Ultimate Articles - What types are out there?

This old article in the Times takes a look at the styles of columns. Ultimate blog discussion is similar column based, so I thought I would look at the four listed instances they classify and compare them against what I do. Then afterwards I list the other types of Ultimate blog posts.

The four categories for columns are:

1. “Am I Alone In Thinking” - This is for the Ultimate piece where someone points out an opinion that they feel nobody else has (but likely do). For example, I might put my "Miniworlds - does anyone care" into this category.
2. “Lessons of History Column” - This is historical comparison showing the similarities between the past and now. I, personally, don't think I do too many of these styles of posts. Maybe I should do more?
   
3. “I Spot the Emergence of a Big New Trend” - This is where you look at some trend and maybe apply it to something else. I do this kind of post all the time. My most recent would be on Twitter.
4. “Tricks of my Trade" - Thoughts into how we do different aspects of our game whether coaching or individual. This is another category of post that I tend to do. The last set was on "Move Repertoires". This is probably many peoples favourite since it passes on thoughts on how to, and we can apply it to get better.
   

The other categories for Ultimate blogs that I can think of are:

• The tournament recap
• The workout/practice recap
• The how's our team doing
  
• The direct links to useful information
• The poll
• The picture set
  
• The debated issue from my angle
• The team and player predictions and analysis

Am I missing any? What would make our "grassroot" based coverage better and what do we all want more of?

PJ

When did I become a Masters player?

The shock set in last week. I've always assumed that 2010 would be my first Masters year as I turned 34 that year. Well, apparently 33 was the magic number.


So, does depression set in. Is it all over? The opposite if anything. It's like a new lease on Ultimate life or atleast defensive life. My last run on a defensive squad was in 2007 on Grand Trunk, and I, personally, love playing defense (mainly on handlers though), but as my years increased and the young guys stayed the same age, it was challenging to play defense at the top levels.

Now, I have the hope that I can have another two or three years having an impact on defense (or offense if I'm needed). The only trick now is finding who to play with. As I've mentioned, I'm off to Oxford, Ohio. Not exactly known for top quality Masters Ultimate. In the UPA central region, the strength is in Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and Chicago (not to forget Twin Cities, MN as noted in the comments). So, I might have to look towards those cities for some UPA action. That's not my only option (says the free mercenary ;). I've already passed up to play at Canadian Nationals 2009 due to work commitments, but it is an option in 2010 and beyond, with the possibility of a run at Worlds.

But then, what I also like to dream about is helping put an Ohio team into UPA Championships. Not that a team like Madcow hasn't come close. For me, that's a goal to shoot for, and to be honest, I've learned in London that as much as I like competing, unless I'm building towards something with a bunch of people, I'd rather not just play. I need to help build to really enjoy the game.

Still, my options are open, and nobody can complain about that. Still, last week was a real shock.

PJ

Twitter filters RSD and Borg intelligence > 1

I'm continuing my study into the big question, "Why is twitter here?" ;) What is it good for and how will it change my life? As I stated earlier, I think it has value in the realm of tournament updates (a.k.a. live disseminated event coverage) as we saw this year at UPA College. Great, but I still haven't signed up for my own Twitter account.

An article on Wired helped explain my concerns as very common in society. Like other technologies in the past, we still don't know what Twitter does. Also, it might never revolutionize anything. I don't have to panic and worry that I'll be out on my porch (if I had a porch) yelling at kids to stop twittering on my front lawn.

Well, I've come to two further insights on how twitter might be useful to us. The first is related to RSD. In the past, we've voted on the health of RSD with concerns it is getting spammed to death (gmail does so well on my mail why can't it work for forums?). I, personally, view RSD less and less due to the spam. That, and I prefer the rss format where information comes to me when it's updated and I don't have to visit.

Twitter might offer us a solution here. Using the tagging system we could easily make rsd twitter discussions. To sort the different topics, we would simply use two tags. The first tag identifies that we are discussing ultimate and the second tag categorizes in a topic.

This sort of live discussion format has been used by some blogs to make the commenting/forum based aspect more community based and live. I think it would work as a second RSD based format, but twitter still lacks the character length for some topics and discussions (maybe links to rsd threads solves this problem essentially filtering the spam). For example, ranking teams would be difficult in 140 characters.

