Rotation System
I use a ‘rotation’ system. Let’s say, hypothetically, I have a roster of 16 players. I first set some ground rules, such as:
1) there will be 7 different rotations
2) every player will play on AT LEAST 2 of the rotations
3) a rotation will play two points in a row
These ground rules might change depending on the size of my roster – with fewer than 16 I often go to 6 rotations instead of 7. If two points are short I can leave a rotation in for an extra point, or if a single point takes 10 minutes I can switch after that point.
A 7-rotation system gives me 49 ‘slots’ to work with, since there are 7 players on the Ultimate field. I can tailor my rotation to fit the situation:
1) If I am playing against a stronger team, I might put my strongest players on 4 different rotations and the weaker players on 2 rotations.
2) If I am playing a weaker team, I might give everyone 3 rotations.
3) If I am playing against a much weaker team, I might give my weakest players 4 rotations and the stronger players just 2.
The rotation method has some very compelling advantages:
1) I can decide on the rotations ahead of time, which means I don’t need to think about subbing during a game. This gives me freedom to focus on the game and do actual coaching.
2) I can be sure that everyone is getting the planned amount of playing time. I don’t have to worry about ‘forgetting’ a player.
3) I can build the rotations to be balanced, making sure there is a strong handler, a good defensive deep player, etc. on each rotation.
4) The players know what to expect and know when they will be playing.
One problem with using rotations is the lack of spontaneity and lack of ability to adjust to situations on the field. I often counter that by leaving one of the 7 slots on the rotation open – I decide at the last minute, as the rotation is going on the field, who will fill the open slot. If our team is winning, I can give more playing time to weaker players. If a player is having the game of her life, I can leave her on the field, etc. etc.
Over the years I have developed a spreadsheet that I use as a tool to help me build rotations. [I will supply the sample spreadsheet on request] I give each player 3 ratings, for throwing, catching, and defense. These ratings will often change over the course of the season. As I add a player to a rotation by typing a ‘1’ in the slot, a total team score is displayed at the bottom of the column. In the sample, you can see that teams 1,2,4,5,6, and 7 are relatively equal. Team 3 is a stacked team. I deliberately placed the 7 best players in this rotation. I often do this, to give the best players a chance to play together.
The spreadsheet gives me visual access to other important information. For example, James Monroe is only in rotations 5 and 7. Since the odds are that rotation 7 will play less than the others, this is bad for James. I should try to switch his 7 slot with another player who has 3 or more rotations. I also see that James Polk will play 4 rotations in a row (7,1,2,3). He better be in good shape!
A few other notes:
Going into a tournament, I often come with three different rotations: ‘strong’, ‘even’, and ‘weak’.
I have set the Print Area of the spreadsheet to only print the rotations, and not the scores. This is what the players will see on my clipboard.
If a player is absent or injured, it is easy to just pencil in additional rotations for other players – or to just keep the slot empty and decide at the last minute.
Before the game begins, I read off each player’s name and the rotations that they are on. If you ever see ARMS play, you will notice that the players all have numbers written on their hands!