Tip of the Week | What is “zone”?

Zone is a type of defense in which you are responsible for covering an area rather than a person. The intent is basically to close off the throwing lanes on the field so that your opponents can’t throw upfield, and to force a turnover when they try it. The type of zone will depend on your team and probably your captain’s preferences, but generally there are three parts to a zone: front, mid, and deep. The people in the front are the ones on the disc, one marking the thrower and counting, and the other(s) just over 3 metres / 10 feet away from the thrower, blocking a portion of the field. The mids are (hmm) the middle of the zone, and it’s their job to cover runners in that area and / or knock down the mid-length throws. The deeps are the ones nearest the end zone your team is ‘protecting’ and they are the ones that stop the long throws - usually they are fast and tall or can jump well. They are also ideally going to call guidance to the mids when there are runners coming into their area. For more specifics, your captains will set you up!