OK guys, tomorrow is the final tournament. For many of you dudes it is the highlight of your ultimate seasons. We need to play at our best.
First Round: Our first game is against 1BM. We’ve played them before and beat them handily but we should not look straight past them. Sure we could fool around, not caring what happened as long as we advanced, and win 11-9 at hardcap. Or we could beat down and give ourselves a nice break before the second game. We are going to be running O/D lines during this match and so this is a great chance for some of the less experienced guys to go and show what they are made of. Highschool kids- this is like a test of what CUJO might be for you next year. You think you can win the championship? Then show it! The next rounds will be tough and there won’t be a lot of playing time for everyone. It should be a matter of pride to never let our offensive line on to the field. Never let the O line have any of your playing time. Let’s take victory easily.
Quarterfinals: Second game will probably be against Konvict. I want to CRUSH this team. I can’t emphasize this enough. Sure all that matters is that we have fun and get through to the next round, but I am tired of being compared to these guys like we are their equals. We are better than them. It is that simple. The last two times we’ve played, the games have been way too close. They probably think that they have our number. They are seeded right next to us (once again unfairly so) and they are looking to sneak on by us. That will not happen. This should be our real test to prove how far we’ve come this year. We have a great record, but it all means nothing unless we prove it, unless we give evidence that we are above and beyond our past failures. Another bonus- if we win big we can rest before the Semifinals. We had a tough schedule before and now thanks to Karma we have a relatively easy first two rounds. Let’s take advantage of this on what is supposed to be a very hot day.
Semifinals: Probably against Mustache Moonshine. I know a lot of people will be thinking that this game will be a loss for us. But the result is DEFINATLEY not so set in stone. This is a team of older, lazy University of Illinois guys who will be fat and hungover from the night before. They will breeze through the first matches because they are playing weak teams, and the Moonshine guys will get tired running around but they’ll realize that if they play smart they will win and probably win big. We are going to be the roadblock that stops them short. They will meet a team that knows how to run zone defense and offense, that wants it more than them, that has experience, speed, and intensity. If we beat them, our momentum alone should push us through the final.
I will be disappointed if we don’t get a trophy and you should be too. We are a good team and we can prove it.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Sideline Support
Recently there has been a lot of talk about how to improve sideline support. I had some ideas on this point. Let it be known to those guys who don’t play college- communication is a critical aspect of the game and one that is a vast improvement from other levels. The sideline is making both a strategic and emotional impact on the game.
Emotionally they are getting people fired up simply by cheering and getting pumped about sweet plays that happen on the field. Too often have we done something awesome and it has gone by casually. We have never charged the field, we have never really screamed our support. If we have a layout or a sky or an upwind break then you should be going nuts on the sideline. It makes a serious impact on how well the players on the field do.
Strategically the sideline makes a huge difference on offense and defense, especially in zone. They can see the entire field while the players are often focused on their one specific job. By choosing a person on field and specifically helping them, you can increase their ability greatly. Tell them who is open, when to call switches, where their player is going, etc.
Finally here are some key terms which we have had trouble using in the past. You really need to understand these in order to be a full fledged part of the team.
Fire- switch from zone to man defense (usually the last man force called)
Set it/ We’re in it- we are still playing zone defense as called
Strike- Somebody is making a devastatingly open cut to the force side. Marker needs to shift from force mark to straight up mark for about two stall counts
No big/ No huck- somebody is streaking wide open deep, marker needs to switch from force mark to straight up mark for about to stall counts
No around- The thrower is looking to throw the disc around your mark (for example on a backhand force the guy is trying to step over and throw the forehand completely past your mark). The mark should shift his feet that way to adjust for a stall count or two
No inside- The thrower is looking to throw the disc low and inside of your force side hand. (For example on a backhand force the thrower is trying to sneak a low backhand to the breakside). The mark should shift his feet that way to adjust for a stall count or two
There are other calls, but if anyone thinks that I’ve missed some important ones, post a comment.
Emotionally they are getting people fired up simply by cheering and getting pumped about sweet plays that happen on the field. Too often have we done something awesome and it has gone by casually. We have never charged the field, we have never really screamed our support. If we have a layout or a sky or an upwind break then you should be going nuts on the sideline. It makes a serious impact on how well the players on the field do.
Strategically the sideline makes a huge difference on offense and defense, especially in zone. They can see the entire field while the players are often focused on their one specific job. By choosing a person on field and specifically helping them, you can increase their ability greatly. Tell them who is open, when to call switches, where their player is going, etc.
Finally here are some key terms which we have had trouble using in the past. You really need to understand these in order to be a full fledged part of the team.
Fire- switch from zone to man defense (usually the last man force called)
Set it/ We’re in it- we are still playing zone defense as called
Strike- Somebody is making a devastatingly open cut to the force side. Marker needs to shift from force mark to straight up mark for about two stall counts
No big/ No huck- somebody is streaking wide open deep, marker needs to switch from force mark to straight up mark for about to stall counts
No around- The thrower is looking to throw the disc around your mark (for example on a backhand force the guy is trying to step over and throw the forehand completely past your mark). The mark should shift his feet that way to adjust for a stall count or two
No inside- The thrower is looking to throw the disc low and inside of your force side hand. (For example on a backhand force the thrower is trying to sneak a low backhand to the breakside). The mark should shift his feet that way to adjust for a stall count or two
There are other calls, but if anyone thinks that I’ve missed some important ones, post a comment.
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