On Productivity

So obviously, I'm not the best blogger ever. I'd like to say my lack of updates stems from me living life to the fullest and having all these amazing experiences, but it's probably more due to my constant high stress level and having way too much on my plate.

However, the past few days I have found I am incredibly productive. This got me thinking: what has changed this week as opposed to others? First, Midas just had their last tournament of the quarter, so the pressure of planning all that goes into a tournament weekend is lifted. Second, I decided I wasn't going to practice this week. I have a huge presentation on Monday and will be gone this weekend, and genuinely feel like I can't keep giving up schoolwork for ultimate. As much as I miss running around, it's nice to not have something to do EVERY NIGHT. Third, I'm going to Trouble in Vegas with PlanEx this weekend, a trip I am very much looking forward to.

Yes, I still have a lot to be concerned with. I have a lot of schoolwork and this looming presentation is pretty overwhelming. I have a strained ligament in my hand. I am shirking my obligations to my team. I am dealing with our Club Sports office regarding a possible club sanction and $1200 fine. I haven't thought about my Conference Coordinating work in about a week. I have no money, and no job prospects for after graduation.

So many things could be considered wrong with my current situation, yet I am happy. And I believe that is the point: in Maya-land, happiness leads to productivity, and I'm gonna ride this train as long as it's chugging on.

LeiOut 2011 Recap

Overall a completely amazing weekend. While my team didn't do super hot (1-5), we still, as Busty says, won the awesome competition. With super cool jerseys and delicious sideline beverages, what could possibly be wrong? The weather was absolutely amazing, everyone was having a good time, and the best part was we really were playing hard. There were bids everywhere! Even the rookies stepped up, learned some new tricks, and even helped score a few. We had a first timer on our team as well, and she definitely held her own.

Ten things I learned this weekend:

1. Sand isn't grass. It kills your calfs and feet. Meaning playing on grass is going to be that much easier, right?
2. Beach ultimate is a lot of putting up throws and letting your better players/that really tall guy get it.
3. Laying out on sand doesn't hurt. I MUST find some way to translate this to getting over my inability to lay out on grass.
4. Laying out in a prom dress is possibly one of the most fun ultimate experiences ever.
5. Playing in a skirt is ridiculously comfortable - props to UCSB Burning Skirts for figuring this out and rocking it.
6. Beach ultimate can be really intense, too! The finals game was crazy!
7. The learning curve at tournaments, even "fun" ones, is huge. We had rookies going from scared to get on the sand at all to throwing forehand assists.
8. Good cuts aren't that hard to set up. While it's extra emphasized on sand (really, a hard step in one direction is all you need), the same concept can be translated to grass. Move convincingly in one direction, drop your weight, go the other way. Done.
9. Heckling can cause amazing things, like dropped pulls. I watched it happen.
10. Doing anything, even losing, is okay, as long as you're wearing a Team Planet Express Ship jersey.

Random highlight, I had my first layout D EVER, and it felt amazing. I definitely look forward to next year. There is nothing like spending a weekend on the beach playing ultimate with your best friends.

How to Teach a New Dump Set

In the past few years, Midas has had a very specific dump routine. You set up on the break side whenever possible. The thrower looks to you on stall 5, fully turning their body and squaring up against the mark. This is the dump's cue to make a cut back (generally you only need about 5 hard steps). If the thrower cannot get this throw off fast enough or if the dump D is just on their toes, the thrower will fake, and the dump will cut up the line. If, again, the D is great, the mark shifts over, or for some other reason the throw cannot get off, the person at the front of the stack, the "fill," will run straight down to where the dump had originally set up for a fast break throw. By now, if none of these throws occur, it will probably be a high stall count and the thrower will be forced to jack it as far as possible. When forced to set up on the open side, do the exact same routine, except since the up-the-line cut is no longer viable, so we have to rely on the dump either getting it back, the fill getting open, or a cross-field swing to an open cutter.

Experienced players will read over this and be able to point out how flawed this routine sounds.
1. It is literally a routine. This is what we did, EVERY TIME.
2. Teaching to wait until stall 5 is incredibly limiting, especially when running a vert stack, an offense that easily lends to handler domination.
3. It requires that all players involved be very aware of what is happening and the skill level of each thrower. Unfortunately, this is probably not 100% realistic on a women's B team.
4. Settling for jacking it at stall 9 is not okay. In my opinion, the disc should never get over stall 6. I think it is wiser to assume that every turnover will result in a point.
5. What is with the crap designed for the open side?? This was actually a serious issue of confusion on the team last year, to the point where a teammate and I decided to adopt a completely different dump set than told.

