My brother recently wrote this post, where he talks about some of the potential pitfalls and mistakes people make when they are trying to make progress in hand balancing. As is the case with many of his posts, I think there are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between hand balancing and ultimate; I go through some of Yuri's points below, with my comments in italics.
-You don't practice enough
Handstands take serious work, so if your practice consists of "messing around every once in a while", you're probably not getting better.
This is a skill you need to devote some real time to; on top of that consistency of practice is key. Luckily, it takes zero equipment so there should not be any excuses.
This one is pretty self explanatory. If you want to improve your throws, you need to be putting in time doing focused throwing and working on those specific things. If you want to improve your speed/acceleration/jumping, you need to be putting in time in the gym working specifically on those skills. Throwing casually is great, but it won't turn you into an elite thrower.
My freshman year I would show up an hour early to every practice and do the Kung Fu throwing drill with Matt Lee, who was a senior at the time. I went from playing the fewest points of any player in our first spring tournament to being a starting D line handler by the end of the season, and my ability to consistently and confidently complete throws was a big part of that.
-You move too fast
Wall handstand ->freestanding handstand -> one arm handstand. These are the progressions, right?
Not exactly. There are a multitude of concepts and steps in between that need to be addressed. Many people are too eager to see the final product that they miss the process to get there.
The basic rule is that you should feel complete control in your practice. Any "wildness" means that it may be worth it to regress a step or two or reevaluate your technique.
Similarly, there are a lot of steps and a lot of work that come in between completing an under and completing a huck. There are even a lot of steps between laying out on offense and laying out on defense.
-You haven't properly refined your basics
This is about optimization of technique. Understanding the concepts behind alignment, arm support, breathing, body tension and balance can help a lot when it comes to learning the more advanced skills.
As a beginner, it's worth it to build a base. As an advanced practitioner, it's worth it to keep refining your base. If you advanced learning a technique that is not ideal, it's worth going back to solidify your basics.
Case in point: if it takes you more than one try to find balance on two arms; you are not yet ready to progress to one arm work.
This is one of the biggest problems I see among younger players and a lot of teams. Having a strong core of fundamentals is absolutely critical to being consistently successful. However, you can find success without having the basics down - this is why many players and teams never really learn them well. It isn't until they run into a challenge that really tests them that they realize where they are deficient.
Take this example: a young player is in their first semester playing ultimate. Their throws aren't great, but they can usually hit a continuation if it is super open. They've gotten in the habit of throwing their around backhand dumps as quick-pivot high releases - they're able to get past the mark easily that way and it works pretty much every time. At the first tournament, there's a bit of a wind. Not super strong, but enough that in their first few points, they try to throw the high-release dump and it flutters over and is a turnover each time. Veterans on the team, however, have a stronger fundamental base and are still able to complete those throws by stepping out and throwing low release breaks which cut through the wind.
-You spend too much time working on basics
The base is important, but at the same time it's important to begin exposure to higher level skills. Some people spend so much time chasing perfection here that they don't get enough time to train what they're actually trying to work on.
Yes, working basics will help with the advanced skills. However, you won't achieve the advanced skills unless you actually practice them.
To be honest, I think ultimate as a sport is at a point where there are very few, if any, people that need to worry about this. You should spend time working on other skills, but I don't think any ultimate player could legitimately have the thought, "I'm practicing my fundamentals too much".
-You haven't addressed your physical restrictions
In most adults, excess tension and restrictions in and around the shoulder, wrist, and elbow can impede handstand progress. If you don't take care of these issues, they can have a significant effect on your practice, both technically and aesthetically.
Check out my Wrist and Shoulder sequences on Vimeo to help address some of these issues
This one is pretty important. Many ultimate players do not spend enough time training themselves physically for the things they want to be able to do (e.g. play 8 grueling games in one weekend). Thankfully, resources like Rob Dulabon, Tim Morrill, Ren Caldwell, and Melissa Witmer are making ultimate-specific training much more commonplace. Still, I think there are a lot of players that don't necessarily realize their own physical restrictions that are holding them back.
