Disc Movement

The second mechanical skill to learn is how to move the disc around the Arena. Winning in Echo Arena is about controlling the disc and scoring on the goal. To score, you must be able to move the disc into a scoring position and then get it into the goal.

This page introduces basic throwing and catching mechanics, and explains differences in scoring, passing, and clearing.

Throwing vs. Shooting / Passing / Clearing

Throwing is the mechanical skill of moving the disc. Scoring, passing, and clearing are the game situations where throwing is done for a specific purpose in a specific way.

Scoring, passing, and clearing all require slightly different forms of throwing depending on the situation and what you are trying to accomplish.

Scoring, passing, and clearing require skill in throwing combined with good decision making on what type of throw to make.

Throwing Mechanics

There are many ways to throw and many different forms. This page teaches a basic form that is consistent and will protect against injury.

Of the four main skills below, the most important by far is accuracy. Many players attempt to get higher speed on the disc before they have consistent accuracy. Focus on accuracy first and basic comfort with multiple arm angles. Then concentrate on disc speed and release speed.

The four main skills to practice for improving throwing are:

• Accuracy: moving the disc exactly where you want it to go
  
• Disc Speed: moving the disc quickly
  
• Release Speed: getting the disc out of your hand quickly
  
  • Slapping: Fastest release possible
  • Quick release: Shorter arm circle to throw as quickly as possible
  • Full motion release: Longer arm circle for more accuracy
• Multiple arm angles: to make shots / passes easier depending on the angle you need to throw
  
  • Overhand / 3/4 Release: Most common way to shoot in most cases (esp. long range)
  • Sidearm: Preferred by some players and useful in the bubble for different angles
  • Underarm: Best for when you are shooting or passing from below your target

Throwing Mechanics Drills

- Venom's Shooting Drills Great drills for warmups and for improving accuracy of your shot.

Throwing Mechanics Videos

- USA Olympic Softball Throwing Mechanics Tutorial Detailed breakdown of how to throw consistently to avoid injury. This is the form used by one of the game's best shooters - Saloona22! There are other ways to throw but this is the recommended way to learn how to throw.

- Strembitsky's Shooting Basics Brief introduction to shooting technique in Echo Arena.

- Martin 3rd's Echo Arena Masters Guide shooting tutorial Great beginner to intermediate concepts.

- Venom's Shooting Basics Good introduction to shooting styles and ways of thinking about your accuracy and speed.

- Saloona: The Art of the Shot Live demonstration and tutorial with one of the best shooters in the game - Saloona22!

Catching

Catching is sometimes overlooked in Echo Arena training. Catching can become more difficult when passes are faster, when passes are bouncing off geometry in complex ways, and when you are moving fast (e.g. in a stack).

Skill in catching is based on:
- Reading the disc and positioning yourself in the right place for a catch
- Using the autograb button to be ready for the catch
- Moving your grabbing hand into the right position at the right time

Situations

Moving the disc always happens in one of three ways:
- Scoring (on goal)
- Passing (to a teammate)
- Clearing (to an open space where you can get to it better than your opponents)

To say this in other words, when moving the disc you are trying to get it either in the goal (shooting), to a teammate (passing), or to an open space (clearing) if you can't take a shot or make a pass.

Scoring, passing, and clearing all rely on throwing mechanics but you need to make different decisions and there are different options available in each case.

Scoring

Scoring is what most people want to do in Echo Arena. It always feels good to score. Scoring is a complex skill because there are many different ways to score.

The two basic skills to practice for scoring are: (1) in the bubble, (2) long-range (20+ meters).

Most scoring in Echo Arena happens either close-up in the bubble, or from long-range after a steal before the defense can set up. Mid-range scoring is not common in Echo Arena because usually the defense will be set up by that point and shooting a three while there is someone in goal will usually not be effective. Also, if you can hit a shot from 25 meters you can hit one from 12 meters.

