Why We Are Going

Windfarm is our first tournament together as a team. We are not here to win it. We are here to play with each other for the first time — to find out how we move together, what reads each of us makes naturally, and what shorthand we can build on the pitch when the games are real.

Bring everything you've got in every point. The goal isn't the trophy; the goal is to come away knowing each other better than we did yesterday.

Our Goals

Three goals for this weekend. In order.

1. Make connections. Get to know each other on the pitch and off it. The give-and-go pairs and handler partnerships we discover this weekend are the ones we'll lean on for the rest of the season.
2. Be competitive in most points. We are not aiming to win the tournament. We are aiming to be in every point — disc by disc, throw by throw. If we are competing on every rep, the scoreboard takes care of itself relative to where we should be.
3. Use the connections we have. Make new ones. The pairs you've thrown with — use them to win points. The teammates you haven't thrown with — find them, build with them, expand who you trust on the pitch.

We are here to learn and adapt, and be ready for the next tournament. Windfarm is the start of the season, the start of the team in fact, not the end of it.

What We Are Focusing On

These are the three habits that should show up in every game this weekend. If we leave Windfarm with these as default behaviours, we have won the tournament that matters.

Offence — The 2-Second Rule and Moving the Disc

Catch and decide. Inside two seconds.

Don't get sucked into looking downfield and hoping something starts by stall 5. It's going to be windy. We want as much time to make a good reset as we can.

If a throw is on, take it. If nothing is on, swing. Even a small 2–3 metre pass to reset the stall is worth it in the long run. Take the options you have when they are >95%. Don't chase the low-percentage hero throw — the wind will eat it.

See Move The Disc - Quick Ref and 2 Second Window for the principle behind this.

Defence — Work Hard AND Smart

Work hard — every rep, every cut, every reset. That part is the standard.

Work smart — force the play onto the downwind sideline, attack swings that pop up in the air, and trust the zone shapes to do their job. The wind is our second defender; use it.

See Make the Effort - Quick Ref and Playing in Wind for the detail.

Conditions — Make the Most of the Short Space

The wind is going to dictate range. Our job is to play inside it.

• Isolate cutters into the under space — within 10–15 metres of the handlers. Anything further is a higher-risk throw than we want this weekend.
• Slash cuts are our friend. Cut horizontally in front of the disc. From one motion you get both a deep and an under read — attack a short disc, chase a long one.
• Take the throw when it's >95%. Reset if it isn't. The reset is winning, not losing. We can't score if we don't have the disc.

How We Are Playing

Offence

Our play style doesn't change in wind — it just shrinks. Short Give-and-Go exchanges, power positions used inside two seconds, slash cuts keeping both reads live. The principles in Playing in Wind are the playbook for the weekend.

If in doubt: inside 15 metres, flat and low, take the swing if nothing else is on.

Defence — Zones

We are running two zones this weekend, plus match marking.

3-3-1 Arrowhead Zone — Single Force, Trap on the Sideline

Three-cup arrowhead at the front, three mids, one deep.

• Tips: move as a unit. Trap to the sideline when the disc is there; fall back when the disc is in the middle.
• Point of the arrowhead: sits at the front of the triangle on the force.
• Central mid (middle of the middle 3): stops shots through the gap between the tips. Reads the disc, doesn't chase it.
• Wing mids: when the disc is on your side, deny the upline — sit in front of the first offensive player on your side. When the disc is on the opposite side, shift centrally to deny the mid-range chip, and most importantly load for the long swing around the back of the handlers.
• Deep: position to threaten any deep shot. Hold the deep lane. Communicate.

Full detail: 3-3-1 Arrowhead Zone.

2-4-1 FM Zone — Force Middle, Four Mids, Deep

Two front forcing inward, four mids stacked centrally, one deep.

• Front 2: force the disc to the middle. The off-force defender stops the short gainer and small-ball give-and-go. Switch sides cleanly when handlers swap — call it out loud every time. If a handler comes through on the other side, the other force defender comes back and is now on the new force side.
• Central mids: stacked one in front of the other. Front mid takes the easy forward chip from the handler. Back mid takes any mid-distance chip. The middle is the danger zone in FM — that's why we put two people in it.
• Wings: ready to bid on any swing to a sideline, but ready to recover if you bid too hard. If the disc is on the opposite sideline, the forces are letting them have the big swing — be ready to attack it.
• Deep: standard deep responsibilities.

