Dog Tag Details

We are excited to announce and explain our unique, multi-functional incentive and records system. You probably know them as dog tags but we think they will need a new name to represent what they mean to us.  Leave us a note on Facebook if you have an idea of what we should call them.

Every Ultimate for All member will receive one embossed metal name tag.  Year One participants’ name tags are golden (ok, I think they’re bronze) signifying their founding role in our organization, all future name tags will be standard silver.  It includes their name, UFA Member #, and the UFA values: Community, Sustainability, and Spirit of the Game.  The name tag is the foundation of the player’s chain and is also a useful ID for their gear bag.  The chain is the empty trophy case just waiting to be filled with your accomplishments.  

The first tag/chip/badge/charm/medal(?) that many of you will receive is one for participation on your Club Summer Academy team.  At minimum, every year you will receive a new participation award corresponding to your team.  Tags will be made for teams that wish to give season awards such as MVPs, Most Improved, Spirit, etc.  Teams will also receive tournament-specific awards to distribute as they wish.  

As long as you stay within our system your accomplishments accrue, no matter your team.  This will create a tangible sense of continuity to your playing career.

We are pondering many other uses for this system as well.  Mark personal achievements with special tags: Catch a Callahan, Win a Party, Your First Layout D.  Further uses could include integration with our planned Player Development Track and/or UFA-wide records, you could hold the Fastest Woman or Farthest Flick tag (until someone challenges you for it).

Our hope is that these little tags will incentivize commitment and personal improvement as well as uniting us all as clubmates.  If 2014 was your only year with us then keep it as a reminder of a particularly nice California summer.  But stick with us and after a few years your chain will start to truly represent the player that you are.  One quick glance will remind you of all the hot tournament days, long practices, team hotels, carpools, soreness, sweat, and blood that went into making your ultimate career worth remembering.

Thank You's, 2014

Whatever success UFA had in 2014 would not have been possible without the volunteer efforts of many fine, forward-thinking community members.  I would like to mention some of them in thanks for their work on your and my behalf.  Hopefully I don’t forget anyone.

Hy Carrel is a non-stop, selfless, social, volunteer machine.  In the beginning he agreed to be our Volunteer Coordinator and in the end he did so much more than that.  Astris* would not have had the success it had without Hy.  And I probably would have gone crazy along the way without his wise and kind reassurances.

Beckie Menten and David Morley were the first two people to commit to helping me with this.  They are visionaries in their own rights and they nurtured this idea into a reality.  The bay area ultimate scene would not be the same without these two.  Beckie’s love for this sport and all those who play it inspires me.  I’m lucky to have her as a friend and you’re lucky I have her with me in important meetings raising questions and negotiating on your behalf.  Morley’s passion for teaching ultimate and his ability to connect with people made him incredibly useful at our practices.  Under his coaching on Alchemy, I benefitted directly from his knowledge as did all Mini Campers.  It was his commitment to the vision of UFA that allowed me to integrate my own playing experience with the organization we were starting.  Another great friendship spawned on the ultimate field.

Rusty May was our first benefactor.  He donated discs and cones before we’d ever stepped onto a field so that we could have a successful Mini Camp.  His efforts on our behalf came entirely of support for our vision, we had never met until introduced by a mutual friend.  He found time to scout fields for us during his preparation for his position as Volunteer Coordinator at the World Championship in Italy.  His support meant a lot to me even though he never stepped out from behind the curtain.

Much credit must be given to the leadership of each individual team.  Thank you Eli Menaker, Beckie Menten and Jacky Lee for bringing Barbary Coast Dance Hall together.  Anarchy captains Panda, Tweak, and Skippy all did fantastic jobs.  The many-faced Alchemy army of David Morley, Cathleen Hamel-Hartge, Colyn Flynn, Jesse White, Ginger Wong, and Tiffany Fields led our team to a Regionals berth in our first year of existence, no small task in this area.  Hy Carrel, Jessica Smith, and Jannon Frank helped Astris* through the tough times and towards the promised land.  

