How We're Going to Win

To follow up on my previous post, I made a list. These are my keys to victory in Spring 2009 and beyond. If we work to improve ourselves in each of these categories, we will succeed. Here they are:

Fundamentals - If you can't throw, catch, and cut, you can't be good at Ultimate. No matter how athletically gifted you are, you must work on the basic skills as often as possible in order to become a good (great) player. Use the winter months to really hone your throwing/catching skills. Work on your O/I and I/O. Get those breaks accurate. Work on your hammer. Watch the disc into your hands. Clap that shit.

If everyone makes the effort in this off-season, we will be so much nastier in spring.

Strength - I think conditioning makes the difference between good teams and great teams. We've got to hit the gym. It's pretty sick when you add three inches to your vert and then sky the shit out of the guy who skied you last year. It's pretty sick when you lay out with enough power to fly past your guy and grab that disc out of his closing hands. It starts with weights and running.

Wisconsin doesn't win the series every year because they have better players than other teams. They win because they run track workouts until they puke and they lift multiple times a week.

Correct Intensity - Pete talks a lot about keeping up the intensity. He's totally right. But more important is having the right kind of intensity. The sideline always needs to be big. But when you're on the field, your intensity should change whether you're playing offense or defense. O calls for ice cold veins and smart decisions. That means we need to be focused, not hectic. Run full speed when you're cutting, but make sure you've got that disc before you turn upfield. Don't let adrenaline cause you to huck when you should dump.

But on D? Go nuts. Go for blood. The cold offensive focus should switch immediately into intense aggression. Don't let your man beat you to the open side. Trust your mark and shut him down. Close to the disc? LAYOUT! You'll probably get it. If you don't, your guy will probably drop it. If he doesn't, he'll be a little less sure of his in cut next time.

My old basketball coach put it best: think Bob Marley on O and Rage Against The Machine on D.

Goals - This last key is all about psychology. You have to have something to reach for in order to reach it. I'm not going to speculate on what our team goal should be - that's Pete and Zach's job. But individual goals are also important. What do you need to do to take your game to the next level? What do you need to do to take it there? I want to be able to throw money flick hucks and jump six inches higher. Squat press and forearm curls here I come.

Setting goals brings together all the other keys to victory and prepares you mentally to win games and perform your best.

GET PUMPED FOR SPRING SEASON!