The second insight I've had on twitter and our Ultimate discussion community is actually not mine. This TED talk:

by James Surowiecki gave some insight into twitter, blogging, and social networking. The idea I felt so strongly about was this concept that a collective intelligence is better than an individual, and that's what these forms of communication bring. Therefore, my plea to all you young players (as well as mature players) out there is to get involved in the social community. Sure, The Huddle, Parinella's Blog, and Match are written by top players and knowledgable insiders, but your thoughts and your ideas are just as valuable since they come from another perspective. Essentially, the more critical mass we have the better off we'll be as a whole. Who cares if a topic you would like to discuss was previously covered by someone else. Give it your perspective and add to the collective intelligence. Seems Borg like, but it's actually the opposite.

PJ

The Legatum Prosperity Index ... What?

First off, the Legatum Prosperity Index is a measurement on a number of human factors in a nations population. Why am I talking about this?


Clue one is based on last Thursday. I had the fortune of heading to Italy on a car trip for a tournament in Italy. More on that in a post later. The car trip to the tournament started in London, UK and went through all sorts of countries on the way to the Italian Alps. Our team and had a great time both at the tournament and on the road trip (along these lines).

Clue number two happened today while I was watching a Frontline documentary on China and youth in China. The documentary struck me with two key things. The first, is not related to the post, where one of the women described herself as a human machine (another reason for me to push my research in social directions). The second was about a man who had found religion and finally felt complete.

This second point made me wonder if Ultimate and being part of the community can replace a need for religion. That's a bold statement, but just remember this is a thought experiment.

As I looked into the broad topic of religion I found a narrower concept that we could look at on the relationship between religion and happiness. The Legatum Prosperity Index was the link here and shown the correlation. So, instead, I thought an interesting question or research problem would be a similar Legatum Prosperity Index between sporting communities.

Since we're all biased here, I'll shoot out that Ultimate players will win the happiest section. These past few days I've been at the peak of happy, but over all the years of Ultimate it's been amazing. Thanks all...

PJ

Twitter and Ultimate - Any other good uses?

I'm moving on to be a so called technology-based-professor in a university setting, and for that reason I try and stay on top of new emerging technological trends, as much as possible. The reason for this is two-fold: one, the students I teach will be embracing these trends and living with them as normal parts of their lives, and two, these trends have an impact on science, research, and the world that we can't even guess.
Before, I get into things, I'd like to congratulate all of you who have migrated to feed readers for your internet reading (as I've suggested in the past). My daily reads on this blog are now 50% RSS reads and 50% browser clicks for the first time in the blogs history. RSS amalgamating tools are one tech tool that I think is great - it's the modern newspaper tuned to your likes.

But back to twitter. I'm a little nervous about the hype. Normally, when a new technology is hyped I have a vague sense of why it could be important. I've watched TED talks on twitter and sort of get the micro-based reporting element of twitter, but in general I don't really get it. My concern, is that I'm shifting into that age that says, "That music is just loud noises...why do they like it. It's nothing like the good old sounds of [favourite band here]".

Recently, I scanned this e-book (Why Bloggers Need Twitter) and I still don't see a significant impact for twitter. I guess I feel it's a mini version of a broadcast communication point - a mini-blog. Maybe I'm trying to make twitter too much. If it is a mini-blog, then the value is that it can be quick information dispersion, and that's where I'll leave it in terms of technology.

Now, given what I think twitter is, how does it impact Ultimate? So, far we've seen it as one of the best live score reporters. That, in itself, is pretty useful. If someone could add the score report with a 15 second video showing the score, then it would be really cool. I can imagine watching the early rounds of a tournament with scores and mini clips coming in at a regular pace.

Here are a few ideas of other twitter uses for Ultimate:

• From a team perspective it's a quick wat to broadcast messages about practice, but does it differ from e-mail that much?
• Ultimate blogs commenting might be more lively (along the lines of RSD) with a twitter network.
• UPA and Ultimate organizations could get out reminders in another form to their membership.

That's all I could think of. I think in our game the live score report is the killer app. Hook that up to score reporter and tournament directors around the world will have a network that has value, and we might as well make some money off it with ads.

The final question is should I sign up for twitter? I don't want to be one of those anti-facebookers castoff as social rejects (social ludites) as they miss steps forward in modern technology (right Chua ;).

PJ

MiniWorlds - does anyone care?

I saw (via The Huddle) the UK's Worlds team for the upcoming worlds. I don't even know what the official name of the upcoming tournament is, and I'm not even interested in doing the research, so I'll call it MiniWorlds. I, actually, don't even consider the tournament to have any meaning at all, and my only interest is based on a few friends who will be playing on the teams. And yet there seems to be a little bit of excitement on how the teams are picked and so on. Maybe because this is the one case where Ultimate federations (US, Canada) pick a best of team instead of letting the top club team represent. Still, I'm more interested in the US college season and UK coed tour.

So, is there a way to add some interest to MiniWorlds. You have 6 nations competing against each other at a major sporting tournament. There should be some value there. Six Nations Rugby is a popular tournament because you can watch the entire head-to-head tournament and keep track of the competition over a 2 month period.

My suggestion is making it a multitournament head-to-head series that ends at MiniWorlds. If it was possible, I think having maybe two tournaments ahead of time that are filmed would add significant interest. Then we would have some drama based on previous head to head competition, and probably, the most important part, is we would learn the players.

In general, being able to identify players is probably the biggest problem with generating interest in viewing our sport (even for our own playing population). A faceless game without villains and good guys is harder to watch than one where you cheer your favourites and jeer the villians. I've talked about some of this before, and our sport lacks stories.

MiniWorlds is headed for RSD blips, a few arguments over Canada vs. USA, and maybe a DVD of a bunch of people running with the occasional exceptional play by "what's her name" thrown by "that guy". Edge of your seat stuff that I might just forget to catch.

PJ

Engineering in Ultimate

One of the classic debates that can start up in a pub or on the Ultimate road trip is what is a sport. It gets interesting once you get into machines as part of the competition. For example, in the last Olympics, the UK's dominance in indoor cycling was partly due to their technologically advanced suits and bikes, which have been locked away until the next Olympics. Obviously, the athletes are still an integral part, and I'm sure if I strapped on the suit and got on those bikes I would still be passed by most cyclists other than my fiancee.


What about cars? This weekend the F1 series started back up. this weeks winner was a Brit who had been sitting at the bottom of the tables until all of a sudden the engineering team came up with a top notch car. Engineering wins the day, but is it a sport?

For Ultimate, the two major engineered devices are our cleats and the disc (the cones, braces, and clothing also to some degree). The disc is common, for the most part, and the cleats a loved discussion by many a player. Is the toe cleat useful? How important is lightness? How comfortable are they? I'm sure the cleat has some impact on performance, but I'm not going to get into those details.

The discs, on the other hand, are made by companies and we try to keep them roughly the same. When talking to the guys at Daredevil, I was wondering why is it so hard to copy the more popular Discraft. The reason was along the lines of how the plastic recipe, the cooling, and the mold are all guarded secrets that would be hard to replicate (and expensive).

For the sake of some imagination today, what if Ultimate was crossed with F1? Instead of one disc, each team was allowed to bring a disc that met some set of specification rules. On alternating points, the discs would switch (or maybe halves), and the opposing team would get 20 minutes with your disc to learn it's nuances. Imagine now, your team plays with a disc that is weighted so that flicks roll over faster (how you do that is for the engineers), and your strategy limits hucks because of the roll. Sounds interesting, but is it a sport?

PJ

What is the dream college Ultimate program?

Yesterday, I gave some preliminary thoughts on my Ultimate playing future on the field. Some great discussion has kept me thinking about my playing options. On the other side of the coin is coaching Ultimate. In this aspect, being at a University is a great opportunity to help work with a program and move into a coaching role.


So first, the University I'll be taking a position at (if everything continues as planned) is Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) in the Computer Engineering department. That being said, tenure track positions demand time, and the goal of tenure will be my first priority.

The Ultimate team at Miami University has their web presence here. So, from my perspective, they appear to be a strong team with a stable program in place. That's both good and bad. Good in that they're successful and keen, but bad in that it's quite possible they're not looking for high-level management. I haven't contacted anyone from the team for a number of reasons given the current time and other details I need to work out.

My dream, however, is to help Miami Ohio build a college program into a dream program in the region. With the resources in the area, it's easy to imagine building a program that includes some of these ideas:

• Includes an A and B team ... the real goal being A through C.
• Includes a summer camp for employment and finances.
• Is recognized team on campus.
• A scholarship of some sort for team members (maybe as a housing allowance).
• Academic success for the team.
• A club team or associated club system in the area to promote year round development.
• Regional high school involvement for recruiting and improvement.

