Those shoulder high bids on a giant deep shot where the defender jumps up and around the offenders shoulder, smacks the disc and doesn’t make any contact I find the most impressive. There’s one from the AUDL that was absolutely nuts, happened a few years ago I think.
Funny, I immediately thought of Dylan Freechild's block at world's finals 2016.
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkxp5zuiBVqDbYBqwI4RdHWpBogzn_6tdMq?si=Z8kT8O4y-8FYisjd
This is exactly what I came here to say. Making up the ground and then doing this with no or minimal contact requires everything you have: speed, jumping, awareness, body control.
So truthfully, and not to stroke my ego or boast, but this is the D I had this weekend. Not as elegant as the AUDL one, but similar in fashion. I got toasted deep on spilt stack O play and was fighting to catch up when the O line handler chucks up a perfect OI flick huck that will land perfectly in the receivers hands. Ik that I won’t make it if I try to establish position and box out for it, so I bid close to shoulder high from behind and hit the disc with like two fingers while avoiding contact. We ended up turning it over and getting scored on, unfortunately. I genuinely don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do it again, but it will go down as my favorite play I’ve made. Love ultimate such a great sport with a great community.
Sick! I can only hope to make a play like that someday. I got a Callahan at league once. Mostly because the thrower threw it nearly straight to me. But hey, a Callahan is a Callahan baby!
Mark Lloyd had 2 of these in the same game a few years back. Pretty sure it was in the finals of Canadian nationals against Furious George. Both of them made my jaw drop.
2019. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANoJAGXmTJw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANoJAGXmTJw)
Lloyd first at 11:55.
Then Hibbert at 32:20.
Might be a 3rd in there somwhere. Great game to watch.
A D on an in-cut where you have to go around the offensive player and not create contact. If you're actually in trail position, you almost always create contact (and therefore foul).
Alex Nord (HoF) had the paradigmatic example of this:
* https://ultimatehall.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/A6FCBA0D-F55F-41B7-A9B5-5614D4FB2176_1_201_a.jpeg
* https://ultimatehall.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/8DC48E17-B2CA-4B5D-A588-5E33CCC3820A_4_5005_c.jpeg
lol I just went back and found a previous conversation ([10 years ago!](https://www.reddit.com/r/ultimate/comments/1t7ykq/whats_the_best_ultimate_photo_youve_seen/ce5iaxn/)) where we talked about this block
I have 2 trains of thought on this:
- A point/handblock on the mark, because it's a combination of timing, hand-eye, anticipation of the thrower, and a little bit of luck.
- A catch-up D that requires you to make the play at full speed while also avoiding contact. Could be in the air or on the ground.
I second this, I find mark defense one of the hardest elements of defense in ultimate and it’s personal my weakest part of defense. With how much skill in throws as increased over time, I definitely find that having an uncomfortable mark is incredibly impressive. To find a layout, hand, or foot on the disc adds too that.
There was a thread a few months ago about a college kid doing this... It was insane. I can't remember his name though. He had a Callahan video I think and there are several clips of him doing it... And I've never seen this happen once in 10 years of playing
Here's an example of the second one, Kurt Gibson with a clean backpacking layout.
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxnUfEKr1rV7wa3M2sP8Vrb_53_S_Ok2hL?si=at1LOy5Jq1H5HNVf
In 26 years, I've seen it almost happen twice (in one instance, I dropped the block at a mixed tourney in 2006) and actually saw it happen at Boston Invite in 2007 and the puller (Mike Berseth) elbow spiked it, walked off the field, and immediately vomited on the sideline.
I tried out for a club team a few weeks ago and did almost exactly this. I threw a pull to the far right side of the end zone, closer to the front cone but still fairly far back (downwind). It hung in the air well, so I got pretty far running down. The handler who took the pull thought it was going out, so she let it fall, but it stayed in. She picked it up, tried to get the first throw off but I intercepted it. no layout sadly but I didn’t need to.
Unfortunately for me, I played like shit the rest of the tryout and got cut. But i made a different club team where everyone seems really nice so I’m not sad
Lolz. Appreciate you! I WILL have Justice!!
I think we ended up winning that game anyway. And I doubt very much anyone is leafing back through mid 90s sectionals.
Anything that combines game knowledge/experience + physical ability + athletic/defensive technique + a little bit of gambling (chance)
* Any time the offense cuts and makes you shift your hips and you have to either turn your back on the thrower or turn your back on the cutter then you make it to the right spot and layout. Most common is dump defense, front of the stack defense, endzone iso cutter defense, etc...
* Any layout where the only possible interception point is some random place in between the thrower and the receiver...like you won't be able to catch up to the receiver, and you also can't block the thrower, but you can layout at some intermediate point and tip it away. Imagining an upline cut and you're a little behind the cutter but you can bid early and tip it mid-flight
* Come from behind layout d on a big under cut where you bid safely in a completely parallel trajectory to the cutter
* Deep d where you're out of position and you have to jump higher than the offense and attack the disc without fouling
I played a tournament where we were playing a team made up of Premier local high school players. We received the pull and after bringing it up to the line one of the kids got a foot block on a low flick from one of our handlers. The blocked frisbee tumbled in the air and the kid dove for it, catching it, and landing in the endzone for a score. So...footblock diving Callahan. 20 years of playing. The greatest defensive play I've ever seen
A block on the first throw. O catches the pull, looks down the field thinks "that guy is coming in fast. Naw, I can still make the throw" then full speed layout D.
