Aggression in sport and its place in Ultimate

As I mentioned before, I played a fair bit of Waterpolo. I wasn't all that great, with my strengths coming from being able to exploit weak players very well, quick hands/plays and having decent catching skills. I played a centre-forward position, and had a decent goal count for the season. But again most of my goals came from exploitation (bringing in one of their weak players into the crucial centre-back position) and from quick hands (being able to shoot quickly straight off the hand and off the water) It was a great 4 years of fun.

One big difference was the getting angry factor. In waterpolo there was so many more things to get angry about, mostly the number of jerks (referees and players). One particular one I remember...

It was a final against Asquith in our second season of opens, of our eventual 3 seasons of Opens. We played in the North West District School Sport competition, which was the most competitive zone for sports in Sydney Highschools (public schools) it was always one of our teams that went to regionals during the state knockout. This season we had managed to take down Homebush after a terrible early season in the 4th vs 1st semi final, (we were 4th) which upset them, and set us into the finals against Asquith. Asquith were an extremely angry team who won their games through violence and one or two players, particularly Daniel Arnemart (can't spell it... Marko called him armenut) who was extremely fast... which was only confirmed when we saw him on TV competing for a spot in the Commonwealth Games... and doing very well, who was a complete idiot with terrible ball handling skills but he was huge, amazingly fast and angry. I remember one game having to mark him and him just grabbing me around he neck, thumbs into my throat. The whole asquith team was like that, idiots, but big and violent.

Before big games against angry teams, I never wanted to be one of the starting 7. I always felt slow and sloppy in the water, even after warm ups for big games like these. I think it might have been a confidence issue as well, since I knew in a game like this meant that I was going to get punched and kicked, and I'm a pretty soft person by nature...

A few goals into the game we're in it and I'm aching to get into the pool, feeling every turn over and drop like a punch to the gut and every goal scored giving that rush like I'm flying down a hill or diving into a pool. I want my turn to change the game my way.

We have an awesome referee who knows what hes doing and isn't taking shit from anyone and making good, fair unbiased calls - which usually worked for our team because of the way we played. We were either even or close for goals, we're playing our game and dictating where we want to go, but we're not that far ahead.

I want this. I'm ready. I jump into the pool.

As expected I get marked up on some angry huge idiot who has a baby face but a huge body, and is very agro. He is punching all over the place and kicking a lot to try and make distance on me on his swim offs. Asquith were idiots since they didn't know how to use their aggression for anything apart from intimidation. Homebush were able to use it to scare their opponents into playing softly.

I'm sitting at top shot position (position about 4-7m out from the goals directly in front). Legs pumping away pushing at the blonde haired ape in front of me. I see a pass coming, I ram my left elbow up to his chest to hold him away (Pushing is illegal when you have the ball) and the pass comes in. He can't reach the ball and I hold it away, I push him by mistake and notice the ref didn't call it. I look for the open pass... nothing is happening. This guy has been giving me the shits with his over physical play. He goes for a punch at my stomach since conventional methods are getting the ball. I give him another push with my hand, my arm is now at full extension, I give one shove away kick my guts out get up in the water and shoot over his shoulder.

I scream, I yell.

To beat the bully is the most satisfying feeling I ever got in Waterpolo. It felt amazing to have this asshole push you around for a whole game, and you to send the shot flying over his shoulder because he let his hand drop for just one second.

When you watch Waterpolo at high levels you can tell when some brutality has happened underwater that you can't see above because usually you will see a player just stop for a second while his player swims off while he waits there looking like he just wants to quit and get out of the pool looking dazed before he shakes it off and gets back into it.

The second goal I think I just kicked him in the stomach, gaining a good push off, got a wet pass in front of me and just picked up and shot.

It felt good. Fucking good.

I was psyched. Fucking psyched.

I was angry… fangry.

So this brings me back to frisbee.

Aggression in many team contact sports is a huge factor. If a team feels like it cannot win, it will not win. If a team knows it cant win, it will not win. Aggression, hyper aggression even can do this, I remember in Water polo, a guy kept punching me in the neck every time I went near him (luckily I was able to swim faster than him and he had close to zero balls skills). We had a fucking useless ref who wasn’t doing anything about it. I had been punched in the face by lads trying to take my money in the afternoon and I was not in the mood to take more beatings, and I asked Tmac, our state player to mark him. He got the ball and drew a foul when he knew the ref was watching scoring a send out for brutality (and a school suspension).

