FALL TEAM 2009

PARTICIPATION
Players! We welcome and encourage each of you to participate. By agreeing to participate, each player must play in at least 6 of 9 games and attend at least one practice per week.

ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED
We will not play without an adult present at each and every game. Coach Jeff will not be available on Sundays and therefore I request that you ask your parents to help out by attending our games. Also to parents, please consider being a carpool driver to help ensure the safety of our players.

PLAYER REGISTRATION
1) Go to http://mnultimate.org/login.php
2) If you have never registered before, you'll need to click on "New User" underneath the dialog box. Enter your contact information including your email address and phone number (cell preferred).
3) If you have previously registered, but forgotten your password, you'll need to click on "Lost username/password". Login and verify that your information is current.
4) Once registered, you'll need to inform both Coach Jeff and Captain Kelsey by email. That way, we'll know when you're available to pull you from the TCUL database to the White Bear Lake team roster.

COST
$20 per player to be paid to Coach Jeff by the first practice on August 25th. Check may be made out to "WBLUltimate."

WAIVERS REQUIRED
You must download and sign a waiver from here. Waivers must be turned in on the first practice, August 25th to Coach Jeff.

ROSTER
If you're not on the roster, you can't play in our games. We'd like to have a bare minimum of 11 guys, and 8 ladies on our roster. This will allow us full 7-on-7 scrimmages at practice. Roster changes can be made up until September 10th.

COACH/CAPTAIN
Jeff Hagen wblultimate@yahoo.com, 651-341-9448
Kelsey Peterson petecdk@aol.com, 651-387-9892

JERSEYS
White & Orange. We will alternate our White Jerseys along with new Orange ones purchased from the White Bear Lake Area School District Community Services and Recreation Department. Orange t-shirts will cost an additional $5 and we will need to know your t-shirt size.

WHAT TO BRING TO PRACTICE
Please bring to each practice: water, a disc, cleats, a light shirt, and a dark shirt. For a more complete description of what to bring, click here.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE
All practices will be at Bossard Park in White Bear Lake. Here is our practice schedule:
Tue Aug 25 from 3-5
Tue Sept 1 from 3-5
Wed Sept 9 from 3-4:30
Thur Sept 10 from 3-4:30
Mon Sept 14 from 3-4:30
Wed Sept 16 from 3-4:30
Thur Sept 17 from 3-4:30
Every Mon, Wed, and Thur from 3-4:30 thereafter until November 5th.

GAMES
There are nine games in the Fall season. The games are Sundays at Noon from Sept 13 to Nov 8 at Lake Nokomis Fields in Minneapolis. Please be at the fields by 11:15AM to warm up. Games may last up to 1:50PM. As the season draws nearer, our game schedule will be available online here.

CARPOOL
Leaves 10:30AM from Vadnais Heights Target parking lot. Please be at the fields by 11:15AM to warm up.

MAP TO NOKOMIS FIELDS
A map to the fields can be found here.

MAP OF NOKOMIS FIELD LAYOUT
A map of the field layout can be found here. Noon is the league's first time slot of the day. Therefore, cones will need to be set by us.

ABOUT THE LEAGUE
More information about the Twin Cities Ultimate Fall League can be found here.

YCC Volunteers Needed

The UPA YCC tournament is coming up on August 8th & 9th. It's at the Blaine National Sports Center. We are in need of volunteers and could really use your help. Give me a shout if you're able to help, even just for a couple hours. PS: I am the Volunteer Coordinator, so it would be really great if WBL had a few of our own out there helping. Call me (651-341-9448), email me (wblultimate@yahoo.com), or sign up by commenting on this post.

White Bear Lake Fall Team 2009

White Bear Lake has fielded a Fall team twice in the past. We need a good turnout to make this happen for 2009. We'll need an adult present at every game. Sadly, I will not be available on Sundays this Fall. We need to collect the names of players immediately to sign up. If you or someone you know would like to play on the White Bear Lake Fall Team, please contact me right away. Call me (651-341-9448), email me (wblultimate@yahoo.com), or sign up by commenting on this post. We'll need 15 players committed by Monday August 10th. The cost will be $20 per player and games will be Sundays, likely starting at 11:30AM. Games will begin September 18th and go until November 8th. See http://mnultimate.org/fall/TCUL_Fall_League/Home.html for more information about TCUL Fall League.

Coldfront Cooldown Tournament - Sept 26 & 27

Eden Priaire High School is putting on a high school tournament called "Coldfront Cooldown" The tournament is scheduled for September 26th & 27th. Again, if you are available to play, please let me know. Teams from South, Southwest, Hopkins, and Eden Prairie are likely going to participate and so should we. I will be available to coach for the Coldfront Cooldown tournament. Again, we need 15 players committed to sign up for this event. I'll need a full list of committed players by Monday, August 17th. Call me (651-341-9448), email me (wblultimate@yahoo.com), or sign up by commenting on this post.

Team USA Wins Gold!

ESPN SportsCenter's Top Ten Plays of the Day
#8: USA over Japan in the Gold Medal match in the 2009 World Games
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4347447

America wins gold! In frisbee.
Did you know the US has the world's best ultimate team? You're not alone.

By Jonathan Adams

Published: July 21, 2009 14:58 ET

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — America's world champion ultimate frisbee athletes don't take themselves too seriously. Still, they wouldn't mind getting a bit more respect.

"Sure, it would have been a lot cooler if Obama had called me up and said 'Good luck to you, bro,'" said star Team USA member Beau Kittredge.

Kittredge and his teammates grabbed the gold medal Tuesday night at the World Games here in Taiwan, beating a scrappy Japanese team in a hard-fought, physical match in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

Not that most Americans would know. No U.S. broadcaster picked up World Games coverage, and the U.S. media presence (aside from yours truly) was zero.

Ultimate frisbee may be one of the fastest-growing recreational sports in the United States, but it's still fighting to shed its image as a campus quad past-time for the patchouli crowd, and be taken seriously on the world stage.

"The goal is to get more people to know that ultimate's a real sport with real athletes," said Kittredge after the team's gold medal match. "We train just as hard as anyone else in any other sport. And if anyone thinks we don't, they're welcome to step on the field."

Part of the challenge is that it's such a young sport. Recreational frisbee was the post-war invention of a U.S. World War II veteran, and ultimate dates to a New Jersey high school in the late 1960s. It's only caught on outside America in the last couple of decades.

Now, young Americans are flocking to the sport, said Team America 2009 captain Gwen Ambler. There were 4.9 million ultimate frisbees players last year, up from 4 million in 2007, according to statistics cited here, and Ambler said some 600,000 of those play the sport at least 20 times a year. "Some of the growth and recognition is germinating now," Ambler said. "So I'm optimistic in the long run."

Could it ever become an Olympic sport? "The Olympics isn't adding team sports, it's cutting them — so that would be a hard sell right now," Ambler said. "But the fact that it's gotten such a good reception here is a good sign for the sport's marketability, and its appeal to fans."

Jonathan Potts, president of the World Flying Disc Federation (so named to avoid the use of the trademarked term "Frisbee"), agreed, saying graduating to the Olympics would be "in the very distant future," due to the sport's limited resources.

"We're on a steep learning curve," said Potts, who was "tweeting" the progress of competition from Kaohsiung. "We're clearly not ready for the Olympics in terms of organizational capacity."

Then there's the question of whether the sport even wants to go Olympic. The game is unique among team sports in being referee-less, with a strong emphasis on "spirit" and sportsmanship. Potts says going Olympic could involve compromising those founding values. "Right now we're against having referees, because it violates the spirit of the game," he said.

Call it ultimate's awkward adolescence — the game's not sure what it wants to become, and how seriously it wants to be taken. In Kaohsiung, the teams balanced the intense on-field attitude of world-class competition with a friendly, relaxed vibe off the field.

Ambler said the team "plays best when really loose," so they kept it fun in the lead-up to the finals — with karaoke on team bus rides, impromptu dance sessions and playings of Ludacris' "On Top of the World" in the locker room. Teammate Chelsea Putnam sported a gelled Mohawk hairdo for competition, and Ambler "poofed" hers out.

But make no mistake: training was a grueling, six-month process. Twenty Team USA members were chosen from 130 that applied; that was whittled to 13 who made the cut to go to Kaohsiung. (Seven took the field at a time, four men and three women; ultimate is the rare co-ed team sport.)