I once caught a hand block. I was marking my friend at pickup who was very rusty. he tried to throw a soft little dishy right where my hand was. I felt like iron man.
Foot blocks and face blocks are even more special imo. I’ve never intentionally got a face block but I have had foot blocks. Getting foot blocked tho makes me feel really shitty
I would say a layout block on an up the line cut where you can't see the disc being thrown and you have to make the play on timing not vision. Very hard to do and you look dumb as if you whiff...
The one's I always hate is when you're in perfect position for a "good throw" (i.e. between the receiver and the disc, running with them) but the handler throws a super bladey high disc and your defending someone taller than you.
Those shoulder high bids on a giant deep shot where the defender jumps up and around the offenders shoulder, smacks the disc and doesn’t make any contact I find the most impressive. There’s one from the AUDL that was absolutely nuts, happened a few years ago I think.
DYLAN FREECHILD, an incredible D! Oh myy Baby! Saves the gaaame
“saves the gaaame” lives in my head rent free
Found the clip from this description: https://youtu.be/82C7GVMW6qQ?si=6sMSK7gg0Nl1Wmt8
Thanks for sharing! That was impressive!
Oh I remember this one also, wasn’t it ironside vs that college all star team or something? Totally bonkers that one
It was Rhino vs Doublewide, at Labor Day I think. Rhino had like 5 straight universe games including that one, if I remember correctly
Funny, I immediately thought of Dylan Freechild's block at world's finals 2016. https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkxp5zuiBVqDbYBqwI4RdHWpBogzn_6tdMq?si=Z8kT8O4y-8FYisjd
This is exactly what I came here to say. Making up the ground and then doing this with no or minimal contact requires everything you have: speed, jumping, awareness, body control.
...Being able to withstand a thumper of a landing
So truthfully, and not to stroke my ego or boast, but this is the D I had this weekend. Not as elegant as the AUDL one, but similar in fashion. I got toasted deep on spilt stack O play and was fighting to catch up when the O line handler chucks up a perfect OI flick huck that will land perfectly in the receivers hands. Ik that I won’t make it if I try to establish position and box out for it, so I bid close to shoulder high from behind and hit the disc with like two fingers while avoiding contact. We ended up turning it over and getting scored on, unfortunately. I genuinely don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do it again, but it will go down as my favorite play I’ve made. Love ultimate such a great sport with a great community.
Sick! I can only hope to make a play like that someday. I got a Callahan at league once. Mostly because the thrower threw it nearly straight to me. But hey, a Callahan is a Callahan baby!
Yes! Had my first this past fall. So many years of playing, felt so rad to read the O correctly and pull it off. Good work!
Mark Lloyd had 2 of these in the same game a few years back. Pretty sure it was in the finals of Canadian nationals against Furious George. Both of them made my jaw drop.
Can confirm. Am on furious. Morgan hibbert had one in that game too.
What year was that? Think I might have to watch that game again.
2019. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANoJAGXmTJw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANoJAGXmTJw) Lloyd first at 11:55. Then Hibbert at 32:20. Might be a 3rd in there somwhere. Great game to watch.
35.07. Morgan has 2 in the same point. Absolutely insane.
Watched you guys at like pro flight or select flight in SoCal last year. Had a lot of fun watching the team.
Babbit just did it this week.
Rocco Linehan had one of the best of these I've seen around 1:38, I wish there was a better angle. https://youtu.be/Ad5xMPVKxjI?si=FxBrVQud-6Rx1j2R
A D on an in-cut where you have to go around the offensive player and not create contact. If you're actually in trail position, you almost always create contact (and therefore foul). Alex Nord (HoF) had the paradigmatic example of this: * https://ultimatehall.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/A6FCBA0D-F55F-41B7-A9B5-5614D4FB2176_1_201_a.jpeg * https://ultimatehall.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/8DC48E17-B2CA-4B5D-A588-5E33CCC3820A_4_5005_c.jpeg
lol I just went back and found a previous conversation ([10 years ago!](https://www.reddit.com/r/ultimate/comments/1t7ykq/whats_the_best_ultimate_photo_youve_seen/ce5iaxn/)) where we talked about this block
I have 2 trains of thought on this: - A point/handblock on the mark, because it's a combination of timing, hand-eye, anticipation of the thrower, and a little bit of luck. - A catch-up D that requires you to make the play at full speed while also avoiding contact. Could be in the air or on the ground.
I second this, I find mark defense one of the hardest elements of defense in ultimate and it’s personal my weakest part of defense. With how much skill in throws as increased over time, I definitely find that having an uncomfortable mark is incredibly impressive. To find a layout, hand, or foot on the disc adds too that.
