Digg meets ultimate

To quote their self-description, "BananaCut is the Digg of Ultimate content. It's a socially driven Ultimate Frisbee news, video and photo site."

Anyone want to get some Aussie content on there? Surely Roger's photos should get into the photo section.

Who can make next week's training?

Ultimate teams are far easier to manage when you have simple ways to communicate. How did we do anything before email and mobiles?

Its worth thinking about a website for your team - not necessarily a public place for outsiders to see a few photos and your roster, but a private hub for organising trainings and attendance, sharing tactics, discussing uniforms and upload photos.

The simplest comparison is Facebook (uh-oh, half my readers just went to play Scrabulous or throw a zombie...) Facebook is a starting point for a user: your friends' details, photos, news and latest actions all come to you. And are easily found with one search box.

Here are some ready-to-go team website tools on offer:

Google Sites
Only been out for 2 weeks. We Dingos are using it. The pages are editable by anyone, and you can put in many widgets, tables, videos and photos. Limited integration with all the other useful google tools (calendar, groups, docs, gmail).

Teamtastic
Used Tested by the Firetails, used by Iceni and even UK Ultimate. Free, but ad-supported and there are limits on photos and pages. Designed for sports teams. You can manage news, photos, polls, roster, schedules, and more.

TeamSnap
Looks slick, but I can't find any ultimate teams using it yet, unsurprisingly. Free for now, but down the track they will have free and paid options. You can manage pretty much the same things as Teamtastic, plus team stats, who has paid and even the roster for who is bringing the esky. Who wants to test-drive this one?

FreeTeams
Looks outdated.

MyTeamCaptain
Ditto

Online learning

This is the first in a short series of posts on technology.

Dan Cogan-Drew has set up a new online tool.

It is openultimate.com

Check it out. You can enrol in a "course", which is a collection of photos, videos, blog posts and expositions built by the public. I believe you pass a course by contributing to the course discussion online.

You can create an online space for your team, where you can structure a course with the content you want. The US Junior teams have their own courses on there.

Reflections on Nationals 2008

Firstly the fields. Crikey, I'm not sure I'd take the gamble. Excellent fields assured 80% of the time - when there is good weather. But when there is heavy rain - you get a mud farm. And that did not make for quality ultimate.

The Friday morning rain hit as we played the Masters. Our first point involved Cleetus getting 3 layout blocks. This was because a) Cleetus can run faster in the mud than Masters, and b) we turned it 3 times in the terrible conditions in the first point. Not a pretty game.

Its tough finding good fields in this sunburnt country (see Sydney Nats 06). I guess we've got to keep working at it.

On Friday night, it was great to watch the match between the Aussie Firetails and the Kiwi women's team. Australia are fielding more and more athletes these days. It seems to be an aspect where the North Americans really have it over us, so it is good to see us close the gap. However, the number of turnovers was a bit discouraging. Too often the Firetails took 3+ possessions to score, despite the Kiwis not being in the same class as them.

And I must have a word to Tom about their zone offense.

Heads of State had a solid tournament. There were some pretty disappointing moments, in particular losing a see-sawing, winner-takes-all last point vs Fyshwick and the pre-semi to I-Beam. But being the 4th best men's team in Australia (NZ pushed us down to 5th) ain't all bad, considering it is the first or second Nationals for most of our team. This is only year 2 of our journey. But we are hungry to improve and win more.

Surprises of the tournament (though not all that surprising):

Box
Box finishing 6th. Last year they made the final. In 2008 they return with the same young talented squad enhanced by an extra year to improve their teamwork and grow their rookies. So how did Factory Girls and Southside overtake them?

Barefoot
They collapsed. Winning all the games on Day 1. Losing the rest to finish 11th 12th. Wow. We need an insider's story on this. But the results of Regionals held up at Nationals overall. We knew they weren't great after finishing fifth at Easterns. So not the biggest surprise in one sense. In those immortal words "they are who we thought they were"

The men's final
Fakulti looked shaky, unlike every other game they played in the tourney. An unprecedented number of unforced throwaways. Fyshwick on the other hand played pretty much to their potential (a very strong potential I should add), and so were lurking there at the end, despite never being able to take the lead. Perhaps Fakulti felt the obligations of being the bookie's favourite, with a lot to lose. But they stepped up to claim the title in their 5th final appearance, and perhaps their first one as favourites.

I am particularly happy for Kenny, Fatty and James - their first title after so many years of putting hard work into the Fakulti club.

All in all it was an entertaining men's final. Great to watch. I got to commentate. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Kenny and national champions Fakulti

Rethinking aerobic and anaerobic training

As someone who has a background in exact sciences (physics), the fuzziness of sports science and physiology sometimes leaves me uncertain about what we know or why in sport.

Here is more to throw into the mix. A blogpost on Establishing an aerobic base. The article addresses training from the perspective of a range of team sports that ultimate would definitely fit into.

