directly to the formations it serves
Coaching Notes
Coaching Notes
- This is the highest-priority decision drill for our play style. The power position is where our offence is supposed to win — and where teams without trained reads default to the safe, low-value option.
- Watch the receivers who succeed and the ones who hesitate. Pattern is more useful than outcome — a receiver who consistently looks deep first is building the habit even when the deep look isn't open. Praise the look, not just the throw.
- The drill is most effective after Throw and Go Lanes — the give-and-go habit must be in before the receiver can use the give-and-go as a third option rather than a default.
- Connect to Move The Disc - Quick Ref: this is the live application of the principle's "moving away from the disc" decision rule.
- Connect to Backing Your Decisions: the drill rewards players who commit. Hesitation kills every rep.
- Connect to Playing the Power Position for the read order, the spacing, and the connection back to the play style.