Full detail: 2-4-1 FM Zone.

Defence — Match Marking

When we're not playing zone we're playing match — force onto the downwind sideline always.

• Swings into the wind will pop up. Be ready to attack them.
• Hucks will either be pushed into the ground or carried too far. Stay in deep plays — the contested catch is a win.

Throwing in the Wind

This applies to every throw, every game.

• Flat and low are the winners.
• Into the wind: slightly IO to combat the wind, maximum spin, aim 5 metres past where you're actually aiming.
• With the wind: take a little bit off the throw — the wind will speed it up. Add a touch of OI to fight the fade-out. Don't power down too far or you lose spin and the disc fades out anyway.

Full detail: Playing in Wind.

Looking After Each Other

This is our first tournament together. Some people will be excited, some nervous, some both — and the wind will turn small frustrations into bigger ones if we let it. The tournament is as much about how we look after each other as it is about how we play.

On the Pitch

• If you see a teammate getting in their own head about how they are playing — bring them back into the moment. A word on the sideline, a hand on the shoulder, a "next play". Don't leave anyone to fix it alone.
• If a teammate's throws are consistently errant — take them aside and throw on the sideline. Especially in this wind. Five minutes of resetting their throw between points beats another half-game of forced throws turning over.
• If in doubt, speak to the leadership team. Anything bigger than a side-line conversation — bring it to someone in the leadership group. That's what we're here for.

We are all in this together. Nobody on this team has to fix anything on their own this weekend.

Between Games

The schedule has long gaps. How we use them matters as much as how we play the points.

• Take time to reset. Sit down, eat, hydrate, get warm or cool depending on what you need. The next game starts when warm-up starts — not when you stop resting.
• Don't throw for the whole gap. A long throwing session between games burns the arm you need for game three. Light throws to stay loose, then put the disc down.
• It's okay to ignore frisbee for a while. If you need to step away — walk, sit by yourself, talk about anything except the game — do it. Take the time you need to reset, then be ready to be back in the game before warm-up starts.

The team that arrives at warm-up ready — physically, mentally, and connected to each other — is the team that competes in the next game. That readiness is built in the gap, not in the warm-up itself.

See Trust and Freedom for the broader philosophy this lives inside, and Our Playing Philosophy for who we are when we are at our best.

Reminders to Carry Onto the Pitch

The short version. Read this on the morning of day one.

• Two seconds, every catch. If a throw is on, take it. If nothing is on, swing.
• Inside 15 metres. Don't reach for the long throw.
• Slash cuts over straight cuts. Two reads from one motion.
• >95% only. Take the high-percentage throw or reset. Hero throws die in wind.
• Force downwind. Trust the wind to do the second half of the work.
• Wings: attack the swing. It's going to hang. Commit.
• Make connections. On the pitch and on the sideline. That's the whole point of the weekend.
• Compete every rep. That's how we get better.
• Look after each other. If a teammate's in their head, bring them back. If their throws are off, throw with them. Nobody fixes anything alone.
• Reset between games. Don't throw the whole gap. Step away if you need to. Be ready before warm-up starts.

Logistics

• Dates: 16–17 May 2026
• Venue: Windfarm
• Arrival time / first game: (to be confirmed — leadership to update)
• Kit: Bring layers. Bring water. Bring sun cream and a hat. The wind doesn't care that it's May.
• Anything else: Bring your throwing arm warmed up — we are not getting an easy first throw in the wind, so 70s Throwing before the first game is essential.

Connections

• Give-and-Go Ultimate — our play style, unchanged
• Playing in Wind — the detailed reference for windy conditions
• Move The Disc - Quick Ref — the 2-second principle
• Clear the Middle - Quick Ref — still applies; shorter range, same rule
• 3-3-1 Arrowhead Zone — single force zone we're running
• 2-4-1 FM Zone — force-middle zone we're running
• Make the Effort - Quick Ref — our defensive identity
• Trust and Freedom — first tournaments are where this is built
• Backing Your Decisions — every read this weekend
• Playing in Flow — what good will look like when it's working
• Our Playing Philosophy — who we are when we are at our best
• Team Identity and Values — looking after each other is part of who we are
• Tournaments Index