Many of the athletes are members of elite U.S. clubs — Ambler, for example, plays for Fury, a San Francisco Bay-area women's ultimate club.

And as with any world-class sport, the players devoted countless hours to getting in top physical and mental shape. Given that, the lack of recognition can be frustrating.

"It was distressing how little media — none — was happening in the U.S. about this," said Cassey Crouch, the mother of gold medalist Cara Crouch, 26. "A bone thrown to them would have been nice. They worked very hard."

Cassey and her husband Michael, of Sugar Land, Texas, said their daughter played soccer before, but started ultimate nine years ago at the University of Texas at Austin. "We love watching it," Cassey said. "The passion for the game is unbelievable."

That was clear in Kaohsiung on Tuesday night where excited Japanese and U.S. fans alternated cheers of "Nippon" and "U.S.A." from the sidelines.

Will that passion translate into more eyeballs and media attention? Stay tuned for the next World Games in 2013 — in Cali, Colombia.

See the games on YouTube, parts one, two, and three.

Summer Pickup!

Hey everyone, I hope you are enjoying your summer so far! Just a notification to you all that we are having pickup games every Saturday morning, 11 AM, at Bossard park, just a couple blocks from Sunrise. If you find some free time, you should do your best to make it and get some playing in!

1) Saturdays 11:00am at Bossard Park in White Bear Lake.

2) Saturdays 12:00pm at McCullough Park in Mounds View.

3) Thursdays 6:00pm - 9:00pm at Mahtomedi High School.

Next Level Ultimate Camp

Next Level Ultimate Camp, taught by the nations best club players is reducing their price by $200!

Bring your game to the Next Level

This summer, elevate your game at the first annual Next Level Ultimate Camp (July 25-30, 2009). This 5 day, 5 night camp is dedicated to providing High School players from around the country the opportunity to meet and engage in high-level play with their peers in a focused, motivating, and fun environment. Next Level Ultimate will educate its campers in advanced fundamentals and techniques used by the most successful college and club ultimate teams. Over the course of our five-day session, our counselors and staff will work to give campers the confidence and tools to improve not only themselves, but future teammates and friends.

Next Level counselors are some of the best leaders and players in the sport of Ultimate, coming from programs such as Seattle's Sockeye, Boulder's Johnny Bravo, Minnesota's SubZero, They're amped to impart their knowledge and experience onto campers through drills, discussion and play.

Next Level Ultimate is dedicated to providing high school players with a competitive, motivating and fun experience which develops skills, strategy, teamwork and next level knowledge in the sport of Ultimate.

High school students have the opportunity to meet and engage in high-level play with other athletes from all over the country. With a quality staff and vastly experienced instructors, Next Level Ultimate educates campers about advanced fundamentals and techniques needed to succeed in the College Ultimate Division and beyond.

At Next Level, we're committed to building leaders on and off the field. Over the course of our five-day session, our counselors and staff will work to give campers the confidence and tools necessary to improve not only themselves but future teammates and friends.

We have heavily increased the discount for players who send multiple players to our camp this summer. For high school teams sending 4 or more players, we are now taking roughly $200 off EACH of their admission prices, bringing the cost down to $450.

Our focus this summer is now to bring on as many players as possible at an extremely low cost, in hopes that we can build a solid base going into the future. We will likely be losing money this summer, but hope that a successful camp will allow us to remain in strong form going into the future.

With the size of White Bear's program, I know that some players would be interested in this price reduction. Please let me know if you have any questions. The camp registration form is up on our website and very easy to fill out.

Thanks,
Ben Feldman
Next Level Ultimate Camp

State Championship Results

I would like to thank each and every player in the White Bear Lake Ultimate program. You all did awesome and I hope that you had as much fun as I did. Both Orange and Black teams came out swinging. Black had an awesome day on Saturday, putting themselves in a position to play in the 17th place bracket. Black finished a strong 22nd in State, the second best JV/B team in the State. The Orange team proved to be one of the most fun and most exciting teams at the tournament, putting up some nice wins and exciting play. Orange finished 28th in State. 2010 is sure to be a good year. Our reputation for good spirit is paramount, and you kids proved it this weekend.

I would like to extent a huge word of thanks to coaches Amanda, Dylan, Ian, Kenny, and Whitney. As a results of their hard work and volunteer efforts, we were able to provide our student athletes with a high-quality experience. Thank you so much coaches! And thanks to all of the parents for their support of White Bear Lake Ultimate despite rain, wind, and beating sun.

Congratulations to the White Bear Lake A Team, finishing 5th in this years tournament. I am so proud of the hard work and determination of each of you. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share my experience with you. You were a great group to work with and I wish the very best for each one of you. Please carry this experience with you. Be it you next Ultimate team, school, or career. Let the lessons of this year help to guide you in your future success.

All of you... Be sure to join the Minnesota Youth Summer Ultimate League! If you want to improve your game and meet new people, the high-quality experience you'll get during the Youth Summer League is the way to go. For those of you interested in YCC, the Summer League is the only way that you can get onto this years YCC team. Sign up at http://mnhsultimate.org/ycc.aspx. The first practice is next Saturday, June 13. Be one of the first 100 to sign up and get a free disc!

Ladies and gentlemen, be sure to check back to this site often, as pickup times and locations will be announced soon. Already, White Bear, Mahtomedi, and Mounds View have been discussing their summer plans.

Lastly, be sure to join the White Bear Lake Ultimate Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=2416816053&ref=ts. Feel free to post pictures from the tournament and plan for this Summer and Fall teams. Invite your friends to play. The more, the merrier.

2009 UPA Minnesota High School Ultimate Championships

Captains, Players, & Parents-

This weekend, the 2009 UPA Minnesota High School Ultimate Championships will take place on June 6-7 at the Twin Cities Polo Club in Maple Plain, MN. Getting there is easy:
Take Highway 12 west (aka I-394) through Maple Plain to County Road 90.
Turn left (South) on County Road 90. Go 1 mile.
Turn right (West) on Turner Road. Go 1/2 mile.
The Polo Club is on the South side of the road.

The Captain's Meeting is Saturday at 8:00am. All White Bear Lake players should arrive by 8:00am. That means leaving White Bear Lake at approximately 7:00am. Saturdays play will begin at 9:00am, will include 4-5 games, and will go until approximately 5:30pm.

We are doing a team photo at 8:30am between fields 11,12 & 18. All three teams. For your printing pleasure, digital images will be available immediately following the tournament. All three teams are playing right next to each other. Go Bears!

Sundays play will begin promptly at 9:00am (be no later than 8:15), will include 3 games, and will go until approximately 2:00pm. Stick around for the Championship game, which begins at 2:15pm. You'll be glad to did.

Girls: http://upa.org/scores/tourn.cgi?id=5954
Open: http://upa.org/scores/tourn.cgi?id=5980

Parents, see our previous story for a list of what to bring.

See you on Saturday!

2009 Spring Banquet -- Friday, June 5th

White Bear Lake Ultimate will be having a potluck banquet this Friday, June 5th. The banquet will be held from 6:00pm - 8:00pm at South Campus. Please talk to your captains to determine what to bring.

The banquet is potluck. 1/3 of players will be responsible for soda and appetizers, 1/3 for entrees, and 1/3 for desert. Meals with pasta and complex carbs (rice, potatoes) are highly welcomed.

Parents are highly encouraged to participate. Please RSVP to your captains immediately.

Thanks and see you on Friday.

A Team Scrimmage Schedule

The White Bear Lake A Team will scrimmage the following opponents in this last two weeks before the 2009 Minnesota High School Ultimate State Championships:

Wednesday, May 27 @ 4:00
Opponent: Como Park
Field: Como Park High School

Thursday, May 28 @ 4:00
Opponent: St. Paul Central
Field: http://is.gd/F14l (on the St. Paul U of M campus. Park on Cleveland)

Monday, June 1 @ 3:15
Opponent: Mounds View
Field: Sunrise Park Middle School

Tuesday, June 2 @ 3:15
Opponent: St. Paul Open
Field: Sunrise Park Middle School

Wednesday, June 3 @ 3:15
Opponent: North St. Paul
Field: Sunrise Park Middle School

ATTENTION WHITE BEAR LAKE ORANGE SUNSHINE BEARS

Our game time for this Thursday has been changed to 4:30 instead of 6:00. It will still be an away game at Henry Sibley, the time is the only change.