But its situations like these that can make a team or a person be scared to play to their ability since they want to avoid the physical abuse.

This never happens in Frisbee. In fact, if it did, it would be highly looked down upon if anything like this occurred. Sadly there is no system to stop it, fortunately there’s no one whose that much of an asshole playing Frisbee. They’re all playing soccer.

As I said, beating the bully was one of the best parts about waterpolo, taking a win away from a team and seeing one of their players punch the pool wall in anger needing to stitch up his knuckles. In Frisbee, this never happens, in most games, I never get that fired up that I could perform those amazing feats of strength and skill. I play hard, and I play as hard as I can, but I never get that same feeling. I mean, I was playing waterpolo at a school competition level and getting this psyched… compared to Frisbee? Not really close to it.

It can even be looked down upon.

At youth nationals, on the first day last year we received a spirit score of 4 on more than one occasion.

Why?

A few things.

Loud sidelines – Piers at the training camp said hey fire up and talk and yell. We tried it… it just made us seem like jerks when the other team wasn’t doing it.

Me being a jerk (which I realised afterwards and felt very bad about) for trying to tell people to make calls on the sidelines. I just remember feeling annoyed seeing picks as beautifully set up as when you screen in basketball for a score, or waterpolo when you pick as a team mate breaks past. I got angry that the rules were not being enforced. But that just made me seem like a jerk – and yes I realise now that was me just being a huge jerk and shouldn’t have done it. Still annoying to not see the rules of the game followed … which was the whole point of spirit.

So is there room for aggression in Frisbee?

There is in being psyched up. I remember the 4 games I’ve played where I’ve been truly psyched up. Compared to Waterpolo which happened just about every week.

1. Against Killara for the finals at the NSW Gala day last year – they lost a game to us in early rounds to get an easier later game against us in the final. We thought it was a stupid draw our last 5 games were Chatswood, Killara, Chatswood (Semi), Killara (Final) We won.
2. Against Chatswood at Youth Nats – I was a complete jerk about it, didn’t make me play better and we ended up not winning properly ending the game before it should have. We pulled a comeback from 7-3 I think to 8-7 win.
3. Against Church St. at Youth Nats – Having no ex worlds players on our team meant we had to find ways to shut down extremely strong players in a field of not so strong players on their team. They had the Robbie huck to Tarrant and the Tarrant huck to Robbie play. It was so awesome to find a way to play differently and adapt to their play. We pulled an amazing come back from 7-3 (the same as the Chatswood game) to 9-7 or 9-8 win.
4. In-tents vs Panic! Youth Nationals Finals – Probably the most unspirited game I’ve ever played from both sides, but it was hell fun. The win was a very controversial universal point, (would have been nicer to do it in style) Corner throw from Mark to Sali, Jackson gets a handblock but the disc is still up, I think Tom D’d it properly. The two stories differ here – Jackson says that Mark hit him in his follow through after he’d released the disc, meaning that Mark was just stupid. Mark said Jackson hit his hand before he released the throw. What do I remember? A slap sound and a shitty throw from Mark. So I don’t know. But Fouls happen in games, and in heated ones like this it’s expected.

So I’m still not sure what role aggression can play in Frisbee especially in mixed as in intimidation tool, maybe I just need to learn how to channel it into non physical ways. But hell from 4 years of Waterpolo its hard.

From a Waterpolo coaches hand book distributed to all our players:

For your first match up CB/CF (Centre forward sits 2m in front of the goals, while the C.Back tries to push him out it usually equates to a lot of wrestling and dirty underwater moves) be more aggressive and violent than usual, push as far as you can without the ref sending you out. Even take the send out to show how crazy you can be. Work hard to dominate your first match up to leave your opponent intimidated and second guess their moves for the rest of the game.

Hell. Waterpolo was a game just as much about playing the players as it was playing the ref.

Happy Youth Nationals Training

In the Thunder vs Colombia game (rematch) we started on O, we turned it, had to mark up. I had the unfortunate task of now marking up against one of the Australian Open's Worlds team Dan Rule.

The coaches were beating the power play into us.

Dan Rule was in left back corner.

I went and marked him. He stood in a non aggressive stance. Hands at hips, standing up straight, no visible intention of running.

