The clamp is the most critical component of the faceoff. Control the clamp, and you win 68.4% of faceoffs on average. It’s why faceoff athletes fight for every millimeter as they line up. Push for any degree past 90° that Matty Palumb will permit them to lean. And train their hand speed and reaction times to cover that ball as soon as the whistle sounds.

Waterdogs LC faceoff athlete Jake Withers completely negates any advantage gained by winning the clamp.

Withers won 44.7% of faceoffs following a clamp loss in ‘22 (second in PLL behind Joe Nardella). His counter rate (i.e. the success of his second move) usually hovers around 50% or higher. Rakes and rips pry the ball free from his opponents’ clamps and out to his wings: Zach Currier and Ryland Rees.

During the Waterdogs’ 2022 Cash App Championship run, Withers beat the best in the league in September.

He won 17-of-33 (52%) against MVP Trevor Baptiste’s Atlas LC. He neutralized Nardella (11-for-23, 48%) to knock off the two-time champion Whipsnakes LC. And on the season’s biggest stage, Withers scooped a season-high 11 groundballs against Max Adler’s Chaos LC.

#50-#41 of the 2022 Players Top 50 are out now. Check back tomorrow for #40-#31.