Too many times in a game, the disc will be thrown, the player on offense will catch it, the defender will turn to their team and shout “Where was the up call?”.
However, it’s not up to your team to tell you where the disc is. Sure, an “Up” call will help, but you should also be aware and know where the disc is, where the offensive player is and be ready to make a bid on the disc.
Since the receiver already has the advantage, you must work on your field awareness in order to increase your chances of getting a D on the disc.
Here are a few tips to improve field awareness:
1. Don’t watch only the disc or only the receiver. Take snapshots of the field every few seconds so you can constantly adjust to what is happening on the field. Depending where you are on the field, you should also be able to see both the receiver and the thrower in your peripheral so work on that skill of being able to tell what is going on without losing sight of one of the other too often.
2. Instead of waiting for the receiver to make a move, try to anticipate what they are doing and react first. This can be accomplished by trying to be in between them and the disc – this will help increase your chances of getting a D.
3. Work on your defensive positioning. As much as you can see what’s going on by looking around and trying to quickly take snapshots, it also helps to be in the right position. What is the right position? Well, that depends on many factors but a good start is to be in between the receiver and the disc so it’s more difficult for them to get the disc.