So this year, I decided to switch to what I recently discovered seems to be a more common vert stack dump set, THE OPEN SIDE! The dump will set up on the open side whenever possible, at about a 45 degree angle and 5 yards back from the thrower. The first cut is horizontal, straight behind the thrower, and past them. This allows for the thrower to turn their back to the dump and give a simple dish to the cutter. If the disc is received back here, the "fill" can quickly swing and the defense is successfully broken. Let's say the dump is super agro and commits or lays out, or somehow that throw becomes unviable. The dump then changes direction, cutting at a 45 degree angle back the way they came, aiming to be on the same plane as the thrower. Because we are on the open side, this allows for a lefty backhand or slightly more complicated but also possible IO flick. The cutter is now in a power position on the open side. Such an offense also allows for the "fill" to be a third option when the initial dump doesn't get the disc, and is undoubtedly an easier throw since the thrower just has to float it out to their side and let the "fill" run on to it. Finally, if the dump is forced to set up on the break side, the previously stated dump set can work just fine, it just should not be the first choice.

Cool, now I've got my new dump set. Here's the challenge: how do I teach this to girls who have been running the same routine for at least a year? The new players probably haven't seen this much, so they will just take what they are taught. But we all know how amazing it feels to cut up that line and use all that momentum to huck the crap out of a disc; this is the sentiment I need to break in the more experienced handlers. Stop relying on the up-the-line cut and work the disc a few more times, and the options will come i.e. STOP BEING LAZY! As a handler, we have the power to dictate what happens on the field. If I want to break a mark and swing it, I can do that. I choose what cutters to throw to, I choose when to throw deep or to reward that awesome in cut, I choose what plays we run, etc. While this isn't literally true at all times (I would love if I only had to touch the disc once and the flow was so amazing I never touched it again during the point), this mentality has helped me gain confidence to take over a stagnant moment on the field, to create plays, to motivate my cutters through my actions.

But enough about why handlers are so great (haha). What do I plan to do to teach my teammates this new technique? We are planning on running a practice in the coming week that is solely offense focused, which will involve splitting the group into cutters and handlers and working on specific skills. Yes, another post will come about my opinions of such a teaching method, why splitting people might be more detrimental than helpful, etc. Be it "good" or "bad" it has worked for Midas in the past so we will follow the same trend this year. We start off with a team warmup. Then we split into handlers and cutters for a half hour of role specific drilling. I will be doing the following with the handlers.
1. Start off with a short (5 min) game of keep away (4 v 4 in a 20 x 20 ft box, start on stall 4, 5 completed throws is a point). This forces people to get used to moving the disc quickly, being creative with throws, and short and hard cuts.
2. Take a minute to discuss the game. What worked (give and gos, hammers, etc)? What didn't (standing still, holding on to the disc for more than 3 seconds, etc)?
3. Break out the whiteboard and diagram the new dump set.
4. Physically display the new dumpset lifesize! With players! On the field!
5. Take questions.
6. Break up into groups of 5 (thrower, mark, dump, dump D, fill) and run it until everyone can complete 80% of throws. At this time I'd walk around giving tips and answering questions.
7. Reconvene and teach the breakside dump set, but on whiteboard and lifesize. Emphasize this is a second choice.
8. Break up into groups and run the breakside dump set until everyone can complete 80% of throws.
9. Conclude with the following points: the breakside is a second choice, moving the disc before stall 5 is not only okay, it is encouraged, do not be afraid to completely ignore the cutters and gain as much yardage between handlers as possible, eye contact is key to any completion, and should be held at any point where a throw might go off, and respond to any final questions.

The next drill back all together is one that puts together what the cutters and handlers learned separately: the dump, swing, continue drill! This will allow the handlers to get a feel for anything new the cutters intend on implementing, and the cutters to learn how to work off the new dump set. We then break up into teams to scrimmage and continue learning from each other. In this way, the teammates teach each other through their actions and it's not just the captains holding their hands throughout the whole process. We may decide to also end practice with taking feedback from players about the other group's new techniques: what worked for them, what didn't, how can we work better together to produce effective flow, and whatever else comes up.

The idea of splitting up handlers and cutters and doing focused workshops is one that we might repeat bi-weekly, or never again. There are obviously more skills to be taught, but I think the key is to make sure that those skills are quickly implemented with the team as a whole, and to get everyone confident in working together to score.

Opinions? Got any great drills for handlers? Totally hate how I intend to teach things? Feel free to let me know! This girl's learning process is definitely a long and hard one, and any feedback is always appreciated.