-You haven't addressed your psychological restrictions
Handstands are as much mental as they are physical. Being in a handstand can put people into an uncomfortable positions, and the tendency here can be either to collapse or fight.
The key is to feel comfortable every step of the way. If training handstands triggers a fear or panic response, it's worth it to spend some time developing comfort before moving on.
Probably the most common "psychological restriction" people have is being unable to layout properly, or layout at all. I know so many players who want to be able to layout more than anything, but just can't seem to get over that mental block. I'm still not sure what the best way is to help people get over that. Even people that do layout (myself included) sometimes get into a "rut" where they keep letting discs hit the ground, or keep bailing on potential layouts. It happens to me and is incredibly frustrating.
As Yuri says, maybe the best approach is to try to get as comfortable with the movements as you can in a setting that is lower risk (e.g. diving into foam, onto a mattress, into a pool, from your knees, etc.)
Stay tuned for part two coming in a few days!
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
[Guest Post by Evan Karson] 11 Things I Learned at WashU That Made me a Better Ultimate Player (in no particular order)
The following is written by Evan Karson, who is a current captain at WashU. Karson and I matched up a lot during my time at WashU and he is a great player and great leader, so I hope you enjoy this.
I've also added some of my own comments, in italics.
By Evan Karson
These eleven items are lessons I have picked up during my 3 and a half years playing ultimate here at WashU.
Some of them you may have already heard, while other ideas are a little more nuanced. Either way, my hope
with this “mini-article” is to pass along some wisdom that I have been lucky enough to internalize, thanks to
some fantastic teammates, role models and coaches.
1. You can never take too much care of you body – stretch before and after playing (the half-pigeon is my
personal favorite stretch), invest in a decent roller and buy yourself an ice pack.
Yoga is also a great way to build mobility and strength. You can find videos on youtube that will walk you through some yoga in 30-60 minutes.
Yoga is also a great way to build mobility and strength. You can find videos on youtube that will walk you through some yoga in 30-60 minutes.
2. Embrace accountability and demonstrate humility. Always be thinking about what you could have done
better even when your team is winning or you are playing at your best. Always be asking older players and
coaches to watch you during scrimmages and don’t be afraid to pester them for feedback.
Relevant Zip's tip: 11/20/2002 - "Accountability"
Hold yourself to an extremely high level of accountability. Good players will think about what they did wrong after they get scored on or beaten. Great players will think about what they did wrong while their team is scoring and winning. We must continue to improve even when we are playing well. Many times when I play I think games are much closer than they actually are because if my man broke my mark then thats what I remember, even if we got the d on the next pass and scored. Constantly be improving.
Relevant Zip's tip: 11/20/2002 - "Accountability"
Hold yourself to an extremely high level of accountability. Good players will think about what they did wrong after they get scored on or beaten. Great players will think about what they did wrong while their team is scoring and winning. We must continue to improve even when we are playing well. Many times when I play I think games are much closer than they actually are because if my man broke my mark then thats what I remember, even if we got the d on the next pass and scored. Constantly be improving.
3. Saying things aloud to yourself helps. While the encouragement and cheering of teammates is invaluable,
sometimes you alone are in the best position to pump yourself up or push yourself through a workout.
Quick story time: last spring I was doing a sprint workout with Brendan and Skittles at 8:30am and about a quarter of the way through, we thought we were going to die. Blake wrote it for us and it was a rough one. Eventually we resorted to motivating each other between sprints by saying stuff like “we can give more”, “we can dig deeper”, and “we can do this”. We finished the workout because of how driven we felt from those small words of encouragement. Saying those things aloud forced us to believe them.
Quick story time: last spring I was doing a sprint workout with Brendan and Skittles at 8:30am and about a quarter of the way through, we thought we were going to die. Blake wrote it for us and it was a rough one. Eventually we resorted to motivating each other between sprints by saying stuff like “we can give more”, “we can dig deeper”, and “we can do this”. We finished the workout because of how driven we felt from those small words of encouragement. Saying those things aloud forced us to believe them.
