Why don't we throw to FMPs?
Experiences and things you can do to improve inclusivity of your female-matching players.
Alright. Here we go. I’ve had this conversation with a few people recently, so I wanted to write this up - how do we actually do better at making FMPs feel valued and appreciated in the sport of ultimate?
FMP: Female-matching player OR DOW: Defense on Women OR WMP: Woman-matching player.
My guess is that almost everyone reading this who plays ultimate plays on a mixed team sometimes - maybe for league, maybe for club, maybe for pickup. Mixed is very common in our sport.
Today, I want to talk about three things that I have experienced and I have seen other FMPs (from the new to the elite) experience ALL THE TIME when playing mixed. I am doing this to help increase awareness - inclusion in mixed ultimate is not just about saying hi or letting your FMP be the spirit captain.
Two Important Notes:
This advice is not just for MMPs. I think we all fall into these traps, and it is work for all of us to do. I could also see these experiences being relatable to new folks to the sport, regardless of MMP/FMP status.
Being more inclusive and working against these things we often inherently do takes intention and practice. It won’t change in a day, but it can get better over time if you commit to making adjustments.
Common Experience #1: An FMP does not get the disc because they don’t look “open”.
A few things about FMP cutting movements.
Cuts can take longer to set up for FMPs. This means that you have to look at them a little longer than you might look at an MMP.
FMPs often play tighter defense than MMPs. This means that being open looks different than MMPs, because FMPs can be open even if they don’t have multiple steps on their defender.
These two things mean that the window for throwing is smaller and requires more precise timing and accuracy of the throw.
Work On: Improving your throws and making small adjustments physically to how you play and mentally to what you look for when throwing when you have the disc.
Common Experience #2: An FMP does not get the disc because last time they dropped it.
This happens to me all the time, most often when I am playing with people I have not played with before. I make one mistake and I don’t touch the disc again for the entire point, the entire game, or sometimes even the entire day. Why does this happen?
Lack of trust - we are more likely to not trust someone when they make a mistake if we don’t know who they are. So, we stop throwing to people who make mistakes, especially if it lost us possession.
Work On: Recognizing why you are not throwing to someone and practicing giving people multiple chances or opportunities to prove your instincts wrong. Throw to them again. That’s the only way to improve your chemistry together and help them improve as a player.
Common Experience #3: An FMP and an MMP both cut to the same space. The FMP yields to avoid contact. The MMP keeps going. The MMP gets the disc.
I think this often happens because of course we all want to get the disc. That’s the fun part of ultimate. We want touches. This becomes an issue of equity when one group (often MMPs) take disproporionately more space on the field than another (often FMPs).
Work On: Field awareness of what is developing around you so you can make space for others’ cuts and give others time to get open. Build systems to help people know when it is their turn to go.
A few final things that I think everyone can be conscious of:
Adjusting your skillset to accommodate MMP and FMP players. Mixed is a difficult game because we have to do the physical and mental switch between playing styles across genders. Do the work to practice and improve this skill.
Improving your field awareness and being aware of the space you are taking on the field.
Throwing to people even if they make a mistake. It’s not always their fault, and even if it is, one drop is not enough to not ever get the disc again.
Want to read more people’s thoughts on this? Here are some Reddit threads related to gendered experiences in ultimate. I don’t necessarily agree with every thought or comment, but I do think it is useful to hear what people are saying. Ordered by recency!
“Tired of mixed sexism” (3 years ago)
“Men touch the disk twice as often as women in mixed club, analysis finds | Ultiworld” (5 years ago)
“People who play mixed, why do you prefer it to open/women’s?” (3 years ago)
“Statistics Show Women in Mixed Account for 63% of their Expected Contribution” (8 years ago)
“On Being a Woman at Pickup (Ultimate)” (9 years ago)