Expectations: Setting the Bar High

It is often ironic how other aspects of my life encourage me to reflect on my experiences with ultimate.

I spoke at the Midwest Captaining Clinic in Grinnell, Iowa a few weeks back about the importance of establishing team buy-in for goals your team wants to attain at the team's pre-season meeting. This step is essential in creating support for what expectations and goals are.

Currently, I am part of a wonderful student project in my planning program at Iowa, where we are mapping renewable energy capacity at the urban scale (4x4 meter resolution), calculating return on investment (optimizing across three technologies: solar, wind, and ground source heat pumping) and performing policy analysis for Dubuque, Iowa. There have been many questions as to why our group is so successful in this project throughout the year, thus far, especially since we combine a wide variety of individuals with various skill sets and expertise that don't necessarily directly relate to "renewable energy mapping and policy."

I would credit our success to the ability to clearly define the expectations of our project on DAY 1. When we met in Dubuque in August, we brought the goal of putting forth high quality work, worthy of presenting at the National Planning Conference in Los Angeles this spring (the premier planning conference in the world). We wanted to publish an article in a highly regarded scholarly-reviewed journal. This is the equivalent to making finals at college nationals in the planning realm.

With that goal in mind and having full group buy-in to this particular goal, a lofty one, but attainable, the expectations became high from the beginning. People question as to whether or not our faculty advisor is actually performing our work. Clearly, he doesn't have the time aside from his own teaching and research to do our project too. But he sets us up by helping us find the tools to succeed. Pointing us in the direction of software tools and ideas for data, but not actually attaining any of the data, mapping anything, or performing analysis. Leadership is important, but having everyone buy-in to our expectations, we are able to make the most out of the leadership tools he provides. We by no means have the personnel who are the best at all the aspects of the project, but work together playing to our strengths, with the goal of producing something worthy of our expectations. This propels us to some incredibly impressive results.

I'll illustrate this with a comparison to Flywheel's phenomenal post-season run at the 2011 College Championships.


By no means did Flywheel dominate the competition all year round. They did not have the most talented players in the college game. They had capable players with a lot of talent, but I would say that personnel wise, Oregon should have outmatched them in the semis (having played both teams last season, that is my opinion, anyways). Flywheel had great leadership who gave their players the best opportunities to work towards their goal of winning nationals, but their leadership did not WIN the semi-final game for them alone. One thing that their captains were vocal about, was that the expectations were high from day one, and they had total team buy in to work hard to achieve that goal. Everyone contributed the effort and time to produce the results that they wanted. Yes, they had talented players...but it was their ability to learn their strengths and play to those strengths that they prevailed last season. They had a plan and the committed to it, wholeheartedly, and believed they could achieve it.

We saw it in other teams like Colorado College. I think we'll see it out of teams this season (Sonoma State and Central Florida are two that stick out right now).

It's not to say that every team or group can set these expectations and meet them. But if you have the personnel capabilities and leadership who can establish buy in to high expectations that accompany the skills, a commitment throughout the ENTIRE project/season, and a willingness to see it through, big things can happen.

Expectations and goals have to be REALISTIC. They were realistic for Michigan and Colorado College last season. They committed and achieved goals. Regardless of whether or not YOU THINK they should have been there, they were. It doesn't matter why or how they got there, they did. They were able to put their money where their mouths were, and you weren't. It doesn't matter if you beat them earlier in the season, because they won when it mattered and you didn't. Haters are going to hate, always, in no matter what you do.

You have two options: let it get to you, or keep doing what you're doing. It's hard to completely be ignorant to what they're saying. It's okay to know what they are saying, but it shouldn't get you down. It should motivate you to work hard and achieve your goals and raise your expectations. They're talking because they are jealous of your success. Give them something to keep talking about.

I'm hoping that 2k12 will bring just as much upset and success stories as last season did. Keep giving us something to be excited about, because your successes inspire others to step up their game. It gives them hope that they can set their expectations high (but realistic), and have the opportunity to achieve their goals if they fully commit.

Good luck.

The Post Season: Week 1, Fundamentals

Today officially begins the post season. I'm giddy with excitement. Our region (unofficially) has THREE bids. First time since 2009. Hopefully I won't have to play in a backdoor game again (my current personal record is 0-4...but I'm 2-0 in regional championship games).

So Week 1 of my post-season brings my focus to fundamentals.

Me and Justine at Easterns. Playing catch like it's our job.

Saucy is working on efficiency and fundamentals. Some of the things that killed us at Centex were easy things like completing catches and throws. Simple fundamentals. At practice last week Mikey had us do a drill that took us almost 1 hour to complete. Athleticism and smarts about the game won't get you anywhere if you can't complete a basic uncontested throw to a wide open receiver 10 yards away.

