Get Hyped

So I've been pretty absent from this blaug for a while - I've been really busy with other stuff. But after breaking down this weekend in my mind I have a lot of thoughts to share.

D-LINE

I'm going to reiterate what Perry said in the comments: we just can't go out there and get 1-2-scored on. It's totally unacceptable to get smoked deep off a continuation without having a bid on the disc. It's one thing if you get skied, but getting burned by 10 feet or more is just not OK. We know how this game works and we have put ourselves in a position to run with any team. DON'T GET BEAT DEEP.

Also, because we're in good shape (and will be in even better shape come series), we need to start working harder. More contested in cuts, stronger dump D, and tighter marks. We will more often than not have the speed to catch up on deep cuts, which allows us to totally shut down the in cut. Lay out D city. This can also involve strategic switching with our last back to further stifle the O.

This weekend, the D was generally solid, but other teams were turning the disc more than we were taking it away. We need to take it away. We need to fucking dominate on D and then turn around, chill out, and put the disc in the endzone. Think about what you personally need to do to make that happen.

O-LINE

I don't have as much to share here since I don't play any O line at all. But I think D line outplayed O again this weekend. The O, in particular, had trouble against GWU, getting broken 4 (I think) straight times against what was (granted) a good zone on a small field. We have to be tougher. It's as simple as that. The weather was nearly perfect during this game so there's no excuse for turns. Against a good zone, we have to swing swing swing swing swing swing until the cup can't run anymore. There's no reason to get impatient and try to jam something through/deep that's low percentage. VALUE THE DISC. Make smart decisions. And please, God, stay chilly near the endzone.

O line defense also needs to get more amped. There were some great points (notably, the point before half against Delaware - truly epic) but as a general rule we really weren't running hard enough. The O line's gotta want it as much as the D line does. Bust your ass and then come rest while the D line ticks off two or three breaks.

META

Our physical toughness is really showing - we played hard and didn't give up exhaustion points this weekend. Now we have to really hone our fundamentals and our mental game. Everyone should be throwing at least three times a week - handlers even more than that. This will get easier as we move outside, but we've got to put in work now.

Mentally we broke down against GWU. They were the biggest test of our season IMHO and we showed our inexperience at higher level ultimate. The (what I would call) cheap calls and physicality during the game are common at the top - we need to play through it. Do what you need to to deal with it - get pissed, get focused, get loud, or get quiet.

I personally get pissed - I talk trash and call other teams out when I think they're wrong.

Bad spirit? Yea, probably. Oh well. Makes me play better.

This weekend was a step forward for us. We did beat a perennially good Delaware team, but lets not kid ourselves, GWU was much better and if we want to make a splash at Regionals were going to have to beat teams better than them. We can't be content with what was merely a decent performance. We all need to think about what we need to do better in order to help Haze kick some ass next month.

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I think we have a very special season in the making. I spent two hours last night talking with Husayn about offensive tweaks I think we need to make. I'm not even on the O line. I was up until 4:30 studying because of that conversation. Let's make shit happen.