"Are you going to run anywhere?"

"Nope, thats the great thing about this play."

"..."

"I can stand here and do nothing, and keep you from doing anything, but if you poach I'll score!"

At which point he began an evil laugh of satisfaction.

"It's pretty much unstoppable, theres nothing you guys can do against it."

One of the many fun memories.

Alex.

Fakulti Training

Wednesday night I went to Fakulti training (despite the wishes of Jimmy... I heard that Barefoot were evil) it was fun, not too intense but hard and I did learn some things.

• I need to time my longer cuts better and start them from closer in rather than further back to make it easier for the thrower to throw into space. (From Tim Gee)
  
• I need to time all my cuts better for the flow, I'm getting open just at the wrong time.
  
• Fatty tried to explain a horizontal stack a little better to me, I think it makes sense now... just cut in and out and off your partner wing/deep.
  
• My new gaia cleats stick to the ground about 3x as well as my old cleats but they ruin my feet.
  

We opened up the evening with some throwing around, then get together warm up stretch and run. We did some longer throwing in pairs as well as left handed throws. Break Mark Drill, throwing to a receiver hucking drill and a warm down.

Felt pretty tired before I started, felt worse when I finished. Need to learn to time cuts better, its a lot harder playing with people who know how to guard properly.

My throwing has been pretty inconsistent recently, backhands doing better than forehands though.

It was fun playing with Fakulti, and I heard they ran better development for new people than Barefoot. But mostly I thought they trained closer than barefoot did.

One thing I noticed between Fak and Barefoot is that Fak don't really have that cult of personality leadership that Abra brings to barefoot and its a shame that Barefoot and Fak don't all love eachother in one superhappy mega team. Fak's leadership seems to just come from respect of a given position and that player being very good at frisbee. But I wonder what advantages someone like Abra could bring? Some fire to the team maybe?

Friskee Win HOORAY - Post game ANALysis

Friskee won a game!

Post game analysis time and my frisbitchings

Our Man offense was disgusting. It worked just because we were more athletic, but it had very little continuation and flow, no noticable stack or clearing...

Our Zone Defense?
Marks were a little dodgy, not always forcing properly, the wall was fine most of the game but the wings and deeps were having trouble with less talk than last week. So they didn't really know as well where to go, also we were getting broken a lot, when I was on mark i noticed a lot of high forehands, scoobers and mega low and wide breaking backhands.

I hate being broken in a zone, it means i have to turn all the way around and sprint to the furthest point. Luckily they didn't move it upfield too much with the swings thanks to our super wings.

So my question Is being closer or further from the disc harder or easier to break?

Closer:

• Hand block chances,
  
• Only chance at over heads getting blocked,
• Physical presence creates feeling of pressure, whether is is actually there or not.
• Pressure on openside throws (can contain to an extent)
  
• Breaks don't need to be as wide to go around defender.

Further

• No chance at handblocks
• No openside pressure (not needed on sideline though)
  
• More time to react to throw (blocks)
  
• wider throw needed to break
• Easy over head throws
• I guess its more useful in wind where non perfect throws upwind on the sideline will be punished? especially with the wall and your position pressuring.
• Much much less running!

Maybe something to try in the wind.

A little more throwing and thinking

Tiger came over for a while before our Friskee game. Thought it'd be nice to get some throws down...

100 throws drill?
Not after that post by Tiger.

One of my comments from selectors (apart from get fit) was 'Work on forehands, specifically inside outs,"

Our response, 100 forehands (varying stances and distances) and then 100 IO forehands (varying stances and distances)

I find it interesting watching other people throw their throws, and good people as well. Having JD on my Melbourne hat team was the first time in a long time I've become better at frisbee just by watching someone.

The 06 WUCC ultivillage dvd has a lot of throwing on it, and there was one huck from Tom Rogaki that I couldnt work out. Basically someone threw an up line dump to him, his marker lays out and misses, he has a free shot for a huck, he takes it. He steps backwards about a shoulder length apart with his non pivot foot and squats a bit and then jacks it inside out for an awesome huck.

So I thought hey, that looks like fun Mr Gak and in the IO throwing sets.

So summary of the throw I tried to use.

• Backwards instead of forwards or sideways pivot
• No width on the step, very close, about a shoulder length
  
• 45 degree angle backwards.
• Low release point
  
• Inside out throw
• Hucking distance
• Squat in the throw.

