STALLING
OK boys, it is time to be brutally honest with ourselves. We have kind of been stalling out the last couple of weeks; the team which grew so drastically in the beginning of the season seems to have hit a brick wall. The last few games we have played were not pretty. Old problems continue to persist.
The last three games really haven’t been quality. We just haven’t risen to our highest level or (as we all hoped) grown at all. Now these games were victories, and yes, in the end the win is all that matters (that and having fun of course), but we have a string of tough games ahead of us, and if we played like we did in the past three weeks (shooting ourselves in the foot) we will be crushed… and it will not be fun. The game against Go Pre was lackadaisical, and it began the rocky streak. I think most of all that has bugged me. We should not be a lazy team. We pride ourselves on being fast, on being fit, and on wanting it more than anyone. So why are we jogging around the field casually? Why are we letting them throw five easy upfield passes off the pull? So many of our problems- getting beat to the force side, not attacking the disc by running through, throwing it away or dropping - can be contributed to a lack of focus and effort! I have seen it in myself and I personally refuse to let it happen again. We can have fun and try hard, the two things aren’t mutually exclusive.
The game against Tator Touts was especially evident of the lack of intensity. We came out slow, they made it close by making great plays and pushing hard, and we suddenly realized “oh we have to run now”. We actually started playing our game second half and did really well.
Screw that. We should come out wanting to show our best from the first play.
The game against Final Boss proves how all of these close games weren’t merely the result of our problems. Captain Casey and I basically called this near upset because we knew this team was itching for a surprise victory. We let them get into our heads after they were being douches and we started freaking out and making really dumb mistakes (just like last year). We should be proud that we got it together, but our goal should be to not let it happen again.
ONE MONTH
OK enough of my stating the obvious problems. Now we go about fixing them. We have one month until the final tournament of the season. That gives us a whole month to improve on everything we need to, to up our game so that we are playing at a top notch level, so that we can accomplish our goal of doing well at the end of the season tournament. To do that we need to really push ourselves these next few games, showing the Untouchables and Moustache Moonshine that we aren’t some weak high school team that will crumble under pressure or will kill itself with mistakes. Let’s be the ones who do the upsetting this time.
And we need to come to practice! I can’t emphasize this enough. Casey, DP, and I have come up with a lot of ideas to improve our game (fixing our mistakes) but they involve drills and team practice. Show up and play as hard as you would in a game. I’m tired of scrimmaging with five people.
Alright let’s go.
Showing posts with label Recap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recap. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
No Contest
The first thing that came to my mind after we played No Contest on Saturday was that the match felt like a real ultimate game to me. There was good handlers and athletes, advanced strategies on both sides, and a great deal of intensity. It was a good game, one in which our team probably improved to play some its best ultimate ever... but it was still a tough loss. Afterwords it seemed like everybody had a good time mingling at the BBQ and getting to know each other. Hopefully this develops into a strong rivalry, although we need to work on winning against our rivals, but still we pick our rivals well- tough teams with cool dudes on them. As Captain KC said, No Contest will probably be one of the better teams of the entire league, but that doesn't mean we can't compete, or even win, against them. Here are my thoughts.
Things We Did Well:
1. Transition Defense and Huck Defense- compared to the last few games we played this looked phenomenally better, and as experience grows, so will these areas.
2. Offensive Flow- There were some real moments when we just cruised down the field without any problems.
Things We Didn't Do So Well:
1. Execution- We had several bad throws and a few drops. Obviously this stuff is going to happen occasionally, but the key is to cut down on it as much as possible. This was the main trouble for us last year. During the No Contest game, we would flow really well and then we'd make one mistake and they would punish us for it. We would also have the occasional stall on our offense (whether because of bad handler motion or lack of cutting). We really just need to practice and drill this stuff so that it becomes natural and easy.
2. