Defensive Adjustments: The Mark (Static)

Mark (Static) | Mark (Dynamic) | Downfield

This is easily the most powerful role on the ultimate field. DO NOT SLACK OFF ON THE MARK!!!

While a mark cannot be expected to take away a whole section of the field with any consistency, a mark can and should be able to make offense difficult in a number of directions by a number of strategies.

Making an adjustment using the mark has two flavors: static and dynamic.  The latter involves smart use of the former, so I'll keep this post limited to static adjustments.

Static adjustments are long-term changes (point to point, perhaps throw to throw).

For example, as referenced in the original post, the mark can make a static adjustment to take away the IO break option if a team is routinely exploiting it.  This adjustment can take a couple forms:

• The "Flat Mark"
Instead of shuffling on this axis, as you might in a "standard" mark:

The mark moves like this:

This allows the mark to shuffle or set up a bit more in-line with the thrower, almost in a straight-up force. This can be effective against IO breaks that are made with a wide step; however, throwers who break by stepping through the mark are unlikely to be stopped.
• The "Stagger"
  
This is my preferred way to make the adjustment. Taking a cue from Ben Wiggins' talk on marking at the '06 UCPC, the mark can stagger with one foot back:

In this instance, the mark's left foot is further back; this allows the mark to "block back" more, and creates extra space that a step-through break thrower has to penetrate. This still allows for some open-side pressure, but it's not as imposing as the "flat" mark, applying a bit less pressure.
• The "Step Off"
This is perhaps the "best" (read: most consistent) way to take away the IO. Check Force Flick for a bit more on the merits of this (he's describing something slightly different, but the same idea applies).

Essentially, by stepping off, the extra buffer space you've created makes it near impossible for the thrower to step through the mark, or to get a quick release past you (extra space means extra time to react). The big trade-off, of course, is that this mark really concedes the around--perhaps not an attacking around for yards, but a dump cutter can be led pretty easily into the backfield for good horizontal position.  You're trading the certainty of stopping breaks to your specific area for less pressure on throws to other spaces.

Adjustments to take away the around employ similar methods to the "flat" mark, only the mark is angled to take away the backfield while conceding the inside a bit more; a "staggered" mark or a "step off" mark can work too, but unlike the inside, where the mark's ability to penetrate the mark is essential, an around break goes around the mark (duh), so the crucial thing is less to prevent the throw and more to pressure as many angles as possible--it's difficult to stop the throw entirely without completely conceding upfield throws, but you can at least force passes into a smaller lane or backwards.


All of these adjustments have their weaknesses, of course. Once a team/player is capable of making static adjustments, the next level is making the mark dynamic, able to shift between states on the fly during the stall count.  More on this in a later post.  Again, look at Force Flick for ideas on how this should work.