What did I notice apart from making Tiger run a lot because it went a long way, but also in the wrong direction?

Changed my throwing dynamic, a lot more wrist flick to arm waving ratio.
It did stop me from rolling my wrist over which causes my io to turn into an oi and flutter and miss, which was pretty good.

I could throw pretty far with that, but I didn't know why... but it did stop the wrist turning which helped a lot.

We also did about 50 or so push passes and backhand lifts (just a high release backhand that rises quickly and falls slowly - for throwing over stuff)

Was good.

Did a set and game at frisbee.

Angry Rant Re: 100 Throws

I've decided to stop using this blog as a way to record my training due to the existence of the aus-junior-open-2008 group which does essentially the same thing.

Now, I'm injured at the moment, so I can't do any of the runs set to me by Timill, but I can do the sets of 100 throws. Joy.

Let me set the record straight: I love comparing myself to Owen Shepherd, so just as (I hear) he hates the dump-swing-score drill, I hate 100 throws.

It's unrealistic. At the Melbourne camp, there were a lot of people who were inexperienced with throwing and needed to improve. For them, it was the perfect drill to get started. Great. Awesome. Of course it was perfect! We had Piers, Johnny Mac and Jimmy breathing down our necks and making sure that we were all pivoting, faking (but not too much) and throwing as best we could. That's fine, and I could see that all the inexperienced folks by the end of the week had vastly improved. But why is there so much emphasis put on it during our regime? It's only the first week of squad training and we have to do 3 sets of 120 throws (the extra 20 are dump cuts, which I actually really like but I'll get into that later).

100 throws, at best, gets one a little bit more confident with the disc. Outside of a strictly regulated throwing environment where coaches can whip the fear of pushups into you, it develops bad habits. How many times in a game situation are you unmarked and have to throw to an similarly unmarked, stationary person with no other defenders within any conceivable distance? To be fair, it does happen: off the pull, once a cup has been busted in zone for the short deep/wings to work it, after a deep huck has been pulled down - but even then there tend to be a crowd of players (defensive and offensive) running to the play, making the drill and the in-game experience markedly different. Something I've noticed though, in actuality, 100 throws paralyses people who don't have proper throwing experience strictly because they're unused to throwing under pressure. Even worse, people get lazy and content during 100 throws! - they don't fake, they don't pivot, they don't release the disc low enough - and this leads to 100 throws basically instilling poor form within a player.

My solution? I have two: a combination of the 100 throws/thrower-marker drill, where two people throw as normal with a puppy chasing the disc who is allowed to set up a mark before they let each throw off - forcing forehand for the O/I, flat and I/O flicks, backhand for the backhands, etc. Probably best used in situations where there are two relatively inexperienced throwers and one reasonably athletic puppy (or one who is trying to warm up), although as the throwers get more experienced incorporate a set target of forehand/backhand break throws to be achieved at random so the mark doesn't expect it.

Alternatively, establish some rules and enforce them brutally with sit ups or push ups. No talking is a good one: for many, 100 throws is a borderline social activity which should not be, as it makes for a loss of focus and then bad habits set in. Have two 2m 'throwing lanes' through which your throw must pass. You must fake at least once every throw. You must pivot. Anyone breaking these rules has to do pushups, or start their throws again. Having done some of these rules with Semfel, I know that you learn very quickly to cherish the disc and what's more you concentrate!

As I see it, the 100 throws drill is great for beginners who need to learn how to throw or for anyone who has Piers around to yell at them to change their forehand grip. It's once you get past that point that I think it stops being as beneficial to your game and starts becoming negative.

Peace,

T.

It was that good.

We are no longer negative points on our div 2 table.

Friskee managed to pull a draw against the Mac Uni team.

Friskee came together as a team and we played putting all the weeks training into play.
We busted a zone for the first time, the handlers handled, the poppers popped the wing deeps flew.

It was magic.

Piers, Timill and Jimmy wanted Aussie Thunder to be the best pommy d in juniors world.
Tonight we practiced it, and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

The team did however sustain a few injuries.
Alex Peters while in the wall jumping up for a bid, landed and twisted her ankle very badly.
Ange later at Div 1 got decked (not sure of the complete details)
Loren and Sali are broken.

I played a lot more popping and wing deep, as well as playing more in the wall.
I'm glad my fitness can take it now, have a lot more to go.