From Dreams to Reality

The other night, I dreamed that Midas won the PresDay Qualifier. My feelings when waking up were of pure determination: I want to get my team to win that tournament! This got me to think, then, about how we'll get there. In my humble opinion, at the moment, Midas is probably going to place around 5th, solely based on what I know about the teams attending and how we have played them in the past. The first thing I did upon firing up my computer was research last year's team records for the teams I had no idea about (Okay, so maybe we CAN beat ASU and Chico!).

San Diego State kicked our asses at Stanford Open because we just didn't expect such a high level of physicality from them. But how do you teach a team of girls to want to fight for the disc more? That I am still unsure of. Unfortunately people tend to misconstrue Midas as a team for girls who don't care as much about the sport, and such a mentality becomes increasingly polarizing i.e. the people who care get upset that others don't, and the people who don't feel bolstered by the fact that others share in their mentality. So we'll see. But if short little me can run through D a girl on that team, anyone can.

We lost by one to Pomona at Sectionals. I remember this game was so incredibly frustrating because this was our last game of Saturday, meaning everyone was tired. In short, I recall blaming our loss on our lack of maintaining what is, in my opinion, one of the most important skills on the field, holding the mark. As a whole, Midas loves to throw our zone defense. We're pretty damn good at it when we have the energy, but as soon as our cup starts to get broken, we tend to get very worn out both mentally and physically. Not to say Pomona didn't deserve it, they've got a killer in Mich! But at the same time, they did do worse against other teams than we did, and they had about half the players we did so were probably much more tired than we were. So how will we beat them? Track workouts and better subbing! While it's okay to be tired after a few hard games, it sucks when your top players have been playing so much that they can't hold out to win one more point. I say throw the game against Santa Barbara, and Long Beach, once you see you're going to lose really badly, and save up for the games you should win.

Which brings me to Long Beach. I think these girls will be our biggest challenge. They have become such a dominant team in the past few years. Igloo is pretty much unstoppable, and the other girls have grown to become an amazing support system to let her rip through defenses. I remember when it was enough just to shut her down, and play tough D to force the others to make mistakes. Except now they don't make mistakes. They pretty much dominated our one-day tournament in the fall, and that was without Igloo. I also think those girls are some of the sweetest, most dedicated ones in college ultimate out there; in the end, I think it will be an intense game, but however it ends, the two teams will be hanging out and laughing after. I am still incredibly unsure about how to beat them. I think it'll just depend on how the day goes and what strengths Midas can rely on at the moment. Or maybe we'll get lucky and not have to play them at all.

SLO Motion is also attending this tournament. Having stated my previous feelings about this team, I think Midas' biggest challenge will be to not let them get in our heads. To play out of respect for their skills by shutting them down at every turn. To not get frustrated when they break through our defense, but instead adjust so it doesn't happen again. I'm not sure how many girls still burn after that game at sectionals last year, but I know I do, and hopefully that will help with our desire to win. On that note, I also haven't really seen them play this year so I have no idea what girls are still left on that team or who they picked up. I just really hope we get a chance to play them, but at the same time, I sort of hope we don't have to. I'm not sure Midas is ready to see Angry Ozone so early in the season.

Claremont will probably also be a challenge. Those girls have been incredibly dominant in the past, but simply cursed by the fact that they are in one of the most talented regions in the country. Midas has never really beaten the Greenshirts, but we have definitely had some close games. I am not sure what girls still play on that team though, so don't know what to expect. That means scouting! Actually it means I hope we get to play them early in the season (ideally at SB Invite, but I'm not sure who is going to that), and can use a game like that to figure out how to beat them later.

The last team I think will be a close game will be Humboldt. They came out incredibly fired up this year. They beat BLU split/mixed at Sean Ryan in the fall, so I'm not sure how Midas can hold up. To our credit, they have a small team, so if we play them, I hope it's towards the end of the day, preferably after they lose a really close game (is that bad spirited to say?). I think this will come down to the level of mental fortitude - if we are determined to beat them, we probably have a chance. Otherwise... This is just another game I hope we don't have to actually play.

So how do we get all of these things accomplished? Thank goodness I have friends determined to help me through this season. One of them sent me a blog post of one coach's plan for a semester. Considering Midas really has no coach, Maddox and I are sort of learning as we go. For a team that dreams of dominance, there is no room for mistakes, even early on. So getting any advice from more experienced coaches is always helpful. This entry was amazing, if only because it coincides with what I believe is a good strategy for teaching new topics. Each week introduces a new concept, with emphasis on throwing (for us it will be outside of practice) and scrimmaging frequently. I believe that there is no learning like playing a simulated game. The challenge with scrimmaging is to get people to practice as they would play a real game, but hopefully we'll get there.

