Ultimate Intelligence – Head to the end zone!

This is the first of a series of Ultimate Intelligence posts that I hope to write. These posts will hopefully provide some useful information that you can use to improve your game in a variety of ways. For the most part Ultimate Intelligence will be about on-field performance and may include tips regarding tactics, physical work or mental perspective.

This post will focus on an improvement that can be made from both an attitude and a tactical perspective. This isn’t necessarily an advanced tactic, any player could take these instructions on board and incorporate them into their game.

The premise of the post is that it is important to recognise that your role on the field changes when you see the disc heading into the end-zone. In particular if you are not the intended recipient of the throw (or marking the intended recipient when on defence) your job doesn’t stop as soon as the disc is heading into the end zone.

It is extremely common for players to see an attempted goal being thrown and respond by stopping what they’re doing and watching to see what happens next. This is a mistake and a simple change of perspective can improve your usefulness on the field significantly.

The benefits of this altered perspective are different depending upon whether you’re currently on offense or defence. We can take a look at each:

Offense

Imagine you’re playing on offense in the following situation:

• One of your team mates has made a cut towards the end zone.
• The person with the disc has identified the cut and put the disc in the air, the disc is heading towards the end zone.
• You weren’t necessarily cutting but it is within your ability to get to the end zone at roughly the same time as the disc.

My advice is to get to the end zone as fast as you can! Definitely don’t stop to watch the play unfold. Definitely don’t wander towards the end-zone without intent. Definitely sprint disc-wards!

The reason for this course of action is to fulfil a supporting role. One of the great things about Ultimate is the “freakish” plays that occur on a semi-regular basis. People can pull of impressive things by being in the right place at the right time. Often this seems like luck or fluke but being pro-active can certainly help.

In the situation listed above there are a number of possible outcomes where it would be useful to have another offensive player around the disc:

• The cutter’s defensive player gains position and gets a hand to the disc. They smack it away for a block but don’t catch it. The point is still winnable providing the disc hasn’t gone out of bounds. How often have you seen players scoop up the scraps of a contest for a score?
• The intended recipient of the throw misreads the disc, or the wind picks up for a second. Again, a supporting player can clean up.
• Depending on your speed and location on the field you might actually have a better play on the disc than the intended recipient. Communication on the field is key to making this a success however!
• Should the cutter’s defensive player catch the disc, you are an option for pressuring the first throw after the turnover before re-locating your player and getting back to your own defensive duties.

In summary, by having a proactive and supporting attitude you can come away with some glory and increase the percentages of the intended goal coming to fruition. There’s no reason not to head to the end zone if you can get there on time. That said, two cautionary points:

• Don’t get in the way of the intended recipient. If you do have a better play on the disc call it early. Otherwise your job is to hover around the bottom of the contest for the disc and tidy up if the disc floats free.
• Keep an eye on the players you’re leaving behind as you cut away. If the defence is successful in preventing the score you’ll need to get back to your player on the turnover.

From a personal point of view, I’ve caught many points that weren’t intended for me by making sure I was available as support in the end zone. I have also made difficult and important blocks in games, only to have one of the offensive players follow the disc to the ground and score all the same. I will probably write a future Ultimate Intelligence post on why you should always catch the D!

Defence

Imagine you’re playing on defence in the following situation:

• One of your opponents has cut towards the end zone, but not the player (or within the zone) that you’re marking.
• The offensive player with the disc has recognised the cut, put the disc up, and it is heading towards the end zone.
• Your player isn’t doing anything threatening, but it is within your ability to get to the end zone at roughly the same time as the disc.

Again – don’t hesitate, get to the end zone as quickly as you can! Similar to the offensive situation provided above, you are in a great position to be able to influence the outcome of the point. In this case you’re looking to generate a turnover.

You can effectively forget about the player you are marking temporarily. Nothing else matters aside from ensuring that the throw isn’t completed so it isn’t important what your player does, unless they also head towards the end zone in which case you want to be in front of them anyhow!

The following may occur:

• The offensive player gets a hand to the disc but fumbles. Their defender may still be in the air or committed to a certain direction, you can step in and grab the disc.
• Your team mate gets a hand to the disc but doesn’t catch it. The disc is falling within reach of the offensive player (or another offensive player). Again you can step in and make sure there is no score.
• As an offensive player, it is more psychologically intimidating if there are several defenders around you influencing the outcome. Mistakes happen under pressure, you’re providing pressure!
• You may get to the disc in a more direct path than the intended players, stopping the disc from even making the target.
• Your team may get the turnover, you will be in a great position as a free-player to start the disc moving back up the field in a quick manner.

