Session Goal

Session Overview

Warm-Up (20 min) — Player-Led

Structured Warm up:

• Jog.
• Dynamic Stretching/Movements.
• Resistance band activations.
• Focus throwing - 70s (10 flat, 10 inside, 10 rollcurve forehands and backhands then overheads) - Driven throws.

Coaching cue to open the session:

Block A – Break Mark (45 min)

Goal: Build break-throw mechanics from the ground up — correct pivot, decisive fake, committed release — and start connecting the throw to movement after it.

A1 – Break Mark 1 Base (10 min)

Three groups of three. One focus only: clean pivots, flat break throws, full rotation.

• Defender applies a realistic straight-up force — not passive, not wild. The mark is there to require a real pivot.
• The throw must pass through the receiver's catching space and travel at least 5m beyond. No wrist flicks, no floaty lobs.
• Coach watches for: short-arming, half-pivots, and defenders reaching instead of sliding. Stop briefly if pivot discipline slips.

Coaching Cues:

A2 – Development 1: Throw & Go (10 min)

After the break throw, the thrower immediately cuts at 45 degrees into space. Receiver catches and throws back to the moving thrower. Thrower catches on the move, pops back to the original receiver, then applies the force.

• The cut does not begin until the disc has left the hand. Watch for players who leak early — the throw first habit is the point.
• Explosive first step after the throw. Catch-and-release on the return.

Coaching Cues:

A3 – Development 2: Active Mark (10 min)

Defender choses a side to force, throw MUST be to the break-side of the receiver.

• This is the test of everything from A1–A3. If mechanics are solid, the active mark is beatable. If mechanics are shaky, this exposes it.

Coaching Cues:

A4 – Development 3: (15 min)

Defender choses a side to force, throw MUST be to the break-side of the receiver.

• This is the test of everything from A1–A3. If mechanics are solid, the active mark is beatable. If mechanics are shaky, this exposes it.

Coaching Cues:

Block B – Thrower Lead Leading Pass (40 min)

Goal: Isolate the leading pass connection — the thrower reads which side of the receiver's defender is available and commits to it; the receiver reads the throw early and attacks the space.

B1 – Base (12 min)

Standard 2v2 setup. Passive-to-light mark on the thrower, passive defender on the receiver. Let players find the feel. The disc should arrive as the receiver is moving into it, not while they are standing still.

• Watch for: throwers who throw to where the receiver is. The leading pass should be further away from them, arriving at a time that they can get to it.
• Watch for: receivers who wait to see where the disc goes before moving. The read should happen as the disc leaves the hand.

Coaching Cues:

B2 – Development 1: Specified Force (15 min)

Before each rep, the defender picks a force direction. The thrower can take the open side or break the mark — but they must commit. This connects Break Mark directly to the leading pass: the same reading habit, now applied to where the receiver's space opens up.

• Run both sides — force flick and force backhand — so throwers get reps reading both force angles.
• Downfield defenders switch between shading under and shading deep, and playing honest.

Coaching Cues:

Water Break (10 min)

Hydration. Coach reflection: are throwers committing to the throw or still searching when the disc is in their hands? Pick one specific moment from Block B to bring back into Block C — positive or corrective.

Block C – Seattle (40 min)

Goal: Apply the leading pass connection and cut geometry in the most pressure-intense context on the field. Everything from Blocks A and B is now required inside the endzone.

C1 – Base (20 min)

Walk through the rotation once at half-speed to establish the geometry — F1's out-and-under, the leading pass to the opposite front corner, the quick offload, the return to F1 moving forward. Then run it continuously.

• The out-and-under step must go toward the corner first. If F1 drifts straight to centre field, the geometry collapses and the throw becomes congested.
• The endzone cutter receives and releases. No holding, no looking for a score. Connect to 2 Second Window: inside the endzone the field is running out behind you.
• Do not add the defender until the base flow is clean and continuous.

Coaching Cues:

C2 – Development 1: Endzone Defender (20 min)

After B-last offloads and the rep completes, B-last becomes a live defender and sprints to pressure the next endzone entry. The next cutter must now read the defender and adapt.

• Default cut goes to the front corner. The defender's position determines whether they actually go there — if the defender goes wide, cut inside; if the defender goes middle, attack the corner.
• The thrower also reads: do not throw the corner if the defender is already closing it. Connect to Free Poaching — the defender is effectively leaving space, and the offence punishes it immediately.

Coaching Cues:

Block D – Away Snake + Strike Cut (30 min)

Goal: Shift from the complex endzone geometry of Block C to tight, quick disc movement at close range — then escalate into contested deep cuts. The two drills in this block are deliberately different in scale: one trains patience and precision at 5m, the other trains commitment and trust at 20m+.

D1 – Away Snake (10 min)

Groups of 3–5 with one disc each. Players snake across the full pitch width: the next in the queue cuts out to one side and back in, receiving approximately 5m ahead of the thrower. Short, shallow arc — not a big cut. Alternate sides every rep. The group travels one full width and back.

• The thrower releases the moment the cutter comes back in. No holding, no deliberating. If the cutter is there, the disc goes.
• Queue compresses forward after every rep — players should be close together, already preparing their cut before the previous one lands.
• This is a five-minute drill. Clean flow at moderate pace. Do not let it drag.

Coaching Cues:

D2 – 4 Lines - Strike Cut with Contested Defender (20 min)

Flip from the shortest cut in the session to the longest. The strike cut is the opposite end of the spectrum from Away Snake — the same habit of committing and going, but at pace and distance.

• Base (7 min): Standard four-lines pattern. Cutter goes straight downfield. Thrower reads cutter speed, throws flat into space with a slight outside-in angle. No defender yet — establish timing first.
• Development 1 – Chasing Defender (13 min): Add a defender starting 2–4m behind the cutter. They chase but do not bid. This makes the cutter's speed variation matter — decelarating before accelerating, not just sprinting — and makes the thrower trust space rather than wait for perfect separation.

Coaching Cues:

Water Break (5 min)

Scrimmage – Full Pitch Match (45 min)

Full team, full field. One condition:

Condition: After every turnover, the player who turned it over names the decision — not the throw, not the catch — the decision. One sentence. Play restarts immediately.

• "I cut under when the defender had taken my inside."
• "I held it and the window closed."
• "I threw to where they were, not where they were going."

Coaching Focus:

• Do not intervene. Do not comment. Let the naming happen and let players play.
• After the final point, ask two players: "What did you notice about the decisions being named?"

Coaching Notes

• The session builds in a deliberate arc: mechanics first (Break Mark) → isolated leading pass application (Thrower Lead) → live endzone context (Seattle) → short-cut flow then contested deep (Away Snake + Strike Cut) → free match. Do not skip or compress steps.
• Block C is the most demanding. If Seattle's base is not flowing cleanly after 10 minutes, stay longer rather than forcing the endzone defender. The development is only useful when the base geometry is solid.
• Block D is a deliberate gear change after Block C. Away Snake is low intensity and quick — it resets players physically and mentally before the Strike Cut demands full commitment again. Let it breathe.
• The naming condition in the scrimmage is not a punishment. Frame it clearly: "We are naming decisions — good and bad — not mistakes."
• Connect forward to Day 2: "Tomorrow is the same habit from the handler's perspective — how do you move the disc before the defence sets?"
• Connections: Clear the Middle - Quick Ref, Move The Disc - Quick Ref, 2 Second Window, Scanning, Scoring Space, Power Position Channel, Strike Cut