6 Week Skills Clinic

Hey ladies,

Over the next 6 weeks starting August 31st I will be running a Six Week Skills Clinic. It will focus on improving skills in catching, throwing, jumping, diving, cutting and marking and is open to all ladies.

Every Sunday evening (Monday this week) I will send out a "Skill of the Week" to Irish Ladies and the forum and there will be tasks to complete by the end of each week- Ultimate Homework basically! These ideally will only involve one or two other people at most to make it as easy as possible to complete each task. Each week will finish with a weekend session probably in Dublin covering that weeks skill. I will send out the plan and drills etc of each Sunday session for people who cant make it but want to do the session at home/abroad etc. The Sunday sessions can happen with as little as 2 people as they will be specifically focused on a certain skill. A minimum of 3 would be ideal and people can sign up on the forum.

I will include a six week fitness plan which will complement the Clinic for those who aren't doing fitness and are interested in getting fitter for Bologna or just for themselves.

If this doesnt interest you in the least then please ignore any e-mails from me with Clinic in the title

Cheers,
Laura

Hello,

This weeks skill focuses on Catching the disc. This is the most basic and most important skill in playing a game of ultimate.

There are 7 different ways of catching a disc:

1. Pancake catch (one hand on top of the other in an alligator snapping way).
2. 2 handed catch in front of the body, thumbs under the disc, facing the sky.
3. 2 handed catch in front of the body, thumbs ontop of the disc, facing the ground.
4. 1 handed left-hand catch, thumb facing the sky.
5. 1 handed left-hand catch, thumb facing the ground.
6. 1 handed right-hand catch, thumb facing the sky.
7. 1 handed right-hand catch, thumb facing the ground.


Tasks for the week:
Spend 15-20mins each evening playing with the disc, throwing it up in the air and catching it all 7 different ways.
This can be done in front of the TV, while waiting for the dinner to cook, while watching home and away etc. If you associate an action/event such as watching a program with throwing the disc to yourself it makes it easier to remember.

Sunday Session:
This session requires a minimum of 2 people to be completed.
This is a simple session consisting of throwing and catching.

* Catch 15 throws using the pancake catch. Do the same with every other catching technique. This will total 105 throws and catches. The throws can be any kind as they are not the focus of the session.
* Now focus on when to use the different catching techniques by throwing and catching another 100 times. Examples: If the disc is above head height the disc should be caught with thumbs facing the sky either 1 or 2 handed. A pancake catch becomes more difficult the higher the disc is. If a disc is below the pelvis the disc should be caught with thumbs facing the ground, one or two handed. If a disc is far to the left or right the a one handed catch might be the easiest and safest way of catching the disc. Experiment with your catches to see which feels the most comfortable and which produces the best results.
* A 2 handed catch in front of the body can give you an arms extra length in a game. This makes in harder for your defender to get a D. This catch can feel strange initially and you may find you get more turns then with a simple pancake catch but it really improves with practice and can give you an edge to your game. Give it a try and see!


Fitness:
Fitness consists of 2 parts, both intervals. If you have time for a third session these can be done on Monday and Wednesday with an extra session on Friday.

1. 25min interval session. Find a pitch with a set of goal posts. Jog the perimeter. When you reach one goal post, sprint to the other post, turn and sprint to the cornerflag of the pitch. A "cut" involves a fake; This simulates a cut. When you reach the cornerflag jog the perimeter of the pitch and repeat once you reach the same goal post. You will have reversed direction when making the cut.
2. 30min run. Sprints 6x60m, 6x30m.


Thats it for week one! Hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think at the end of the week

Laura

lets get the party started chicas

Love this idea Laura!

I happened to recently be reading an issue of The Huddle on catching http://www.the-huddle.org/issues/8/ It's not one of the best issues but there is some interesting stuff in there. The one thing that they all stress though is PRACTICE - so deadly that we're doing that this week.

Linda

Right who is around on Sunday for a throw and more importantly catch? Also any feedback on this weeks skill would be much appreciated

Im planning on going to some Jabba training on Sunday so would be up for meeting people at St. Annes at any time. I know its the picnic this weekend but if your like me and broke and want to throw a disc come to St. Annes!

