Tip #4: Overhead Throws!

In high school ultimate, and even at some levels of college play, windy conditions can serve to be disastrous for teams. Once the winds hit 20mph+, game play changes dramatically and the opposing team usually puts on a zone or some sort of “poachy set”. No matter how hard you may have worked at practice, if you haven’t had experience playing in strong wind, you are going to struggle. One key recommendation that I would make for high school teams is to dedicate one or two throwers on your team to become specialists in overhead throws. This includes both hammers and scoobers. The easiest way to break a zone in wind is by throwing it right over the cup to a teammate who is uncovered. You don’t need everyone on your team to be able to do it, but having one or two individuals with the capability will give your team the significant upper hand when mother-nature decides to let loose on tournament day. Make sure to practice these overhead throws in wind, as windy conditions is when you will be using them the most!

Tip #3: Bro Tips!

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to check out Brodie Smith’s instructional videos, I really encourage you to take a look. Sometimes there is no better way than watching someone else throw to learn how to do it yourself. Brodie has posted a series of four videos thus far: throwing a backhand, throwing a forehand, hucking a backhand, hucking a forehand. He talks you through the motions, and even slows down footage for you to get a better look and exactly what he is doing. Brodie played the University of Florida for 5 years. He most recently led his team to a College National Champion in 2010 prior to graduating last spring. I have inserted his first video, “How to Throw a Backhand”, below. To check out the rest of his videos, head to http://www.youtube.com/user/brodiesmith21 – p/u

Tip #2: Invest in Quality Socks

Of course cleats are a vital piece of equipment needed to play Ultimate, but often times the benefit received from a quality pair of socks is overlooked. There is nothing worse than waking up Sunday morning of a tournament with an awful blister or a spot of raw skin on your feet/toe that makes it that much harder to play at 100% in bracket play when it counts. Players invest a lot of time and effort into preparing for tournaments, and the idea of your feet keeping you from being able to push hard through Sunday’s games is the worst possible scenario.

Personally, I have suffered from this type of situation far too many times. That being said, I think I have found a helpful solution. Invest in a 3 pack of Nike Dri-Fit Half-Cushion Low-Cut Socks (White). You can pick these up for $15.00 at your local sports store, or buy them online if you click here. I wore these for the first time this last weekend and they were amazing. My feet felt better than they ever had before on Sunday morning, and I didn’t have to favor certain parts of my foot on Monday morning to avoid pain.

NOTE: Make sure to get the “Low-Cut” version of the socks, as the “No Show” version won’t cover the part of your Achilles that will often rub against your cleat (leading to a blister for some people).