So many times I get asked for tips on throwing, cutting, playing defense, catching and all other areas of ultimate.
However, what it all comes down to is practice. There is no substitute for hard work and determination. You must be open to learning, you must be open to grinding it out until you can figure out how to do something and you must have a “never give up” attitude.
The biggest success stories in the world – Michael Jordan, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs – how did they get to be where they are? No they were not “naturally talented”. They happened to be given the right opportunities and they took full advantage of them. And they worked harder than anyone else. If you want to know more, read “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell.
Where do opportunities come from? They come from working harder than anyone else. You never know who you’ll meet when you’re out throwing a disc for practice. You won’t know unless you’re out there practicing.
There are two quotes which say this quite well:
Success is 90% perspiration and 10% luck.
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
Looking at that, we can see that without preparation and without opportunity, you’ll never succeed. So although it matters how you throw, or how you cut, it all comes down to practice.
Commit to getting better and you will. If you sit there and hope that you’ll get lucky when you play, ask yourself if you’ve put in enough preparation to get lucky. If you haven’t, chances are it won’t happen.
Addendum from Stephen Trainor (http://canadaultimate.blogspot.com/):
Practice does not necessarily make perfect. Practice does make permanent.
So, it is about hard work and time dedicated, but it is also about doing things properly. It’s a very important part of being better and improving.