At first, however, I'll start slow and see if the team is interested. Then from there, hopefully, we can build the dream college Ultimate program.

Any other ideas what would make a great college program based on existing models or your imagination?

Beyond the local University team, my other goals are to impact the region. I would like to help strengthen the Great Lakes Region in college and the Central Region in clubs. How to do that? Well, I'll have to make friends and discuss first. Then maybe some sort of plan will emerge.

PJ

Is it time to hang the cleats up?

So, I've accepted an offer to be an assistant professor at a University in the US. I won't tell you which one yet. It's in the Midwest, in a small town, and the University team makes regionals in the Great Lakes region.


The questions, among basic logistics of moving and preparing for a new job, are what to do with my Ultimate playing career. I'll be about 1 hour from a regional quality club coed team and 2 hours from any regional quality club open team. I will, likely, try to help out with the local University team, and hopefully, move into a coaching position as time goes on. Still, my playing days seem numbered unless I'm willing to drive +2 hours to practice.

At the age of 32, there's other sporting options I've been considering. Hockey is played in this town, and the sport is much gentler on the body. The golf courses (both disc and club) have been calling my name. Mixed martial arts also is high on my list of to dos.

The major sacrifice I would be making, is no more team building as a player (note that the hockey would likely be in pick up form or house league), and a separation from the Ultimate community (which I would still be a member of, but as a coach, which in my opinion is a big difference). These are the elements that addicted me to Ultimate, and the parts I would find hardest to leave.

Also, my hopes of playing world masters seem to be heading down the drain. Still, maybe it's time to hang up the cleats? What would you do? When is the best time to retire?

PJ

Ultimate Depression?

Speaking of economics, I caught a thread on RSD with a discussion on the state of Ultimate with respect to the downturn. Then today, this article discusses the NBA's financial woes.

Note: Canadian Tire money is not legal tender in Canada...though it's damn cool.

So, what will happen in the upcoming Ultimate seasons due to the current financial problems. First, I look to my friends in Ultimate, and other than a few, the majority have kept their jobs. This is good news. Companies may have frozen raises, but based on previous spending history, it seems that people will be able to afford the Ultimate trips and gear based on last year. My guess is that the status quo maintains its' spending (no growth).

The second place where Ultimate might get hurt is the upcoming graduates. This group will, likely, find it hard to find work that pays enough and has a low enough time demand to allow Ultimate spending. This means that we might see a growth slowdown for the sport. Also, parents will be able to use the economic climate to convince their children to tighten their belts. Maybe College Ultimate will see a small negative growth.

The third place where we might see change is due to fear. Even though the economic status of players might not change, general fear might cause us to look towards cheaper leisure options. This might mean that local leagues see a decline, tournaments see less bids, and the jersey industry doesn't design new jerseys and instead prints last years version for a few new players.

It would be interesting to hear what people think on this issue. So far, only GAIA has disappeared off the Ultimate map (unconfirmed). I suspect our Ultimate market will see a decline, but not on the same scale as the Worlds. I feel the sport is a reasonably wealthy group to begin with.

PJ

Ultimate - our little secret?

I've been on tour with job interviews and academic conferences over the last week (explains the lack of posting), and I noticed something Ultimate related in the interviews. Whenever talking to people, I always wonder if I should mention I play Ultimate.


Why would I be concerned? Well, as many Ultimateers have noticed, the sport is not well known in the general public, and depending on the person you're talking to, the sport has an image that can be both good and bad. Depending on the situation, the hippy frisbee image can be both good and bad. Then you're also known to throw a frisbee with dogs, and last but not least, you must always be at the beach throwing a disc. Even scanning through the intramural sports list at a range of Universities and high schools, "Ulttimate Frisbee" dominates the naming of the game over "Ultimate". The latter seems to confuse people, and they think you're a mix martial artist, which I, personally, love to go with. My imaginary MMA record is 7-3 and I specialize in BJJ to protect my beautiful face, said with a wink ;)

Still, I'm proud of my affiliation with Ultimate. I list my coaching jobs on my resume, and I tend to use Ultimate stories to convey some of my skill set. My latest encounter turned out to be a benefit.