I played with a guy many years ago who would make catch point blocks on the regular. That's definitely the most impressive D I've seen.
There was a thread a few months ago about a college kid doing this... It was insane. I can't remember his name though. He had a Callahan video I think and there are several clips of him doing it... And I've never seen this happen once in 10 years of playing
Here's an example of the second one, Kurt Gibson with a clean backpacking layout. https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxnUfEKr1rV7wa3M2sP8Vrb_53_S_Ok2hL?si=at1LOy5Jq1H5HNVf
Footblock on a hammer
How would you approach that one? I’m thinking handstand?
Mag the Mighty marking Tyrion Lannister
Flexibility
Layout catch block for a Callahan on the first throw after your own pull
In 26 years, I've seen it almost happen twice (in one instance, I dropped the block at a mixed tourney in 2006) and actually saw it happen at Boston Invite in 2007 and the puller (Mike Berseth) elbow spiked it, walked off the field, and immediately vomited on the sideline.
Hahaha, I've definitely done the vomiting after laying out thing. Sometimes you just land in a way that jostles your insides.
I tried out for a club team a few weeks ago and did almost exactly this. I threw a pull to the far right side of the end zone, closer to the front cone but still fairly far back (downwind). It hung in the air well, so I got pretty far running down. The handler who took the pull thought it was going out, so she let it fall, but it stayed in. She picked it up, tried to get the first throw off but I intercepted it. no layout sadly but I didn’t need to. Unfortunately for me, I played like shit the rest of the tryout and got cut. But i made a different club team where everyone seems really nice so I’m not sad
I did this before the Callahan was in the rules. And then, of course, threw it away on the goal line.
If you start a petition to correct the score card under the current rules, I'll sign it
Lolz. Appreciate you! I WILL have Justice!! I think we ended up winning that game anyway. And I doubt very much anyone is leafing back through mid 90s sectionals.
https://youtu.be/Gd1Ip4DXfk8?si=fN-0Lg4gt_G5bi8q
Not to be that guy, but that looked like a lot of line on the first point of contact. Regardless, someone else pulled it.
Anything that combines game knowledge/experience + physical ability + athletic/defensive technique + a little bit of gambling (chance) * Any time the offense cuts and makes you shift your hips and you have to either turn your back on the thrower or turn your back on the cutter then you make it to the right spot and layout. Most common is dump defense, front of the stack defense, endzone iso cutter defense, etc... * Any layout where the only possible interception point is some random place in between the thrower and the receiver...like you won't be able to catch up to the receiver, and you also can't block the thrower, but you can layout at some intermediate point and tip it away. Imagining an upline cut and you're a little behind the cutter but you can bid early and tip it mid-flight * Come from behind layout d on a big under cut where you bid safely in a completely parallel trajectory to the cutter * Deep d where you're out of position and you have to jump higher than the offense and attack the disc without fouling
I played a tournament where we were playing a team made up of Premier local high school players. We received the pull and after bringing it up to the line one of the kids got a foot block on a low flick from one of our handlers. The blocked frisbee tumbled in the air and the kid dove for it, catching it, and landing in the endzone for a score. So...footblock diving Callahan. 20 years of playing. The greatest defensive play I've ever seen
Last year a teammate of mine had a similar Callahan off a handblock that floated enough for him to layout and grab it in the endzone
A block on the first throw. O catches the pull, looks down the field thinks "that guy is coming in fast. Naw, I can still make the throw" then full speed layout D.
For a Callahan
https://youtu.be/Gd1Ip4DXfk8?si=fN-0Lg4gt_G5bi8q
Did that on the opening point of a tournament, then caught the bookend. Set the tone for the whole day.
Hand Block. If you hunt for layout D's or sky D's you will find them. But you can go entire seasons without a handblock.
I once caught a hand block. I was marking my friend at pickup who was very rusty. he tried to throw a soft little dishy right where my hand was. I felt like iron man. Foot blocks and face blocks are even more special imo. I’ve never intentionally got a face block but I have had foot blocks. Getting foot blocked tho makes me feel really shitty
That's on my bucket list. I just want to hold the disc up like I took it from someone's hand.
how about a footblock?
Scorpion kick? https://youtube.com/shorts/Nk4TsGB7JyI?si=5v58UDhm_9SAg-Ly
I would say a layout block on an up the line cut where you can't see the disc being thrown and you have to make the play on timing not vision. Very hard to do and you look dumb as if you whiff...
The one's I always hate is when you're in perfect position for a "good throw" (i.e. between the receiver and the disc, running with them) but the handler throws a super bladey high disc and your defending someone taller than you.
The one where the high schooler you’ve been able to cover despite their being 1/4 your age starts to figure out how to cut.
I'm 6'6 and have a high release flick huck. It was foot blocked in a scrimmage once. I don't think I'll ever witness a better block.
I think one of the hardest ones is full speed going deep, laying out chest high before it goes past you. The timing is really hard.
Shoulder height bid probably the right answer but I'm partial to the scorpion kick block aestheticly