Essentially the flip-side of the offensive advantages apply on defensive. You provide more pressure and more likelihood of a turnover by being available as a supporting defensive player in the end zone.

I recall a point where a good long-cut was made to the end zone by an opponent, closely followed by my teammate. Everyone else on the field stopped flat-footed to see the outcome. It was going to be an impressive contest, involving two of the better players on the field. My teammate was able to out jump our opponent however it wasn’t a clean block and the disc started tumbling straight down. The offensive player landed with his eyes on the disc and immediately attempted a layout grab as the disc fell in front of him. Lucky for our team, I had followed the disc into the end zone and quickly pushed it out of his reach whilst it was falling. I saved us a point. It wasn’t particularly glorious or impressive, but a simple proactive run saved a point.

One final point to make is that, on defence, you can be pro active when the disc is headed towards the end zone even if you are nowhere close enough to make a play. Don’t assume that the throw will be successful. There’s always a chance of a turnover until the disc has stopped spinning in the offensive player’s hands. Watch for the result, but start moving towards your required position as soon as you’ve seen the disc flying towards the end zone. Your offensive play positions can be setup and ready to go early!

I would also like to credit a Tassie player who drove these points home for me whilst I was playing one night. I was watching the disc fly into the end zone from not too far away when Mike Baker yelled at me from the sidelines to run it down. It was a bit of an “Aha” moment where I thought “Why didn’t I go after that? I definitely could have made it and I definitely could have been useful”. So – thanks Mike.

Update!

Interestingly Brodie Smith released a highlight video on his Everything Ultimate YouTube channel today. Two of the plays in the video demonstrate the point of this post perfectly.

In the first play the defender tidies up an attempted block. In the second play the supporting offensive player makes the score off a throw not intended for him. The plays are next to each other in the video, starting at 1min 24 seconds in. The whole video is worth a watch though!

Tournament Preparation – What to bring…

In a previous post I wrote about how to prepare for a tournament from a training and fitness point of view. Not long after publishing the post I realised that another important element of tournament preparation is making sure you bring along all the right things to get you through the tournament.

This post is about making sure everything is available to you when you need it to be. I like to know that if I need something during a game I will be able to grab it and get on with playing. I don’t want to have to fret about not having the right bit of gear for a certain weather condition, or the right food for my particular energy-levels at any given time.

By being prepared with all the right items I can focus on the important aspects that are happening on the field without having to worry about anything else.

The first consideration is a bag to put everything in. I’ve dedicated an entire post to the bag I use for Ultimate Frisbee tournaments so you can check that out here. Once you’ve got the bag sorted there’s a bunch of stuff you’ll need to put in it:

Ultimate Clothes/Accessories

Who knows what weather you will be playing in across a 2-3 day tournament? In southern Australia it is impossible to plan for any weather in particular so here’s how to cover everything:

• Jersey/Shirt – Your team jersey!
• Shorts – Shorts that match your jersey or whatever your team is going with.
• Compression Shorts – Worn under your regular shorts if it isn’t cold. Quite good for your muscles over a tournament.
• Base Layers – I like wearing a base-layer when I’m playing, one that wicks away sweat. They keep me warm when it is cold, and keep the sweat off me when it is hot. At a tournament they also help keep my jersey fresh for more than a day. They don’t have to be expensive, I use these ones from Torpedo 7. I bring one for each day of the tournament.
• Socks – I bring heaps of socks, at least one pair for every day of the tournament and potentially 2-per day. Fresh socks are amazing mid tournament and also help prevent blisters from sliding round with sweaty feet in hot conditions.
• Cleats/Boots – Some people have tournament-specific boots. I just have some trusty Asics that I love and wear whenever I play Ultimate
• Cap – Helps visibility and also helps keep the sun off your face. Alternatively, if it is raining/cold it keeps your head dry and warm and stops water running down your face.
• Sunglasses – I squint a lot in the sun so prefer to play in sunglasses if it is sunny. Some claim it is a disadvantage if my teammates can’t see where I am looking but it hasn’t seem to be too much of an issue.
• Compression Tights – If it is really cold you’ll want some coverage on your legs. Compression tights allow you to run around with coverage without getting too hot (as opposed to some sports-oriented tights that are fleecy and generally too hot for running in).
• Arm Warmers – Probably my most crucial bit of Ultimate kit aside from the usual stuff. I have found cycling arm warmers to be brilliant for variable weather or warming up. Your arms stay warm without adding an extra layer to your chest, which then gets hot when you run. The biggest benefit is you can just pull them off when you warm up, even mid-point. Some are water-resistant such as the Castelli Nanoflex ones that I have. I originally started using Arm Warmers for cycling but I can highly recommend them for Ultimate.
• Beanie – If it gets really cold I will play in a beanie to keep my wears warm.
• Underpants – I play Ultimate in briefs whereas I generally wear boxer-briefs. As a result I need to remember a pair per-day.
• Waterproof/Windproof Jacket – On cold days you’ll want something warm to put on between points and in breaks between games.
• Sweatbands – On hot days I like to wear a sweat band on my throwing arm. Mainly this is for wiping my face but if it is really hot it also stops sweat running down to my hand a bit.
• Gloves – I’m not entirely sold on the idea of playing in Gloves as yet but I do currently carry a paid of the Lookfly Ultimate gloves with me and wear them occasionally. As a mini review, I wish they let you choose which hand you throw with so the other hand could have five full-fingers on the gloves rather than two useless cut-out ends.
• Thongs – Similarly to having fresh socks, being able to take your cleats off and wander round in thongs at lunch time is amazingly good for your feet. Do it!
• A frisbee! – You’ll need it for warm-ups and to kill time in the airport.

