First Madcow Tournaments

A week ago, we won No Surf in Cleveland, going 8-0. Last weekend, 7-0 to win Scinny in Cincinnati. Both were fairly local tournaments, but we did beat some pretty solid teams, including Haymaker, Forge, and LouEvil. There are some more detailed write-ups on the tournaments at madcowultimate.com

These were basically my first tournaments playing with a 'big team', by which I mean big enough to have O and D lines and big enough that fatigue wasn't a factor. I certainly felt tired and sore after No Surf, but I was at top speed even in the finals. I was an offensive line cutter and played an average of around 7 points a game.

Scinny was a different story. I had a heel injury, and so didn't really play until the finals, when my parents came to watch.

It felt great to have a specific role (offensive cutting). It allowed me to narrow the focus of my game. I didn't have to be "the man" so I could be more creative with my cutting, and just assume that everyone else was doing their job. Although I didn't play as many points as I usually would in a tournament, I was free to put all of my effort into each one, without any thought for saving energy for later. Some points I would run into position after the pull, make a couple cuts, catch and throw once, and then we would score. It felt almost artistic when we executed the offense well.

What will happen when we face better competition? Will our offense break down? Will we get upset and start assigning blame? Or will they push us to new heights? Some of both? I'm excited to see it happen.

By the way, it's early in the season, but Central Regionals looks to be a fight between Madcow, Prairie Fire, Machine, Madison Club, and Sub Zero. At least we're guaranteed three bids.

Poultry Days

My first real tournament of the year. Injuries were no problem, excepting a small amount of shin splints at the beginning of Saturday.

In pool play Saturday, we went 3-2. I played solidly, with a couple turnovers coming on errant hucks and a couple more on miscommunications. I had a cool layout catch, but no real highlight plays. I never got winded, although we (the team) never properly warmed up.

I realized Sunday morning (after my own warm up) that there was an extra gear I hadn't hit the entire previous day. I see now that warming up (jog, plyos, sprints, drills?) enables the proper competitive mindset. However, you do need a certain level of conditioning.

My worst showing came at the end of Sunday's only game. I got tired in a long point of a handling in a zone and became very inaccurate.

While holding the disc, I need to put myself in a more dangerous position to break the mark. People mark me very flat, but I never punish them for it.

Jumpin

I just completed my first Tabata workout on jump rope at full speed, which is 20s sprint / 10s rest intervals for a total of 4 minutes. This somewhat noteworthy landmark suggests the following things:
My ankle is fairly strong (with brace)
My adductor is fairly strong (with wrap)
My forearm muscles have adapted to jump rope (or, my form has improved)
I am in some basic state of conditioning

So, that means it's time to push myself. I'm no longer injured and I can't use that as an excuse.
Effective immediately:
Hell point after practice, and hills if possible. (Tues. + Sat.)
Same for summer league, with the addition of sprint intervals (jog endzones / sprint field x 3). This is a good yardstick because I didn't push through it at practice last week. (Mon. + Wed.)
Thursday and Friday I jump rope or sprint intervals.
Sunday, predictably, is a day of rest.

First Practice

Just returned from my first Madcow practice. The first month or so of practices are basically "tryouts", with closed practices after that. Here's how I felt:

Groin: Good. My right leg definitely comes around slower when running, but no sharp pain.
Ankle: Fair. Definitely improved from before, but I planted hard a few times and felt sharp pain, and so I sat out a bunch of points.
Throws: Decent. No turnovers. One break. One okay flick huck.
Defense: Decent. I didn't guard anyone really tough. Bad handler D because I'm not conditioned. No D's.
Cutting: I got open enough, but didn't feel that confident.
Conditioning: Not too bad, but we didn't run any sprints or anything. Felt winded after the drills.

This week I'm jump roping every day, which I think is easier on my injuries. I will try to jump rope some HIIT.

Feelin good. :)

I'm back! Yeahhh!!!

As of this morning, I had gone roughly six weeks without playing ultimate. That last time was the finals of winter league. At one point in these past six weeks I played a game of goaltimate. At another I played a very grabass game of frisbee. Going further, I had gone roughly five months without feeling healthy while playing frisbee.

I've been sidelined with a groin injury, which I'd like to call 'adversity in a box'. If you think you need to work on will power and mental toughness, go out right now and strain your groin. I think it's a very interesting injury. You don't get the reality of seeing a cast on your arm, for instance, and yet it cripples your basic ability to move in an athletic manner. It's an injury to the very core strength that everyone raves about.

So, a month ago I saw a doctor and then made trips to a physical therapist. She taught me how to strengthen my lower abdominals and all my groin parts, to help the injured guy along. Day after day, I coaxed my body into a healthy state. Good for me, huh?

So, for all my hard work, I was rewarded today with a spring league double header.

My team lost both games.
I had fun.
I didn't hurt.
2 turnovers. I think I'll blame one on a slow teammate. The other I threw straight into the ground (who does that anymore?)
1/1 hucks. It was a forehand against a light upwind breeze. It started IO and turned OI, but remained flat enough. So, an economical but not attractive throw. The mark had prevented my prefered backhand look.
1 sick layout d. OI flick huck coming over our right shoulders. Batted the disc as it fell into his hands.

Flight

A throw from a novice will often come in much too hard and fast, making it hard to catch.
A throw from a more experienced player will likely have a bit of touch, but it might slow up too early and bend from lack of power.
A throw from a master will have almost no variation in speed or angle. It's not hard to see this, because it looks unnatural. The disc seems like it should slow down, but instead it plods along at a controlled pace, perhaps even appearing to speed up at the end (because the mind expects it to slow). There's good video of this on the Dream Cup DVD, where Jeremy Cram gives throwing instruction.

Lately I've tried to achieve this with my own throws. I believe I am almost successful with my backhand. Forehand seems a bit tougher. The trick seems to be adding a generous dose of torque and spin, and finding the perfect angle. That angle should be a little over 5 degrees nose up for a mid-release throw.

How will I get it for my forehand? I need to apply more spin to the disc, but merely flicking it harder or cranking my wrist around won't do it. The applied force would be much too erratic. As always, it comes down to good form. The generated spin should come from core strength translated into hip, shoulder, arm, and finally wrist movement. If it all comes through even and powerful, the disc will have greater spin but an even flight path.

The Little Things

Today I read an interesting article on the NBA player Shane Battier. It made the case that while almost all of his stats run from mediocre to abysmal, he really is one of the most valuable players in the game. He doesn't make huge blocks or pile on rebounds, but he studies his opponents carefully and plays intelligent defense that frustrates even the big stars. He doesn't make a bunch of shots or assists, but he always positions himself properly to help his team get the basket or the rebound. His performance does show up in more nuanced numbers like, "difference of points scored and points allowed for the whole team while Battier is in the game."

I've played with frisbee players that emulate either Kobe or Battier as well. Obviously, you need some guys with huge throws and big D's, but how much do they help the team if the hucks end up being pretty low percentage, or if they are stubborn with regard to space? I think improvement in this way comes from discipline. Creating good space for your team on offense should be automatic. Moving the disc quickly should always be on your mind like an itch. Throwing down a hard mark should be biggest pleasure in defense. I think next indoor game I will start off every offensive point by telling myself, "create space, setup the continuation." As in every sport, the small improvements in frisbee add up to wins, even if your teammates only remember the layout score.