We also had help from our friends at the Bay Area Disc Association, without which we could not have dreamed nearly so big for Year One.  Jesse White was instrumental in bringing our idea to BADA and garnering the support that led to their supporting UFA as a BADA program with the multitude of benefits included in that arrangement.  Thanks to everyone on the BADA Board for seeing the value in what we are offering and especially to Jim Berry, treasurer extraordinaire.  Jim was always available to help with our budget, software problems, and other things that nobody wants to deal with.  He was the real unsung hero of 2014.

Many thanks also to everyone who helped run drills at Mini Camp or practice.  Colin “Money” Morgan, Bill Liu, Jeffro Valeros, An-Chi Tsou, Greg Marliave, Drew Kim, Evan Brydon, and anyone escaping my mind at the moment.

Lastly, THANK YOU for participating in our crazy experiment.  Some things worked. Some things didn’t. We have much to learn as we build the most fun, high-yield, sustainable, player-centric ultimate experience we can imagine.  We have a long way to go before my vision for UFA is realized and we’re going to need a lot of help along the way.  There will always be a place for you on our fields, on our volunteer list, and in our ranks of leadership.  Stay tuned for a look ahead at Year Two.

UFA Player Feedback Survey, Year One

Internal Review, Year One

This is a review of our services and programs of 2014.  Another publication contains goals and ideas for improvements for 2015. Below is a review of UFA’s founding principles and a report card for the services we provided in 2014.  These are opinions and conclusions of UFA and are not based on feedback provided by players.  The pronoun “we” is used to attribute credit to UFA as an organization including all our volunteer staff while “I” is used to signify the responsibilities of myself, Tyler Walker, as the Executive Director.  We are grateful for your thoughts and feedback. Please fill out our Player Feedback Survey here and we will incorporate your feedback into our plans for 2015.

1. Mission - To build a bridge between recreational and competitive ultimate for anyone willing to commit to their own player development.  To provide members with services that ease and improve their ultimate experience. And to sustain a strong sense of community and spirit of the game throughout our ranks and beyond.
2. Values - These are what guide us.
1. Community
2. Sustainability
3. Spirit of the Game
3. Interests - These are what we all have in common.
1. Ultimate
2. Socializing
3. Competition
4. Services - These are what we all get.
1. Playing opportunities: B-
2. Player development: B-
1. Leadership development: C-
3. Conditioning and training: B+
4. Photo, video, newsletter: N/A
5. Social Events: D
6. Team administration: C+

Detailed Review

1. Playing Opportunities
1. Good - We committed most of our Year One energy to playing opportunities because they are our primary and most important service.  We can positively state that UFA enabled more people to play ultimate in 2014 than would have in its absence.  Two new USAU sanctioned teams (Anarchy and Barbary Coast Dance Hall) were born that probably (we can’t say this for certain) would not have been without UFA.  These two teams served approx 50 players, practiced regularly and attended local tournaments. Additionally, the team Astris* was created to serve beginners and anyone else who wanted a team experience beyond simply league games.  Astris*, under the guidance and supervision of Hy Carrel, practiced regularly and participated in the Monday night Club Summer League.  Astris*'s practices were open to all and over the summer served approx 30 players whom otherwise would not have had access to coaching. Having practices and games that were open to anyone meant that players could join at any point in the season.  Our open door policy allowed us to serve players who moved to the area after the spring tryouts and those who would move away before the end of the season.  We had several college players join us for their summer-at-home before returning to school in August.  These are committed, talented players whose life calendars would have excluded them from the current club system but from whom the community has much to gain. Pre-Season Mini Camp was one of our greatest successes.  The program sold out and across the four sessions served approx 75 players.  For players averse to the spring tryout process, Mini Camp was a low-pressure, development-based, player-first opportunity to meet and play.  This is a model that we will continue to pursue as an alternative to the current, super stressful, outdated, spring tryout season. Players from across the experience spectrum were able to compete together as the Ultimate for All-Stars in two local tournaments: Memorial Day in San Rafael and Bay Area Bash. On the final Thursday night of the club season, UFA hosted an All-Team Pre-Sectionals practice which was attended by 50 players representing 10 teams.  Together we drilled and scrimmaged in celebration of our season of hard work before battling it out in the USAU Championship Series.  This event came about when Bay Area Disc Association offered us the Gilman fields left vacant after the last week of Club Summer League.  This was a positive example of the cooperation and support between the two organizations.  

