Thursday, February 12, 2009

One Size Fits One

A major factor in the development of your skillset depends on your base athleticism - specifically, height. I think a lot of people overlook this. A lot of training for ultimate could be more efficient if players are willing to think about their physical limitations, and how it will effect their game.

Players of different height should approach areas of ultimate differently, especially at a more elite level where nobody is aware of where their opponent's strengths lie.

Consider breaking the mark, as both a tall person and a short person. As a taller player, you are going to have more reach and a wider pivot, making both the forehand I/O break and the step-around-the-mark-break-backhand that much easier.

Taller players have longer limbs, and can use their wide pivots and extensions to break the mark easier. When practicing throwing they should focus on this. Conversely, shorter players who do not have the luxury of simply stepping around their marker should instead focus on speedy pivots and greater balance to get their break throws off.

When it comes to cutting, the difference is a bit more psychological: as a BFG, the defense is going to view you as a bigger threat long. Play on this to get easier in cuts. One advantage of being fun-sized as a cutter is that you are hard to see in peripheral vision. This comes as a great advantage, particularly when trying to get open as a dump or a primary wing, where the guarder's attention is most usually divided between you and the disc.

I see a lot of shorter players trying to adopt skillsets that suit the taller folk or vice versa, where really it's more worthwhile to develop a style of playing that will work for your body type.

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