Trap/Sideline Offense (vs. Man D)

Basic Theory:

The sideline causes problems for many teams because your standard stack does not give you much of the field to work with. Too many options are too difficult: either over the stack (and therefore only reachable with a hammer) or into a narrow area of the field, where defenders can poach.

There are 2 theories of how to beat a trap on the sideline. You can either 1) Make the defense pay for encouraging you to throw upfield, or 2) swing the disc around to the other side of the field and work the opposite sideline.

A good trap offense gives you both options. The key is the setup.

Initial Positioning:

The initial positioning is designed to give one player as much room as possible to work. Similar to a pull play, you position the majority of your players away from the action, on the far side of the field. This is done in an extended L: 3 handlers stretched across the field, with the furthest handler just 5 yards from the far sideline.

That leaves 3 upfield players: two of whom are lined up 10 yards apart up the far sideline, and one who is left in the huge space created upfield of the thrower, about 15-20 yards upfield from the disc.

Strategy -- Primary Look:

You want to put the defender of the primary upfield threat in an impossible position. To do this, you must be close enough to the thrower (about 15-20 yards) that an away cut is a real threat. You normally reinforce this threat by faking deep. If they bite, you come underneath. If they don't, you score.

Continuation of this cut comes from the furthest-upfield player on the far side of the field. With the entire field space to work with, his defender should be in just as impossible a situation as the first defender was.

If necessary, you continue the next cut from the next-most-upfield player on the far side of the field.

See the default upfield look in action (Flash is required).

Strategy -- Dump-Swing:

If you do not throw the upfield look, for whatever reason (great defense, the cutter falls down, the mark switches, there is a poach, etc) you want to get the disc to the other side of the field as quickly as possible. You have two options, which are triggered by the nearest handler in the L. If his defender is playing off him significantly (say, 3 yards or so) you throw it to him, and the two intermediate handlers clear for a swing across to the exposed player. It is essential to clear as soon as the handler commits to a dump cut.

Once the swing is accomplished, the continuation is first to the deepest upfield player on that side of the field, and then to the deepest player on the far side of the field (usually the primary cutter from the first option).

See the dump-swing to handler #1 in action (Flash is required).

If the nearest handler is being closely defended, he should cut upfield. This is mostly a decoy (though you can throw it if he is wide open). That cut distracts the 2nd handler's defender, and usually gives a second or two leeway. The 2nd handler cuts at an angle for the dump, and the throw should go up into that space as soon as he moves.

The 3rd handler then clears, as in the above example, opening space for the swing cutter to cut in and receive the disc on the far side of the field. This is usually uncontested... this player's defender has often poached, and is hardly ever paying close attention to his man.

Continuation, as above, is to the deeper upfield player on the same side of the field, and then subsequent continuation is to the deepest player on the other side of the field (usually the primary cutter from the first option).

See the dump-swing to handler #2 in action (Flash is required).

Notes:

If there is a poach, it will generally be very clear who is left open. If it's a handler, dump immediately to that handler, and swing as described above. If it's an upfield player, run the swing as normal... you will reach the poached player soon enough.

Keep the primary look close enough that it's an easy throw past him (not necessarily a huck) if he's being fronted. If you're having to throw 50 yards, he's too deep, or you're waiting too long to relaese.

The clearing rotation is up the far (non-disc) side of the field. So, if you throw to the primary option (here the right-hand sideline) the players should clear up the left. You can think of it as a clockwise rotation. If instead you dump and swing, and your cuts are coming down the left-hand sideline, you are clearing counter-clockwise.