2. Bad - One important element of this service was poorly executed in 2014, our promise to provide a tournament experience for all players.  Originally, we planned to hold a tournament in August to represent the end of the Summer League season.  All of our teams were able to participate in outside tournaments except Astris* and it was in their service that I was so desperate to arrange a local tournament. There were several reasons why the original plan didn't work but I will summarize them in two short explanations.  First, my leadership fell short in this task.  I was unable to muster the help and find the necessary time to plan a whole tournament.  While the event did not happen as planned, the hours I spent in preparation were a valuable learning experience for me.  I intend to organize tournaments in the future and now I know better what to expect. Second, the timing was all wrong.  August is just not a good time to hold a non-sanctioned tournament.  Teams are gearing up the series and the calendar is already packed with events (Kleinman, Chico, Labor Day, Outside Lands).   What ended up happening was the Bay Area Spirit Championships, a one-day tournament held in October in Dublin.  It was Daniel “Panda” Brooks, founder and captain of Anarchy, that was the impetus for this event from the UFA POV.  His vision of a post-season, low-pressure, high-spirit, “celebration of all the reasons we play” (Panda’s words) was the guiding force.  With Panda’s vision in mind, we teamed up with (or latched ourselves to) Adrian Wolff’s existing plan to host a Regionaughts tournament.  We are very grateful for Adrian’s openness and acknowledge that he did the important work to make the event happen. Unfortunately, the delay and confusion regarding the event meant that not all of Astris* could participate and some Astris* players did not receive their promised tournament.  UFA created a combo team with players from Alchemy, Barbary, and Astris* to compete.  Anarchy participated as itself. The Bay Area Spirit Championship is a great idea and we’ll stick with it.  Unfortunately we left a lot on the table in terms of our vision for the player experience.  We see this as an area where huge gains can be made in 2015.

2. Player Development
1. Good - This was another area in which we can safely say we made a positive impact.  Starting with Pre-Season Mini Camp we made clear that our goal was to teach and promote individual development, not to judge.  From the Mini Camp ranks several talented players were identified and matched with teams they otherwise would not have found.  We showed that there is a potential gold mine of untapped talent and desire to play in our community and we will continue to develop our home-grown talent not just selecting those players who arrive with complete skill sets. Perhaps the most improvement, both as individuals and as a team, came from Astris*. They started the Club Summer League with a long string of losses.  Through commitment to attending practices and to becoming a team, they eventually got their first (and second) win.  Seeing the result of our work manifested in the development of this team was one of the most rewarding outcomes of 2014.  The practices that UFA organized for this group were fun and productive.  At one practice, San Francisco Dogfish players Evan Brydon and Drew Kim ran the drills and provided individual coaching to Astris* players.  We see great potential in collaborations between UFA and elite teams/players towards developing our talent. I would like to commend the leadership of Anarchy (Panda, Stefan “Tweak” Hilman, and Laura “Skippy” Franco) for running highly organized practices the result of which was a clear improvement in many of their players.  Just a few Anarchy players that come to mind as UFA success stories: Muffin Man, Inbal, and Caleb.  

2. Bad - Our short-comings in this department may not have been apparent from the player’s perspective for whom practices and pods were available and the service could have been seen as adequate.  However, our success was achieved in vague, disparate bursts.  Our goal is to drive player development with focused effort within an organization-wide system.  In this sense, we did not even begin to touch on the potential for our vision in which players have access to resources allowing them to guide and measure their own growth.  
3. Leadership Development - We had one good program that supported this service, the presentation given at Mini Camp by Polar Bear captains An-Chi Tsou and Greg Marliave. The information they provided was very helpful to anyone interested in a team leadership role; topics included player management, game-day management, and practice planning. Identifying and developing leaders from within our ranks is a crucial element to the success of UFA.  One program per year is simply not enough to meet this goal so this is an area in which we need to improve.  We were able to identify several potential leaders, now it is on us to nurture them and provide opportunities for them to contribute to the community.