IN:
Laura

Hello again,

This weeks skill focuses on Throwing the disc. This is the vital element in the game of ultimate.

There are several different ways of throwing a disc. The most practical throws are the following:

1. Flat backhand
2. Outside in backhand
3. Inside out backhand
4. Low release backhand
5. Forehand (flick)
6. Outside in forehand
7. Inside out forehand
8. Low release forehand
9. Hammer
10. Scuber


For more info on these throws check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_disc_techniques

Tasks for the week:
Unfortunately throwing is a hard skill to practice without a partner in crime. However it is for one week only so don't let this prevent you from practicing your throws.

1. Throw 3 times this week. Grab as many discs as possible and practice all 10 throws. Ideally you want to throw 100 throws in total-10 of each throw. If you're throwing on your own the more discs you have the easier and quicker the session will be.

Day 1: Backhands, throw 30 of each throw
Day 2: Forehands, 30 of each throw
Day 3: Overheads, 30 of each throw

1. Practice throwing with a mark on once this week at least (the more the better). This is a completely different ball game from throwing unmarked and is very important in this weeks tasks. If you have 3 people this is a simple Luke Skywalker drill. Practice for 30mins. If you have two people pick a target to aim for (tree/goal post) and mark each other while you aim for the target. Practice for 30mins. If you are on your own find a pitch with a set of goalposts. One is your marker, the other your target. Pivot and fake at least three times before throwing the disc. Practice for 15mins.


Sunday Session:
This session requires a minimum of 2 people to be completed.
This is a simple session consisting of throwing and marking.

* Throw 100 throws, 10 of each.
* Practice advanced throws/throws that you want to improve for another 30mins. For example hucks, low released outside in forehands and backhands. Low released inside out forehands and backhands.
* Luke Skywalker 30mins.


Fitness:
Fitness consists of 2 parts, both intervals. Ive added a third optional fitness session for the super keen.

1. 25min interval session. Find a pitch and set up a rectangle 40m long by 20m wide. Jog the perimeter and sprint the diagonal and small sides.
2. 30min run. Sprints 6x60m, 6x30m.
3. sprint x 10s
walk x 20s
repeat x 8

rest 2 mins

high knees x 10s
walk x 20s
repeat x 8

rest x2 mins

bum flicks x 10s
walk x 20s
repeat x 8


Thats it for week two! People following this clinic how did you find last week? Any recommendations/comments? Best of luck for this week

Laura

PS. Next weekend is Open All Ireland Championships. Fiona is looking to have a womens game one of the days, would people like to combine this with the Sunday session? Post up on the forum if your around for it!!

Apologies, for task 1 ignore the first part and do the second part

ie.
Day 1: Backhands, throw 30 of each throw
Day 2: Forehands, 30 of each throw
Day 3: Overheads, 30 of each throw

Skills Clinic

When: This Sat, time depending on who's available
Where: Venue of Open Nationals

Who is available for this? Stick your name down here with a time that suits you. Lets make this happen ladies!

Laura

I'll be around playing Open Nationals but will join in in between games. Don't think a schedule has been sent out yet so not sure of when lunch is or anything, unfortunately.

Did some fitness last night; 10 laps of football pitch at medium pace and then 4 laps sprinting the widths, jogging the lengths. Was trying to do it around UL training so couldn't really do the full session as Laura outlined above.

Will be going throwing tomorrow!

Same as Fiona, i'll be at Open nationals and can join in then but not sure of when i'll be free yet.

Hi guys,

How did everyone find last weeks catching practice?

One thing that I really noticed is that I find it much easier to catch with my thumbs under the disc....but I'm ready to throw much quicker if I catch with my thumbs on top (cause both forehand and backhand grip has thumb on top). So I'm going to work on becoming more comfortable catching like that.

Also trying to remember to catch out in front with two hands rather than pancake catching in a match for extra protection agains Ds. It's hard cause I tend to switch to autopilot (ie pancake) one the match starts.

Anyone have any other insights?

Thanks to Laura for organising this!