4. If you’re injured, then go see a doctor/physical therapist. WashU Health and Wellness doesn’t count.
Seriously, you aren't impressing anyone by playing through an injury, especially a chronic one. Get healthy and stay healthy.
Seriously, you aren't impressing anyone by playing through an injury, especially a chronic one. Get healthy and stay healthy.
5. Always be trying to play/workout/train/throw/watch film/etc. with people better at ultimate than you.
6. A good low-release backhand around the mark is the most important throw to have in college.
A good low-release around backhand is the most important throw in ultimate right now, period. If you don't believe me, watch Revolver play.
7. Sometimes, hanging out and doing nothing in the stack is contributing.
8. Catching is the most necessary skill in ultimate and also the most undervalued.
9. Writing things down notes for yourself helps you internalize messages and lessons. By the end of my sophomore year, my desk was covered in post-it notes with pieces of advice scrawled on them that I had received from the likes of Joe, Ross and Blake. Now I keep a notebook for that kind of stuff.
10. Often times, cutting deep is simply sprinting deep from a standstill at the precise moment. A handler catching the disc in power position is one of those moments.
Zip's tip #35:
When a team gets the disc in power position and no one cuts deep, somewhere in the jungle a baby sloth falls out of a tree. #cutdeep
11. Be kind to people and do your best to learn and remember names.
"I'm bad at names" shouldn't be a valid excuse. This is one I need to be much better at.
6. A good low-release backhand around the mark is the most important throw to have in college.
A good low-release around backhand is the most important throw in ultimate right now, period. If you don't believe me, watch Revolver play.
7. Sometimes, hanging out and doing nothing in the stack is contributing.
8. Catching is the most necessary skill in ultimate and also the most undervalued.
9. Writing things down notes for yourself helps you internalize messages and lessons. By the end of my sophomore year, my desk was covered in post-it notes with pieces of advice scrawled on them that I had received from the likes of Joe, Ross and Blake. Now I keep a notebook for that kind of stuff.
10. Often times, cutting deep is simply sprinting deep from a standstill at the precise moment. A handler catching the disc in power position is one of those moments.
Zip's tip #35:
When a team gets the disc in power position and no one cuts deep, somewhere in the jungle a baby sloth falls out of a tree. #cutdeep
11. Be kind to people and do your best to learn and remember names.
"I'm bad at names" shouldn't be a valid excuse. This is one I need to be much better at.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Growth vs Fixed Mindset
"I'm just not good at throwing breaks." "I can't flick huck." "I don't know how to play short deep in a zone." "I can't sky people."
Chances are, in your ultimate career, you've said one of the phrases above, or something similar. And, if you're anything like me, you've heard almost every one of your non-ultimate friends tell you they can't play ultimate because they "can't" throw forehands, "can't" run fast, or jump high. There was a time when I, and probably you too, thought there was something you couldn't do... but you can do it now. I remember thinking, when I was a freshman, that there was just no way I'd ever be able to consistently throw breaks; I was too short, so I couldn't step around my marks well, and I couldn't switch my throwing grips very quickly, so I was too slow to make up for it. Some of the veterans encouraged me to keep throwing and working on my pivots, and by the end of that year I was handling. Now I feel comfortable throwing breaks in almost any situation.
This brings me to the idea of a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is the one I described above: viewing one's skillset as a fixed quantity. A growth mindset, on the other hand, is one where an individual recognizes their weaknesses, but also recognizes what they can do to improve those things and grow as a player. Most importantly, somebody that is in a growth mindset sees a setback as a positive challenge and an opportunity to work and improve at something. "I can't throw a flick huck" vs. "I need to show up to practice early to work on my flick hucks".
