Session Goal

By the end of this session, players should be making their disc movement decision before the force arrives — not in response to it.

Why This Session

A common stalling point in many offences is not a bad cutter or a poor throw — it is a player who catches the disc and then begins to think. The decision window closes. The mark sets. The reset becomes urgent rather than easy.

This session trains tempo as an instinct: catching ready to throw, scanning before the disc arrives, and committing to movement before the defence recovers.

See Our Playing Philosophy for the broader context on movement, trust, and backing decisions.

Session Overview

Warm-Up (15 min)

Dynamic Warm-Up (5 min)

• Light jog, high knees, lateral shuffles
• Arm activations

Throwing Warm-Up – Timing Windows (10 min)

Timing Windows – Handler Flow — focus purely on lead throws and catching in motion.

Coaching Cue: "Catch in motion. If you're standing still when it arrives, you're already late."

Block A – Break Mark 1 (20 min)

Goal: Prime throwing mechanics and break confidence. Connect to the theme: the mark is pressure — overcome it quickly.

Drills:

• Break Mark 1 — 5 min base
• Development 1: Throw and Go — 5 min (the throw is a decision, the follow is the next decision — no gaps)
• Development 3: Active Mark — 10 min

Coaching Cues:

• "Throw it and move — don't watch it fly."
• "Decide before you pivot. Pivot to confirm, not to find."

Block B – 4 Lines Series (20 min)

Goal: Connect disc movement to cutting timing. The cutter moves the disc for the thrower by threatening — train throwers to release in that window.

Order:

1. 4 Lines - Away and Under — 7 min (focus on the throw timing, not the cut pattern)
2. 4 Lines - Upline Cut — 7 min (the break moment is a window — take it)
3. Combined: 4 Lines - Away and Under with give-and-go follow — 6 min

Coaching Cues:

• "The window is in their first three steps — not the last three."
• "If you're waiting to confirm the catch, you've held it too long."

Water Break (5 min)

• Hydration
• Coach reflection: what are we seeing? Is the decision happening before or after the force?

Block C – 4 Second Game (15 min)

4 Second Game — 4v4, stall count 4.

Constraints:

• Stall count is enforced strictly — stall out equals turnover, no grace period
• First throw after a catch must happen within 2 stalls (call "late" if it doesn't)

Coaching Cues:

• "Slow catches are the problem. Catch late and you're already behind."
• "The best pass is the one you already knew you were making."

Scrimmage – Conditioned 5v5 (15 min)

Conditions:

• Full stall count but: every time the disc is held past stall 4 without movement, offence loses a point from their score
• Play to 5 points

Coaching Focus:

• Do not call out individuals — call out the tempo as a team
• Note when the disc moves early vs late — praise specific examples

Coaching Notes

• This session is most effective when coaches focus on timing, not on throw quality
• The goal is to shift the instinct — catching ready to act, not catching then deciding
• Connect to Move The Disc - Coaches Notes and Move The Disc - Quick Ref
• If players are stalling out frequently: don't solve it with better throws — solve it by asking "when did the decision happen?"