Food and Liquids

You need to stay hydrated and well fed throughout a tournament. This requires some preparation:

• Drink Bottles – I bring two and have them full and on the sidelines within easy reach at all times. One is for water and one is for electrolytes/sports drinks.
• Sports Drink – In the past I have carried a tub of Gatorade around however more recently I took a tube of Nuun tablets to a tournament. These were much more portable (smaller) and heaps easier to prepare in a drink bottle each time. I try and drink water and electrolytes equally, aiming for a bottle of each per game.
• Gels/Energy Bars – Running all day for several days in a row saps energy. You won’t feel hungry but you’ll need fuel. I bring 2 energy bars per day but can substitute one for a banana if there are some available at the tournament (they are a bit easier to eat mid-game). I haven’t tried any Gels as yet but they’d be fine if you can find any that taste nice!
• A bowel and Spork – Some tournaments offer dinner but require your own cutlery/crockery. I normally bring along a bowl and a spork as I’m not overly keen to eat off a frisbee.

Medical Stuff

• Sunscreen – apply regularly and liberally. Nothing worse than having to deal with sunburn on the second day of a tournament.
• Anti-Inflammatories – Either Voltaren or Nurofen. If you get a sprain or a twinge or an ache you can safely start taking anti-inflammatories to help you through the tournament.
• Paracetamol – If you’re taking Voltaren and need some extra pain relief then Paracetamol can help. Nurofen has pain relief built in.
• Sports Tape – My feet aren’t used to spending a couple of days cutting hard in lots of different directions. I can start to develop blisters after a while and sports tape can help to avoid that.
• Ankle Brace – I’ve sprained my ankle a few times during tournaments. If it is still ok to run on a brace will help avoid doing more damage whilst you continue playing.

Feet Taped Up – Helped to avoid some impending blisters. Not sure what was going on with my bruised toes…

Regular Clothes

Generally speaking if you’re going away for a weekend tournament you won’t actually spend a lot of time wearing your regular clothes. This section is really up to personal preference and baggage allowance! Last tournament I brought what I wore on the plane plus some shorts and a spare t-shirt.

Toiletries

Whatever you would normally bring when you’re travelling – don’t forget any prescription medicines or similar. Also, don’t forget your toothbrush! I forgot mine last tournament

Other general travelling stuff

The usual travelling stuff applies:

• Phone Charger
• Book to read
• Chewing Gum
• Headphones – probably one of the worst things I have forgotten.
• Phone
• Wallet
• Plane Itineraries – I store mine on my phone normally.

I think that’s about it! Hopefully that’s a useful list of things to bring to a tournament, along with some tips for a few things you may not have considered.

How about you? Is there anything missing on my list that you would bring? Any pro items that I’m missing?

Ultimate Frisbee – Bag Review – Tatonka Barrel

I recently went through the process of researching and purchasing a bag to use when attending Ultimate Frisbee tournaments. In some ways this process was relatively straightforward as I had seen several good examples already at previous tournaments. I had also talked to a few people about their choices.

