and use other sports to shape your mental model of ultimate:
http://coachingbetterbball.blogspot.com/
Not to do the whole Frank Ultimate=Basketball thing, but the notions that they explore strategically versus the notions that we explore strategically are similar. Not a true 1-1 relationship, but the methods and the representations are useful.
Think strategically instead of "play-oriented."
Making the plays and having the skills are the prerequisite to playing good ultimate. Work on them and then train your mind to see the field to take advantage of your skills. One without the other is really kinda useless.
Now, if we could just get a fucking NFL crew to show all 22 players and all of hte Ultimate Videographers to show all 14 players we'd have something. I'm sick and tired of losing track of the most important parts of all of the games that I watch. I was watching the 2006 UV coverage of the finals and I had to keep notes to myself about which players started where, where they went when they went offscreen and what they were likely doing in the space between when I first saw them and then when they were wide-open gaining 30 yards or going for the goal.
Just like when watching football, I have to imagine the pass coverage based on the defensive line and a couple of linebackers while pretending I know what routes the receivers are running based on where the QB is looking and what portions of the defense i can see. I just can't fucking comprehend how this became the standard. I don't want to watch Tom Brady stand around for 4 seconds and throw to someone I can't see. I want to watch the whole play develop. Why is he looking where he is looking? Why is he pump faking? What does he know? What does he see? How is he reacting to the coverage? What sort of sight-adjustments are the receivers making? When is he knowingly throwing into coverage and when does the coverage shift at just the right moment?
GODDAMNIT I LOVE SPORTS AND I WANT TO KNOW MORE!!!!!!!
Monday, January 28
bend your mind...
Sunday, January 27
Working Working
Watched a lot of video.
Worked out a lot of stuff for pike (at least until Tim tells me it's a dumb idea and we need to rethink something).
Did a 2x Tabata workout plus pullups.
Tabata pushups: 27, 22, 16, 12, 8, 6, 6, 7 (104)
Tabata squats: 25, 24, 24, 24, 24, 24, 25, 22 (192)
Pullups, 5 sets to one less than failure, then rest 1min. w/ last set to failure: 7, 6, 4, 4, 5. Damn I gotta get those back up to 10+...
That 27 was the most pushups I've gotten out in 20 seconds so far. Pretty cool. Still working on ironing out the long-term kinks my body has developed via stretching and foam rollering.
Video Video Video.
Prepping just as much as last year, just not writing about it-- too much to do!
Friday, January 18
What Are You Willing to Sacrifice?
Well?
Friends? Family? Significant Other? Food? Money? Health? Weekends? Weeknights? Weekmornings? Job? Education?
What? Not any easy choice?
You're not giving that? Not even part of it? You're not sacrificing? Okay, you're still alright by me, but when we meet on the field just remember that I have no money, no girlfriend, no weekends, no weeknights and no weekmornings because I've made my choice. Alea jacta est.
Let me know if you're happy with your choice, because I'm happy with mine. And truly, in the grand scheme that is all that matters, but in the baby-grand scheme... Well, just know who you're dealing with when it comes to ultimate. When we meet I'll either beat you or/and learn from you. When next we meet? You had better be better than you were because I guaran-damn-tee that will be better than I was.
No matter the outcome of our battle, you'll find no shame in my game because I love the challenge. I know that every time I fail, it just gives me something new to get good at!
I LOVE IT ALL!
(Here ends today's obsessive blog rant. Tim, now is an appropriate time to comment on my brain and its obsession with ultimate. Hope the rest of y'all have fun at Lei-Out. Wish I could make it!)
Monday, January 14
Rhino Video (First Imp)
Having watched the video 1/4th of a time and without sound...
It's great because I'm in it! No seriously. I throw a couple goals, have a couple shitty marks, get a sure goal turfed to me and have a callahan caught on me. The last of which results in my flailing awkwardly to the ground. Yup. #79. Not the old #3. I think I might stick with the change...
Anyway, I hope to get a full viewing with sound later so I can say something substantive, but at least I can say I'm in a video doing something worthwhile and ultimate-related now. Nice. Now I just need to do it in a meaningful game...
Sunday, January 6
First Disc of 2008
New Brunswick... a couple of hours.
Wow did it feel awe(some/ful) to be back out there. I started off with a bang by throwing a turnover on my first in-competition throw of any kind in 2008. That kind a sucked. But then I got some fun poach blocks, threw some goals, caught a goal or two, and threw a decent number of terrible turnovers as I slowly remembered what it was like to play.
And my body was exhausted. I'm just starting to get a little sore now, but... this was the wakeup call that let me know it is time to get in actual shape, not just "better than the fat dude at work" shape.
Got to play against generations of NJ ultimate... from Bailey Saul on down through whichever of the young guys I've yet to meet who was the youngest there and covering many many points in between like wtk9, who is still killin' kids with the bomb. Even the Meat Truck was in attendance! Managed to see some of the college kids from the area, and there is definitely still talent in NJ. I mean, aside from the guys we all know and love from the Jerz. Hope those young guys come out to some tryouts and see what Pike is all about. If not for the fact that they could compete for spots, but could bring the area players to a more shared experience, make all players involved better through increased exposer to competition (even within the same state!) . And even the most conservative of thoughts about the end result for Pike, it would be in their best interests too if only for the experience gained-- tryouts are a part of ultimate and the more experience you have with the process, the better equipped you are to excel at them and in the future run better tryouts on when it is your turn.
The only way to go from young to experienced is to get experience.
I was scared at my first tryout, but that has a lot to do with only knowing bad ultimate. Oh yeah, and Dono getting a fucking layout catchblock on my after my first cut. (Dono: I know you're reading. I just want to remind you that it hasn't happened since, sucker.) He then proceeded to land in a deep puddle of cold cold muddy water covered by ice, give me a little look like "Yup, that's what up," (even though that's not his style, it happened. Coulda been an accident though.) jump up, complete a short pass and take off at warp speed down the field.
And then I knew I had a long long road ahead of me. The other moments when I learned that same lesson with Pike were the Semis year when I finally saw what elite ultimate was and how much work it took. I finally believed that shit Hollander had been putting in my ear. It was go-time. Seeing my teammate (and regular college opponent) Ryan "If you call me in a pull play, they'll come down zone or pull OB" Todd succeed at that level I knew that I could do it to, but I finally accepted that I wasn't yet at that level.
And none of it would have happened without Dono making me feel like I couldn't play ultimate. Thanks, fuckface.
Wednesday, January 2
reset
Time to start again.
Yeah, there's stuff I haven't done (recapping and looking back and all) but now is the time to move forward.
First official workout for Pike 2008 commenced yesterday.
Did 8x(20on/10off) of pushups. 25/20/11/9/8/7/8/8 Wow... I am a bit out of shape. Goal in 2008 is a Pike goal for 2007: 20+ on each group, for a total of 160 pushups in 160 seconds. I can do over that with squats, now time to match with pushups! Quick unchecked math puts me at 96 now with 64 to go!
Did a ton of stretching and foam roller stuff (though I've been doing both regularly since November). They work fantastically well in tandem. I've got so many little injuries which are finally getting workout out of my system. Love it.
Did some work on release points and footwork. It looks goofy as hell, but simply watching yourself throw/fake in a mirror does wonders. Doubly so if you imagine how you would mark yourself. If you have a video camera, that might be better, but I find the immediate feedback of the mirror to be rather helpful after having done the video thing in the past.
Did some other general strength stuff (pullups, lunges, abs/core, balance).
Ummm... about 25 total minutes on strength, 30 minutes of stretching/foamrollering and 15 minutes on release/footwork.
I gotta get out and throw more!