Brodie Smith might be one of the best things for teaching skills right now. I kid you not, the guy is making real quality vids, breaking down throwing fundamentals. Check 'em out if you haven't yet. Whether you love him or hate him, you can't argue with the guy: he is the single most dominant person to have ever graced the college ultimate field. His stat line from finals is better than the stats of most teams in a championship game. If you're looking to improve your throws in crunch time, I urge you to go back to the basics and learn from the best our sport has to offer.
Bro Tips #1: Backhand Basics
Bro Tips #2: Forehand

I'm a real proponent these days of getting at least 100 touches on the disc every day. Totally do-able in less than 15 mins. (Wrote about that in Feb, CLICK HERE)

Peace.

Improving Disc Skills During Crunch Time

This started out as an e-mail to my teammates. It turned into a post directed towards people who are "in-season." Saucy officially makes the transition into the outdoor season next weekend, with Midwest Throwdown (St. Louis, MO).

2008: Jaime, Katelyn, Lauren and I, showing off our clean jerseys. Thanks mud!

The Midwest, like most of the country, likes to make us play in ridiculous conditions, like below freezing temperatures, 30-40 mph wind, sleet, hail, slush, snow, 2 inches of mud that swallow your cleats (my personal favorite, horizontal sleet rain is typical every year at Regionals for us). We all know that these conditions make throwing and catching more difficult, to say the least. So how can someone expect to gain significant improvement from now until Midwest Throwdown (12 days away?): more touches on the disc.

My challenge is to find 10-15 mins every day of the week to get at least 100 throws/catches in. Go outside if the weather permits (today is great for throwing outdoors!) You might be thinking, "Robyn, you're crazy. 100 throws in 10-15 minutes!?"

If you don't believe me, watch me warm up before practice or a game (ask Bekah or Timko). I guarantee that if I am cleated up at 8:00, I can get you at least 80 reps in before we start our first drill.

Before every practice, this is my target:
-10 backhands, 3-5 yards
-10 forehands, 3-5 yards
-10 backhands, 10 yards (4 straight, 2 inside-out, 2 outside-in)
-10 forehands, 10 yards (4 straight, 2 inside-out, 2 outside-in)
-15 backhands, 15 yards (5 straight, 5 inside-out, 5 outside-in)
-15 forehands, 15 yards (5 straight, 5 inside-out, 5 outside-in)
-15 backhands, 20-25 yards (5 straight, 5 inside-out, 5 outside-in)
-15 forehands, 20-25 yards (5 straight, 5 inside-out, 5 outside-in)

Sidenote:
Personally, I don't worry so much about working on low release throws or fakes during this "warmup" time where I'm trying to maximize disc touches. I don't do either of these skills (low throws or fakes) unless I have a mark on. So I focus on these skills during drills with a mark. If I have no mark on me, I have no reason to get really low. It slows down my throw and adds unnecessary movement. As for faking, I practice that when I'm watching TV or walking around campus (I prefer to make eye contact with strangers and fake throw at them. General rule of thumb, if they flinch, my fake was good. Which means, I have lots to work on with my forehand...). I am not sure how many coaches or more experienced folks would agree with this philosophy.


My advice: constantly be moving. Work on your footwork. Most importantly, work on your "transfer time." (Timko is probably more than sick of me preaching transfer time, haha)

As a former college fastpitch softball catcher, my coaches emphasized the need to decrease the amount of time I actually had the ball in my possession. Minimizing my transfer time (time that elapses from when I actually catch the ball and it gets in my teammates glove on a base to throw a runner stealing a base out) helped me play my role of keeping base runners in their place. I can control how long the ball was in my glove, how long it took me to set up my throw, how long I took to get the ball out of my hand, how fast the ball got to the base. Working on taking out every unnecessary movement was essential: it was the difference between throwing someone out and giving them a free base.

The same can be said of ultimate. The faster you get the disc out of your hands, the more options to throw you have. Things to minimize:
-How long it takes you to gain possession
-How long it takes you to find your grip
-How long it takes you to set up your throw (footwork, body positioning)
-How fast your release is

Something else to work on:
-How accurate your throw is*

Having a fast transfer time is great, but when it comes down to it, if the disc doesn't come close to your receiver, what good is a good transfer time?

Accuracy comes from practice, repetition, and touches on the disc. Case in point, get outside and throw!

The "Play-After-The-Play"

Last night I was on the phone with Dave, talking about ultimate. What's new, right? I found myself re-visiting a concept that I credit to my high school softball coach, Mr. John Rosenberg: the-play-after-the-play.  This concept has been drilled into my head for years. "Fennig, think about the play-after-the-play."

