Drills, Videos 5 March 2010

This is a great drill for working on marking and faking.

Popularity: 12%

 Main 11 February 2010

Author: Melissa Witmer

The key to advancing from short throws to long throws is not about using more effort, it’s about using more of your body. In your throwing practice you should think of your arms as being loose like the strings of this monkey drum (http://www.hungrylion.com/images/klak.jpg). Seek velocity and distance in your throws not from the strength in your arms, but from the motion of your hips and core which transfer kinetic energy to your arms the way rotating a monkey drum handle swings the beads to hit the drum.

 Psychology 9 February 2010

Author: Bobo Eyrich

Bobo plays ultimate in Halifax and I was lucky enough to meet him this summer at the Parlee Beach Ultimate Tournament in Shediac, NB. Bobo is a young up and coming player and is super passionate about the sport. He was playing in a recent indoor tournament and after a tight point, scored and promptly spiked (well kicked the disc). He wrote an article based on that incident and more generally related it to the sport in general. That article follows below.

 Training 2 February 2010

I don’t claim to be a personal trainer by any stretch, but I have been playing sports my whole and have been successful at every sport I’ve played – a large part of which is due to my speed so I like to think I know what I’m talking about.

For ultimate, there are many elements which will contribute to your success and nothing will be a substitute for having good disc skills (throwing & catching) but the one skill that you can control absolutely is your fitness.

 Practice, Psychology, Training 27 January 2010

Author: Melissa Witmer

Brain science tells us that the brain uses different processes and different parts for gaining different types of knowledge. The type of conscious, or explicit, knowledge we learn in school is controlled by the prefrontal cortex. The logical prefrontal cortex can quickly solve rational problems and learn step by step tasks. Using the prefrontal cortex, we can analyze what we know, we can show our work in math problems, or explain to someone else how we performed a task.

 Backhand, Forehand, Hammer, Hucking, Pulling, Scoober, Throwing, Thumber, Videos 25 January 2010

This video, requested by Simbadwashere90 on Youtube, talks about the various grips for throwing a disc and which ones I recommend using. Let me know if you grip the disc differently to the ones I show in the video!

Popularity: 100%

 Featured, Psychology, Videos 21 January 2010

I discuss what I think the elements of Spirit of the Game are. Knowledge of the rules, willingness to discuss a call, respect for the other team/your own team and more.

Let me know what you think Spirit of the Game is all about!

Popularity: 51%

 Practice, Psychology, Throwing, Training 13 January 2010

Author: Melissa Witmer

This is part II of the summary I began last week (located here). Today’s discussion has important implications for how we instruct new players in learning to a forehand.

In case you’re just joining us, I’m reviewing an article published in Sports Biomechanics called “Biomechanical analysis of the sidearm throwing motion for distance of a flying disc: a comparison of skilled and unskilled players.” (Being a scientist, I should make it clear that my analysis of the work reported is very similar to, but not exactly the same as the conclusions arrived at by the authors of the paper. So this is not a direct summary of the paper.)

 Drills 12 January 2010

I’m working on getting drills and plays up but in the meantime, check out the Ultimate Skills and Drills website. With over 100 drills and plays, this is a great resource for coaches and players alike: http://www.menalto.com/ultimate/play_list.php

Popularity: 55%

 Practice, Psychology, Throwing, Training 31 December 2009

Author: Melissa Witmer

I am going to attempt a summary of an article published in Sports Biomechanics called “Biomechanical analysis of the sidearm throwing motion for distance of a flying disc: a comparison of skilled and unskilled players.” I am hoping to offer something brief, easily understood, and practical. If you want experimental details, or are looking for something more erudite, please read the paper : )

In this study ten skilled and seven unskilled players were taped throwing forehands as far as they could. The movements of their shoulders, arms, and wrist were analyzed. The initial velocity of the discs, spin rate of the discs, all angles of the disc, and distance of the throws were measured.