Film is a cheat code. Use it.
“How should I watch film?”
That’s one of the top three questions I get when coaching Ultimate all over the world.
In my latest YouTube episode following Boston Dig Ultimate on our push to Nationals, I briefly broke down some game film of two of our pool play opponents. Here, I want to take a deeper dive and share my go-to strategies for effective film study—whether you’re a player looking to improve or a coach searching for edges.
💡 Pro Tip: These techniques aren’t just for film study. You can use the same thought processes in real time during games to make smarter strategic adjustments.
🎥 Get a free guided Film Study here — and check out our brand new Film School, a structured breakdown program built to help players and coaches grow.
1. Determine How Teams Flow
When scouting, don’t stop at “They play vert.”
Ask yourself:
- Where do they want the disc to go?
- Where is the attacking space on the field? Where is the clearing / dead space?
- How are they continuing the motion? How do they restart if they get stuck or sent backwards?
Or maybe you simply want to learn how to play in a certain offense. Truck Stop’s cutting from the front of a vertical stack. Fury’s famous horizontal stack. This can really help new players and experienced players alike get confident on the field.
You can also see how teams set up their pull plays for glimpses into scripted offense. Then flip it: how do defenses stop flow? Tight person defense? Junk? Zone? Watch for the moment the defense wins and rewind a few throws before. That’s usually where the real story is.
📌 Example: Chicago Machine used a sideline force and end zone bracket last year that gave us fits. Later, Rhino Slam! showed how to beat it—because they had already studied the tape. Raphy Hayes came onto Excel’s Classroom on Offense and explained that their goal was to draw the open side bracket all the way to the cone and open up a soft spot in the bracket.
Key Areas to Watch
- Pull Plays (offense & defense)
- End zone sets (offense & defense)
- Downfield flow
- Defensive sets (junk, zone, person)
2. Study the Reset Space and How Teams Use It
Ultimate teams don’t have endless practice time. Most squads only develop a single handler set. If you can identify their reset structure early, you’ve got a real advantage.
Look closely at:
- How teams structure trap, flat, and middle resets.
- How throwers and dumps initiate movement. Do they want to win uplines, swing it, or take the easy dump?
- Where the high-side reset comes from (the modern chess match 👀)
Then examine the defensive counters: early rolls, force middle, poaches. If you can anticipate them, you can game plan effectively.
📌 Example: Johnny Bravo gave Truck Stop trouble with their early rolls out of their force-middle defense in 2023. They would immediately sit someone under the thrower coming back to the force side and not let us slip for the handoff. The away shot was tricky – take a look and see if you recognize anyone 🙂
3. Track a Single Player’s Performance
Choose one player—ideally someone in your position or someone you admire—and follow them exclusively for several points or an entire game. Watch what they do off the disc, how they time their cuts, how they recover on defense, and how they adjust based on game flow. Mac Hecht came onto Excel Ultimate’s Classroom to discuss how he watched great towers make great throws and watched the clip back dozens of times to see what they were seeing. This level of focus gives you insight into the small, smart decisions that don’t always show up in highlight reels but separate great players from average ones. Emulating their habits can quietly elevate your own game.
Some Great Players to Study
- O Handler: Anna Nazarov – Break throw mastery
- O Cutter: Claire Trop – Elite deep game and yardage gain
- O Hybrid: Yours truly 😉 – Connecting handlers and cutters
- Handler Defender: Sol Yannuk – Team defense and 1v1 smarts
- Downfield Defender: Troy Holland – Exceptional positioning
📝 Coaching Tip: Identifying key opposing players and finding matchups to contain them is one of the fastest ways to swing a game.
4. Pick Up Skills, Tips, and Tricks
Film is the best way to steal from the greats. Watch for technical details that separate elite players:
- How throwers pivot to create lanes
- How cutters fake and time movement
- How defenders position themselves in isolation sets
📌 Example: Joe White executes a forehand throw-and-go sequence perfectly. Jog to widen the lane. Turbo burst. Slam the brakes. Free inside. No-pivot break for the assist. Watch that a dozen times and add it to your own game.
Little tweaks—a jab step here, a timing shift there—make a big difference. Don’t forget that the best way to be a great player is to steal moves from great players.
5. Identify Where Turnovers Happen and Why
Every turnover tells a story. Don’t just count them—understand them. Film exposes patterns so you can fix them fast. But here’s an important distinction. Just because you see something once does not mean it needs an immediate fix. One drop isn’t going to merit a strategic intervention. But once you start to see things like turnovers consistently, then it is time to address them. Great coaches have a sense for when a mistake turns into a pattern and needs to be corrected.
Ask:
- Execution error or decision-making problem?
- Strategic or forced?
- What happened 3 passes before?
This applies to your team and your opponents.
📌 Example: If your team is dropping unders in the wind, switch to hucks. Easier to catch. Push the turnovers further downfield. And wait till practice to work on the physical skill of catching. If your opponent turns it over on the sideline, build your D-line game plan to keep them there. Go flat on the mark and force breaks wide. Get a handler sag in the open side lane. Steal these tricks as a player as well as a coach!
Also, review your personal turnovers:
- Missing forehand hucks down the line?
- Inside breaks behind your teammate?
- Forcing resets into poaches?
Final Thoughts: Keep Film Study Fun
Film should not feel like homework. It should feel like exploration. Watch for education and entertainment. The more you enjoy something the more you will come back to it. That’s why we keep our film school fun!! Come join us and level up your Game IQ.
Lastly – Scouting has evolved massively over the last decade. The question is: are teams using it to the best of their abilities?
📬 Got thoughts on film’s future in Ultimate? Email me at info@excelultimate.com
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