UPA Westerns Results -- It's What's Inside that Counts

Some say that success cannot be seen on a scoreboard. And after this weekend, I'd have to agree.

Several times per week we get together and drill. We work on mechanics. We work on strategy and technique. We drill for situations, we address our weaknesses, and we hone our skills. We tweak our zone, we mix up our lines, we continually work on catching and throwing. Heck, we even do killers and call it "fun."

But there one thing that determines success more than any other. What truly determines success on the field is the heart inside each of the players.

Two games in particular gave us our best moments of this past weekend, one against Mpls South, and the other against Seattle's Nathan Hale. In both those games, we believed in each other. We believed on what we could do, not what we couldn't. We saw the big picture and were able to execute on valuable components of our game plan. In doing so, we not only earned the respect of ourselves but our opponents and families. Good things are certainly coming our way. Thankfully, the picture is coming into focus and the puzzle pieces are just now starting to fit together.

Don't get me wrong, we've got a ways to go. Discipline during practices will be critical. We'll need to install more order to our offense. We'll need for our handlers to swing the disc, to reliably lead our receivers, and to get it off the line when needed. Continuation cuts up field will need to become instinctive.

When it comes to practice, we'll need to bring our A game. The greater the effort during practice, the better preparation. The better the preparation, the more confidence is instilled. The more confidence instilled, the possibilities become endless. One example of this came last weekend at the Hopkins Hustle, where we were able to knock off last year's state champions, St. Cloud Cathedral. Also, we have given a rising Minneapolis South team a run for their money twice this year in close matchups.

Our team is a contender; on paper we maybe not as good as Hopkins, or South, or Cretin. But don't you dare count us out. Cause we're not.

WHITE BEAR LAKE ORANGE GAME LOCATION CHANGE
Attention all Sunshine Bears. Our game today against Minneapolis South Squall has been moved to a new location. Our game will be at Solomon Park on 58th street and 14th ave. Hope to see you all there.

Ian

Hopkins Hustle

The White Bear Lake A Team will be participating in the 2009 Hopkins Hustle Tournament this weekend, May 9-10. The Tournament will take place in Maple Plain, site of the 2009 Minnesota High School Ultimate Championships.

Come cheer on the team as they compete against teams from Winnipeg, Nashville, Madison, & Minnesota. There will be a showcase game between SubZero and University of Minnesota Grey Duck from 12:20 - 13:50 PM (third round) on Sunday. The championship round will immediately follow so be sure to stick around for all the action.

Getting to Maple Plain is easy. Take I-394 West, it will turn into US-12. Continue on US-12 West for 12.5 miles. Turn left at County Rd-90 and go for .7 miles. Turn right at Turner Road until you run into the Twin City Polo Grounds.

Don't forget to bring a lawn chair or blanket. Hope to see you there!

Knowing the Rules

By Rachel Derscheid
Originally posted at http://melissajogibbs.blogspot.com/2009/02/knowing-rules.html
Reprinted with permission by Melissa Gibbs

After a weekend of some intense rules challenges in the college level of the game, I was all the more intent on keeping our team focused onto the effort of learning the rules of Ultimate to the best of their ability. Not only that, but keeping in the mindset of Spirit of the Game should ALWAYS alleviate disputes and I'm confident that, although two specific teams seemed distraught over something or other, all teams are present with a level of respect for each other and don't harbor an assumption that the opponent is "out to get you." I think we could all do well to remember that during even the highest of competition.

Our team opted out of our Monday practice after the Mardi Gras tournament and met Tuesday to discuss a little on the tournament but mostly on the weekly rules questions my Ultimate role model and coach has been giving every week. I already know the ISUC males have borrowed from this treasure and I see no problem in sharing Rachel Derscheid's efforts and knowledge out to any other Ultimate player who wishes to use it.

Knowing the rules to best of your ability is an extension of Spirit of the Game in one of it's best and purest forms. Do the work and be rewarded.

Spring 2009 Rules Questions

Beginner:
1. What are the minimum and maximum numbers of players allowed to start a game? (You can do per team or total number, but please specify.)
You must have at least 2 players on a team and may have no more than 7 (on the field). “A team must have a minimum of two players and a maximum of seven players on the field in order to signal readiness.” (VIII.B.3)

2. If a player catches the disc in the air and lands with one foot on the sideline and then momentum carries her out of bounds, what is the outcome?
This is a turnover. The player drops the disc & the opposing team picks it up, carries it to the point on the playing fields where the player crossed the line. They must tap it on the ground to put it in play.

3. If a player catches the disc in bounds and momentum carries her out of bounds, is it a turnover?
No. She must take it back to the point on the field where she crossed the perimeter line & tap it in play before she can throw it.

4. What is the definition of a foul?
Non-incidental contact that affects an opponent’s play on the disc. Additionally, “reckless disregard for the safety of fellow players or other dangerously aggressive behavior (such as significantly colliding into a stationary opponent), regardless of whether or when the disc arrives or when contact occurs is considered dangerous play and is treated as a foul.” (XVI.H)

5. Who may call a foul?
Only the player that was fouled. (XVI.H.1)

6. What are three actions that are considered traveling?
-Having your pivot foot lose contact with the ground after a pivot foot has been established.
-A player catches the disc and either speeds up, changes direction or does not stop as quickly as possible before establishing a pivot.
-A player receives a pass while running or jumping, and releases a pass after the third ground contact and before establishing a pivot.
-Purposeful bobbling (including tipping, delaying, guiding, brushing, or the like) to oneself in order to advance the disc in any direction from where it initially was contacted.
-The thrower fails to touch the disc to the ground when required (XVI.J)

7. What is meant by a “mirror half” or “mirroring at half time”?
At the beginning of the game, one team gets choice of whether to pull or receive, the other gets the choice of where to start. “Mirroring” means that the pulling team is now the receiving team & that teams start the second half on the opposite side of where they started. For example: Team A pulled downwind (let’s say from the north endzone) to start the game. After half, Team B will be pulling downwind, while Team A will be receiving and going upwind (from the south endzone).

8. If someone calls a foul on you, what are your options? (Be as complete as possible.)
Contest the foul. The disc goes back to the player who threw the disc.
Do not contest the foul. The disc goes to where it would have been caught.

9. What is a “pick”?
A pick occurs whenever an offensive player moves in a manner that causes a defensive player guarding (II.G) an offensive player to be obstructed by another player. Obstruction may result from contact with, or the need to avoid, the obstructing player.

10. What happens when a thrower calls a “fast count” (for the first time in one stall count)?
If the marker does not say “stalling” to initiate or resume a stall count, counts at intervals of less than
one second, or skips a number in the count, it is a fast count. Fast count, double team, disc space, and vision blocking are marking violations. When a marking violation is called, play does not stop. The violation must be corrected before the marker can resume the stall count with the number last uttered before the call minus one (e.g. “stalling one…two.. ‘fast count’ ..one…two…”). XIV.B.

11. What is a double team and who can call it?
If a defensive player other than the marker is within three meters of any pivot of the thrower without also being within three meters of and guarding (II.G) another offensive player, it is a double team. However, merely running across this area is not a double team. Only the thrower may call a double team. XIV.B

12. You are playing tough defense on a girl. The throw goes up deep. As you are both going after it, your feet get tangled and you both go down. The disc lands not far from you, but 15 feet out of bounds. Your girl calls a foul (Specifically, she says, “Foul, you tripped me!”). Should you or should you not contest? If you want to contest, what are the polite, concise arguments you would give your offender?

You should contest the foul, as the player did not have a play on the disc. Because she did not have a play on the disc, it is considered incidental contact, per the definition: Incidental contact: Contact between opposing players that does not affect continued play. (II.E & II.H) Of course, if you purposely tripped her or dove in front of your offender, that would be reckless and dangerous and would be considered a foul, per XVI.H.4.

Advanced:
1. What happens when a player calls a time out and the team has none remaining? (Be specific and complete- when and how can the disc legally make its next move)
If the disc is live or in play and the thrower attempts to call a time-out when the team in possession has no time-outs remaining, it is a turnover and play stops. (VI.B.6)

2. How many timeouts does a team get in a regulation length game? Does this differ from what “regular season” (pre-series) normally dictates?
2 per half. This will vary by tournament & the director of the tournament dictates this; often, it is one per half and a floater. Since it CAN vary, it is the responsibility of everyone on the team to know how many timeouts the team has remaining at any given point.

