In 25 years of coaching, I’ve learned that few things shut down an offence faster than one player trying to do everything. Taking the disc at every opportunity, cutting into every open space, or rushing in to rescue a possession might look like initiative, but it can leave teammates watching instead of playing.

For experienced players, a better next step is to move beyond being involved in every play and focus on enabling the plays that matter. Before making another cut, consider whether a teammate already has a good opportunity. After passing, decide whether to clear space, provide a reliable reset, or create an option elsewhere. When a teammate has the disc, give them room to make a decision rather than immediately stepping in to solve the problem. The goal isn’t fewer contributions—it’s more meaningful ones.

Elite players shouldn’t measure their impact by how often they touch the disc, but by how effectively they influence the point. Reading the field, creating space, drawing defenders, and putting teammates in good positions can be just as valuable as making the assist or scoring the goal. These skills make you harder to defend because your impact doesn’t depend on having the disc. Opponents can plan to stop one star player, but it’s much harder to stop an offence with multiple players capable of making the next play.

This is both a competitive and an equity issue. When the same experienced players dominate every point, other teammates lose opportunities to develop their skills, confidence, and decision-making. This can disproportionately affect women-matching players, newer players, and those who already face barriers to being heard and trusted on the field. You can’t develop players by consistently taking the decisions and opportunities away from them.

The goal isn’t to become less valuable to your team, it’s to make your team less dependent on you. Give teammates meaningful opportunities, trust them to make decisions, and support them without taking over. You become a more complete player, your teammates become more capable, and your offence becomes deeper, less predictable and harder to shut down.

As your game develops, so should your understanding of impact. The ability to recognise when to take responsibility, when to create opportunities for others, and when to trust a teammate to make the play adds another dimension to your game. It helps more players develop their skills and decision-making, while giving your offence more options, greater adaptability and less dependence on any one player. You become a more complete player, and the team becomes more capable together.

Written by Michael Robertson
Head Coach, Mola Mola
VUL Board President

All In is a column dedicated to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Ultimate.