Is more rethinking needed here Australia?

Aspects of throwing practice

Many of you may be familiar with the standard set of 100 throws: 10 flat backhands, 10 flat forehands, 10 outside-in backhands, 10 outside-in forehands, 10 inside-out backhands, 10 inside-out forehands, 10 scoobers, 10 hammers, 10 long backhands, 10 long forehands.

What variations in throwing are used in this set?

Basically, grip (forehand vs backhand vs hammer), angle of throw (inside-out vs flat vs outside-in) and distance (short vs long).

But there are other aspects we can vary:

• speed of throw (fast vs slow)
• height of throw (low vs normal vs high)
• width of pivot (normal vs wide)
• angle of pivot (step forward vs step sideways vs step back)
• width of pivot (step out a little vs step out a lot)
• catching aggression (let disc come to you vs sprint to catch it at earliest moment)
• after the throw (stand and watch vs cut left vs cut right)

So here are two other sets of throws you can use.

Break Throw 100

This set will work on your break throws.

• 10 backhands, 10 forehands: flat, normal height release, step sideways as far as feasible, slow disc speed(should arrive gently in receiver's hands)
• 10 backhands, 10 forehands: flat, low release, step back 45 degrees with a medium pivot, slow disc speed
• 10 backhands, 10 forehands: inside-out (disc must arrive at receiver inside-out), low release, step sideways with a medium pivot, slow disc speed
• 5 forehand blades: pivot from backhand stance, throw very vertical blade
• 5 scoobers: pivot from forehand stance, throw scoober
• 10 hammers: fake forehand, throw hammer
• 10 long backhands: pivot from forehand stance sideways, wide into the backhand huck
• 10 long forehands: pivot from backhand stance sideways, wide into the forehand huck

Throw and Go 30

And here is a set that will warm you up before a game, and teach you to give-and-go. It also doesn't take long. After the first throw, jog to your left for five metres.

After the second throw, jog to your right for five metres. You'll end up roughly where you started after every two throws. The aim is to start running in the throwing motion. Leave more time between each catch and throw, if you want to improve focus and completion rate. If you do it at maximum speed it is basically the kill drill.

This set will cover all combinations of throw forehand/backhand and run left/right.

• 5 low flat backhands (slow jog)
• 5 low flat forehands (slow jog)
• 5 outside-in backhands (fast acceleration)
• 5 outside-in forehands (fast acceleration)
• 5 inside-out backhands (fast acceleration)
• 5 inside-out forehands (fast acceleration)

A new coaching textbook: Essential Ultimate

There are two folks in the US I would like to meet.

They are Michael Baccarini and Tiina Booth. Both are high school ultimate coaches. High school coaches who have coached teams to multiple National Championships and World Championships. They also run cutting edge youth camps and train up ultimate coaches.

So I really enjoyed reading the book they have just written: Essential Ultimate. It is a fantastic resource for coaches and players alike.

My review is at Amazon. I make a few comparisons to Parinella and Zazslow's "Ultimate Techniques and Tactics" in the review, in case you have seen that book.

Essential Ultimate is available through Amazon, or through the publisher Human Kinetics here in Australia.

Growing pains

Down under, we are facing some growing pains.

In the old days, if you wanted to compete in an event, you pretty much could, whether that was league, or playing for Australia. No broken hearts back then, but no World Championship medals either.

But now some of our players and teams who make a concerted effort (time, effort, money, dreams) are missing out. There is more competition among players seeking to play at certain levels: leagues, club teams, demo games, representing Australia, even getting to play the Melbourne Hat.

We have partly addressed or dodged this problem at times as our sport grows: increasing team numbers at AUGs, larger Nationals, more players per team, more Australian representative teams (six this year compared to two in 1998).

And it isn't comfortable to turn away someone when Aussie ultimate is such a social community, the player is a mate, and they are used to playing if they want to.

But I do feel we can move to accepting the systems where teams and players have to qualify to play. It will require bringing more professional approaches into our volunteer organisations: documenting and publicising qualification requirements, using late fees to encourage early payment/deposits, giving volunteers clearly defined job descriptions and responsibilities, writing selection policy, etc.

I've missed on Australian teams and Green & Gold teams. And I know that not all my friends can be selected to represent Australia at WUGC2008.

So how to deal with not achieving a goal which lies partly in the hands of others?

I feel that Americans often embrace the story of the comeback - a player who doesn't make the cut on a sports team recognises that competing for spots makes the team strong, and will work hard to qualify next time. And this is a good thing. Many of their cultural stories and touchstones relate to falling short then getting back up again: Michael Jordan, John Travolta, Al Gore, Apple and Steve Jobs. Writers can even see such stories coming and how they will turn out.

