Player Movement
The first mechanical skill to learn is how to move. If you cannot get to where the action is, you cannot do anything else (like shooting, passing, stunning, stealing, etc.).
Some examples:
- If the disc is loose in the arena, you need to get there first in order to grab it and shoot / pass.
- If your opponent has the disc and is looking to score, you need to get there quickly to stun / steal.
- If you have the disc in hand and there are opponents or geometry in the way of a shot / pass, you need to move to make the shot / pass.
There are many nuances of movement to be mastered. This page will introduce two primary types of movement: (1) moving alone, (2) moving together with a teammate (stacking). It will also briefly explain the other more rare form of movement: using an opponent (leaching).
Primary Movement Patterns: Alone and in a Stack[edit | edit source]
The two main ways to get around the arena are: (1) by yourself, (2) working together with a teammate. Both are important to know how to do at a basic level, but the ability to move with a teammate should be considered the most important mechanical skill to practice because there is no limit to the speed you can obtain when doing this (the only limit is how many times you can regrab in the length of the arena).
Basic skill in regrabbing will easily obtain 3-5x the speed of players moving alone.
Speed limits:
- Alone with the disc = 4.7 m/s
- Alone without the disc = 5.0 m/s
- Stacking / Regrabbing = UNLIMITED (often greater than 30 m/s)
The most powerful and deadly thing in Echo Arena is a pair of players who can stay together and accelerate around the Arena, changing directions to always be at the point of action.
Solo Movement[edit | edit source]
Moving alone using your hands to push off and boosters to make fine adjustments is the first thing to get comfortable with in Echo Arena.
Moving alone is a very important skill at high levels, but you can get away with lesser skill moving alone if you are good at regrabbing (stacking), positioning, and reading the disc.
Moving alone is based on your ability to:
- Slap geometry accurately to move at the best angle and to reach max speed (4.0 m/s without boost)
- Move from geometry to geometry (not hanging out in space)
- Move around geometry while staying connected to it
- Use boosters strategically to alter direction and to get to max speed of 5 m/s moving geo to geo
Speed Limits: * Slapping / Pushing off geometry = 4.0 m/s * Using main booster (left thumbstick down) = 5.0 m/s
Solo Movement Drills[edit | edit source]
COMING SOON
Solo Movement Videos[edit | edit source]
- Strembitsky's basic movement video First three minutes shows basic movement mechanics. Video then shows shooting tips.
- Martin 3rd's Echo Arena Master's Guide on Movement Very good beginner to intermediate movement techniques.
- Clex introduces Pitch and Roll Intermediate to advanced tips on how to use pitch and roll.
- How to Floor Juke Strategically: SirDimwi explains how to use juking effectively.
- How to Deal with Floor Jukers: SirDimwi explains how to deal with floor jukers.
Stacking[edit | edit source]
Stacking means to move in pairs as a unit - regrabbing multiple times to increase speed and change direction to get to the point of action. Basic skill in regrabbing will easily obtain 3-5x the max individual speed cap, and expert regrabbers can obtain 10x and more (50+ m/s).
To be a stack means to think as a unit. You are not two players using each other to go faster. You are one pair of players thinking and moving together in ways that are impossible to do individually.
Skill in regrabbing is based on:
- How quickly and effortlessly you can connect with your regrabbing partner to start the sequence
- How quickly and accurately you tap your regrab partner as you move in a stack
- How well you communicate and stay together when you need to change directions
- How accurately you change directions while staying connected with your partner
- How well you decide when to pull and when to wait, depending on what is happening
Stacking Drills[edit | edit source]
- TT's Regrabbing Drill The best drill for practicing regrabbing alone - no partner needed! Step-by-step breakdown for total beginners to advanced players. This drill will show you where you are strong and where you can improve.
Stacking Videos[edit | edit source]
- SirDimwi's Introduction to Regrabbing Tutorial demonstrating what regrabbing is and how to do it. Beginner to intermediate instructions on how to regrab, change directions, and bounce off geometry.
- Martin 3rd's Echo Arena Masters Guide to regrabbing Excellent beginner to advanced concepts on regrabbing.
- Venom's Speed and Mobility Tutorial Intro to regrabbing and some more advanced concepts.
Leaching[edit | edit source]
Leaching means to use an opponent's movement to move faster. Usually this is done by grabbing the feet of an opponent as they go by and getting one boost off them. Sometimes the opponent might grab you and boost themselves, and this can become a kind of involuntary hostile stacking. Sometimes you may hold on to your opponent's feet and wait for them to grab the disc to then stun and steal
Leaching is more common at higher levels of Arena play, and newer players should focus on regrabbing and solo movement before working to get better at leaching.
Leaching Videos[edit | edit source]
- Martin 3rd's Echo Arena Masters Guide Video link to section on leaching specifically.
