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It should be fairly clear already that the skills of an individual relative to the team dictate the position in which someone plays. In mixed there are a few more restrictions on who can easily play a given position.

Males tend to dominate the deep game as well as a trap mark in zone. Women can thrive in middle cutting positions as well as handlers (provided they do not run up against a large male trap mark). I have also seen women hucking effectively, especially because it is not common on mixed teams and defenders do not expect it. That said, a solid male handler is also necessary to keep the disc alive and to keep the downfield area from getting too crowded. Given these positions, it should be easier to figure out specific skills. (I leave it to the defensive specialists to describe counters to all of this).

Male Downfield Cutter: This player should have speed and the ability to read and catch errant throws. There will be more than one on any team. Of secondary importance is their own throwing ability. It is very helpful to be able to throw long continues or huck, but this cutter must be a solid yardage gainer with either in-cuts or out. A team should have at least two on the field at any one time so that they can work off of each other. One should be going in for the easy gainer while the other goes deep for a huck or an in-cut continue. Mixed allows for great isolation plays because it is less likely for another guy to be in a position to help out. A successful mixed team will take advantage of this when they see a good matchup.

Female Downfield Cutter: As a woman, this player is likely to be smaller than most of the guys on the field and therefore more susceptible to some guy poaching the deep area. It is very possible to do it, especially if she is much taller than her defender, but the other male cutters must be aware of how they have positioned themselves. In short, it takes more coordination to send a woman deep, so therefore she should usually come under and provide solid continuation cuts. I tend to think this is one of the more highly underrated positions because it does not usually result in a score or a fancy break, but it is critical to the offensive flow. This woman must have very solid hands, good field sense, and accurate throws, in that order. Women are generally smaller targets and this position is typically moving quickly, so any increase in her catching range is quite valuable. After the catch, she should be able to get it further upfield to one of the other (usually male) cutters for the flow to continue.

Male Handler: The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of handlers is consistency. Their job is to keep the disc moving and get it to the downfield cutters. Hucking may or may not fit into their skill set, but they usually start from a stopped or slow moving disc anyway so the mark is usually present. Good breaks are much more valuable. Interestingly, I would also place the defensive skills of this position at a premium. A lot of men out there can throw and break the mark, but those skills do not always go hand in hand with defense. Mixed has more turnovers than Open, so handlers should not become a liability on defense even if they are stuck in an isolation endzone play.

Female Handler: As a secondary handler, she needs to work well with the primary male handler. This is not to say that the roles cannot be reversed, but male-primary female-secondary is the typical setup. She must be able to hold her own under a pressure zone mark as well as occasionally break for an upfield gainer. In normal circumstances, her role is not too different from a male handler. However, in zone, if you can find the appropriate woman, she can take over one of the two center handler positions and free up a taller male for downfield hammers or for a trapped wing position. This can be extremely valuable for a downfield advantage once the handlers break through the cup.

Finally, everyone must be able to throw 20-25 yards consistently. There is a lot more space in the mixed game simply because there are fewer guys on the field. Larger, faster people tend to cover more ground so the field is relatively smaller when there are more of them. Spacing should become easier in mixed, but everyone needs to know how to use it. Isolate good matchups and clear space for each other when you don't get the disc.

Tyler Grant dominated the Mixed division in 2006, leading the Bay Area squad Mischeif all the way to a National Championship in Sarasota. Tyler is also part of the current Umbrella-Holders, Paganello Champions Huck Finn.