3. When, if ever, is an uncontested foul in the endzone a score?
If the receiver had possession and was fouled, causing them to lose possession (strip) or if it was a force out foul (the player was contacted in the air in a manner that made them land out of bounds when they would have landed in bounds without the contact. On an uncontested foul in the endzone where the receiver never had possession, the disc is tapped in at the nearest point on the playing field (just outside the endzone) to where the infraction occurred. (XI.A.2) I recommend also reading the entire section on receiving fouls, XVI.H.3.b. I suppose also that if the receiver calls a foul, but then subsequently catches the disc in bounds, it would also be a goal, but that should be obvious.

4. When does overtime begin and how many time outs does each team get in overtime?
Overtime begins when teams are tied at 1 less than game goal total (14-14 in a game to 15). Each team gets 1 time out regardless of the number they had before overtime. (V.C)

5. What is a hard time cap? (describe how the game ends)
A hard time cap is the ending of the game once a predetermined time of play has elapsed and after the current scoring attempt is completed. If the score is tied, play continues until one additional goal is scored. Example: at one hour and twenty minutes hard cap goes on. This is in the middle of a point and at the completion of that point, the game is over unless the teams are tied. (V.A.1.c)

6. When is the beginning of a point? (ignore the beginning of halves)
A point begins immediately after a score. (II.Q)

7. What is the maximum distance you can be from your offender to call a pick?
3 meters. You must also be guarding her, that is reacting to her movements on the field (can call it if it isn’t your girl, even if you were within 3 meters.

8. What should you do if you are being poached? (There are a variety of options here, you can offer me as many as you can think of)
Move to get the disc: go AWAY from your poacher to a spot the thrower can get the disc to you. This is often deep or breakside.
Draw your poacher back on to you by calling “poach” or running at her and then maintaining movement.

9. What is the legal positioning for members on the receiving team when they signal readiness for the pull?
All members of the receiving team must be in contact with the front endzone line & maintain position relative to one another (holding line).

10. There is a foul on a deep, floaty huck. Four people (2 offense, 2 defense) end up well into the endzone. One of the defenders in the endzone makes a clean D. The marker contests the foul. Where do the players set up (with perhaps special focus on those in the endzone)?
The players set up where they were at the time the throw went up (when the foul occurred). XVI.C.4.b.1

11. A pick is called in the stack just as a handler is cutting upline. The thrower does not hear the call & throws the disc to the handler for a successful catch. What is the outcome (be sure to note location of players for b) if a) the receiving handler was in the endzone
And b) the receiving handler was NOT in the endzone?
a) Score
b) The receiver keeps the disc & players resume the position they occupied at the time of the call. The picked player gets to recover ONLY the position they had (if they were 3 feet BEHIND their girl, they are still 3 feet BEHIND, not in front. Thus, the offender should usually be coming BACK to the stack (or the location of the pick. The only alteration would be slight angles so that there isn’t immediately another pick. XVI.I.3

12. On what count does a contested stall come in on? (by ‘come in on’, I mean what is the first number said aloud after the word “stalling”)
8. XIV.A.5.b.3.a (there is a beautiful chart)

Women's Ultimate in todays New York Times

From: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/fashion/30fitness.html?_r=1

Ultimate Frisbee Takes Off

Andrew Davis

DISC JOCKEYING Action in the Canada-United States Ultimate Frisbee match at the world championships last August.

By BONNIE TSUI

Published: April 29, 2009

WHEN Susan Batchelder first played Ultimate Frisbee, 11 years ago, it was with the ultimate hippies.

“It was in Omaha, where I grew up,” said Ms. Batchelder, a 29-year-old fourth-grade teacher who lives in Oakland, Calif. As a senior in high school, she started dropping into a pickup Ultimate game that went on Wednesday nights in town.

“This was Ultimate Frisbee the way it was played in 1975: all men, all of whom had been playing together for the last 20 years, wearing funny outfits,” Ms. Batchelder recalled. She was often one of only two women on the field. “Clancy, he wore his athletic tube socks pulled up to his knees and these short shorts. Another guy, he played in a onesie with rolled-up boxer shorts. They were the funnest, nicest guys around.”

It wasn’t until Ms. Batchelder got to Middlebury College in Vermont that she realized that Ultimate, as players today call it, could be a real sport. She joined the women’s team and learned how to throw a forehand — the quick-flick sidearm throw that is crucial to any advanced game.

Today, Ms. Batchelder is a member of Zeitgeist, one of the top competitive women’s Ultimate teams in the Bay Area. Most players she knows don’t subscribe to the old-school “Burning Man” aesthetic anymore — skirts, colorful costumes, funky clothes. Instead, they’re Patagonia-sponsored athletes, wearing sweat-wicking uniforms, who do plyometrics and strength training. And they’re well equipped with a repertory of throws that include flicks, hammers, scoobers and high-release backhands.

In the last 10 years, Ultimate Frisbee has become one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. It is played in more than 42 countries. Ultimate’s success at the college level, attracting traditional athletes from other sports like soccer and football to compete on its teams, is largely what has elevated the game to this stage.

And the rise of women in Ultimate is another crucial part of the sport’s growth. Watching these women play, one can see the athleticism that has attracted them: gorgeous arcing throws, full-extension dives, insane vertical leaps, and discs pinched out of the sky with the barest of fingertips. “I play pickup most every week, even in the winter,” said Fi Cheng, 33, who works for a solar backpack company in New York. She helps run a spring and fall league in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and is treasurer of Westchester Ultimate Disc, the biggest Ultimate organization in the metropolitan area. “I’ve noticed a lot more women playing than when I started. There are women in their late 20s or early 30s who have been playing for 10 years now.”

The Ultimate Players Association, the governing body for the sport in the United States, has nearly 30,000 members. Total membership has risen 168 percent since 2003, when the association began breaking down membership statistics by gender. From 2003 to 2008, membership of women nearly doubled, composing about a third of total membership.

Among members, play spans from beginners’ pickup and laid-back summer leagues to elite clubs like Fury, a women’s team in the Bay Area that has won four national championships and the World Ultimate Championships last year in Vancouver.

“While there are significantly fewer female players than male players, most people who play say that the community aspect of Ultimate is a large part of why they play,” said Peri Kurshan, the president of the association’s board of directors. “It’s one of the few sports whose top tier of play makes no distinction between the two gender divisions. The men’s and women’s divisions are showcased equally in all U.P.A. championship events.”

Ms. Kurshan thinks that this aspect of Ultimate is what has allowed for the dramatic rise in the number of girls and women, as well as their success at the top levels of play.

Though the game was invented in Maplewood, N.J., in 1968, modern Ultimate has its epicenters in California and the Pacific Northwest. Its continued expansion is helped by the fact that all you need is a plastic disc and a field.

The seven-on-seven game has the speed and endurance of soccer plus the aerial passing and end-zone scoring of football. Once a player receives the disc, he or she stops running and has 10 seconds to pass it to a teammate; a team scores by completing a pass in the opposing team’s end zone. The beauty of disc flight and the athleticism of the chase have won Ultimate its fans.

“I love to run with purpose, meaning I hate the track, but I like to chase things,” Ms. Batchelder said. “I love the fact that when you’re playing, you make hundreds and thousands of little decisions — where the disc is, where your body is — but they happen without thinking.”

It may be a non-contact sport according to its rules, but Ultimate is hardly free of injuries. The quick cutting and sprinting have made anterior cruciate ligament tears among women players especially common.

JOY CHEN, a 33-year-old software developer in Alameda, Calif., considers herself lucky that herniated disks, a rotator cuff tear and ankle sprains have been the extent of her Ultimate injuries. “We hit each other and the ground pretty hard,” said Ms. Chen, who discovered Ultimate in college after years as a soccer and tennis player. She played with Stanford University’s Superfly, which went on a three-year run as undefeated women’s national collegiate champions.

“At first I thought it was just something you did while in college, but not as a ‘grown-up,’ ” Ms. Chen said. But the eclectic, close-knit community was tough to leave behind, and she continued to play and reinvent herself on various teams after college. Last year she and her teammates on Fury won the World Ultimate Championships.