That said, I like to check things out myself so I started looking into it with the following considerations in mind:

Requirements

Size

The bag needed to be big enough to fit everything for a 2-3 day tournament, but small enough to get away with using it as carry-on luggage on domestic flights. I also wanted to use the bag as my regular league-bag when I am not attending tournaments so I didn’t want it to be too huge. Keeping in mind that there’s a fair bit of stuff to bring along for a tournament, getting the right size was not straightforward.

Comfort

There’s a good chance that there’s some walking involved when you’re travelling for a weekend. Even walking through the airport can be a bit of a trek. As a result it is necessary to have a bag that is easy to carry for a while without getting too uncomfortable.

Weatherproof

If you’re playing in an Ultimate tournament there is going to be some point where you’re on the field in the middle of the point and it starts raining. Your bag will be on the sideline and, unless it is weatherproof, everything inside it will get soaking wet. This is far from ideal and I didn’t want to have to worry about all my gear when I’m in the middle of a game. As a result, I wanted a weatherproof bag that wouldn’t let the rain in.

Options

I was already fairly certain that I wanted a barrel/duffel-type bag after seeing the bags that others had been using. I did consider a more traditional backpack however I was put off by the general design whereby you have to stack gear from the bottom up, and access things through a smallish opening at the top. I suppose “accessibility” could have been another requirement as I do like being to quickly grab something (such as a sweat band or energy bar) out of my bag between points if required.

In particular I was aware that several manufacturers make weatherproof duffles that also have conversion straps that allow the bag to be carried like a backpack. All of these manufacturers also offerred the duffels in a variety of sizes allowing me to choose one that was small enough to take on a plane as carry-on, but big enough to fit everything required for a tournament.

In particular there are options from  Mountain Designs, The North Face and Tatonka.

After hunting around online I settled on the Small Tatonka Barrel in yellow for the following reasons:

• I was able to check these bags out in person at a shop in town so I could confirm the sizes were right.
• I found a great online price from Bagworld, including free shipping!
• The yellow would be visible in a group of bags or on a carousel at the airport if I ever checked it in.
• A few friends had recommended them.
• They were available for a good price in Australia, instead of having to buy from overseas and pay more for shipping.
• The bag is specifically approved for carry-on with Qantas.

The Tatonka Barrel in a Small size – it isn’t very full at the moment.

That said, all of the bags were pretty close in terms of price and features. The only other notable aspect is that The North Face offer a much broader range of colours (and the yellow is nicer too dammit).

Result

I have used the bag for a while now, both as my main bag for all my frisbee gear as I play league and also for a 2 day tournament in Melbourne. Overall I am very happy as the bag has met all my requirements above.

My only criticism of the bag is that it could benefit from some more pockets. Inside the bag there is a narrow pocket at each however these can’t be fastened shut. As a result it is hard to successfully store stuff in those pockets without it falling out when you use the bag in “backpack mode”.

The interior compartment at one end. Things can fall out when the bag is vertical.

Aside from those two pockets there is also a zippered pocket in the lid of the bag. Given this is the only secure separate pocket from the main compartment I ended up putting more stuff in here than I would have liked. Anything small ended up in here like keys, phone, sweat bands, a fork, chewing gum, energy bars and other things such as tickets and boarding passes. Overall it was good to have those things separate from the main compartment but there were too many things in there which made using the pocket a bit inconvenient.

The pocket in the flap is full of sweat bands, a beanie and any other random small items.

The bag does also has an exterior pocket that is designed to house the backpack straps when you want to hide them away. Whilst not ideal, I ended up using this pocket for a few things, like sunscreen, just to get them separated from everything else. You can’t shut this pocket when the backpack straps are out, and if they’re in then the pocket is full. As a result you wouldn’t want to have things stored in that pocket when it is raining as you would want the whole bag zipped up tightly.

This is where the straps go when you want to fold them away.

The other consideration when using a bag like this is the fact that it needs to hold together when it is horizontal and vertical. I am a fairly obsessive packer and I like to know where things are in my bag. As a result I don’t want things moving around too much when I am carrying the bag. You pack the bag when it is horizontal but as soon as you lift it onto your back it ends up completely vertical. As a result it is necessary to pack the bigger things to the right-side (assuming you have the bag open with the flap facing away from you) of the bag so they will be at the bottom when it is on your back. This isn’t a problem though, just a consideration.

