Fitness and Skill: The Ultimate Balance

Things have changed dramatically in the last 2 years in the Indian Ultimate competitive scenario. The average age of teams has dropped easily by 3-4 years. In the good old world of Chakraa, DoD, Stray Dogs, Storm Chasers and L2F, I’d say the average age on teams was 25+. In the new world of the Stall 7s, the FlyWilds, Falcons and the Airbornes, the average age is probably 22-23. Along with this change has also come an amazing increase in the speed of players, as well as superb displays of athleticism. No team can take its position for granted today. Some of the Indian teams are struggling to come to terms with their increasing age, and with the emergence of newer and faster teams. I’ve noticed a general anxiety amongst the players across all teams. So I thought I’d write this note to perhaps help comprehend some of the changes happening around them and maybe even dispel some of the misguided fears & notions.

A few of my observations may be Chennai centric because of my location, so please ignore those that are not applicable to other cities.

There are many pictures of Stall 7 and FlyWild going to The Unit since Chennai Heat (I am in total envy of those above 60 inch box jump pictures), and many may not know that a lot of Chakraa goes to The Quad. I personally have been going to the Quad for over 2 years now, and been playing Ultimate for over 9 years now. Over time, I have had the opportunity to learn from my mistakes as well as others’.

I’m going to refer to The Quad or The Unit or in general getting a good targeted well designed workout as the “Gym” for the following note where I’m making some points in no particular order of importance.

a. Going to the Gym will not make you a better Ultimate Frisbee player per seb. Going to the Gym will definitely make you a stronger athlete and improve your strength, mobility, agility and endurance (and note that this may not necessarily be the same as being a better Ultimate Frisbee player).c. Going to the Gym will definitely help prevention of majority of injuries related to playing a sport (other than full-on incidental contact based injuries)d. There is no substitute for spending time with the disc and playing Ultimate, to make you a better thrower, catcher, defender or cutter or get a better general game sense. This is the what will give you better Ultimate Frisbee related skillse. As we all get older, we tend to get injured more because of the wear and tear in our bodies. Doing such workouts definitely help us counter this effect, and prepares us for a long term playing in any sport.f. Going to the Gym has made me a little bit slower (or is it just age?), but has definitely made me stronger and injury free. It’s a sacrifice I make. But it’s a happy sacrifice I make, to continue playing a sport that I love at 34 age. I hope to play for atleast another 10 years!

Is the whole phenomenon of “teams going for specialized training” something that other teams should be worried about. No and yes. It depends on your team. It is important to understand what your team needs the most, and work on it.

After having spoken to multiple teams, the coaches at the Quad and the Unit, and also from past experience, I can tell you this. Younger teams like Airborne are one of the biggest reasons older teams have started training today. This is not the first time something like this is happening. This has happened a few years ago as well, when FlyWild and Stall 7 were the new kids on the block, and the older teams like Chakraa and L2F needed to step up their training. The older teams were doing the most rational thing to counter the strength of the younger teams. This shouldn’t be something that the younger teams (eg. Jumbish) need to lose sleep over.

Today, for the younger teams, speed & agility is their strength. It may stop being a strength in the future, when they come across a faster team, but atleast for the next 1-2 years, that worry doesn’t exist. Their weaknesses are game skills, game sense, team coordination and discipline in warming up & stretching. In the short term, this is what the younger teams need to focus more on (while doing what is basic necessity for fitness). This is where there is maximum return on the younger teams’ energy. Your bodies might take any kind of abuse you throw at it now.. but without the above mentioned focus, I guarantee you that your ultimate career span will be short. What will you do when you encounter someone faster? What will you do when you encounter a team which is more disciplined, superb game sense and has skilled throwers? No amount of running your heart out will help you.

This time of the year is off-season for many teams. Between AUO and BUO, there is almost 6 months. This is when everyone can work at their convenience in developing individual skill sets. Atleast one day a week of training, and one day a week of pickup is all that is probably required till main season is here. During main season, there will only be enough time to focus on team strategies and team skills. Personally, I enjoy the off-season a lot more than preparing for a particular tournament. This is when I have time to spend with my team-mates, get to know them very well, work on some skills for myself, and for my team-mates, and re-connect with just the joy of playing Ultimate (and not just competing).

Focus internally on what your teams can work on.. and get better as players and athletes together. Spend a lot of time off-field too with your team-mates. Build trust with-in your team & get comfortable with them. Competing, winning and the rest will be a natural progression later.

Cheers!

Note: I am not saying that every Gym will give you a well designed training plan. Nor am I saying that you necessarily need to go to a Gym for you to get that training program.. If you have the discipline to follow a good training program by yourself, then you could just do it alone even in your terrace/garage.