Stop Doing This on Defense!

Middlebury vs. Whitman (Women’s Final) 

Full game link  : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j22vEihRVPw

**Please note the time stamps refer to the YouTube video’s timeline. Each timestamp below is broken down in our video breakdown.

30:17 You can see here the perils and dangers of the buffer. A couple of upfield steps, and a simple jab step to the backfield gets the handler defender to lean. That lean is pure separation. 

Now, if you do opt for a buffer, it’s important to mentally lock in the reason. The reason is to not get beat spline – so turn down your reactive levels when the reset goes for the backfield dump. 

30:56: Here is a cool spin move – we don’t see those a lot. But the buffer again allows the defender to visually see movement (the spin move) showing the swing and the lean occurs. Close that gap so that the offensive player has to curve or swerve their line to get open.

41:57: Right after the camera switches angles you’ll see a buffer, and also a commitment to the swing. This is the flat side, and the point is still valid. Committing for the swing in space is tough. Instead, line up almost with your body on the defender so you can check in with the disc and not lose sight. Here you can see the defender look back – so now they don’t see the cutter and it ends in a nice spline and OIO!

1:18:45: I love this defense from #77. It’s tight without a buffer. And you can see that it’s hard for white to get clear separation, and even after the second reset when they get the ball, the defender is right they’re locked in. Keeping the ‘box’ small is what the Breeze head coach Lauren Boyle preached, and it’s an important concept. The reset defender can’t be left for wide open big spaces. Stay close!