The bag in backpack mode…

Summary

Overall I’m really happy with the purchase of this bag. It worked extremely well for my tournament and I was able to fit  a lot of gear in there. I am planning another post in the near future which details the things that I bring to a tournament so you will get better idea of the capabilities of the bag then. It didn’t rain during the tournament so I haven’t actually tested the waterproof capabilities of the bag yet, but it certainly looks very rugged and waterproof – we’ll see!

I would recommend this bag to any Ultimate player or anyone who travels for a weekend of sport. You’ll comfortably get all the gear (depending on your sport) you need inside and it is comfortable to carry around. Great bag!

About half full of stuff … just my general league gear minus my shoes.

All the gear that was in there. The green bag has a few spare jerseys in there. Plenty of room for my shoes and a bunch more stuff.

Update!

I have now written a post showing the list of things I typically pack for an Ultimate tournament. This gives you a great idea of how much stuff you can fit into the bag.

Ultimate Frisbee Tournament – 6 week training program

I recently attended the inaugural Australian Division 2 Nationals tournament in Melbourne, Victoria. This was a two day open tournament and I was playing for the Tasmanian representative team, Quoll.

As far as tournaments go this was a fairly typical 2-day affair in terms of game schedules. We had a good run through the pool-play which resulted in us skipping the cross-overs but playing right through to the grand-final. All up we played 3 games per day, most of which went to full time.

This post details the training program that I used to prepare myself for the tournament. I put this together 6 weeks prior to the weekend of the tournament and started straight away. The program is designed to provide improvements in as many Ultimate-relevant aspects as possible. That said, there’s a few things to note before getting started:

1 – The program wasn’t specifically “new”

Last October I attended Mixed Nationals, a 3 day tournament. I put together a similar training program in the lead up to this tournament. There were a number of differences here and there but I had something to work off before putting together the program detailed in this post.

You can read about my Mixed Nationals preparation in great detail on Freak Outs’s blog. Our team blog is available here (Note – the link auto-filters to show my posts).

2 – This program doesn’t include enough focus on team-training

Ultimate in Tasmania is a relatively small affair. Things are growing but our representative team was made up of geographically separated players. The core were from Hobart but we had five players (out of 12) who were from other areas. From the Hobart group, only a few of us were able to regularly attend training. As a result, the first game of the tournament was the first time we had played together as a team.

Ideally a training programme would include at least 2 team training sessions per week. Working together on skills and more importantly, tactics, would be a very important addition to any training program for a team-sport. The program I will detail leaves little space for these activities but, if they were available, I would have made room for them.

3 – The training program was for me, based upon my needs and interests

Whilst I think the program is quite comprehensive and would be relevant to any Ultimate player preparing for a tournament the fact is that I developed it knowing I would be the one completing it. The general ideas and concepts are suitable for everyone but I chose exercises that I know I enjoy, and activities that appeal to me. For example, road-riding is a passion of mine but could be replaced with any long-term cardio such as running, swimming or ideally playing lots of Ultimate! I also had a few minor physical niggles that I had to cater for.

With those things in mind, here’s how I laid out my week. I will explain each of the exercises in more detail after the schedule:

Sunday
Morning: Upper body workout
Afternoon: Leg and core workout

Monday
Lunch: Sprints
Evening: Summer League (Intermediate Division)

Tuesday
Morning: 45k ride
Evening: Leg and core workout

Wednesday
Lunch: 5-8k run
Evening: Throwing and team training

Thursday
Lunch: 20k ride
Evening: Leg and core workout

Friday
Rest Day

Saturday
5k Run
Throwing

As you can see, a pretty full on week. This schedule was repeated 6 times over to fill out the 6 week training program. That said, our Summer League finished half way through so I added in another Throwing session to replace it.

Admittedly I didn’t do every single exercise every week. I think there was only 2 weeks where I did everything I had planned. If I did miss something it would normally only be one thing per week, such as the shorter ride or a sprint session.

Here are the details of each exercise and why I chose them:

Upper Body Workout

I include an Upper Body Workout in my program to add a bit of a balance and to also ensure that my upper body has some strength for throwing the disc and the general athletic demands that a frisbee tournament places on your body. My legs get a good workout from my regular running and riding but I need to specifically target my upper body to help it keep up.

The Upper Body Workout is called the 1-3-1-3 workout. You need a chin-up bar for this workout. I was introduced to this workout by watching Ultimate-related videos by Brodie Smith. He has a video that I have included below that explains the workout:

Leg and Core Workout

The Leg and core workout is included to ensure that my legs and core have the strength and flexibility to deal with the demands of the rest of the training program, and ultimate the tournament. I was doing this three times a week but for most people 1-2 times would be sufficient. I had an increased frequency in order to cater for a few niggles I was experiencing in my knees and lower back.