Scoring in the bubble is very different from scoring from long-distance. Echo Arena players often are naturally better at one or the other and must work to develop skill where they are weak. Scoring from long-distance requires excellent form and accuracy. Scoring in the bubble requires reading the defense and using multiple arm angles and release times, as well as short passes.

Bubble Scoring (2 pointers)

Technical accuracy with throwing mechanics is less important in the bubble than the ability to move and think quickly to react and respond to what the defense does.

Most scoring at all levels happens in the bubble[1]. As you can see in the graph below from Ignite Stats, more than twice as many goals are scored inside the bubble (2 pointers).

Inside the bubble categories are 'Inside shot', 'Bounce Shot', and 'Slam Dunk'; 'Self Goal' will also be mostly from inside the bubble shots (data from Ignite Stats)

 Great scorers in the bubble can 
 - Bounce around the geometry near the goal (e.g. boot / shield / pillar / shoulder / backboard / the rim of thee goal itself) with the disc and without the disc to find the best angle to attack the goal. 
 - Use multiple arm angles (overhand / sidearm / underarm / backhand / spin shots / behind the back) to confuse defenders
 - Use bounce shots to get around the defenders

Bubble Scoring Drills

- Bubble Movement Drill: Move as quickly as possible using slaps and main booster around the bubble geometry (e.g. boot / shield / pillar / shoulder / backboard / the rim of thee goal itself / floor / ceiling). Do this with the disc and without the disc.

Bubble Scoring Videos

- Martin 3rd's Echo Arena Masters Guide Tips on backboard bounce shots.

Long-range Scoring (3 pointers)

Long-range scoring is less dependent on movement and reaction mechanics than it is about technical accuracy with form and flow.

Long-range scoring is good to practice for several reasons: - 3 point shots are worth 1.5 times the amount as 2 point shots - If you can make a long-range shot you can make a mid-range or short-range 3 pointer - Making really long-range shots (25m+) will give you the feeling that you can make a shot from anywhere in the half-court

 Great long-range shooters:
 - Have a consistent mechanical form that prevents injury
 - Can move subtly to get their angle of momentum moving as straight to the target as possible
 - Have calm awareness of how much time they have to shoot (to get closer or to get the angle better)
 - Slightly move their head straight toward the target while throwing (increases speed and increases accuracy)

Long-range Scoring Drills

- Tunnel Shots: Move slowly between the blocks in the tunnels and use the personal disc to shoot on both goals in the arena. Tap the last block to turn around and shoot on the other goal before you hit the last block on the other side. 

Passing

Passing requires technical accuracy in throwing mechanics very similar to long-range shooting (and some elements of short-range shooting as well).

Passing requires connection with your teammate to put the pass in the best place for them to make the next play. Depending on the situation, you may need to throw it directly to them, or sometimes away from them so that they can get to it if they move but a defender guarding them cannot get to it.

Examples of different passing situations that require different thinking: - Passing directly to a teammate on the shield so they can catch it without moving and shoot - Passing to a teammate moving between geo or toward goal so they can catch and shoot - Passing to a teammate away from a defender so they have to move away from the defender to catch the disc

Passing Videos

• Backpasses and Resets: SirDimwi explains how and when to backpass and reset.

Clearing

Clearing means to throw to an open space in the arena, ideally with the result that your team gets to it before the other team.

 Tips for Clearing
 - When on defense attempting to clear through mid, throw the disc to the tube on the other side of where you are. Defenders usually hang out to intercept clears that go through the nearest (and most likely) areas. 
 - When clearing, tell your team where you are throwing the disc so they can go there, especially if they are in a stack. 
 - When your team is in a stack, they should direct you on where to clear based on their view of the defense. 
 - When on the offensive side and you need to clear, throw the disc toward the ground and to the other side of the Arena (unless you know where a teammate is going and then throw it there). If you throw it directly toward the goal this is where the defense is most likely to be.