So for the individuals missing out on qualifying for Nationals/making an Australian team/playing Division 1 league, what now?

There are others in the same boat - chat with them.

Get feedback on how to improve your chances next time.

Readjust your goals. If your team doesn't qualify for Nationals, plan for NZ Open, Kaimana, or Walkabout events. If you don't make an Australian team in 2008, think about joining the support teams, or going to Asia-Oceania Championships or Beach Worlds (as some folks did). Or reset your focus on the next opportunity to make that team/tournament.

And keep working.

One Percenters - Chapter 2

Following on from Rueben's list of one-percenters, here are my additions to that list of the little things that help your team. (Read Rueben's first.)

Moving your defender
When you see a teammate about to cut long, and you are standing near the back of the stack, a little movement in to the disc can draw your defender's attention so they can't help defend the teammate's deep cut.

Not getting in the way
If the thrower has engaged the dump, you need to leave the space around the dump and thrower for the dump to cut into.

Motivating the team
If you or a teammate do something good, let the team know. Get excited. Celebrate. Motivate. A huge layout goal is a very valuable spark that your team can use.

T-minus cuts
Distract and draw the defence by starting your cut before the disc gets checked in. The defence will be less likely to help defend the main cut, and the thrower can throw earlier to the main cut (or even you!). T-minus, because you cut at T-minus 5 seconds, for example.

Look around
See what the thrower, cutters and defence are doing, by constantly turning your head. Have no blind spots.

Share your observations
Let your teammates and leadership know about any tactically useful observations: "Fred has only thrown forehands this game", "Don is poaching a lot".

Ways to attack a zone

Here are some ways to attack a zone. I didn't realise there are so many ways to attack a zone until I stopped to count them. Anyone got more?

1. Sneak in and pivot through
The poppers step just inside the wall or cup, lean forward to receive a short pass (less than 1 metre), and pivot past a defender to throw to a teammate. The disc is not thrown through the cup - it is carried through by a legal pivot step of the popper. This requires footwork not used anywhere else in ultimate, so it takes specific practice.

2. Stand in space
Poppers stand behind the cup or wall in space. If the wing defenders are kept preoccupied, at least 1 of the 2 poppers should be free enough. The handler throws a hammer, blade or scoober to the open popper.

3. Decoy runs to make gaps
One popper moves through the cup to move a defender. The handler throws through the gap they leave to the other popper, who has positioned themselves where they think the gap will appear.

4. Flood the weak side
Position a handler on the opposite side of the field to the disc, and have 2 poppers nearby. Leave the handler with the disc all alone with 4 defenders near him/her. When the disc is swung with a hammer or dump-swing, the poppers are ready to give-go, as the disc should arrive before the cup, clam or wall arrives. Frisbees are faster than feet.

5. Flood deep and hammer
Put 3 or 4 players deep, each trying to draw a defender. One offensive player should be left open for a hammer or blade.

6. Dump and swing until a wing is open
This is the status-quo. It is simple and so is usually the first tactic taught on zone offense. It uses the assumption that "the cup will get tired and slow down and we can then pass up the wing, before we make a mistake". This assumption is usually false in beginner and intermediate ultimate. My reasoning: if you throw just 7 passes sideways, each of which is 90% safe, you are more likely to turn it over than not. And you haven't even gone forward towards the goal. And isn't that the aim of offense?

Guidelines to popping

Here is the first in a series of posts about popping. Why popping? Cos I like it :) Popping requires very different tactics to man-on-man offence - which we play 95% of the time.

The National Junior Training Camp was on this week in Melbourne. You have never seen such a standard of professional training in ultimate. The coaches and athletes there are building a new culture of elite ultimate. I foresee big things for the U-19 Australian teams that emerge from this camp, and the rest of the campaign.

I was guest coach on Thursday morning, coaching the Junior Women on zone O.

The junior women played three mini-games, rotating through the roles of handler, popper and deep in their team. I gave them two guidelines to follow in each role:

Handlers
1. Look after the disc (i.e. throw safe throws, don't get stalled)
2. Keep the disc in the middle of the field (because the zone they faced was a line-trapping pommy zone)

Poppers
1. Always watch the disc (as the angles and defence constantly change, and you can be open at any moment. You can no longer afford to clear long for three seconds, head down, arms pumping.)
2. Stay within 10 metres of the disc (for the offensive style I wanted, the poppers break the zone with small passes through the wall, so they have to be near the disc)

Deeps
1. Pull defenders deep (to give the poppers space)
2. Cut in at the right time (to keep the disc moving upfield before the wall and chaser can contain it again)

Teams can choose different offensive styles against zone, that may not include these guidelines.

But for the junior women on Thursday, I felt these six guidelines gave them an instant structure.