The exercises were as follows:

Legs:

3 X 15 single leg calf raises per leg – 30kg added weight

3 X 15 single leg step ups per leg – 30kg added weight

Forward hops over obstacle – 15 each leg

Sideways hops over obstacle – 15 each leg

10 minutes of skipping (2 steps right, 2 steps left, 2 steps both)

Core:

Side-plank – 3 X 45 seconds per side

3 X 15  - fitball exercise involving lying face-down on the fitball and raising your torso in the air (kinda like anti-sit ups)

A few other stretches to target specific problematic muscle groups of mine.

Sprints

Whilst I generally run a few times a week as a matter of course I always add in some sprints to my regime when preparing for a tournament. Ultimate involves a lot of stop-start motion on your feet, running from point to point and then doing it all again. Your legs need to be ready to respond and your heart rate needs to be used to rising quickly, then settling back down again as soon as possible.

Overall I want to maintain an ability to run into space, run into another space, clear out of the way and then do it all again as many times over as required. Sprint training is excellent for getting your body used to the efforts required in a game. This then lets you just get into a space, get the disc and be able to concentrate on important things like throwing instead of how fast you are breathing and how fast your heart is beating.

I also use sprint sessions to practise my sharp-turns. Using the chop-stop technique I aim to get my centre of gravity low, in a controlled manner, and be ready to spring out in any direction as required.

For the sprint session I normally undertake something along the lines of:

5 minute warm up jog ( I run to a field or something similar)

6 X 20m sprints, back and forth between two points. I repeat this around 6 times with a 30-40 sec jog between each set.

6 – 8 X 50-60m sprints with a 60-80 second jog between each sprint. For example, jog around an oval but sprint flat out up one of the sides.

5 minute warm down jog (running back to home/work)

Alternatively if I am feeling like something a little less structure I will do a 20-30 minute Fartlek session. In either case the sprints will start to get hard towards the end. For inspiration I imagine I am chasing a disc down towards an imaginary end-zone. You wouldn’t stop running in that situation would you?

45 and 20k Rides

As mentioned above, these exercises are in the program to introduce some longer-term cardio workouts. They are a fairly selfish inclusion. Arguably it would be more beneficial running but I love riding too much to not get a couple in a week. That said, riding does use different muscles to running which means you can run your legs to fatigue in the running sessions and still get a good cardio workout on the bike on different days.

5k and 8k Running

Running is a fundamental part of the game of Ultimate. I’ve talked about the importance of sprint-training above however I believe that distance running is equally as important. 5 – 8k runs are not really that impressive in terms of distance but they definitely get your legs, lungs and heart working at a good rate for a good period of time. I find this distance sufficient for Ultimate training, although more is always better if you find the time!

For me the distance running is key to being able to last on the long points. Towards the end of the game late in the second (or third) day of a tournament I want to be the guy who can run hard throughout a long point and still have the legs and breathe to cut long to the end zone to score. Alternatively, I want to be the guy who hounds his opponent on D relentlessly throughout the game, and has the ability to cover a long cut and contest the disc in the end-zone if required.

It is those things I think about when the running gets tough. The rest of the time I just enjoy running and trying to crack that 4min/k barrier over 5ks (which I managed at the end of this training program!).

Throwing

One of the key bits of advice I have learned from other Ultimate players who provide advice (Primarily Ultimate Rob and Brodie Smith) is that you need to work on your throws, a lot! I particularly like this post from Ultimate Rob that explains about where his passion for Ultimate began, and how it started with hours and hours of throwing practise.

As a result I try and get out and throw as much as possible when preparing for a tournament. Throwing sessions are the one thing on my training program that I actually did more of than what I aimed to do (actually I might have got a sneaky ride or two in).  For me throwing sessions fall into two categories:

1 – Solo-practise, long throws.

This makes up the bulk of my throwing sessions when preparing for a tournament. I take 5 or 6 discs for a field and work on whatever throws I need to for a good 30-40 minutes. Music is optional. Sometimes it distracts me whilst at other times it really pumps me up and I get a really energised throwing session going.

For me, my primary weakness in throwing is the reliability of my long throws. As a result most of my solo sessions are spent working on both my backhand and forehand hucks. A pretty simple formula of throwing one disc as far as I can, then trying to throw the rest as closely as possible to the first.

