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 roll curve forehands and backhands then overheads) - Driven throws.

Coaching cue to open the session:

Block A – Swiss (21 min)

Goal: Build the flow habit — quick-release disc movement through a continuous out-and-under pattern — and then stress-test the throw decision with specified shapes and an interference picture.

A1 – Base (7 min)

Two stacks side by side, alternating out-and-under cuts into the centre lane. Focus is on three things: the wide first step, the leading pass to the cutter's space (not their current position), and clearing through the gap between stacks rather than around the outside.

• Start at moderate pace. Flow is more important than speed. A smooth rhythm at 70% beats a broken drill at 100%.
• Coach watches for: cutters who go straight infield without the wide step (the disc arrives into a crowd), throwers who wait for the cutter to arrive before releasing (the cutter is now static), and players who drift around the stacks instead of clearing through the gap.

Coaching Cues:

A2 – Development 1: Specified Throw Shape (7 min)

Call a throw type before each set of reps — rollcurve or inside-out. Players continue the same flow but must shape every throw to the called type. This is not about difficulty — it is about comfort with a non-default release under time pressure.

• The next cutter is already moving. The shape changes; the timing does not.
• Rotate through both shapes. Rollcurve first (typically easier), then IO.

Coaching Cues:

A3 – Development 2: Interference Player (7 min)

A neutral player stands in the throwing lane between the stacks. They are not defending — they are occupying space. Their position changes between reps: sometimes central, sometimes shading left or right.

The thrower must read their position and choose the appropriate release — over the top, around the outside, or through the gap — before the disc arrives in their hands.

• If the disc hits or is clearly uncatchable because of the interference player's position, the rep restarts.
• The cutter's cut does not change. Only the throw changes.
• Connect to Scanning: the read happens before the catch, not when the disc is in hand. Connect to 2 Second Window: the interference player shrinks the easy option — the window gets tighter.

Coaching Cues:

Block B – 4 Lines - Away and Under (40 min)

Goal: Build disciplined cutting patterns that generate clean, wide disc movement — the away threat must be genuine, and the under must stay on the line, not collapse infield.

B1 – Base (12 min)

Standard four-lines pattern. The cutter goes away downfield first. If the deep is not called or available, they turn and come diagonally under. The throw stays straight down the line — not infield toward the centre.

• Call out diagonal-versus-straight-under explicitly. Aways that drift out reduce the space that you have and force you closer to the sideline.
• Watch for: throwers who float the disc infield, cutters who barely threaten the away before turning under.

Coaching Cues:

B2 – Development 1: Give & Go Under (15 min)

After the under catch, receiver immediately returns the disc to the original thrower at a slightly inside angle, then goes deep for a continuation pass. Original thrower moves infield after their initial throw, catches the return, and leads the deep cutter.

• Trains the give-and-go instinct and keeps the disc off the sideline.
• Connect to Move The Disc - Quick Ref: the disc should never stop twice in a row.

Coaching Cues:

B3 – Development 2: Paired Defence (13 min)

Add a defender on the cutter and a force on the thrower. Defence focuses on positioning, not blocks. The cutter must commit the away step hard enough to make the under genuine — a half-hearted away step will be read and the lane will be denied.

• Can be layered onto the give-and-go pattern from B2 for groups that are ready for it.

Coaching Cues:

Water Break (10 min)

Hydration. Coach reflection: are cutters committing the away step, or are they going through the motions? One specific observation to bring into Block C.

Block C – 4 Lines - Upline Cut (40 min)

Goal: Build the upline handler delivery — when the lane opens, can the thrower put the disc there early and cleanly? This is the same leading pass habit from Day 1, applied to the handler context.

C1 – Base (12 min)

Standard pattern. The cutter commits toward the sideline first, covering at least half the distance, before planting and cutting upline. The throw is early: around before the plant if it is there, or a leading pass once the cutter has committed upline.

• The throw must be early enough to abort if the cutter does not commit. A late throw means a static receiver with a defender catching up.
• Watch for: throwers who wait until the cutter is past them — by then the window is already closing.