The hardest one to follow was Keep the disc in the middle of the field. It is a very human tendency to throw where the force lets you. But against a trapping zone, the sideline takes away space to throw into, and lets the defenders crowd in. It is clear it takes a fair bit of practice to ignore an open teammate on the sideline and break the mark to a hit better positioned teammate.

Aussie Spirit

So the Aussie Women won Spirit at the World Beach Championships in Brazil.

This adds to a long list of Australian spirit winners at international tournaments.

Australia has won Spirit in at least one division at an amazing string of World Championships (Worlds, World Clubs and Beach Worlds):

• King Brown - Open - WUCC1997
  
• King Brown - Open - WUCC1999
  
• Thorny Devils - Women - WUGC2000
  
• King Brown - Open - WUCC2002
  
• Thunder - Junior Mens - WUGC2004
  
• Barramundis - Mixed - WUGC2004
  
• Crocs - Mixed - World Games 2005
  
• Thunder - Junior Mens - WJUC2006
  
• Terra - Junior Womens - WJUC2006
  
• Fear Discinsonia - Masters - WUCC2006
  
• Phoenix - Women - WUCC2006
  
• Fakulti - Open - WUCC2006
  
• Blokes and Sheilas - Mixed - WUCC2006
  
• Australia - Women - WBUC2007
• Australia - Junior Women - WUGC2008

Australia hasn't missed out since 1998. Amazing. And there are at least 10 other top 6 finishes in that period too. I think the Wombats realised this pattern only requires winning Spirit at World Championships, so they gave other teams a chance at the recent Asia-Oceania Champs :) Plus they had Woodley :)

Correction: there was no Spirit award in Taiwan - I'd assumed another team won it. You're off the hook for now, Woodley.

And as for what happened before 1997... well, the records for our sport are pretty incomplete. Who wants to be a historian for our sport? I'll back you.

Silver, Gold and Bronze

The Asia-Oceania Ultimate Championships and World Beach Championships just wrapped up, and Australia brought home the medals.

At the Asia-Oceania Ultimate Championships, the Wombats came 2nd.

At the World Beach Championships, Australia came 1st in Open and 3rd in Womens. The women also won Spirit!

The Wombats join an esteemed list of Australian teams to win a medal at a WFDF Championships:

• Return of the Red-Eye (3rd) - Masters - WUCC1999
  
• Dingoes (3rd) - Open - WUGC2004
  
• Crocs (2nd) - Mixed - World Games 2005
  
• Terra (3rd) - Junior Women - WJUC2006
  
• Eastern Greys (3rd) - Masters - WUCC2006
  
• Thong (2nd) - Open - WUCC2006
  
• Chilly (3rd) - Open - WUCC2006
  
• Wombats (2nd) - Mixed - Asia-Oceania Championships 2007

The World Beach Championships aren't WFDF endorsed and aren't regular ultimate, but, crikey, I am proud those Salty Crocs brought home a gold! They ended quite a run of silvers and bronzes.

Australia seems to be doing as well as you can do without claiming a WFDF gold. In fact Sarah Wentworth may be the only Aussie with one (she played with Jinx, a German team and winners at European Club Championships 2005).

And with six strong teams being assembled for Worlds 2008, we may not have to wait much longer to fully close that door.

Melbourne Hat

Some observations from the Melbourne Hat, which I played this weekend.

• The Hat is still a lot of fun, all these years after my first one.
  
• There were four pools of teams on Saturday, and I think my team was in a strong one. The 2 teams who finished 5th (my team), and 6th (Evel Knievel), cleaned up our opponents in cross pool play on Sunday. Our pool winner lost the final by 2 points.
  
• The winds came through again, making Saturday arvo and Sunday morning a zone-fest. Not the most enjoyable conditions for the numerous beginners, because the disc tends to be kept in the hands of the veteran handlers on offense.
  
• A Moulin Rouge party theme is a wondrous spectacle in terms of costumes for the ladies, and is just a token top hat for the men.
  
• Popping is fun, so much fun. I made a point of putting our strongest throwers as middles or poppers to a) give more touches to other players in the handler positions and b) replace the risky dump-swing, go-nowhere offence with a powerful cup-busting, quick-passing offence. I think it was productive. It was definitely fun.
  
• On teams with a wide range of abilities, huck and hope is a winning tactic. It can be unsatisfying for those wanting a short passing game (who get looked off), but it seems to win games. The two teams in the final seemed to be lead by two of the best huckers in the tourney. However, the crowd (and I count myself among them) wants to see teams win using all their players. The eternal juggling act of hat tournaments.
  

Where the toe points

Tommy likes to throw his forehand with his arm inside his non-pivot leg.

Jenny likes to throw her forehand with her arm outside.

Tommy's form is common to most North Americans, while Jenny's form is what Aussies usually use.

Advantages? Disadvantages?

Where you point your toe determines where your knee will go.
Toe pointed sideways -> arm inside.
Toe pointed forwards -> arm outside.