Clear out, don't check out
Plus: the "inside pivot" isn't just for when you're holding the disc
One of my first posts, back before anyone read this blog, was Be ready for the pass at all times. I want to return to that theme with a new suggestion: clear out, don't check out.
If I've already written about being ready at "all times", why write more about one specific sub-example of readiness? Didn't I already give all the advice that could be necessary? There's a couple reasons:
First, I think calling attention to a specific situation where players often lack awareness may be extra helpful. "Be ready all the time" is a great aspiration, but it's vague—it doesn't help players notice concrete moments where they might be missing opportunities.
Second, giving the idea a catchy name may help players remember it. So: clear out, don't check out.
Some of the experienced players on the team I coach like to remind their newer teammates to "clear out!" or "clear out hard!". I think young players (and even some relatively experienced players) hear they should "clear out" and they think it means my turn is over, it's someone else's turn now.
But that's not what the best players are doing. The best players may exit a space (i.e. "clear out") to leave it free for a teammate, but they are not turning their brains off (i.e. "checking out"). They're still checking in with the thrower using their eyes, still ready to catch a pass if they need to.
Call it the reverse Hotel California: you can leave, but you can never check out.
The prototypical example: catching an inside forehand
Why is it bad to check out when you clear out? Simply put, you may still be a target the thrower wants to throw to. If your defender sees you're not actively trying to catch a pass, they know they can expend less energy guarding you. They'll use that chance to take away your offense's other options.
A typical situation is something like this: After cutting from the back of the stack (or wherever else you may be cutting from—this advice is not only relevant when in a vert stack), you start to clear back towards the center of the field. Your defender lingers in the throwing lane for a moment, trying to deter a pass downfield. If you're not checked out, the thrower can hit you with an inside forehand while your defender is blocking the downfield throwing lane.
Here's an example of exactly that from a recent Portland Rising vs. NY Gridlock game:
In picture form:
Some examples of clear outs I don't love
Here's an example from NY Gridlock's recent game against Indy Red. The New York cutter cuts under, then starts to exit the space in front of the thrower. As they exit that space, they have their back to the disc for most of their path back to the center of the field. Look for the cutter along the bottom sideline who clears back towards the center of the field in the clip below:
In GIF form:
This is a pretty clear missed opportunity—the cutter's defender is far from them, and in fact has stopped guarding them in order to hang out in the forehand throwing lane. New York could have gained five yards, but instead loses twelve.
Our next example is from a 2024 game between DC Shadow and Raleigh Radiance. It contains both a questionable clear out and an excellent example of "clear out, don't check out":
In the clip above, the first cutter from the back of the stack turns their whole body away from the disc once they see the pass isn't coming:
After DC completes a swing pass, the next cutter from the back of the stack keeps their eyes on the thrower when they clear. The thrower rewards their attentiveness with a pass (which sails high but ends up getting caught by a teammate on an extremely windy day):
In their recent game against Portland Rising, NY Gridlock players often cut all the way to the sideline, and then cleared out downfield (i.e. towards the endzone they were scoring in). An example is in the clip below. I don't think this is a super-egregious example of being "checked out"—the cutter does turn their head back to the play at one point—but overall they don't seem to do the best job of continuing to make themselves available:
A clear out I LOVE
One clear out in the Rising vs Gridlock game exemplifies exactly how to clear out without checking out. If my squinting at the screen was successful, it's Annika Chan, #24, who cuts from the back of the stack at the start of this clip:
When she doesn't get the disc, she clears back towards the center while keeping an eye on the thrower:
And when she reaches the center of the field, she pivots in a way that allows her to continue to face the disc:
This small detail allows her to stay in the action and stay available as a potential target for the thrower. There's been talk lately about the "inside pivot", but it's usually presented as something you when turning downfield after catching the disc.
But these "inside pivots" are perhaps just as important in situations like these where you don't have the disc. Keeping yourself available can often help your offense get out of a tight spot.
In this same game, New York Gridlock often had their players clear deep when they reached the sideline after an under cut (as mentioned above). However, they almost always cut deep by turning their face to the sideline and their back to the field of play.
The clip included above is an example of that. Here at 1:07:30 is another example where Yina Cartagena (in the white visor) cuts from the back of the stack—when she starts to clear out, she turns towards the sideline. I'd prefer to see players keep their eyes towards the field in a situation like this. It's a small detail, but these marginal improvements in awareness add up over time to the benefit of your offense.
Final thoughts
Clear out, don’t check out!
love the Hotel California metaphor!