LEARN to Box Out Like a PRO!!

[@adberniern]

In my club team, we used to run a huck drill where the cutter and defender were not allowed to jump. It practiced boxing out very well !

[@kurtegibson]

Great drill!

[@williamwalker146]

Grateful for this video. How to box out in ultimate is something I've pondered for some time. I have a nasty box out from playing basketball, but I don't think it's transfers too well to ultimate (except for maybe when you're de-accelerating to grab or block a deep throw). Because basketballs are dribbled in basketball, it's way easier to keep someone boxed out all the time, so that when they actually make a significant move with the ball, you're not really changing anything. Ultimate is played at such a fast pace it's eluded me how you could run one million MPH and then just box out, but there was some good subtle stuff here in this video.

[@kurtegibson]

Thanks! It certainly can see a little daunting but when you and the receiver are going in the same direction at similar speeds it may seem quite difficult (and it certainly is) but it gets easier with practice.

[@kevink7453]

Great breakdown. I primarily play pickup where we often prioritize safe play over jockeying for space, so I tend to ignore highlights like the first one where (at first glance) it just looks like they're both being a little extra "physical" due to the level of competition. You helped me see what a masterful job Raphy is doing at protecting himself in that situation while still keeping the play alive, and that's a skill you can use at any level of play.

[@kurtegibson]

Glad to hear it!

[@Mellowyellow8888]

I went and reviewed the first catch and the subsequent foul.. the d said he was approaching and got pushed away (during the Raphy slowdown) before the follow up catch.. why wasn't a immediate call made PRIOR to the catch?.. instead of waiting for the follow-on outcome of the catch?.. is that bad etiquette? (note there was like 3 seconds on the game clock that had elapsed from the bump to the follow on catch.. if that changes any "opinion")

[@kurtegibson]

I think he probably called foul when he felt the contact but even if he didn’t I don’t think it’s bad etiquette if he waited to say it until after it was caught. I think in the heat of the moment some people need a second to digest what happened especially if it may have seemed like a close call in their mind. I personally try to call it as soon as it happens and I think you should, that’s the ideal IMO.

[@SharkBaitSHRKB]

I did a box out drill no jumping allowed against raphy.... he caught it at his ankles

[@Butterfliesmetamorphosis]

appreciate the vid! I've implemented a lot of the things you've taught/shown in your previous vids - i'd say the title and examples aren't really matching up - with the first example, i think it's a great example of playing through contact and though you do a good example of explaining the jr initated contact, i would chalk it down to poor receiving defence because he's effectively committing a pass interference penalty if this was football, like he doesn't even get his head up to try and locate the disc....he was playing the man, not the disc, and accelerates into hayes, and i think it's a good example of playing through contact, e.g. bracing and tucking your elbow in, as well as not extending arms which all can also come into mix when talking about boxing out technique then the second example, while conrad is better positioned to contest and there's no contact until the minor and incidental contact as they're coming down, but as you pointed out, hayes highpoints it, while a great play, i wouldn't put it down as boxing out. I think of boxing as putting your body between the disc and the defender, and holding the space where the defender might otherwise look to jump to contest/make a play, instead taking away that opportunity by your body being in the way, and be prepared to absorb contact before accelerating towards towards the disc later in it's flight path, where only you can get it because it infront of you now, and the defender is out of the play by either avoiding contact with you while trailing, or being off balance/out of position to make a play due to the contact i think boxing out is an essential tool for winning 1 on 1's in the deep game, especially if you're being guarded by a taller/longer player

[@kurtegibson]

@Butterfliesmetamorphosis ok you got me on the second one! 🙃 I hesitated including that clip for that reason but I decided to include it because it was still a nice read and clean way of preventing the defense from gaining position (even though it was not a jostle for position).

[@williamtrowbridge4868]

Would you say that ultimate players use the term "box out" differently than players of contact sports like basketball? In ultimate, a sport where initiating contact should theoretically always be a foul, how is boxing out any different than just running to where the disc is going to land before your opponent gets there?

[@kurtegibson]

Good question, ultimate is a “non-contact” sport but there is an accepted level of contact generally. This can vary some based on country and level of play but is primarily seen only when both players are trying to go to the same space. Naturally there is ‘incidental’ contact mostly when cutting in these situations which is acceptable but on the mark, lighter contact can drastically affect the throw. But yes the term is used the same as in other sports

[@florianpfender6459]

Legal boxing out in Ultimate is not initiating contact, it is about legally claiming a space the opponent wants to go through. Ensuing non-incidental contact from a good box out is the opponent's foul. In most instances on hucks, it is about varying your route to the disc in a way that you still get to the disc at a good spot while taking away the best path to the disc your opponent has. One analogy would be boxing out in car racing. You are still taking a fast line through a curve, but you are deviating from the ideal line to prevent your opponent from overtaking you.

[@Gameboob]

I think sealing off is a good way to think about boxing out. Never played basketball, so I don't know what a proper box out looks like in that sport. But in ulti, sealing off means you put the defender on the opposite side of you relative to where you want to get the disc, and do this ahead of getting to the spot. Sealing early and being tight to the D has the added benefit of allowing you to start your run before them, which will get you an extra yard or two, because they will be delayed in reacting. They tend to be a bit more upright when done right. The 2-3 yards this creates is huge. And when done right, you aren't pushing them or fouling. At most, you brush up against them a bit.

[@joshwright1697]

I gave up on trying to box people out in ultimate. First clip hurts me to watch. Defender fouls offense twice and has the nerve to call a foul on the receiver. That's a joke.