Women like Ms. Chen are helping to train the next generation of female players. This year, she began coaching the Pie Queens, the women’s Ultimate team at the University of California, Berkeley. Jody Dozono, one of Ms. Chen’s teammates on Fury, was recently flown out for a clinic to help develop the skills of Scorch, the women’s team at the University of Arizona. The U.P.A. now sponsors free women’s clinics and coaching programs around the country, to introduce the sport to new players.

For Ali Fields, 36, a teacher who learned how to play as a volunteer with the Peace Corps in Zimbabwe, teaching the game is part of being in the Ultimate community.

“We do a big sixth-grade project every year, and my model project is about Title IX and women’s sports,” said Ms. Fields, who lives in northern Massachusetts and plays in a summer league in Portsmouth, N.H.

She and a friend have been teaching local students the basics of the game. “What I love is that in coed Ultimate, girls can huck the disc just as well as the boys.”

Upcoming Tournaments

The Orange and Black teams will have two tournaments coming up. First, on April 25, there will be a one-day tournament called the St. Cloud Face Off. The tournament will take place at Whitney Park in St. Cloud and will likely take place between 8:00AM and 4:00PM.

The second tournament is a two-day tournament on May 2-3, called the St. Cloud Granite City Classic. This tournament is also held at Whitney Park and again is likely 8:00AM to 4:00PM. Sunday's play is likely to end around 2:00PM. Due to this weekend falling on the same weekend as White Bear Lake Prom, we will consolidate all remaining players into one White Bear Lake team.

PARENTS

Ultimate tournaments are a lot of fun. You get to stand on the sideline with other spectators and the players. I think it's that closeness to the players that makes it such a special sport to watch. A typical tournament day will have your child's team playing 2-4 games... yes, that's 2-4 games in one day. There will be 30-90 minutes between games, so you can usually drive to get lunch if you didn't bring food to the field. Tournaments are usually Saturday and Sunday, and Sunday there are usually single elimination games, so only the winning teams continue playing up to the finals.

But a day of Ultimate can be challenging for a spectator if you are not prepared. Here are a few things you should bring:

1. a folding chair
2. a hat
3. sun block lotion (and use it often)
4. some food and drinks (unless it's Nationals, there usually are no food or drinks available on the fields)
5. a camera (if it's a small one, use it for close-ups of the players - action shots are usually not very good unless you have a telephoto lens)
6. a video camera is great to bring. You'll love watching them later!

If you are in a position to help with a few team supplies, here's what many Ultimate players like during a tournament:

1. ice (filling up an ice chest or cooler is best)
2. gatorade (the tournament usually supplies water)
3. fruit (oranges and bananas - and if you really want to go all out, cut the oranges into quarters)
4. healthy snacks - perhaps pistachio nuts, bagels, peanut butter and bread. Ask your child what his/her team likes.

Reprinted from: http://www.upa.org/friendsandfamily/tournaments

Ultimate peace in the Middle East

Ultimate peace in the Middle East

By Diana Worman

Reaching up for the disc [MARC ALTMAN 2009 marcaltman.com] Reposted from: http://english.aljazeera.net/sport/2009/04/200942161555516370.html Speaking of peace in relation to Palestine and Israel seems almost incongruous. But if you put aside politics and look at the many grassroots activities taking place there you can find a multiplicity of initiatives in which divided communities co-operate peacefully. One of these projects is taking place in Tel Aviv this week. Palestinian and Israeli children from disadvantaged communities will come together and compete in integrated teams learning the relatively new sport of Ultimate Frisbee. Nothing other than sport and having fun is on the agenda. Over one week, Al Jazeera will be profiling the work of the non-profit organisation Ultimate Peace, who are co-hosting this project. We'll find out if sporting initiatives such as these really can make a difference to the lives of the children who live under the shadow of perpetual conflict and disadvantage. Ultimate Peace Ultimate Peace is a collective of elite players and coaches of Ultimate Frisbee (or Ultimate as it is more commonly known) who aim to travel to disadvantaged and conflict-driven areas giving children the opportunity to learn one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. The week-long initiative is taking place within the structure of an existing sports programme run by the Peres Centre for Peace, a non-profit and non-governmental organisation aimed at promoting peace and reconciliation among divided youth communities in Israel and Palestine. The children meet every three weeks to participate in joint Palestinian-Israeli sporting and social activities, competing in integrated teams comprising of similar-aged children from Jewish and Palestinian villages. This week, Ultimate Peace is introducing an entirely new sport to these children – one played with a flying disc, or as it is more commonly known, a frisbee. The coaches will spend a day with around 140 children, split into twelve teams, introducing them to all the tricks, throws and catching of Ultimate. Later in the week, the coaches will travel back to the villages with the youth teachers. Armed with multi-lingual guides they will 'train the trainers', with the aim of planting seeds for a long-term Ultimate program within the community. Reaching out Dr David Barkan is one of the co-founders of Ultimate Peace. Barkan works as a consultant and facilitator to organisations within the field of civil rights, healthcare and domestic violence in his native San Francisco, but he is also a long-time Ultimate player who has been coaching the sport for years. Three years ago, Barkan travelled to Israel to coach Ultimate. Whilst the experience was rewarding, Barkan felt that something was missing, as he did not have the opportunity – or access - to teach Palestinian kids and provide them with the same opportunity to learn a new sport. And so, Ultimate Peace was born. The initiative, Barkan says, has two dimensions. Firstly, it deals with disadvantaged communities – bringing a new sport to areas where there may be a lack of funding or available teachers. Secondly, it aims to go to places where there is a cultural or social divide between kids. Barkan is realistic about the aims of Ultimate Peace, and of visiting complex communities as an outsider with ideas of peace and reconciliation. "Our position is that we don’t want to talk about politics, that's a road that is not productive", he told Al Jazeera. "I want peace, but I am not a politician, the only thing I can do is teach Ultimate and help kids understand one another". So why Ultimate? Coach Miranda Roth teaches the correct grip[MARC ALTMAN 2009 marcaltman.com] Ultimate is a fast-paced combination of running, jumping and athleticism, played on a grass field roughly equivalent to a football field. Players advance the disc by passing it to one another, with one point scored each time it is caught in the end zone. The sport is ideal for children. It's low-cost, non-contact and teaches hand-eye coordination skills unique from other sports. Crucially, one of the most interesting aspects Ultimate brings to the table is the concept of 'Spirit of the Game'. Players are expected to arbitrate their own refereeing decisions in the heat of competition. If an infringement occurs – such as a foul, pick, or a travel, then it is up to the players to self-regulate. This ties in with the stated aims of Ultimate Peace – mutual respect, friendship, non-violence, integrity and fun. Learning to be competitive but not at the expense of your opponent. Coaching staff Two of the coaches at the event in Tel Aviv are no strangers to coaching youth Ultimate. Miranda Roth and Moses Rifkin are two high school teachers from the West Coast who are also elite players from two of the top US teams. Roth is an eighth grade science teacher based in Seattle. Twice winner of the national championships and gold medallist with Team USA at the World Games, she is recipient of the most prestigious college MVP award – the Callahan Award. Roth believes Ultimate in particular is an ideal sport for young people. "Ultimate is self-officiated. It's governed by Spirit of the Game which includes a knowledge of the rules, a correct implementation of the rules and a trust in opponents not to abuse the rules," she said. "The trust and sportsmanship that this builds in concert with self-officiating is a uniquely amazing part of ultimate that we hope to really contribute to the kids and their communities". Focus on fun Moses Rifkin show how to throw a flick [MARC ALTMAN 2009 marcaltman.com] A sporting initiative like this will always attract its critics, especially at such a sensitive time in such a sensitive place, but the ultimate aim of this week is to allow kids to be kids, and to integrate, and learn with each other and to have fun. And Ultimate certainly appears to be a sport that can help promote the principles of conflict resolution and fair play. Rifkin is realistic about the week. "Yes, I hope that there is a more lasting effect – that by playing sports, and especially Ultimate, with one another, we plant a small seed of collaboration and commonality in these youths. "But I'm humble enough to know that this is beyond my control; all we can do is give it a shot and do all that we can to create a great experience for the kids." A busy week lies ahead for the Ultimate Peace crew and Al Jazeera will report back as the children get to grips with learning a brand new sport. You can read more about the work of Ultimate Peace at http://www.ultimatepeace.org/

Be sure to check out this related video: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1194419829128&pagename=JPost%2FPage%2FVideoPlayer&videoId=1239633075198

Ultimate Frisbee On The Rise

Ultimate Frisbee On The Rise
By Darren Rovell, CNBC
Reposted from: http://www.cnbc.com/id/30138012

I was just reviewing stats put together by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, which always provides extremely interesting data that is rarely covered by the mainstream media.