Linda

Lindas point on catching with 2 hands out in front is really important!! Take this on baord!!

Also how did people find having to catch the first set of throws a certain way? I found catching with my left hand in general more difficult, especially thumb on top of the disc. Its good to force yourself to catch in unusual ways, when we started playing ultimate a pancake catch probably felt as awkward as a one handed lefty catch does now. Everything improves with practice and focus, only 3 days left to practice throws and the weather is glorious, keep it up

i've managed 2 catching sessions and the 30 min run and sprints (i'm a week behind as i'm getting distracted by the snow), enjoying it and definately finding it weird to catch in different ways especiallythe thumbs on top, my hands just don;t seem to react that quickly YET!!!! ohhh and exciting news i'm playing with a sydney based team in Australian Mixed Nationals, very very excited!
Fi x

Apologies this is a little rushed, Im moving to Fermanagh in 5 mins so wanted to send this out first, good luck with this weeks tasks!!

Hello,

This weeks skill focuses on Jumping and Diving. These are skills Irish ladies can probably improve the most.

Jumping and diving increase our chances or catching more difficult discs whether we are completely free on a pitch or being marked hard by an intense defender.

There are several ways of jumping.

1. Off both legs with one or two hands reaching
2. Off the left leg with the right hand reaching
3. Off the left leg with the left hand reaching
4. Off the right leg with the left hand reaching
5. Off the right leg with the right hand reaching


Like jumping there are also several ways of diving

1. Diving forward landing on your chest
2. Diving to the left or right side


Tasks for the week:
This weeks tasks are going to teach you more about yourself as a player and show you what techniques suits you best. Go into this weeks tasks with a positive mental attitude. Take any preconceptions of "laying out" out of your minds, in fact we are not even associating that word with our session. This week are priority is catching the disc and retaining possession in the best and most effective way possible.

1. Warm up with lots of leg exercises including high knees, bum flicks and skipping. Find a suitable tree or goal posts at which to test your jumping ability. Go through all of the jumping techniques and find which one gives you the most height, try these techniques standing still, jogging towards the target, sprinting etc until you find your optimum performance. Focus on this technique. Do this 10 times, each time trying to better your last attempt. Rest for 5 mins and repeat. Do this once this week.
2. In pairs stand 10 meters apart from your throwing partner. Imagine that your feet are now glued to the spot your standing at. Your job is to always catch the disc. If the disc is below knees drop to your knees to pancake catch it. Get used to getting your body low and behind the disc, dont lean over to reach for a low disc, get your body down and close to the ground to catch it. If the disc goes to the left or right reach out to get it. Keep your feet where they are and dive/lean/fall over/crawl in order to get the disc. It doesnt have to be pretty ladies! Whatever it takes to get the disc. Our goal is to become friends with the ground As the thrower dont throw easy catches to your partner, this is a learning exercise for the reciever not the thrower. Throw low discs and discs to the left and right of the person, make them work for it!


Sunday Session:
This session requires a minimum of 2 people to be completed.
This session will repeat the tasks of the week.

Fitness:
Fitness consists of 2 parts, both intervals. Ive added a third optional fitness session for the super keen.

1. Interval session. Mark out A, B, C and D in the shape of a Y (10m apart), A being the centre of the Y. Sprint A-B-A-C-A-D-A-B etc for 10s, rest for 100s. Repeat 15 times.
2. Shuttles A x 3 (30s, 2m rest)
3. sprint x 10s
walk x 20s
repeat x 8

rest 2 mins

high knees x 10s
walk x 20s
repeat x 8

rest x2 mins

bum flicks x 10s
walk x 20s
repeat x 8


Thats it for week three! Im very excited about this week. I really want there to be a skills clinic this weekend (no one has turned up yet!). Im suggesting Saturday afternoon in Albert Park after Jabba training. What time do Jabba finish at? Lets make it out there , this will be an important session!


Laura

Jabba training will be finishing at 2 this Saturday. You're welcome to join in for the whole session from 11 am. It will be fairly light since it's our last one before xEUCF.