3. Conditioning/Training
1. Good - The leadership of Alchemy contributed greatly to our success in this area.  They organized weekly training pods in the east bay, San Francisco, and peninsula and maintained an open door policy throughout the season.  Players from any team were welcome and many attended consistently and enthusiastically.  The pods were high-yield in conditioning, fun, and sociability.  With an expected increase in demand we know we will need to expand our offerings in 2015.
2. Bad - We could have done more to promote attendance at these events.  They represent one of the best access-points to our services for the community and more could be done to promote their social aspect. Another challenge was finding reliable facilities for the pods.  In order to expand this service we will need to have formal arrangements with the facilities we intend to use or find other unrestricted space.

4. Photo, Video, Newsletter - Coming soon
5. Social Events
1. Good - On Sunday nights in spring after Mini Camp we gathered at Pyramid Brewery for food and drinks.  Pyramid donated their banquet room for our use.  This was the most consistent social event that we executed in 2014.  Teams generally did a great job organizing their own social events and would usually gather at Pyramid or Picante after league games.
2. Bad - We fell far short of people’s expectations and our own promise in this area.  All I can say is that I didn't take this aspect seriously enough.  I allowed social events to fall by the wayside as I focused entirely on the ultimate side of the program.  While teams did plan their own events and socialized well within their groups there simply were not enough UFA-wide events.  This is a critical service for UFA to provide as it builds the community beyond the teams.  We want everyone in UFA to feel included and connected.
6. Team Admin
1. Good - The main service that UFA provided to teams was the acquisition and scheduling of practice fields, namely the Gilman fields.  Aside from this, we served as a resource for teams in coaching and strategic matters as well as being able to handle some business between UFA and BADA behind-the-scenes.  Teams, being historically responsible for their own administration, were able to meet their own needs in regards to rostering and communications.
2. Bad - Finding practice fields is typically one of the largest barriers to entry for new teams but it certainly isn't the only one.  We envision a much more robust package of administrative services to offer teams.  Centralizing these tasks will free up team leadership to focus on coaching and team building.  The more efficiently we are able to handle the mundane details of team management the more we can focus on enhancing the player experience.

Mini Camp #4 - The Dump: Offense and Defense

Greetings campers,

We've missed you and can't wait to get back on the field Sunday night.  This week we're building on our previous lessons and introducing the other half of person-to-person defense and a critical part of any offense, the reset of the stall count otherwise known as a dump.

Drill #1 - Open-field defense

Description - Defending a cutter with the option to go deep or under

Detail - The defender starts in the middle of the playing space and the cutter starts at the sideline.  The cutter tries to get past the defender to receive a pass on the open-side, either deep or under.

Dump Handler Offense

A dump is needed in ultimate when the thrower, at the point of attack, is reaching a high number in the stall count and a reset of the stall count is needed through a short, simple, high percentage pass.  Often however, the shortest passes are not the easiest.  As a thrower in need or a handler cutting for a dump, it’s essential that you do several things to increase the chance of an easy reset.

1. Communicate the need to reset clearly.  Thrower should commit at stall 5 or 6 by pivoting towards and facing the dump.  They should not look upfield again.
2. As the dump, be ready for a pass the moment the thrower turns.  Then, make a decisive cut while maintaining space away from the thrower (the most common error is to cut too close to the thrower to bail them out).
1. Instead of running at the thrower, focus on options to run past them, with additional room for them to make an effective throw.
2. “Dancing” in place is a really great way to confuse the thrower, it is important to communicate with your body language exactly from which direction you are prepared to receive the pass.  Using your hands as targets is a great way to signal this.
3. If the cutter isn’t able to get open it is ok to clear the space and allow the other dump cutter to fill from the far side.
3. A truly effective cut is not just a reset of the disc, but a reset of field position, giving a clean cut that allows the thrower to throw to space in front of you yields the best result for your team.
4. The dump throw is often not an easy one and should be treated with the same level of focus and intention as a down-field pass (full pivot).
5. It is always better to have the disc on the break-side of the field (behind the mark) than on the trap-side, try not to throw into a trap if you can help it.