Coaching Cues:

C2 – Development 1: Continuation to Deep (13 min)

After the upline catch, the receiver immediately throws a deep ball to a cutting player. The original thrower becomes the deep cutter after releasing. Forces the habit of catching in motion and reading the continuation before the disc arrives.

• The deep throw must be properly weighted — not a panic huck, not underthrown. Throw to space, not to the receiver's current position.
• Connect to 2 Second Window: the continuation decision should be made before the upline catch. Connect to Scanning: the read happens while the disc is in the air toward you.

Coaching Cues:

C3 – Development 3: Paired Defence (15 min)

Add a defender on the cutter. Encourage change of pace — a genuine deceleration before the plant, not just a change of direction. The defender must work with the player, not the pattern.

• Can be applied to the base drill or layered onto Development 1 for advanced groups.

Coaching Cues:

Block D – Pressure the Resets (30 min)

Goal: Flip the perspective. The session has built fast, clean disc movement from the offence's side. Now defend it. Players who move the disc quickly understand exactly what reset pressure is trying to disrupt — and now they are the ones applying it.

D1 – Pressure the Resets Base (12 min)

Standard setup — stall count begins at 5 to simulate late-disc pressure. Handler defender takes away the easiest reset option. Focus is on positioning before the cut, not chasing the cutter after it.

• A delayed reset is a win. A stalled disc is a bigger win. An interception is a bonus.
• Watch for: defenders who chase the dump handler and lose position, defenders who bite on fakes and open the lane behind.

Coaching Cues:

D2 – Development 1: Full 3v3 Backfield (18 min)

Add the third offensive handler and third defender. 3v3 in the backfield, full movement. If the reset is completed, play continues as a short 3v3 game — set number of completions or a score.

• Communication becomes essential. No one can cover everything alone.
• Connect to Make the Effort - Quick Ref: sustained pressure over a point is an effort discipline. The defender who switches off when their player receives gives up the next reset for free.

Coaching Cues:

Water Break (5 min)

Hydration. Tell the team: one condition in the scrimmage. Everything else — play.

Scrimmage – Full Pitch Match (45 min)

Full team, full field. One condition:

Condition: After every stall-out, the player who stalled out names the decision they did not make — one sentence, before play restarts.

• "I had the reset and I did not look."
• "I held it waiting for a cut that was not developing."
• "I had the upline and I was too late."

This connects to Day 1's naming habit and brings the two sessions together — Day 1 was naming decisions at turnovers; Day 2 is naming them at stalls. Same habit, tighter window.

Coaching Focus:

• Watch for: is the disc moving before the mark is fully set? Are handlers scanning before the catch?
• Watch for: is the reset pressure from Block D showing up in the match — are defending handlers positioning early?
• After the final point: "Did the disc move faster today than when we arrived? Why?"

End of Weekend Block — Closing (5 min, optional)

If energy allows, three questions. No coaching — just listening.

1. "What did you do differently today than you did yesterday?"
2. "What is one thing you will do differently in the next game because of this weekend?"
3. "What do you still want to work on?"

Coaching Notes

• The session arc is deliberate: Swiss builds the flow habit → Away and Under builds cutting discipline that creates clean handler opportunities → Upline trains handler delivery → Pressure the Resets shows what those same opportunities look like when contested. Do not compress the arc.
• Block A (Swiss) is a full working block on Day 2, not a warm-up activity. The interference development is demanding enough to require full concentration.
• If energy from Day 1 is low by Block C, drop the paired defence development and run the base and continuation only. The cutting discipline from the base is more important than the defensive realism at that point.
• Blocks B and C are the same four-lines format — lean into the rhythm. If players are flowing well through B, the transition into C will be fast. Keep momentum between blocks.
• The stall-out naming condition connects directly to Day 1. Reference it when you set the condition: "Same habit as yesterday — name the decision, not the mistake."
• Connections: Move The Disc - Quick Ref, Move The Disc - Coaches Notes, Clear the Middle - Quick Ref, Make the Effort - Quick Ref, 2 Second Window, Scanning, Dump Handler, Effective Force, Session - Decision Making and Off-Disc Movement