In interviews for University faculty positions, you spend all day in meetings with existing faculty. These meetings range from junior to senior faculty in various departments. I get edgy on what to say as seniority increase (as I'm sure all people do). In one of my meetings with the Dean of engineering, I decide to mention Ultimate. I notice a facial response from the Dean, but we continue our conversation and I can't explain the sport.

Is this a concern or not? Well, later in the conversation at a lighter point, the Dean mentions how he's familiar with Ultimate and his son played. The Dean remarks on his fascination with the sport and mentions how he's amazed that for the most part the game is unrefereed - good stuff.

I've decided (before this) that being myselfis the right road to take. Hey, if they don't want me the way I am, then I can't be someone else forever. Just like my flawed writing you have to get comfortable in your own mind and skin.

the real PJ

London Snow and Renewed Faith in Synchro Team Warmup

Two days short of my first year in London, it's snowing today and the snow is staying on the ground. So much so that the city is grinding to a halt. On my walk to work, I was reminded of the time when Toronto had a snow storm and had to call in the Army. I was living in Ottawa at the time, and we had a great laugh at Toronto's expense. Well today, all snow ridden northerners around the world can have a good laugh at London.

The two funniest things I saw on my way to work today were snow clearing and snowmen. First, for anyone familiar with snow as a child, we've learned to make snowmen in a certain way. The key is starting with a small ball, and rolling it around to pick up more snow until you have one of the classic 3 balls for the snowman. Of course, as Calvin and Hobbes has taught us, snow art has many paths. However, the snow in London is perfect for such a snowman construction, and yet the five snowmen I saw on my way to work were all more of a piling of snow where clearly they were looking for classical construction.

Even funnier was some of the tools that people were using to clear their snow away. Obviously, there's no need to keep a snow shovel for the one or two days of snow a year in London. Still, a shovel of some sort seems appropriate (garden shovel?). Anyway, the first person I saw used a 2 foot by 4 foot board of plywood. This was the effective person. Next, I saw a person clearing about 50 meters of side walk in front of a hotel with a dust pan. Finally, my favourite was a women cleaning here tiled front stairs with a mop and some water. I can only imagine what will happen when the front freezes.

-------

On a more to topic note, I've been wondering about team warmups where the attempt is made to warmup all together. At UofT we used to enforce our warmup run in double file. Lately, I've been of the mind that team warmups should be left to individuals so that they can prepare in their own way and for their own body.

Well, research is suggesting that I'm wrong and that some for of synchronizing leads to better teamwork. I'm back on the team warmup wagon.

PJ

Goals in Pairs

My new year goal number one is coming into view. I'm 188 lbs (85.7 kg) with all my gym gear on. That's 3 lbs off my goal weight.

Pictured Above: GOAL!!!

I still find it hard to get to the gym every day for a workout, and as much as it's useful to tell people your goal to help you achieve it. I've found that two people making the same goal (or similar goals) is much easier. In this way you feel even more accountable then just to your inside voice.

I've talked about this before, but this goal technique has huge potential if you're looking to achieve something challenging (such as getting to the gym in the morning). For example, commitment with another person to improve your throwing results in someone who will make the same sacrifices to get out and throw every day. The same is true in the gym, on the field, or at the track.

Based on this concept, you would think that having three people committed is even better. This is, actually, a case of diminishing returns. Unless the activity your goal is related to needs three people, then you've passed critical mass. In this case, if you don't show up for the planned work, then you won't be missed so much, and you don't get the same feelings of "I have to get there so I don't let down Kirk".

This doesn't mean you shouldn't allow more people than critical mass, but it means you need to restructure the commitment aspect. If you want three people in the gym, then plan your workout and allocate some critical job for each person. For example, Kirk brings the skipping rope, Peter brings the disc, and Norm brings the stopwatch. All three of these things have to be at the workout or it will be a failure.

You've probably been hearing the viral information from Malcolm Gladwell and his 10,000 hours to expert motif. Those 10,000 hours can be much more enjoyably spent with another person.

PJ

My New Year's Goals

Happy New year and hope everything went well over the holidays for you all. I was back in Canada and the United States over the last two weeks. Without my laptop power code, I couldn't post any items, but it was a nice break.

Bye bye to 2008 and on to 2009.

First off som enews, the Google ads revenue passed $100 as I expected. This means the TCO logo contest will continue until Feb 5th, 2009. I'm not expecting many submissions (if any), so your best crayon drawing scanned in could win a jersey, though it has to beat mine. If nobody submits any logos, then I'll run another contest.