You might also notice that I did not discuss any B teams in this post, because I still have full faith that Midas is the best B team in the country and we should destroy any B team that comes across our path. I do want to note, though, that those games can sometimes be the most fun, and I look forward to each and every match, if only for the great halftime games.

Have any advice on practice plans? Know some secrets about these teams that you want to share to help Midas dominate? Here's one of those posts where feedback would be awesome. Help this little girl realize her dreams!

A New Take on Sweating

If any of you have ever worked out with me, you'll know I'm a sweater. As in, I sweat easily, not like an article of clothing. No big deal, really. I get a few odd stares when people first see it, but it's just how it is. Genetics, I guess. Yet when I'm around people I don't know, such as at the gym, it is sort of embarrassing. I mean, when you picture people sweating heavily, you (or at least, I) picture overweight people who are working really hard to do something. It doesn't help that I'm really white and get red quite easily. By now I'm old enough to just tune it out - it really is mostly in my head, but I still feel that twinge of self-consciousness once in a while. After my kickboxing class today, I go to the front desk to get my pass on my way out. The young woman working there says, "Wow, you look like you had a great workout!" I respond, "yeah, I did!" She says, "I wish I could sweat that much when I work out." I stare blankly at her, not sure how to respond. She says "Oh, it's that kickboxing class, huh? It gives you that good of a workout?" I say, "Well, um, yeah, I mean, it's intense, I get really into it, you should give it a try!" She says, "Yeah, I definitely will."

Wait, so a girl is actually envious of my sweaty, red face, and wants to achieve that herself? And she might actually take my advice to doing it? I think it's time to start feeling good about sweating a lot, and take pride in the fact that I'm working hard to get there.

On a semi-related note, going primal has gone well. I felt bad a night or two ago because I sorta cheated. I pretty much got down on a cup's worth of dried cranberries, and would have kept going if there were any more left in the bag. Now, that's a ton of carbs. Feeling dejected, I tell a friend about this at breakfast the next day. He responds with something along the lines of, "Wait, you feel bad for eating some dried fruit?" Good point, I think. Another perk of following this lifestyle - "cheating" involves eating things that aren't too bad for you, but are still delicious. Also, I recently discovered that if I really feel pressured to and/or I want to, I can get away with having some alcohol. Wine is ideal, but if I skip all the fruity fillers, hard alcohol is definitely okay. All in all, I still feel great, and I've lost over 2 pounds already. I hereby deem Primal Week 1 a success! Oh yeah, and I don't miss bread yet. Nope, seriously, I don't. Now get those gingerbread cookies out of my face.

Home is Where This Little Girl's Heart Is

A few nights ago, I drove home from my friend's house just a few miles away at after 1 in the morning. We had just finished watching Inception on his new BluRay player (super awesome). Of course, me being a thinker, and having experienced a super creepy random power outage in the middle of the film, was pretty creeped out on my drive home. I have never driven on a main street where I only see black in my rearview mirror. I speed home, anxious to get in my bed, and as I step out of my car, I look up to the sky. It seemed like every star out that night was ablaze. I could point out some constellations; my favorite was always Orion, as the linearity of the belt just seemed so perfect to me. This experience immediately threw me back to high school, where I would just walk around my neighborhood or even just sit on my driveway and stare at the stars. It's the only place close to civilization I have experienced on a regular basis where you can see the stars on any clear night, regardless of the light pollution. Seeing that night sky, my night sky, made me so incredibly happy to be home. By now I had forgotten my insecurities, and felt warm and safe. Between the time that I got out of my car and got ready for bed, it had begun to rain. I lay awake in bed staring out my window at the rain fall past the streetlights, listening to its pitter-patter on my roof. So relaxing. It's so great to come home to the comfort of the familiar - going to the same gym for workouts I did in high school, driving past the same stores, most of which still stand, the same guys working at the Greek restaurant that still flirt with me, the same punks still sitting outside of the coffee shop because what else do you do on a Friday night in Cupertino. It's also cool to see how new things have become incorporated - new TJ's down the street? Awesome! I can't wait to see my friends. I've been really taking some personal time to destress from this quarter and mentally sort out my life, and haven't had the energy to go be social. But I know when I do, I'm going to really enjoy immersing myself in the throwback.