Brona has suggested Sundays suit more people better- is this the case? Would be great to get some feedback so things can be arranged to suit as many people as possible. If you have preferences for locations as well just say so.

Okay so so far we have:

Saturday:

Sj
Fiona
Laura
Finola?
Heather?
Courtney?
Other jabba girls?

Sunday:
Brona
Shiv (Sundays in future but not this Sunday)

The session on Sat would be at 2pm. Sunday would be whatever time suits? I can p[ersonally only do one day and dont have a preference for either, obviously I will be at the one with the most numbers. Are there anymore people to add to these lists? If yes please say so now so we can organise something. This session will possibly be the most beneficial so if you are to make sessions make this one!!

Laura

I actually dont think I can do Saturday(unless this is for straight after Jabba training? I should probably read the previous posts) Might be able to do Sunday if there are people doing it then,.

Hello,

First of all apologies for the cancellation of last weeks all important skills clinic, I'm dosed up on antibiotics and painkillers for a wisdom tooth abscess which has me pretty much disabled at the moment. Back to work though, this weeks skill focuses on Cutting.

There are two main cuts made while playing ultimate

1. An under cut
2. A deep cut


Cuts to avoid are horizontal across the pitch cuts. These take away options from further up the pitch while giving your defender a good chance to bid on and intercept a disc.

* A good cutter will always be able to get free from their defender whether they are marked well under and get free going deep or are marked well deep and get free coming under.In this case the defender may decide what option she is going give the cutter. For example if the cutter is always a deep threat she may mark her deep and force her to recieve it under. In this scenerio its the defender who is in charge of the situation and is in control of the cutters movements on the pitch.

* A great cutter will be able to decide where they want to recieve the disc whether its under/deep/open/break. They are in charge of their cuts and are not being controlled by the defence.
* When cutting focuse on getting your body close to the ground. When turning plant your heel and push off your toes while keeping your strides short initially until you build up speed.
* One helpful tip I find is that when you plant your foot and turn, look in the direction that you wish to face and your body will follow behind you. Dont focus too much on technique but do think about how to improve the speed at which you turn and take off.



Tasks for the week:

1. Take the time to warm up well, include striding and 60/80/100% runs. Set out a distance of 20meters. In pairs practise cutting in vertical lines, your goal is to get free of your defender, if you can do this in 2 cuts then your job is done. It may take 3-4 cuts to become free but persist until you have beaten your defender. Swap roles, repeat and take a 2min break. Repeat x 5.If you have three people one person throws a disc when the cutter gets free. Each person should cut and mark 5 times.
2. In the same 20m space decide in your own head where you want to get free/recieve a disc and cut until you've accomplished your task. Again repeat x 5. Do this at least once if not twice this week.


Sunday Session:
This session will cover last weeks Jumping and Diving as well as this weeks Cutting skills.
The cutting skills will focus on the tasks of the week but will include a thrower to make the drills more realistic.
If we have time we will also look at cutting for a dump pass which is also vital in a game situation.

Fitness:
Fitness is the same as last week and consists of 2 parts, both intervals. Ive added a third optional fitness session for the super keen.

1. Interval session. Mark out A, B, C and D in the shape of a Y (10m apart), A being the centre of the Y. Sprint A-B-A-C-A-D-A-B etc for 10s, rest for 100s. Repeat 15 times.
2. Shuttles A x 3 (30s, 2m rest)
3. sprint x 10s
walk x 20s
repeat x 8

rest 2 mins

high knees x 10s
walk x 20s
repeat x 8

rest x2 mins

bum flicks x 10s
walk x 20s
repeat x 8


Thats it for week four. Only 3 weeks until Bologna, let me know how your getting on or stick it up here. Apologies for not sending this out last night, I was comatised on pain killers!

Laura

Sunday Session

When: Sunday 2pm
Where: Herbert Park
Focus: Cutting and if we have time jumping/diving

Please let me know if you can make it, looking forward to seeing you there,

Laura

Hello,

Last week of the skills clinic! If you have managed to do all or part of this clinic I hope you find it has helped in the specific skill. As always if you have any comments good or bad don't hesitate to mail me. This is still in its experimental stages so your comments help to make this something better.