Dump Handler Defense:

Defending against resets is one part of the game easily overlooked as players are learning, allowing easy throws to reset the stall count, poaching off of handlers, and anticipating a turn to happen downfield.  Hassling the easy resets is an easy way to stop offensive flow and provide your team with opportunities to win.  After all, getting a turnover in the area of the handlers results in better field position than a down-field or deep D.  To do so, a few points are essential to master.

1. Footwork and body position is paramount as sprint speed makes little difference over 30-40 feet. Use position to take away their first option, forcing a higher stall count and lower-percentage opportunities.
2. Force the cutter into a less ideal position, such as directly behind the thrower, giving no gain in field positioning and no opportunities to move the disc across field.  This helps reset defensive positioning down-field.
3. If your cutter gets the disc, taking away the continuation pass is the next most important role. Against an up-line cut, this means a quick strike on the huck. It means taking away the swing if they received a cross field break.

Drill #2 - Dump, Swing drill

Description - Small groups walk and run through various dump cuts against defense

Detail - With the disc in the middle of the field and two dumps, the offense attempts to reset against defense. They do this by progressing through a series of possible throws/cuts which will be demonstrated. Then, with the disc trapped against the sideline, the near dump attempts to get open by cutting up-line. If that is covered, cut back to the middle of the field to receive a swing pass. If that pass is completed they will continue the motion by swinging the disc to the far handler.

Captain's Clinic

We have some special guests joining us this week, An-Chi Tsou and Greg Marliave, the long-time captains of Polar Bears, one of the most successful mixed ultimate teams in the country. They will be leading a clinic on best practices for being a leader on an ultimate team, including game-day prep and management, planning and facilitating a practice, and what it takes to lead both men and women towards the same goal. Anyone interested in getting this advice will be taken aside by them around 8:15. We'll try to wrap it up in time to allow everyone to play a few points before 9.

This is our last night of Mini Camp.  Next week we will be proposing summer playing opportunities to everyone who has registered for our Club Summer Academy.  It has been a lot of fun getting to know you all and enjoying the super positive atmosphere we've created together.  We'll be celebrating ourselves at Pyramid immediately post-game.  We really want as many people to come as possible (especially because we're going to spend some of your money when we get there and you should come enjoy it).  

Mini Camp Week #3 - Down-field: Cutting and Defense

Greetings campers,

So sorry for the last second roll-out of this email.  Sometimes life just gets in the way.  Anyway, since you won't really have time to read the materials that we prepared here is the link to the full explanation of this week's skills.  You can refer to this in the future and we will do our best tonight to explain it.  

Drill #1 - Go-to drill

Description - Throwing against a mark to an open under-cut.

Detail - First you are the mark forcing the thrower one way.  Then you become the thrower and your job is to pivot and fake before throwing to an undefended cutter coming from the other line.  At first the cut will be to the open side so the mark should not be threat but merely a presence.  Eventually the cut will go to the break-side and the thrower will have to use their pivots and fakes to break the mark.  After you throw, you are the cutter for the other line.

Drill #2 - Defensive box drill

Description - Two players, one offense one defense, take position in small box marked by cones.  One side of the box is declared the force side.  The offensive player then has 10 seconds to cut in any direction, trying to get to the open side.  The defender's job is to use body positioning and footwork to prevent the other player from reaching the open side while also maintaining close proximity to them.

Some of you will be coming from a long day of Bay to Breakers so we promise to run you hard enough that you sweat out all that booze and are perfectly fit for work tomorrow.  We will also answer all your questions about our Club Summer Academy.  See you soon.

Ultimate for All Player Registration Survey

Ultimate for All Team Charter

Mini Camp Week #2 - Marking, Pivoting, and Faking

Greetings Campers,

First, if you haven't answered our survey regarding the Memorial Day Tournament, please do so now on this form.  Right now we do not have enough women to field a team.  If any of the men who have signaled interest in playing know any women that would be interested please feel free to recruit them, we have a space reserved and we'd love to get you out there.  This tournament is one day and very relaxed and fun, a great intro to organized ultimate.  

This week we will be building on what we learned last week as well as reinforcing our lessons on throwing and catching.  Also, we heard a lot of great feedback over the last week and have decided to give you what you want, more drills.  We're going to cut down the time for open scrimmages and instead do a little more focused learning surrounding our topic for the day, as well as some discussion on team strategy.  