The U.S. sporting goods industry was down 3.2 percent in 2008 to $66.3 billion.

The best nugget? Ultimate frisbee is on the rise.

In 2006, there were 3.9 million people playing competitive frisbee. In 2007, that number climbed to 4 million and last year, there were 4.9 million ultimate frisbee players.

Another encouraging sign for the sport? More people are playing ultimate frisbee more often. The SGMA says that 18 percent of ultimate frisbee players played the game at least 25 times in 2008.

The Ultimate Players Association, which is the national governing body for the sport, is hosting the UPA College Ultimate Championships at Ohio State from May 22-24. The organization says that there are more than 10,000 kids on more than 600 college teams throughout the US and Canada that are eligible to compete in the tournament.

Ultimate Essentials - Running, Cutting, Catching, Marking, Throwing

Ultimate Essentials
by Chris Van Holmes
Re-posted with Permission

Running

Running is such a basic skill that we often take it for granted. We can all do it, some are good at it, but very few understand what they are doing. It's like walking only faster, you might think. But it's not!

Walking is taking it easy. One foot is always on the ground and as you move through your step, you roll off your foot heel to toe. Although your feet and legs are moving, you aren't exerting very much energy. Your upper body is relaxed and you're shoulders are over your hips. Running is hard work. Both feet are off the ground during each step and you are up on your toes. You are pushing hard with every step, your arms and shoulders are pumping and you're leaning forward.

In Ultimate, acceleration, and the speed or changes in direction it generates, is the most important factor in determining potential ability. (That is one reason football players are often measured by their 40 yd speed). When you run faster, your opponents can't keep up and can't get away. Running well, and fast, is a simple matter of applying a few basic principles to what you are doing. Think about these basics as you run and sprint and you'll find yourself faster, and more powerful, than ever.

What goes into running? Below are the factors that determine how fast you can run, turn, and change speed.

Step rate - steps taken per unit time.
Stride length - distance from one footfall to the next.
Speed - how fast you are moving = step rate X Stride length
Force - energy applied per unit time. The strength and speed of your muscle contractions determines the force each step generates.
Power - work done per unit time. This comes from a combination of number of contractions (step rate) times the force of each.
Acceleration - rate of change in velocity. Power determines your ability to accelerate.
Lean angle - angle from vertical of your body's axis. This determines how much of your force is converted into lateral motion.

In order to go fast we should combine our fastest step rate with our longest stride length. Unfortunately there is a trade-off between these two. The fastest step rates are by tap dancers. The longest stride lengths are by long and triple jumpers. Imagine if we could combine these two.

What this means is that we can take lots of very short steps or a few very long steps. This curve (missing) determines how we should run depending on our goals.

The most power, and acceleration, comes when you are running at a step rate faster than you would have at your maximum speed. With a high step rate, the muscles in your legs are contracting more often and generate more power. If you want to accelerate (stop, start, speed up, slow down, or turn), take more steps.

The lean angle determines the percent of the leg force that gets converted into a horizontal direction. Some people are very effective at getting a good lean as they turn or reverse directions on a cut. They stop with only one or two steps and are off in another direction. They do this with a combination of strong legs and setting up a good angle for pushing off. Sprinters start by leaning way over, supported by their hands, so that all of their push becomes forward momentum. The more you lean, the more force you can exert in the horizontal plane. The trick is to not fall over - or have your feet slip out from under you (good cleats are crucial).

What can we do to improve our acceleration? Of course the answer is practice. First work on increasing your step rate. This means shortening your stride and speeding up your arm swing. The high knee plyometric accomplishes this. Try to step as quickly as possible with very little forward motion. The most effective practice I have found for improving step rate is descending stairs. With one hand hovering over the railing, (falls are possible) step quickly down each stair. As your step rate increases with practice, it will begin to feel more and more like skiing.

Arm swing is also very important in step rate. Your arms and legs work together as harmonious pendula. If you want a quicker step, bend your elbows more, (shorter pendula oscillate faster) and speed up your swing. You'll find that your legs happily follow. Your arms also come into play on tight turns. Have you ever seen someone wildly rotating one arm as they turned to follow a cutter. This gives more stability (through gyroscopic forces) for better lean angles. Try running in a tight circle with normal arm swing. Then try it with the outside arm swinging in a big circle. You'll find you can go faster and/or run a tighter turn.

Your stride length is a more passive variable than step rate but you can work on it. Here, your reaching plyometric steps help you extend. Lunges give your muscles strength through their entire length. Of course, proper stretching helps a great deal.

Since lean angle depends on the strength of your legs it is a little more difficult to work on directly. Try stopping within one step. Plant one foot in front of you, turn to the side, and put your other foot next to the first. If you are leaning enough, you'll stop and be in a position to push off in the opposite direction.

Weight training can improve the force you generate with each step. Remember to work the muscle groups through their full range to maintain the speed of contraction. All the plyometrics put together help coordinate your muscle groups. Your acceleration is especially improved when you combine the knee raises with the butt kick. When the parts of your legs are working together, your step rate, stride length, and leg push are all increased.

Simple tricks to help your Ultimate acceleration:

1) On defense, take shorter (more) steps than your opponent. This will give you more power for acceleration.
2) Downshift (shorter steps) to speed up.
3) Shifting your arm swing will shift your step rate and stride length.
4) Stay low when anticipating a cut to get a better lean angle.

Cutting

Once you've become comfortable with the techniques of running and accelerating you can apply them to your actions on the field. There is a chant about what it takes to win in Ultimate: "No great throws. No great catches. just great cuts!" It is obvious catching and throwing are much easier if the receiver is wide open. From the receiver's point of view Ultimate is all about getting open and catching the pass. This requires two things:

1) Establishing separation between receiver and defender.
2) Approaching a throwing area where a pass can be delivered.

The first is a contest between you and your defender with the simple concepts outlined in the preceding chapter determining the victor. The second may require you to take into account the thrower, the marker, other cutters and other defenders. A good offensive strategy will reduce the complexity of this task.

When the thrower is facing the mark there should be three potential areas for a reception: backhand, forehand, and deep. If these areas are not open, the cutter's job becomes much more difficult. Directly behind the marker is a triangular "dead zone" with the apex far from the marker. This is because a throw to a spot directly behind the marker is very difficult while one further away becomes easier. It is important to remember the dead zone is fluid. It can be anywhere on the field, move over time, and have almost any orientation depending on the marker.

As a receiver, your goal is to approach a throwing area with your defender behind you and not in the throwing lane while the thrower is ready to deliver the pass. Both the positioning and timing are crucial. Planned cuts and acceleration at what I call break points establish position. Communication, eye contact and deliberate fakes synchronize the thrower and cutter.

I will assume the defender is smart and fast. Your advantage is in them reacting to you. There are a quite a few ways to get position and establish separation from the defender. Each one can stand alone but they are more effective when strung together.

The most direct way of getting open is to take a position between your defender and the throwing area before you even cut. Let the thrower know where you are going with subtle communication. Be sure you go where you said you would. Against good defenders this opportunity is rare and is usually a cut into, or through, the dead zone. A cut to the upside-down throw can be very effective at breaking the mark.

A more reliable method is to out-accelerate your opponent. The key here is to start faster and turn sharper as they attempt to catch up to your first moves. Changes in direction work best when they are done at break points. These are places to turn based on your position relative to the dead zone or based on your defenders speed relative to yours. When you are passing through the dead zone you have two cutting options that are opposites. In this area defenders are especially alert. As you exit the dead zone, the defender begins to expect only 1 pass, is striving to catch up, and often glances at the thrower to see the release. This is a break point. You should plant hard to get a good lean angle, increase your step rate for more power, and cut back to the other side. In general, break points occur as you move across the boundary of the dead zone. As you can imagine, cuts that alternate between throwing areas will give you the most advantage.