My knee is slightly something wrong with it right now.

Melbourne

It must be something like forty degrees celsius in the shade at Hislop park. Still, steaming teenage boys teeming with enthusiasm, sweat and grime are all waiting, poised, crowding around a man whose voice and words are much bigger than his frame. A man with half blue, half peroxided hair opens his car doors to let the music spill out.

I was cold
in the middle of a railroad track

Thunder!

Piers has told us that we are going to rock the world again.

This last week has been full of inspiring moments like that one, moments that gave me shivers and tingles. It was hard to stay angry at Melbourne's weather throughout the week, there was much too much fun stuff going on, from Jake and Lewi making me laugh every time they said anything during cool downs and warm ups to running 1km in 3:09, when I actually thought I was going to come last.

There were so many many good things about the week: I'm not even going to bother listing how many fantastic people I met or how much I admired the coach's style of tutelage (equal emphasis on athleticism and intelligence, as well as Piers' easy-going public speaking mannerisms and occasional inspirational outburst) but I will say a few things that made it good.

Making the squad. Doesn't matter how much fun we were all having, when it boils right down to it, the camp was for the selection of the squad and when I got ushered in and told that I had made it I wanted to jump up and down swearing because I was that excited. The shirts are good too.

Playing Colombia. I love the good old coaches vs athletes game. Seeing everyone - absolutely everyone - fired up and crashing in on the field when we scored, yelling AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE and patting guys on the back really brought home the team atmosphere that we're trying to create, and made their little Colombian calls sound silly. Marking your coaches is always fun, especially when you actually stop them making a cut.

Laying out. Doesn't matter where or when - into the pool for a disc that Seb has thrown, in the circle drill to keep the disc alive, to catch a disc you have mac'ed on because you're not a receiver and don't know how to catch, or even pointlessly just because you WANT that D - it is a lot of fun and probably one thing about my game that I think has improved recently.

The Pact. A dry squad? Psht, says I. That very night, myself, Pete Eley, BJ, Jeremy and Dave went out to one of Dave's friend's 18ths. We arrived and this girl was just downing Baileys straight from the bottle - it was late so everyone was already drunk. The three of us - BJ, Pete and I - sat down and I think it was sitting there that the promise of a dry year for us was really made: it's easy to be in a circle in front of your head coach and nod and agree not to drink but where that pact actually counts is out in a situation where you could conceivably drink and nobody would be any the wiser. After a long time of sitting down watching drunk people, we stood up and danced the Nutbush. Sober.

Timill's Dad. What a great guy.

Everyone getting nicknames, and my league team having a dinner party without inviting me. While not exactly highlights, both instances were hilarious.

There are some downs - the pressure is now on for me to both find money and be better than 12 of the guys named on the squad (which is going to be very, very hard) as well as all this training I'm going to have to find the time to do in between actually saving for Vancouver, playing like rubbish all week and choosing chumpy options right when I knew Piers was watching - but I made it, baby, and it really is the little things: Tarrant yelling 'Tiger, put your team on' during the Colombia drills to interrupt Colombia's scoring landslide (our team of Max, Nick and myself was never defended against), Tom Rogacki showing up for the final of Summer Days (the mini-tournament on the Sunday) and making us run a clam transition d, subsequently not actually knowing how to run a clam properly and buggering it up.... all good times.

Not to mention that time in the shade where I got shivers all over my body.

We are going to rock the world again.

T.

The aussie under 20 training sqaud.

We made it.

All of Friskee that went to the camp managed to get onto the Australian training squads for Terra and Thunder.

Last week has been in Melbourne training camp, and the first cut for the Worlds Junior Teams.
I managed to get into the squad, but I'm going to have a lot of work to do to be able to make it onto the team, I didn't realise there was that much potential on the Aussie junior scene.

The comments I received
"welcome to the squad"
"we like what you bring"
"good sideline chatter"
"get fit"
"lose weight"
"work on forehands, particularly inside outs and wider pivoting"
"we have no idea what you do, and as a result would not fit on the team."

How do I feel about that?
Yes, I am good at yelling at people, yes I do need to get a lot fitter and losing weight would make it easier to run faster. Throwing, you will never be perfect but you can never stop trying.

My role in the team is a good one. There is such strong handlers, I dont think I'd fit as a handler, there is such strong receivers, as well.