On an ulti-note: Beware-Ho 14! Everyone should sign up. Now I just need a kickass hat.

Team Planet Express Ship is coming together well. Pretty sure we have a finalized roster and our jerseys are in. Success!

On a I'm-suddenly-pissed-off-Primal-note: My mother just informed me that our chronic ant problem has extended to my almond meal that I bought yesterday. Yesterday. Still a lot left. It's relatively cheap, except, you know, I'm a poor college student. I also got in a stupid fight with my parents yesterday about how they wouldn't even buy eggs as we had ran out since they had eaten them all the night before. Gosh it's so frustrating when, not only do they support me in the cases where it's nothing to them (just go buy some eggs! you need them anyway!) but apparently I'm supposed to know that we'll have ants get into any semi-open container?! And then my mom throws in the little guilt bomb: "yeah, we had to throw away a lot more than just your stuff..." I feel no guilt. Just dislike.

Excuse the little rant, looks like my noon kickboxing class is going to be quite energetic.

Edit: Just found out my class was canceled to be replaced by some stupid holiday 2 hour exercise thing. Sure, I could go. Or I could do what I feel like and mope about it. Considering I was super sick yesterday, guess I'll just take the weekend off. Not my day.

Little Girl's Advice on Pulling

Today a teammate asked me for some tips on how to pull. I wrote up such an extensive response that I felt like I wanted to post it here. Obviously different techniques work for everyone, as I personally have gotten incredibly varying, sometimes even completely opposite, advice over the years. Here's my personal compilation of tips and tricks that work for me.

Message from teammate: "i was wondering if you had any tips on pulling. i tried it out today but my throws were mostly too high and not far enough.
also, i'm a lefty but i had trouble pulling so that the disc would be a OI going from left outside to right inside, sometimes it would even be a OI going from the right outside to left inside, so i think my throwing must be wrong. if you have any tips, that would be great!"

My response: "Okay well first, it's a preference. If you like pulling OI, go for it! I personally pull IO. If you're pulling OI, it means your disc isn't angled enough. To start changing that to IO, throw short, extremely bladey throws. I start very close to vertical (pointing down) when I pull. So grab a partner, get 10 yds away, and just throw blades to get your hand used to holding a disc that way.
Second, don't try to add footwork before you get the throw down. In fact, a lot of people lose momentum when they try to add footwork incorrectly. The idea is to get your weight behind your throw, and all that momentum moving in the direction of the pull. Start by standing stationary facing away from the field, but twisting from the hips. Most shorter throws don't require so much force, but this can help with hucks too. Remember, if you feel off balance, that's okay. On a pull there's no such thing as a "travel." In fact, you ideally want to be falling forward as you pull, as this will get your body traveling down the field and indicates you put so much momentum behind your throw that you launched your body forward.
Once you've got that down and are happy with some increased distance, feel free to try some footwork. The footwork that I was taught (flipped for left-handers) is one step with your left, then the step with your right should turn you should be almost with your back to the field, then the next left step will be your step out and the start of twisting your body. 3 steps. Left, right, left. You can jog up a little before that to get momentum, but build slowly. A lot of pullers find that adding the steps actually takes away from their form. I would get a pull with good form down first, so come game time if you haven't mastered the steps yet, at least you have a pull you can rely on.
As far as throwing the disc itself, you want to think of your arm as like a whip. This is why pulling over and over again (like I had to do last season) really fucks with your elbow. You should be throwing in practically three steps: elbow, hand, wrist flick. Practice doing those steps slowly. Again, the angle of the disc is all about how you release it, so practicing shorter throws will train your wrist to throw how you want. To help with the height, I try to focus on an object across the field. For example, a light post or a tree or something. By eyeing where you want to throw, instead of the sky, that might help. Think out, not up!
But honestly, at the end of the day the pull is just a really hard throw. Get in the gym and do some lifting, or at least do some pushups every day at home to gain muscle."

I'm always looking for more advice, so if you agree, disagree, just want to comment, definitely let me know!

As a total side note, Going Primal day 2 has been a success. It's not that hard cutting out breads and sweets when you realize how delicious meat tastes (to be fair, we'll see how long that sentiment lasts in the coming days). Also, I have rediscovered a great workout in kickboxing. Totally primal, right? Our ancestors totally would have hand-to-hand combat! Today I had 55 g of carbs, and still felt completely energized throughout my whole workout - exciting! Since I know that soon I will be jonesin' for the sweets again, my goal is to put together some primal snacks in the next coming days. First, some trail mix. Next, pie!