What did this mean?

It meant to think ahead. See what was unfolding on the field before my opponent did. I realized that I do this all the time on the ultimate field. I honestly thought something was wrong with me. So many of the top players say "I don't think. I just react." Well, I'm sorry, I think all sorts when I play. I haven't been playing forever and require the whole thinking thing. Sometimes, I think too much. Sometimes, not enough.

The Play-After-The-Play really is about one thing: field vision.

How to See a Play Develop

I feel that this skill is learned through time and practice, just like any other skill a player learns. For me, that meant changing how I watched the game. As a new player, thirsty for knowledge about this game I was so desperately falling in love with, I spent so much time watching college nationals games (CBS Sports at one time had all the finals footage online for free before Ultivillage took it over...). I remember sitting on my computer at home in Muskego with my Dad, streaming the 2007 National Championship games. I spent so much time during the summer of 2007 watching and re-watching the Hodags win the over Mamabird. Both teams had ridiculous chemistry, and just had such strong players. At first, I'd spend time watching the disc moving, but found that I was overlooking the real action.

Just like the days of watching basketball game footage, I began focusing all of my attention on the off-disc action. At the time, I was a cutter. I sat at the computer and watched Will Locke get the disc deep, and watched Drew Mahowald set up the play-after-the-play as soon as the disc went up to Locke. I recall this moment quite exactly, because, it was the first time I actually thought critically about what was happening.

Over the years, I have had many teammates ask me how I got to the point I am at with how I think about the game. At this point, I simply start spamming them with all sorts of links with games to watch. I tell them to watch it, and we typically will meet up for coffee or something over my laptop. I'll ask, "What did you see." At that point, we'll talk about big plays, we'll talk about big throws. But then I'll ask if they saw the off-disc action. The answer is usually no, unless it's an iso situation.

When you watch film, watch off disc movement. Watch how the players are clearing. Watch how space is created and how the secondary cuts are timed. Handlers, watch how the handlers get open and create space. Watch the give and go--focusing on the secondary cuts. There's so much off-disc stuff to focus on. I find that talking about the stuff that's going on is crucial. Don't just watch film by yourself, watch it with a friend/captain/coach/player. Not everyone sees the field the same.

Bringing Your New Mantra To the Field

Me and Roxie talk options.

So now you're seeing all sorts of awesome things develop. There are a few ways to bring this to your team.

1) Helping Your Noobs

Watch your teammates. Sideline talk is important, but even more so is using practice time to help your rookies. Grab a rookie on the sideline. Watch a veteran. Watch them set up the play-after-the-play. Explain to your rookie about what's going on. Point out when your vet sets up a secondary play. When they're clearing space or setting up the next cut, or just streaking down field. From my experience, in women's ultimate, true rookies (who have no experience) take a bit longer to develop the field awareness of seeing plays develop. It's okay to take someone aside and help them see the field the way you now do. But it's important to also try to understand how they see the field. If they saw another option, make sure you tell them that your suggestion is another option.

 

Pat Niles helps Anna Hettler between points.



2) Helping Your Vets

When you're being a kick ass teammate, you can help your vets. Personally, I'm not a fan of sideline talk on offense...it can be difficult for on-field players to communicate when everyone is yelling and screaming.This means, if you see a vet who isn't busting it or someone who didn't take a good opportunity, encourage them to do it. "Hey (Name), you had a really good opportunity to set up a good deep cut when (Other Teammate) had the disc off that strike. You had your defender beat. Totally take advantage of that match up." The same can be said of when you're on the field between points. Note: don't be a jerk about it.

3) Setting Up Situations

Situational scrimmages are key. As a captain/coach/person who plans practice, incorporate this into your practice plan.

**I'll talk about teaching skills in a later post, I promise. I got an e-mail asking about that last week. I promise that I'll get to it in the next week or two!

4) See all the options

Try to see off-disc movement better when you have the disc. This really is improved with more play time. Seeing the best option, not necessarily the first, is something that everyone really should work on, even if they think they're pros.

Most Important, Practice what you Preach

If you want your teammates to respect you, you have to follow through. Work on improving your field vision is a constant process. It is something to keep working on and developing as you continue to play. It is a process, and it doesn't happen over night.

The same high school coach who drilled the "Play-After-the-Play" into my head, also taught me something key: to be a student of the game. Always be learning. Never be complacent. Your knowledge can grow even when your skills and physical ability cannot.

Wanna watch some clips and don't have time to search YouTube for something you haven't seen. Go here!
http://www.discvideos.com/