I have always played a handler due to lack of handlers, I have little receiver experience as a result.

So, for Friskee Max is going to start handling and I'm going to try and start receiving more.
I'm not so sure about weather I'd make it onto the worlds team even in 3 months, but I know for sure I have a lot of work to do, if I train as hard as I can and still make it, I will not be disappointed, but if I get to March, miss out on the team and feel like I could have done better, I will feel cut.

The Camp

It was a great and well organised camp.
Lots of running, a few games.

It was a lot of fun, and when Piers blew that whistle after the 100 throws "Bring it in thunder boys," and went on to teach us about Pommy and transition d, gave Tiger a quick nod and look as we both acknowledged our frisbee boners getting bigger and bigger...

I can tell you it was messy, but hell it was a lot of fun and felt oh so goood when we did get it right, knowing it was done to you was a bit painful... 'hang on why is the deep following me all the way in....'

RECOGNISE

The ups of the weeks - just about everything, warm ups, cool downs, throws, coaching, Australia vs Columbia games...

That was a really interesting experience seeing how a zone works, I'm surprised at how long it took people to understand, and even when I could see what to do, and realising it was an offense every time sort of drill should win, screwing up the only 2 tries I got.

The social side of it, one thing I will be sad about if i don't make the team is how much awesome fun I'll be missing out on, I loved the whole camp, meeting people, making friends, and just spending time with those that already are.

The downs of the week?

One thing annoyed me which was people not forcing properly, getting broken and the whole team being punished for it.

Also people not clearing.

But lastly that I don't think I played very well this week, I have played better and I know I can perform better than I did, which is sad because its been the only time I've been judged on my play. I also know all the stupid stuff I did during the week happened to be infront of the selectors.

The good news?
That means that I can improve a lot more easily between now and the next camp.

I'll post some other happy memories later but sleep and rest calls.

FRISKEE TOMORROW!
I'm pumped for some pommy transition to straight up d.

its going to rock.

all gone

sif.

strength in freedom.

Threw with Semfel. Ain't got shit, my feet hurt, I'm apprehensive to say the least about the training camp.

T.

4/1/07 - Holy god new throw

sif.
sweet intoxicated females.

Scored my P's, so I drove to Tiger's place to have a throw.
It wasn't very windy, and we threw with a broken disc.

We tried a little bit of flutter guts to work on catching those mac'ed throws.

I've been trying to work on a decent high release forehand along with Tiger, able to throw over the shoulder of an overly aggressive mark, with hands very low, in that you can forehand from over and behind their right shoulder (if you're a right handler) because right now the alternatives I'd have are a blade, or a push/lift pass, which neither have the flat travel distance to be very useful.

So I have been messing around with a way to throw a decent high forehand. Unfortunately the highest I could get a decent throw was about level to my shoulder with just a straight arm out, which is good, but I wanted to get HIGHER.

Finally for myself, I found the key was just to isolate the wrist alone, and make sure you throw flat (just liek any other throw) with some impressive results, a flat, fast 10m pass from above my head, that isnt a hammer, could be useful one day.

Also High School Memories:
The miller street boys were an endless source of fun and funny things to see them doing.
One day they found some witches hats that could fit over their heads. Not only did it look funny but they started doing things like having races (without being to see) between benches and trees after being spun around and having people push them around. Also I think I remember them jousting heads with them as well, just it was hard to see.

Oh well.

Also finalised Uni preferences, I'm off to Sydney Uni for Bcomm because I want to be part of an old boy's network that is resistant to change.

Throwing Around

4/2/08

I hurt my foot again at New Years. Running has been limited.

Throwing in pretty extreme wind today. Noticed extreme lack of form - backhand and forehand both had serious problems, but got a good 20-30mins in of throwing before my dad hurt his hand.

Throwing up and down wind:

How many times have you heard 'guys come on let's just score this upwinder'? Sure, throwing upwind is hard, especially with any form of efficient defence - zone or man. Almost as prevalent as the dodgy hammer-in-gale-force, the caught-by-wind floating backhand or a turfed flick, though, in my (admittedly minimal) experience, is a dropped simple downwind pass - not enough practice throwing downwind leads to an inability to control the speed of the pass, resulting in normal throws turning to downwind bullets.

Hardly groundbreaking stuff, but something to think about.

T.