Communication

Communication is how you share information and help your team make decisions.

Each player literally has a unique perspective in Echo Arena - a view of the game that no one else has. No player can see the whole arena all at once.

The Goalie, or the player farthest back from the action, has the broadest view of what is happening. This is why Goalies / back line players must be very good at seeing the arena and communicating to teammates what is most important and what should be done at any moment.

There are many important things to communicate at various times during the game. The goal is to keep communication minimal while still providing all the necessary details.

Communicating Time (Red / Yellow / Green)

The Red / Yellow / Green system is used, or at least known, by most players in Echo Arena. It is an easy way to communicate to teammates how much time they have so they can make a better decision on what to do with the disc:

• Red means an opponent is on you or very close. You should move out of the way quickly and/or get rid of the disc quickly.
• Yellow means an opponent is in the area and you should be careful. You have time to make a move but should be on the lookout for pressure to come.
• Green means you are not being pressured and can take your time to make the best decision.

The Red / Yellow / Green system is most effective when also sharing information about an open pass or clear opportunity. For example:

• Red Left Boot means you are under pressure and there is an open pass near the left boot block
• Red Clear Right Tunnel means you are under pressure and the best clear is through right tunnel
• Yellow Cross Pac means you will have pressure soon and there is an open pass on the opposite side of the arena near the Pac-Man block
• Green Open Goal means you have time and there is no Goalie - take a moment to get the best shot and take a shot!

Communicating Positions

Communicating positions helps your teammates know where each other are and also where the opponents are.

Three of the most important things to communicate about positions are:

1. Open passes: saying the name of a geometry or area generally means you are open for a pass there (e.g. 'open right Pac' or just 'right pac'). Only call out your location if you know you are open. You can also call out teammates who are open for passes (e.g. 'look nest' or 'look cross pillar').
2. Enemy positions: tell your teammates where the opponents are (e.g. 'all four in bubble' or 'one hiding behind double diamond' or 'two stacking on nest')
3. Enemy stack pressure: stacks move fast, so knowing the opponent is moving as a stack is important (e.g. 'they are stacking' or 'stack moving through mid')

Communicating Strategy

Making decisions as a team and reacting to changes in strategy from your opponent is crucial to winning.

Three of the most common and important communications about strategy are:

1. Backpass / reset: tell your teammates to backpass or reset and where you are (e.g. 'Reset double diamond')
2. Slowing down: Echo Arena moves fast but there are times when slower is better (e.g. when on offense and the opponent defenders are all in their bubble)
3. When to cut / cutting: Tell your teammates when to make a cut toward the goal (e.g. 'cut') or that you are making a cut toward goal (e.g. 'cutting')