As for my New Year's goals, I thought I would share my plans. As a note to all you goal setters out there, telling people about your goals is one of the best ways to help keep them. For some reason, when people know you're doing something you feel like you have to complete it or appear a failure to these people.

I have two particular resolutions/goals this year. They are:

1. No alcoholic consumption in January and February (I do this almost every year) with the hope of getting my weight down to 185 lbs. This is the weight I feel I should be playing Ultimate at. I will continue to consume no alcohol until I reach the 185 lbs. weight.
2. At tournaments this year, I will go to bed early and party less with the exception of Paganello (and other party tournaments). However, at Paganello I don't plan on pulling another all-nighter, and will keep my nights to a 3:00 am curfew.

Both of these goals are Ultimate related, and I hope to be in top condition for 2009. Now that it's 2009 I will start to play Ultimate again, but I'm going to take my recovery slow.

If you need a place to state your goals for 2009, feel free to use the comment section. At least you know that about a thousand people will see your resolution.

PJ

Proper Gasping

This week might be a little light. I was sick yesterday, and I'm pretty busy on getting ready to head back home for Holidays.

Yesterday on the treadmill, I was running at a fair pace, and at one point I started to wonder how I should be breathing. I've read and heard about the importance of breathing, and what better time to practice it while on a repetitive treadmill run. I tried a few methods such as mouth and nose, mouth in then nose out, nose in mouth out, etc. In other words, I had no clue what was best.

I'm even worse in the gym when it comes to core exercises, pull ups, and push ups. For these exercises I'm holding my breath for much of the contractions.

Like in all these matters, the web has a range of resources on the topic:

• The perfect breath - Research on breathing and its' impact on health and performance
  
• A sports breathing article - Talks about different breathing styles for running

The second article is particularly interesting as it mentions how you should be breathing. I'll work on this the next time I'm in the gym, and try to have it as part of my repertoire for the coming season.

PJ

More zone 2 chess analysis

In my continued attempt to connect some of the techniques in chess strategy and tactics to ultimate, I've evolved the model to the next step. This time, we'll use the chess board and the players on the board to evaluate the merits and flaws of different zones. This seems reasonable based on chess being a warlike simulation.

Figure 1: Shows a 3-3-1 zone.

Figure 1, shows an oversized chess board (that attempts to represent a field) with kings in a representation of the 3-3-1 classic cup zone. The red arrows indicate which throws a king can stop, and the transparent red dots show what discs a defender could, likely, get too. The radius of this distance decreases as the player gets closer to the disc (the deep could arguably have a larger radius).

The interesting thing is the figure shows some of the weak spots in this type of zone. These weak spots are clear squares on the board. Also, we can see the concept of a loose piece. The right mid has no immediate support meaning they can be attacked by a fork.

Figure 2: a 1-3-2-1 zone.

Trying the same thing with a zone we will call the 1-3-2-1 (wall like structure), Figure 2 shows what might be weaknesses against this zone. It is clear that the additional players in the front makes it harder to break the cup as more of the squares around the cup are doubly covered with overlap.

The clear squares show there is some weakness over the wall, but three defensive players approach those points (meaning this will need to be a fast throw). Also, it seems clear that a swing across the field will be hard, but worth a serious gain in distance.

Figure 3: 3-3-1 in a arrow formation

Next, Figure 3 shows the 3-3-1 in an arrow head formation (know as chinch, arrowhead, etc.). Here, it appears that the middle is completely covered, which isn't really the case. Is the model failing? Partially, but this is a static position. Most teams would use this zone emphasizing that they don't want the disc to go around the outside and they want the attacks in the middle. This means that the areas covered would favor one direction over the other, and this would show lower probability to cover short attacks through the middle.

Based on my early view, this tool seems to be reasonable in evaluating zones. I'll try to refine the model over the coming weeks.

PJ

and now something completely different - Chess

I'm pushing the limits of taking external ideas and applying them to Ultimate. As of recent, I was just reviewing some chess tactics. Why? You got me, but it got me thinking.

So, what made up connection have I made with Ultimate and Chess? Well, it all comes down to a major part of chess tactics - the double threat. In chess, the concept of the double threat ocurres when you've made a move such that your opponent must choose between one threat or the other.