Break points can also occur anywhere on the field if the defender is accelerating to catch up. As your defender speeds up, their momentum exceeds yours. This gives you an opportunity to turn a tighter corner or reverse direction more quickly. The best break points come just as the accelerating defender reaches you. Since the defender is often out of sight, it can be difficult to determine the best time to turn. If you turn early, the defender has a chance to cut the corner and run a shorter distance than you. If you turn late the defender has already matched your speed has the same ability to turn. The ideal break point comes when the defender is as close as possible and still speeding up. A cut at this point will use their acceleration and reaction time against them to create the greatest separation.

Another break point occurs whenever the defender looks away from you. The defender often turns to see the release as you approach a throwing area. It is a perfect opportunity to go the other way. When you are positioning yourself on the field or in the end-zone the defender will often glance to check the field. Although your cutting opportunities may be limited at that moment, a quick move will force the defender to play catch-up. This will allow you to set them up as your opportunities expand.

One particularly rewarding method of obtaining separation is to trick the defender into creating a break point. Try cutting for the dump while calling for the disc. Then as the thrower fakes the dump, break hard up-field to the other throw. Obviously something must communicate to the thrower that you are faking the dump!

In general break points occur:

1) Where the defender's responsibility shifts
2) When a defender is very close and still accelerating to catch up.
3) When a defender looks away or loses concentration.

Approaching the Throwing area
The receiver must take into account the position of the throwing area when choosing the final direction of their cut. Cuts to the middle of the area allow the thrower the greatest space and time to deliver the pass. If the cut is toward the edge of a throwing lane the options are smaller and/or poachers are more likely. Throwers use visual cues to decide if the cutter is going to be open. Pick an approach to the throwing area that allows the thrower to judge the separation and relative speeds of the receiver and defender.

Expand your options
As the cutter moves around the field, the defender must work to maintain a proper defensive position. When your cuts include all three throwing areas, the defender's positioning responsibility keeps on shifting. The defender also needs to check on the disc location. This will provide the receiver with numerous break points and cutting opportunities and the job of defense becomes impossible.

Be Aggressive
Occasional bumping and blocking is a part of Ultimate. The cutter must be aggressive and attack the defender to get open. If the defender is properly positioned, it may seem to be a waste of effort to cut into an open throwing area. This is an illusion. If you fail to make a cut just because the defender has established position they have already beaten you.

One solution is to draw the defender into covering another throwing area, then using a break point to get open in your primary destination. Use the defender's expectations against them. String break points together in order to get enough separation if the defense is tenacious. This is the effectiveness of the triple cut.

Another possibility is to out-power the defender by getting them on their heels. Accelerate toward the defender. Just before the collision, step around them and go past. As they turn, you will get some separation.

Communicate
If the thrower and cutter are communicating it becomes a game of two-on-one. Use an elbow point, raised eyebrow, or field map to establish synchrony. Then you can plan your cuts with confidence of the results. The thrower can use better fakes to shift the marker and fool the defender. The cutter can set up strong break points without worrying about an early throw. Often it leads to an easy completion just when the defense feels it needs a stopper. This can take the heart out of the defending team.

Common Errors
* Failure to use break points.
Often cutters will attempt to use changes in speed or minor changes in direction to get open. These rarely work unless there is a mismatch or the defender is out of position. An example is a cutback that flares out into the flat.
* No separation visible to thrower.
Cuts straight at or away from the thrower provide no visual clues to how open the cutter is or whether the defender is gaining or losing ground.
* Defender is drawn into the throwing lane.
This is caused by using a breakpoint too deep within a throwing area. The throwing area is then blocked by the defender for several seconds.
* Un-aggressive cutting. If you allow the defender to dictate you cuts, they have won.
* Not stringing cuts together. A single cut against a good defender is rarely successful. You will need to string together several cuts to accumulate separation.

Catching

One of the best ways to learn good ultimate is to watch the great players and figure out what it is they are doing. This is how the concept of power catching was developed. This is simply "go to the disc" taken to its limit. The most secure catch is the smothering of the disc in your center of gravity. It combines the security of the pancake catch, blocking with the body, and a firm grip on the rim. The premise of power catching is to position your body so this catch is always possible. This may entail sprinting faster or jumping higher than you might to just reach the disc with your outstretched hands. The end results of this approach are a) going to the disc, b) good positioning and c) secure, un-defendable receptions.

As in all power ultimate, planning and focus are the keys to success. The first step is to decide where the disc will first be catchable. This is reading the disc. Once you've decided where you will first be able to catch the disc, get there. Don't watch the disc. Don't run with an outstretched arm. These things will slow you down. Instead, put your head down and run to the spot you think the disc going to. When you get near, look again for the disc and fine tune your approach.

Plan your approach to the disc to establish position and allow an aggressive surge to the disc. Don't get there early and wait for the disc to arrive. That will allow the defender a more aggressive position. If you have arrived early enough, slow your approach and then attack the flight of the disc by accelerating toward it, positioning your body to smother the disc. This is the power part.

The final act of catching requires good hand eye coordination. This means looking the disc into your hands. The advice for hitting the baseball is "Keep your eye on the ball." A study done with professional baseball players showed they actually watch the baseball hit the bat when they were learning to hit a new pitcher. But when they became comfortable with the types of pitches thrown, they would look up at the last second. I think you will find that ultimate players also look away at the last second because are familiar with how a disc behaves. This leads to some drops when the disc, or the hand, isn't exactly where expected. A disc is considered caught when it stops spinning in your hand. At that instant the hotstamp becomes legible. If you want to catch every pass, read the hotstamp every time.

Now clearly you can't get perfect positioning for every catch. Some throws will be at the limit of your reach. Here are some tips to simplify the catch.

* Be aggressive towards the disc.
* Whenever possible, get two hands on the disc.
* If you can't get in front of the disc, don't try a pancake catch. Grab the rim instead.
* Try to get at least one hand on the rim, even when pancaking.
* Always read the hotstamp.

There is a special technique for catching with two hands when you are running toward a high, oncoming disc. This can be a difficult catch with the disc scooting between your palms or blocked from behind by a defender. Instead of attempting to grab the disc with two hands on the rim, block the disc with an open-faced right hand while grabbing the rim with the left hand. At the same time, palm the disc with your right hand. The open right hand performs several functions: blocks a strong throw so the disc can't push past your open palm, provides a larger area for contact if the wind shifts the disc unexpectedly, makes the left handed grab easier by killing momentum and reducing spin, blocks the defender from the disc, and allows you to palm the disc with your right hand. Even when you fail to catch the pass it will fall straight down and give you another opportunity for a reception.

Whenever you are practicing your throws, practice your catches. Position yourself properly for each catch. Look the disc into your hands. Read the hotstamp. This will give you increased confidence and ability for those tough catches in a tricky wind or with a defender on your back.

Marking

Marking is the action of defending the thrower. The marker has two conflicting goals: prevent a throw to a particular area of the field, and harass the thrower into making a mistake. The first goal is predicated on team coordination to accomplish a turnover. This is called establishing a force. The thrower is 'forced' by the marker to deliver a pass to a particular area of the field while down field defenders attempt to deny receivers that area. The second goal relies on individual effort by the marker to get a point block or stall. Both can be highly effective techniques.

The key to strong marking is in the stance. The proper stance affords power and balance that you can use to respond to, or even anticipate, thrower's actions. Spread your feet to about twice your shoulder width. Bend at the knees, so the weight is on the balls of your feet and your upper body is upright. Do not bend at the waist. This gives you a center of gravity above the midpoint between your feet and the leverage to move quickly in any direction. You want to be able to hop left or right along with the thrower without having to change your stance. Your arms should be out to your sides with the elbows tucked in, hands low, and your fingers splayed.

This position uses your strongest, fastest muscle groups when you move to attempt a block. You can quickly dart your hands to an unknown point of release or shift your position to block a throwing lane. Extended arms are harder to shift to the point of release and more easily anticipated by the thrower. Most throws go underneath the marker's arms. Until a thrower has beaten you with a high throw, keep your weight, and arms, low.

Once you have developed the proper stance, you need to practice moving with the thrower. This involves maintaining your stance while hopping to block the throwers potential release. Do not lunge, bend over, or lift your feet into the air. All these actions ruin your balance and limit your mobility. Use them only when the thrower is actually releasing the disc and you are attempting a point block.

