Guest Article: Open Side Dump Cuts by Nick McDuffee

I asked Nick McDuffee formerly of Illinois and currently of Machine (Chicago's elite open club team) to write a guest article for us about cutting for the dump from the open (or force) side. This is something that I've struggled with myself over the course of my ultimate career and I think that Nick did a great job explaining how to do it effectively. If you have any questions for Nick feel free to comment on the post and I'll be sure to pass your comments on to him.

Handler cutting is about timing and explosive cutting. If you cut early or late you will not get open and if you cut tentatively you will not get open. If you continually jig jag and cut back and forth you may get open, but the thrower will not know where you are going and may throw it to the wrong spot. To be a good team you need to be able to hit your dumps 95% of the time. You should be able to hit your swings 60-70% of the time. The dump cut may be the least glamorous cut in ultimate, but it may also be the most important because it allows you to reset the stall count.

Getting open on the dump starts with the guy with the disc. He has to look for his dump cut on 4. That gives him a great chance to get the dump off, and if the first dump cannot get open he still has a shot on the second dump. If he looks after 6 he is putting a lot of pressure on the dumps to get open immediately. Once the guy with the disc decides to look at his dump he has to stay with the dump. He cannot give him a one second look and turn back up field. Once you commit to the dump you need to stay with him until 8. On 8 you can look to turn and huck. When you commit to the dump, turn and look at him, so he knows you are looking for it. Back hand throws are much easier and more consistent forehands at the short distance of dump passes.

Now that the thrower has committed to the dump, the dump cutter needs to get open. The most important aspects of cutting for the dump are spacing, decisive cutting, and explosive cutting. Each of these aspects are a little different based on where you are on the field. I will try and go through each of them as we did them last year on Machine. This was the most effective system I have seen since I started playing ultimate.

Disc trapped on the sideline

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My focus for this article is on cutting to the open side, but that starts with good fundamental cutting, so I will begin with the most common scenario you will find yourself in while making dumps and swings. The cutting process starts with spacing. All too often, the dump sets up too close to the disc and does not give himself enough room to cut explosively. The dump should set up 10 to 15 yards away from the disc. This gives you the opportunity to cut explosively. Cut hard right at your defender. If you can get him on his heels you have created a huge advantage for yourself. Now you can dictate your cut rather than just taking what the defense gives you. If you can get up line you want to take this. Once you decide to cut upline you have to take it. You cannot cut it off and cut back for the dump because the second dump is filling in just in case you do not get it upline. Make one decisive cut so the thrower knows where you are going and cut upline or dump. If you catch it upline, your first look should be for somebody cutting deep and to quickly continue the flow upfield. If you catch a dump your first look is for the swing because the hardest place for an offense to work is on the sideline, so you want to get the disc back to the middle of the field.

The swing cutter or second dump sets up about 25-30 yards away from the thrower and he is about 5 yards upfield. Starting upfield allows you to gain yards on a swing or at least not lose any. Once the dump starts his cut you need to be moving at probably 75-80%. You do not want to go so fast that you impede the dump cutter, but you want to be setting up your cut. Your cut should begin by mirroring the dump cutter, but 5 yards up field. If he goes up line you should look to attack up line, but make sure you peek up field so that you do not cut off an open look. If he goes dump, your cut should look like you are trying to go up line, but then you cut it off and cut back hard where you came from. This should create enough separation that a floaty swing pass can be thrown about 20 yards to the middle of the field. And you should catch it with a wide open break look, which should be your first look.

Force side Forehand-middle of the field

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The break side handler sets up even with the thrower about 10-15 yards off. The force side handler sets up about 10-15 yards off, but 3-5 yards behind the thrower. The throwers first look should be to the break side handler who cuts hard up line. If he’s open hit him. If not look at the force side handler. He should cut straight behind the thrower. Keep 2 yards distance. As he is running past hit him with a short, tight pass. This gives him a wide open look to the break side. The thrower needs to seal off the marker really well because once they see you do this a couple of times they will jump the throw and attempt a block. If you seal the marker off he will have to foul you to block the throw. If the defender is overplaying this cut, wait until right after you pass the thrower and cut right back and you should be open. This is tough to communicate between cutter and thrower. The easiest way is often if the thrower thinks the cutter is covered he should do a fake, and that will signal the cutter to cut back.

Force side Backhand-middle of the field

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You set up the same way as forehand, but opposite. You do everything exactly the same except you have one extra option. If cutting from the force side, and your defender is overplaying for the cut across you can cut straight up field. Because you are starting a couple yards behind the thrower it is an easy flip pass rather than an up field throw. After receiving the pass you should have a wide open look up field.

Force side-sideline

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When the disc is on the sideline the dump cut wants to set up a couple yards behind the thrower and the swing cut wants to set up even. The first cutter is 10-15 yards away and the second is 25-30. The first cutter should cut straight for the sideline and receive a dump pass right at the sideline. Right after the thrower passes. He should cut towards the middle and look for an immediate throw back from the dump. Because the marker is behind the thrower he should be open every time. If the fist look does not get the pass he should clear back and around very wide and as hard as he can because he has to clear space for the next cutter.

The second cut should be cutting at about 75% as the first cut starts knowing that if the dump gets off the first look is to the guy who threw the first pass. He cannot be in the way. In this scenario stay further up field so you can cut for the swing after the second pass. If the first dump does not get the pass you need to be ready to fill in. You should mirror and go to the sideline or cut that off and go up line for a short flip pass.

Using these techniques was the most successful I have been on force side dump and swing cuts while playing at Illinois and on Machine. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me an email.

Nick McDuffee