On most fields I will get about 50% of the way down the field with a throw so I can get two throws in per field length. I will often do backhand in one direction and forehand in the other. However, if I feel my backhand is kicking I might just work on my forehand after warming up with my backhand for a while. My forehand is never kicking more than my backhand

On fields with soccer goals I sometimes aim to get it through the posts. Throughout this regime I also wanted to work on my hammer so I used this throw to gather my scattered discs together before changing direction.

2 – Friendly practise, shorter throws.

My partner also plays Ultimate and we like to go and practise together sometimes. Some of my team mates also appreciate a dedicated throwing session before training. When these occur I’m focusing on my shorter throws, backhand and forehand. I will practise various release points and also my inside-outs/outside ins.

So that’s it! A comprehensive set of exercises that should provide goor preparation for an Ultimate tournament. None of this needs to be set in stone, the schedule can be manipulated and exercises swapped in and out as per your preference. Having one rest day a week is very important and I did also lighten up on the training in the few days leading up to the tournament.

As for the results, our team didn’t lose a game until the grand final, where we were beaten by two points. As a result we received a silver medal. Fitness-wise I was pretty happy with my performance. I was able to contribute to the team consistently throughout the tournament and was still outrunning opponents right up until the end.

Due to our team situation we were running out of subs by the end of the second day. This played on my mind mentally a bit and my performance suffered a bit as a result. Unluckily for me I was landed on quite heavily by an opponent in the third last point of the tournament resulting in some serious ligament damage to both the inside and outside of my right foot. As a result, I can’t say I played through the whole tournament but it wasn’t really my fitness that let me down.

The one aspect I was disappointed with the most was the reliability of my throws. I didn’t back myself for many longer throws and the ones I did attempt didn’t come off as well as I would have liked. That said, I still assisted with plenty of goals and am very happy with my tournament performance overall.

If you have any questions about the tournament, the training or any of the specific exercises please feel free to leave comments below! More sports-related posts coming soon.

Ultimate Intelligence – The Power is Yours…. The O advantage

I have received a lot of advice about Ultimate Frisbee in the years that I have been playing. Due to the nature of our community much of this advice has been welcome and positive. I’ve definitely been able to develop my game based upon things that other players have said to me.

That said, certain pieces of advice have stuck in my head more than others and over time I’ve been able to experience the relevance of those gems and also come to appreciate how accurate and important certain advice can be.

In this post I want to share some of the most prominent advice I have received. It’s not necessarily revolutionary or some sort of hidden advantage. Like most good advice, it’s common sense but the trick is in adopting it and making sure you use it.

So here it is: When you have the disc in your hand you control the outcome of the point.

I don’t think these are the exact words as they were told to me but the idea is there. In a broader sense the point is that there is no better time to make decisions with a cool head than when the disc is in your hands. It’s up to you to take the best option in order for your team to score the point.

Often this may go against your instincts. Just two days ago I attempted to huck a backhand well before the stall-count had even started. The cut was great and there was a player to throw to but alas my skill and patience were not up to scratch. Perhaps if I had taken a second to settle myself the throw would have hit the target. Even more likely is that I would have re-assessed and waited for a cut that better suited my throwing capabilities. This could well have been a dump-cut.

Thinking about this in a broader sense recently I realized that this particular piece of information is part of the fundamental balance of the game of Ultimate Frisbee. There are lots of factors that contribute to the “fairness” of every sport. If it was overly unfair between offense and defense then no-one would play, or rules would be adjusted to remove the swing.

In Ultimate Frisbee a large swing in favor of the fairness for offense is the fact that they have the disc in their possession. This is a huge advantage! A team with a reasonable skill level of throwing and catching could potentially dominate a higher skilled team providing they kept their heads cool and focused. I have seen the success of teams be very hampered by their desire to play with a flourish, rather than in a focused, team oriented frame of mind.

Don’t get me wrong, I love risky throws and huge catches. They make the game all the better and fun to play. The point is that these opportunities will still occur due to other factors, you don’t have to create them.

So after all that here is my spin, my advice. Next time you have the disc in your hand and you are staring up the field looking for an option, try and remember that the outcome of the point you’re playing depends on what you do next. You’ve got your 10 seconds, you should have a dump cut just waiting behind you. Make your move.

On top of that, approach any offensive point in a positive way. Your team has been handed the advantage and it’s up to you to make it work in your favour.

Ultimate Intelligence – Focusing on the positives….