There have even been studies that support increased performance for people with a growth mindset. The main one that comes to my mind had two groups of children that were given problems (e.g. puzzles). The first set of puzzles were relatively easy, and the kids did fairly well on them. Half of the children were then told "Great job! You must be really smart!" (promoting a fixed mindset - you have this fixed skillset which allowed you to succeed). The other half were told "Great job! You must have worked really hard!" (promoting a growth mindset - you worked to develop the skills to be able to solve those problems). Next, the kids were given more difficult problems. The fixed mindset group that were told they were very smart spent less time on the problems and were less successful. On the other hand, the growth mindset group spent more time trying to solve the problems and were more successful. Additionally, when the kids were offered additional problems, the growth mindset group tended to go for more challenging problems - for them, part of the reward was in the work itself, not just in finding the solution and being "smart". Kids that were praised for their effort were also less likely to agree with a statement that intelligence is a fixed quantity.
(Read more about the study here)
In ultimate, we often talk about certain skills, like speed, height, and jumping ability, being fixed. The reality is, that is not necessarily true. You can't grow taller, but you can definitely increase your speed, acceleration, and jumping ability. And if you aren't doing that by lifting and running right now, then come March you will be in for a rude awakening.
As captains, coaches, and leaders of teams, it is important to remember that we can encourage a growth mindset among our players by our language and the way we respond to problems. (More thanks due here to Ross. Not sure if Ross ever used these exact terms but these are definitely ideas he talks about and embodies as a coach)
Chances are, in your ultimate career, you've said one of the phrases above, or something similar. And, if you're anything like me, you've heard almost every one of your non-ultimate friends tell you they can't play ultimate because they "can't" throw forehands, "can't" run fast, or jump high. There was a time when I, and probably you too, thought there was something you couldn't do... but you can do it now. I remember thinking, when I was a freshman, that there was just no way I'd ever be able to consistently throw breaks; I was too short, so I couldn't step around my marks well, and I couldn't switch my throwing grips very quickly, so I was too slow to make up for it. Some of the veterans encouraged me to keep throwing and working on my pivots, and by the end of that year I was handling. Now I feel comfortable throwing breaks in almost any situation.
This brings me to the idea of a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is the one I described above: viewing one's skillset as a fixed quantity. A growth mindset, on the other hand, is one where an individual recognizes their weaknesses, but also recognizes what they can do to improve those things and grow as a player. Most importantly, somebody that is in a growth mindset sees a setback as a positive challenge and an opportunity to work and improve at something. "I can't throw a flick huck" vs. "I need to show up to practice early to work on my flick hucks".
There have even been studies that support increased performance for people with a growth mindset. The main one that comes to my mind had two groups of children that were given problems (e.g. puzzles). The first set of puzzles were relatively easy, and the kids did fairly well on them. Half of the children were then told "Great job! You must be really smart!" (promoting a fixed mindset - you have this fixed skillset which allowed you to succeed). The other half were told "Great job! You must have worked really hard!" (promoting a growth mindset - you worked to develop the skills to be able to solve those problems). Next, the kids were given more difficult problems. The fixed mindset group that were told they were very smart spent less time on the problems and were less successful. On the other hand, the growth mindset group spent more time trying to solve the problems and were more successful. Additionally, when the kids were offered additional problems, the growth mindset group tended to go for more challenging problems - for them, part of the reward was in the work itself, not just in finding the solution and being "smart". Kids that were praised for their effort were also less likely to agree with a statement that intelligence is a fixed quantity.
(Read more about the study here)
In ultimate, we often talk about certain skills, like speed, height, and jumping ability, being fixed. The reality is, that is not necessarily true. You can't grow taller, but you can definitely increase your speed, acceleration, and jumping ability. And if you aren't doing that by lifting and running right now, then come March you will be in for a rude awakening.
As captains, coaches, and leaders of teams, it is important to remember that we can encourage a growth mindset among our players by our language and the way we respond to problems. (More thanks due here to Ross. Not sure if Ross ever used these exact terms but these are definitely ideas he talks about and embodies as a coach)
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