Last weeks polls are showing that a majority of you get motivated to play Ultimate because you love the game. I guess it's similar to being addicted to the game. I, personally, love football (both north American style and the rest of the worlds), and yet, I don't play either sport (except on video game machines).
Testing!If you check out the reigning UPA Open champs, Seattle Sockeye, webpage, you'll see a front page story about some sports studies done on one of their athletes - Illian, Jr. The study does some analysis on his flick and backhand showing clearly that the backhand has greater spin, but takes longer to throw. I was surprised about the spin results, but not so much by the release quickness of the flick.
In another test, Illian went through a VO2 Max test. Apparently, he hit pretty high on the test scores (elite athlete), which is not surprising for those of us familiar with the game. Recently, I also had a chance to catch the NFL combine. In this scouting day all the college athletes run tests for the scouts to analyse the numbers.
The poll this week is how important do you personally consider physical testing to Ultimate. The second poll is when did you do your last test.
PJ
1 comments:
uh, i suspect lactate thresholds are as much or as more important thatn VO2Max numbers for frisbee. And both of these are more specifically endurance sport numbers. The neat thing about frisbee is that you can still carve out a niche for yourself.
He has a great first step...
... can run for days...
... break away speed...
etc.
I don't think it's been decided what the best 'type' of athlete is for frisbee. Paul (TGPITGBF) was hardly a fly weight, but could play with anyone. KD is a stocky american gladiator contestant (although, a lot lighter as a yute, still ripped though). but lippy, cribber, nord... scrawny bone creatures... so it's all out there. even though it's a speed sport, where 400 type speed is key, the abillity to repeat the activity is key.
it's just a cool mix of talents.
anticipation and first step quickness, 20-60yd sprints, and occasionally 800m endurance.
the simplest test is to get a hold of the 20m Beep test. you set up cones 20 m apart, and play a CD on the boom box. you walk and when it says beep you walk, and then you are jogging, and eventually you're just running back and forth. you use it to approximate VO2 max (there is a conversion chart). I think it's downloadable. search for it.
lactates, and accurate VO2 max test are more expensive. but you can combine (we did that on sockeye when i was limping along one year), etc.
we used to track plus/minus and scrimmage wins for beer bets.
one year chain lightning kept really detailed stats, and it was pretty funny. at sectionals (pretty light work in the day, hardly the dog fights of WABCAK) we'd spend time between the wiffle ball innings arguing about being assigned a turnovers, as there were always a few of us at the top of the stats...
as i recall, none of us were starters. i mean rob barrett, john hammond, and will deaver, what abunch of junk players. oh, and me, which, i think we'll alll agree makes me the fourth stooge, or gilligan, or something.
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