Drill #1 - 4 Lines

Description: A progression of throws to an open cutter.  Shorts, mediums and longs.

Detail - Players form 4 lines starting on the goal line.  The outer lines are throwers, the inner lines are cutters.  The first cut is a short one simulating an up-line route.  The second is a 15-20 yard throw to space for the cutter to run on to.  The last is a deep cut and throw.  Throwers uncomfortable with deep throws can fake the throw (a signal for the cutter to cut under) and then complete a shorter throw to the under cut.

Lesson of the Day

Pivoting is the act of getting to a space where you can make an open, uncontested throw to a cutter without moving your stationary "pivot foot".  It requires you to move from a set position, but does not require you to complete that motion across your body and into the opposite throw set (forehand and backhand or vice versa).  Successful pivots:

• Move your marker into a disadvantageous position.
• Allows you to throw an uncontested throw and preferably break the mark.
• Sets yourself, so that all throws are balanced, controlled and released to space ahead of the defender.
• Pivots should always be made with intent. Pivots to simply shake the mark are done when the mark is winning that individual matchup.
• Often an entire pivot is not required and shimmy will raise the hips of the defender enough to allow for the appropriate throw.

Marking is the act of defending a thrower.  A good mark is an active mark.  The common mistake made with marking is treating it as a place where the defender has an opportunity to rest after a period of running.  It is actually the point where the defender needs to work harder than ever, as being an active mark requires a lot more use of energy and does the work of taking away typically half the field (the break side), while your down-field defenders take away the open side half.  A good mark:

• Is unpredictable
• Counts the stall
• Prevents a throw to the break side
• Shuffles feet and centers body weight, instead of stabbing of big blocks
• Forces more than one pivot from the thrower
• Blocking the open pass is not the intent. The intent is to prevent a relaxed thrower, easy options, and throws to the break side.

An active mark is constantly moving and making the thrower feel pressure from constant movement.  Letting throwers feel comfortable allows them to pick apart the defense.

Drill #2 - Mark Triangle

Description - A marker forces a throw to the open side, protecting the break side.

Detail - Three offensive players form a triangle, one starts as the thrower.  A marker defends the thrower and attempts to prevent a throw to one of the other two players, allowing an open throw to the third.  The thrower tries to break the mark using pivots and fakes for the first 6 stall counts before making the throw to the open side.  The marker stays in the triangle for 7 throws and can switch the mark direction whenever they like.

After our individual skill drills we will break into our practice squads which will be assigned by Sunday evening.  In these groups our volunteer coaches will go over the horizontal offense that many teams use.  We will finish the night with some open scrimmages followed by beer at Pyramid.

Remember to bring a dark and a light shirt and to be ready to go at 7pm when we start running.  See you out there!

Memorial Day Tournament Form

Mini Camp, Week 1

Greetings Campers,

We hope you are as excited as us for our first event this evening.  Sorry in advance for such a long email but the simplest things are often the hardest to write about, future emails should be more succinct.  Here’s what to expect tonight.

Please arrive at least 15 minutes early, that is by 6:45pm.  We only have 2 hours, our schedule is full and we want to pack in as much playing as possible.  This is not a league game or pickup, this is a club practice experience and we will start running at 7:00pm sharp.  Along those same lines, I (and the other organizers) intend to maximize your playing time with our preparation and time management.  In order to minimize standing/talking time, each week you will receive an email such as this with teaching points for that week’s skills and explaining the drills.  Please study these points to be as prepared as possible.

Every Sunday we will spend the first 15 minutes on a basic warmup including a short jog followed by dynamic stretches.  We’ll then go straight into a drill reinforcing the skills taught the previous week (for Week 1 we will be doing a simple throwing practice).  At 7:35pm there will be a 5 minute water break during which the skills of that session will be demonstrated by volunteers and coaches.  Then, we will drill those skills until 8:00pm at which point we will start games.

Our player development program starts with the fundamental skills of ultimate, catching and throwing a disc.