Last night I played in the grand final for our Tasmanian Ultimate Challenge (TUC) league. This league is considered the “premier” league of Ultimate in Tasmania which essentially means that it is the highest skill level game you’re going to get without joining a state team and heading to a mainland tournament.

The team I play for is called “Bread” and its made up of a great group of people who have played together in a number of leagues and, maybe most importantly, all have a similar attitude to Ultimate.

Throughout the TUC league Bread had mixed success. As with many Tasmanian leagues we suffered various absences as key players were unavailable for games. This occurred due to illness or overseas travel. Two of our players were off representing Austrlia in Germany for a number of weeks.

As a result we had to fight for a place in the finals. Being a 4 team league (Tasmanian Ultimate is by no means a large community, especially at a “premier” level”) we essentially had to work our way from the bottom of the ladder to the top. This involved beating every team possible in consecutive games over the course of a few weeks.

Last week we played for the right to play in the grand final. This was a very challenging game and our entire team was nervous throughout the proceedings. HUC (Hobart Ultimate Club) are known for their relentless accuracy and also a sweet dosage of speed that serves them very well.

Despite our concerns we managed to come away with a win. In my opinion this was the best game of Ultimate our team has played in a long time. We had most of our players avialable and everyone stepped up playing with a precision and level headedness that was most impressive.

On a personal level I was extremely pleased with my performance. My throws, difficult and easy, came off well and I managed to pull of some great catches as well. I felt very valuable on the team and haven’t felt happier after an Ultimate game for a long time.

Which brings me to the subject of this post. Sorry its taken a while to get there but as I haven’t written anything for a good while I thought I’d better provide some background information.

As mentioned, last night we won the grand final however I came away from that game feeling the exact opposite how I felt after our semi-final. Sure, I was very happy to have won and so pleased that we had pulled through as a team. The score was 9-8 and we scored the last point after the final siren.

Despite the victory I played rather badly. Realisitically speaking I reckon I dropped 70% of the throws that came my way. This included easy swings to me across the field, throws directly at me from a cut out of the stack and also flying one handed grabs for hammers deep in the end-zone corner.

During half time I had to take a moment away from the rest of the players to try and contain my frustrations. Things didn’t really improve in the second half and I started feeling like I’d be better off staying on the sidelines than being on the field.

After the game I commented on my dissatisfaction to several people and they tried to cheer me up. I also tried to cheer myself up and together we all came up with a number of excuses:

• The conditions were bad (It was very windy)
• You’d been sick for a week and were still recovering
• The throws weren’t ideal
• Your marker was playing harder than normal

None of these really fit however and truth be told I’m still not really sure what the answer is. Probably a combination of all of the above and other factors I haven’t even thought of. Despite all those things, the fact I kept focusing on was that the disc was in my hands several times, very catchable. In many of the opportunities I wasn’t even under pressure.

In typical Gen Y fashion I pointed my need for a pep talk towards a popular social networking site. Other team members had posted their happiness with our success and in an embarassingly needy fashion I complained again about my performance and how I was upsest with what had occurred.

Our captain, Steve, replied and basically said that he’d thought I played well. He pointed out several throws that, in the difficult conditions, had come off really well and been important to several of our points.

After reading his comments I felt much better and as I continue to think about them the feeling of annoyance at myself is decreasing. In my haste to focus on my catching (which was undeniably sub-par) I had forgotten about the other valuable aspects I had provided to the game.

Personally I think that happens a lot in Ultimate. I’m not a particularly needy person and I’m quite happy to tell myself I’m doing a good job most of the time but its evident that at times I need to get someone else’s positive perspective to keep me going.

From this entire experience I have concluded a couple of things:

• A good captain is encouraing and focuses on the positives as much as the negatives
• A good player focuses on their positives as well as their negatives
• A good player focuses on other people’s positives. Whether you’re on the same team or not a compliment can go a long way.

It’s easy to applaud the big things in Ultimate. The run-on hand blocks, the desperate sprinting cuts into the end-zone. Layouts in both defensive and offensive situations.

However, the solid offense, the willingness to keep running and keep trying are often overlooked. Personally I think that keeping your offensive player (when you are on defense) under careful control is one of the most overlooked skills and abilities in the game.

Lets start applauding our defensive players who keep on top of their offensive counterparts. If a cut isn’t successful its not just because the offensive person failed to cut well, its also because the defensive player knew what they were doing and moved in the right way at the right time.

Lets also start focusing on the positives of our plays. You can lose points and lose games whilst still doing great positive things in your points.