The "double threat" very simply applies to Ultimate. One application that I taught this weekend was how the double threat can be used to attack the mids in a zone. The further extension from chess to Ultimate is one particular type of double threat, which is the fork (knight fork is shown in the picture above). A fork is when a knight, queen, or bishop is in a position to attack two of the opponents pieces. The same is true for many ultimate tactics where offensive players fork to attack a mid position deep and short (or left and right). Technically, this is more similar to the "discovered attack" in chess, but the basic concept seems to come accross better with the fork; you're attacked at two points at the same time.

The tactics of Ultimate and chess have some more similarities. I find the best use of these similarities can be used to define tactics in Ultimate so that we can all understand what's being talked about. For example, the Ultimate term, "dump and swing" used between two Ultimate players allows us to express a series of throws and handler positions in only 3 words.

Here's some terms that you might find useful from chess:

• Double Threat - as discussed above, this is when an offensive player is attacked by two or more threats simultaneously.
• Fork - a double threat attack where the attack happens in opposite directions.
• Loose piece - a defensive player in a zone that has been stranded (in terms of distance) from defensive help.
• Tactics - a means to attack by forcing the opponent into situations where you have the advantage.
  
• Strategy - creating the best opportunities based on positions.

PJ

Sports Psychiatry?

In the Sunday times this week, I read more coverage about the GB cycling. This time they were looking at another piece of the team that helped the athletes - the psychiatrist. Here's the article.


In terms of our sport, it's hard to imagine the need for team psychiatrists. Other than volunteers, we can barely, get team physiotherapists and tend to share with everyone at a tournament. Even though there are pressures in Ultimate, I'm not certain if they're severe enough to warrant a psychiatrist. Then again, I think back to my confidence drought in 2004 and similar confidence falls in players I've seen, and I wonder if the psychiatric route might have been a faster route to playing confidence recovery (it took me about a year).

The problem is I have no clue what psychiatry means other than watching Fraser in both Cheers and his own show. The article says, "The psychiatrist will lift the bonnet [hood], show you how the engine works, then teach you to drive. When there’s a breakdown, the psychiatrist’s pupil may be in the better position."

It seems in the cases when your mind game has gone beyond refocusing, positive thought, and visualization, is when psychiatry could be brought into your game.

The GB cycling team's success is a fascinating model of sport organization study. This is just one other piece that helped lead to their success (though I'm convinced it was the technology). A thought for your Ultimate endeavors.

PJ

Optometrists improve athletes - I still think it's Video Games

If you haven't caught this article about eye-tracking exercises in virtual worlds and the improvement in athletes, then take a read. My feeling is this all fits along my theory that video games are a great training tool for athletes. The difference in this new research is that a virtual world, seen through virtual glasses (or something similar), might be a better training implement for information that comes in through your peripheral vision. This in contrast to the standard console and television set-up that can be viewed almost completely within your field of view.

Pictured Above: A key practice session in the art of video gaming.

The day can't be far off when these tools are integrated in athletic training. Given the cost effectiveness of the Wii, it can't be far off until we can create these systems for home consumption.

The articles progressive research into cognitive performance evaluation may be the key piece of research that we can then use to evaluate different scenarios. Maybe my theory will soon be proven as science as opposed to an excuse why video games is a valid pastime.

PJ

Art on the field

In line with the logo battle, I've been pushing teams and artists for photos of their jerseys. Over the past few seasons, I've noticed significant leaps and bounds in terms of the jersey art. This is due to the cost reductions and technological advances in jersey production by the major Ultimate apparel companies (VC, fiveultimate, Gaia, Lookfly...). The other factor is our sport seems to be more open to fashion on the field.

Pictured above: Bodhi jersey (photo courtesy of Marc Hodges)

If we're looking to differentiate ourselves from other sports, then the logo, team name, and fashion of uniforms is a distinguishing feature that makes us different. I'm all for the push into the art domain.

Pictured Above: This years Torontula jersey (photo from Alex Tat)

The one limiting factor is still cost. However, consider what 20-30 dollars or pounds means in the big scheme of thing, and think about how long you keep your jersey for. I'm a penny pincher at heart, but money for good looking jerseys seems to be well spent. It also makes you feel great when your team is walking around with the threads of a tournament.

On another note, keep those logos coming in. I've seen some spectacular entries so far, and things should be fun over the coming months.

PJ