The next step is learning the proper reactions to a throwers movements. There are only four basic moves: shift left, right, back, or forward. If the thrower is attempting to throw into the dead zone, the defender must step back . This helps the marker defend by giving more time to react to a pivot by or a released disc. It also prevents the thrower from obtaining a free release behind the defender. The marker must still remain active, shifting with the thrower as they attempt their throws into the dead zone. As throwing skills increase, this job becomes more difficult and the size of the dead zone shrinks. When the thrower turns to the side, away, the marker must step up to reduce the size of the throwing area and be in position to make a block. As the thrower attempts throws to either side, the marker must shift right or left to block the lanes.

After mastering of rapid shifts in position, you need to anticipate the throwers intentions. There are many resources to draw on here. First, be ready to respond to teammates requests. Second, use your peripheral vision and ears. Third, recognize the throwers patterns. Fourth, get inside the throwers head.

One advantage the marker has is always knowing where the thrower will be. Their pivot foot determines their location. The marker, however, can be anywhere. If given free reign to harass the thrower, move quickly and unexpectedly to different throwing lanes. Occasionally don't respond to the throwers movements. If the thrower is expecting a reaction this can throw him off stride.

When the marker is in a force defense, the primary responsibility is to prevent a pass into the dead zone. The marker should remain in the throwing lane to the weak side and still be very active. When the thrower attempts to break the mark, back up into the throwing lane. This gives you more time to respond to the throw and prevents the thrower from releasing the disc past the markers body.

Another thing to help your marking is to learn individual thrower's habits, such as noticing a penchant for the high backhand. We all have our rivals that we play frequently, so notice the types of throws and fakes the players you cover use. If they regularly throw over the marker, be ready to take a step back to make this more difficult. If they often step into the marker, be aware of that. If they always throw the low inside out forehand, be ready for that. There is no one perfect position to set up in. On some people you should set up as tightly as you are allowed, on others, you want to back up a little.

You can also make adjustments for the weather. If it is windy, be sure to stay low and force higher releases. This will expose the disc to more wind and occasionally force unstable release angles.

Throwing

The most difficult skill in ultimate is throwing a complete pass while covered by a marker. You have about 8 seconds (the average stall count) to choose a receiver, fake the marker, and deliver the disc. To do all this you must remain calm and get control of the situation.

As a general strategy, your goals as a thrower should change as the stall count increases. Between "stall" and "six", you should look to gain yardage or continue the flow of the offense. Above "six", you should be looking for a sure pass close by that will reset the count. Between nine and ten, you need to be delivering the sure pass that you focused on for the past several seconds or be throwing a pass down field to an area where a teammate has a chance to catch it. Always be aware of the count and DO NOT GET STALLED.

When delivering a pass, look for three things: an open throwing area, an accelerating receiver, and non-closing separation between the defender and cutter. One reason 'come-back' cuts are often defended is because the thrower has a hard time determining the separation and relative speed of O and D players. As the pass enters the throwing area, it should be at a catchable height and speed, as well as providing the receiver a choice of locations to catch it. A bullet pass that intersects the receivers cut at a right angle has only one point in time and space where it could be caught. As such it is rarely a good pass.

When you recognize a throw you want to deliver, first decide if the marker is hindering you. If not, deliver the pass. But if the marker is in position and hampering your delivery you must first FACE THE MARKER. This gives you a minimum of three throwing options: forehand, backhand, and hammer. This is important because you need to force the marker to respond to fakes to get him out of position.

The same kind of concept used in cutting, breakpoints, are involved with your fakes. The object is to get the marker moving in one direction while you are setting up to move the other way. Once the marker falls behind, you control the situation. In order for fakes to be effective, your pivots need to be clean, fast, and powerful. To accomplish this you need to keep your steps short and be able to switch grips quickly. As you pivot into a fake, your arm should be moving in a natural throwing motion. When you push back the other way with your just planted foot, the throwing motion should continue to completion. This will hold the marker even as you move back in the other direction. Allow the disc to roll into the other grip at the end of your 'arm fake' and you are ready to throw to the other side in the blink of an eye. You should only extend past the marker on a pivot when they are out of position and you plan to deliver the pass. This step toward, and past, the marker will seal them from the throw.

One of the best tools for beating the marker is to communicate with the receiver. If you are starting with a dead disc, simple, disguised hand signals are the best way to communicate. My favorite is the 'elbow point' because everyone puts their hands on their hips anyway. It is never noticed as a signal at all! A simple field map will let you call out a player to a location. This will alert other players to clear that space for a throwing area. A critical, non-verbal, way is to use your fakes in conjunction with a receivers cut. If the receiver is breaking into a throwing area while covered, fake to him while maintaining eye-contact. Both the marker and the defender will react. A good receiver will use your fake as a breakpoint and cut directly to an alternate throwing area. Your fake on the marker will be effective for two reasons: first, you know it is a fake and are already pushing off to the other side, and second, markers are often aware of the activity behind them through peripheral vision or hearing and will make an extra effort if they detect the cutter.

Focus, fatigue, and skill are the three biggest factors in throwing errors. Careful attention to your technique will allow you to complete passes in difficult situations. This is crucial when fatigued. Remember that if you are tired, so is your opponent. The one that is able to remain focused on fundamentals will prevail. Casual throws that don't have a history of practice are often turnovers. Don't use a throw that you can't complete consistently (98+%) uncovered. One way to measure your skill is to throw the same pass 20 or 30 times in a row. What is your completion percentage? Probably not as high as you think!

One skill that is becoming more important is the ability to deliver a pass to the dead zone (break mark). This ability takes away the strengths of force defenses where the marker has one assignment. and down field defenders another. This is where strong pivoting, stepping past the marker and high releases come into play. Strong pivoting forces the marker to react until he's out of position and the previous dead-zone lays exposed to a free throw. Stepping past the marker gets your release point beyond his body and provides a free throw to anywhere on the field. High releases use the fact that the disc is past the marker before he can react.

Types of Throws
There are three basic types of throws in ultimate. The clockwise spin, the counterclockwise spin and the upside down throw. Being able to execute all three is crucial to being a successful thrower. Each throw has a gradation of release angles that determine the direction and shape of the flight. It is key to be able to throw with many different release angles. Try to remember that any throw is better with more spin.

Practicing throws
This is the first step to acquiring the throws you need. The most successful methods of practice include careful repetition combined with slight variation over time.

Grips
There are two basic grips for each throw which can generally be categorized as power grips and control grips. Power grips squeeze the disc tightly and are best for speed, distance and maximizing spin. Control grips are best for achieving quick releases and difficult release angles.

Throwing while marked
The keys to throwing while covered by a marker are to plan, pivot and fake. Ideally you will know the throw you want, especially if you have prior communication with the cutter. You can then plan a series of fakes and pivots (3 is a good number, remember the triple cut?) to get off the throw you want. Short pivots and quick fakes can be combined to give the illusion of a serious throw attempt. These can then be whipped into another throw while the marker is still shifting to cover your fake. Pivoting should be done with bent knees to maintain balance and power. Avoid large steps and leaning as they limit your potential for changing direction. One key to getting the throw you want is to step past the marker on your last pivot. This cuts the maker off from your release so you have a free throw

Making calls
The thrower has several calls to defend against an overly aggressive marker. These include "Straddle", "fast count", “double team”, "foul", and "strip". Know the rules governing these calls. Some common mistakes are:

* Not checking the disc after a stall
* Marker not going back 2 seconds on 1st Fast count or Double team call.
* Not calling fast count when the marker doesn’t start with “Stalling”.
* Throwing after making a call. Any throw made after a call is in jeopardy. If it is a turnover it will generally stay a turnover.

Always be aware of the stall count. Be sure to call the contact fouls that affect your pivots and releases. One tactic of an aggressive mark is to foul early to prevent throws and get a high stall count. However, a close mark is the most beatable mark. A good fake and a step past a close mark puts the release point behind the marker and is unstoppable. So if you feel you’re in control of the marker’s movements, don’t be quick to call fouls.

Once a call is made, the thrower should stop play. Determine the resolution of the call quickly and agree with the marker as to the stall count. Use the down time to establish communication with a cutter. Eye contact and elbow points work great here. When the marker is checking in the disc, be sure to face them squarely so you present all the throwing options and force the defenders to be prepared for all cuts and throws.