Drill #1 - 30-30 throwing

Description - 30 forehands and 30 backhands (10 outside-in, 10 flat, 10 inside-out)

Detail - Use this time to really break down your throwing motion and make sure you are executing fundamentally sound throws every time.  Try to complete each set of 10 without a turnover.  The goals of basic throwing technique are:

• Proper footwork
• Start from a balanced standing position, knees slightly bent
• Step directly sideways as far as you can while maintaining balance and keeping your torso upright
• If you’re unbalanced at any point, start over
• Disc spin
• Grip the disc as firmly as is comfortable
• forehand - both middle and index finger should be up against the rim of the disc, no “training wheel” index finger toward the middle of the disc
• backhand - no finger on the outside rim, get a strong, fist grip
• Disc spin comes from a snap of the wrist, this can be difficult before the muscles in the wrist are developed,  Practice by holding the disc far away from the body and throwing with zero arm motion, trying to isolate the action of the wrist.
• Release
• Keep your eyes on your target
• Flat
• Release point directly aside from body
• Aim for target’s belly-button
• Inside-out
• Release point slightly in front of body
• Aim for target’s opposite side (disc should cross the invisible line connecting your belly-button with your target’s)
• Outside-in
• Release point as far from body as possible
• Aim for target’s outside shoulder (disc should not cross that invisible line)

Drill #2 - Straight-ahead catching

Description - Catching a disc while running straight towards the thrower

Detail - Catching a disc is actually the primary skill of ultimate, nothing can happen without it and therefore it deserves the utmost focus and attention.  Most people believe there are two ways to catch a disc, a pancake or a rim catch, but these are actually two halves of one catching form combining the strengths of each.  This is likely new to most people and will be demonstrated thoroughly on Sunday.  Here is a breakdown of these different techniques and general catching principles:

• General rules
• ALWAYS catch with two hands, as in NEVER catch a disc with one hand that can be caught with two
• Attack the disc, with arms out-stretched and hands together without slowing down
• Pancake catch
• Pros
• Wide arms make for the largest possible catch-zone making it good for windy days when a disc can move quickly vertically
• You can use your chest/stomach as a back-stop if your hands miss
• Generally the way people are introduced to catching
• Cons
• Hands starting far apart means greater chance of missing their target
• Hands clapping onto center of disc not as reliable as gripping the rim
• Timing the clap is difficult on hard-thrown discs
• You’re not catching the disc as soon as you can
• Rim catch
• Pros
• The rim is the most reliable place to grip a disc
• Both hands moving together means greater chance of hitting their target
• Able to catch the disc with arms out-stretched
• Con
• Catch-zone is limited to the length of the hand, making it difficult to catch a bouncy disc
• Hybrid (Pancake-rim) catch
• Pros
• Using one technique every time will most quickly commit the skill to muscle memory
• The reliability of a rim catch and the security of a pancake catch
• While catching with two hands you are actually training each hand to catch independently of the other so when a one-handed catch is necessary both hands already know what to do
• Cons
• You may have never been shown this before and new tricks, old dogs, etc.  
• While learning this your catch-rate may drop initially before eventually reaching unseen levels

Among you are players of a very wide skill range.  I ask that you focus on what you can get out of each drill.  No matter what level you are in your development you can always catch a little more reliably, run through a disc a little harder, or throw more consistently.  If you see an opportunity to tweak something to make it more difficult or accessible for you, please do so, it is our goal to make this a high-yield learning environment for everyone.  This is not a try-out and it is perfectly ok for you to drop a disc because you ran too hard or to fall over because you stepped out too far, this is how we learn.  We want to do things right, then do them well.

Please bring a dark and a light shirt as well as water and all your spirit.  You can bring a disc if you like but we have plenty for use during the drills.  For our first scrimmage tomorrow we will mix the teams around a bit to try to find the most competitive combinations.  Starting Week 2 you will be assigned to practice squads and we will play a three week round-robin.  

As always, please email us with any questions or concerns.  And don’t forget, Pyramid Brewery (just three blocks from the field) has donated a banquet room for our post-game socials.  Don’t worry, they close at 10 so we won’t be staying out late on a work-night but we’d love to have everyone hang around to get to know us.