This week focuses on marking a cutter.
Marking a cutter is a huge task both physically and mentally. It is physically impossible to prevent your cutter from doing everything ie. receiving the disc open under, deep and break side. If the person with the disc has every throw and they want to get it to your person then it is impossible for you to stop every option. However a minority of ultimate players have all the throws all the time. The throwers abilities reduces or enhances the chances of your person getting the disc. This is where the mental side of the game kicks in.

* As a defender you need to watch the offense. Know who the offensive throwers are and mark accordingly.

* Know where the disc is at all times. This means watching two things at once: the disc, the player your marking. Angle your body in a way which allows you to watch both. This might mean you are slightly behind your player shoulder looking forward. It is easier to look at the disc and keep your person visible in the corner of your eye than vice versa.
* Anticipate. Depending on which player has the disc your person may want to cut deep for a huck or recieve it under. If you are marking someone with good throws (a mid maybe) they will want to be involved in the disc action and will look for it under more than cut for it deep.
* Control. Decide what your going to give your person. If a weaker thrower has the disc you may want to force your cutter deep and tempt the thrower to throw a more difficult pass. If a great thrower has the disc you may want to force your player under to reduce the risk of them scoring in the endzone. Try and control your player instead of letting them control the game.
* Give 100%. Take away the easier options forcing offense to take riskier options. If your taking away an undercut never get beaten under, give 100%, sprint, bid, do everything to prevent your person getting the disc on their terms. I have found that if you give 100% alot of cuts dissolve after a few strides as they dont believe they will get free. The first few strides I think are the most important, even if you dont have the energy to continue for the entire cut. The cut may never happen if you intimidate your person in the first few strides.
* Never follow your person, anticipate what they are going to do and go with them, not behind them but stay just at their shoulder.
* Dont turn your back on your person, its a blind spot and may end up costing you. If turning, turn towards them, this may mean you turn your back on the disc for a few strides until you recover.
* Dont get beaten up the line. If it happens once make a point of not letting it happen again in that game(!!).


Tasks for the week:

1. Take the time to warm up well, include striding and 60/80/100% runs. Similar to last week set out a distance of 20meters. In pairs practise cutting and marking for 7 seconds. Your goal is to mark your defender for that length of time. Dont let them get free. Swap positions and repeat. Mark and cut for 10 times each (70s in total of marking). Rest in between each set (set=1 cut and 1 mark each)
2. If you have 3 people 1 person is the thrower and the pair cut and mark accordingly. Set up cones 10, 20, 30m away from the thrower (if you have no thrower use a cone to mark their position). At each cone mark and cut x3. The point of this exercise is to defend cleverly. If your person is 10m from the thrower they can only cut deep. A person 30m away is more likely to come under. Think about how your marking. For example at 10m mark anticipate that your person wants to go deep and take control of the situation, force them to do what they dont want to do- cut under. If you do have a thrower in this drill get then to count out the stall so you know as a defender how long left you have to give 100% for.


Sunday Session:
This session will go over the tasks of the week. 2 people min, no max.

Fitness:
Fitness is the same as last week and consists of 2 parts, both intervals. Ive added a third optional fitness session for the super keen.

1. Interval session. Mark out A, B, C and D in the shape of a Y (10m apart), A being the centre of the Y. Sprint A-B-A-C-A-D-A-B etc for 10s, rest for 100s. Repeat 15 times.
2. Interval session. Mark out a box type shape with the following perimeters: 5,10,15,20m. Name the corners A,B,C,D. Sprint the following: ABCDA, ACBDA, ADBCA, ADCBA, ABDCA, ACDBA. Rest in between each sprint. Repeat x3
3. sprint x 10s
walk x 20s
repeat x 8

rest 2 mins

high knees x 10s
walk x 20s
repeat x 8

rest x2 mins

bum flicks x 10s
walk x 20s
repeat x 8


Thats it for week five. Which gives us next week (the week before Bologna) off or a chance to go over everything! Good luck for the week and keep me posted on how it goes!

Laura[i]

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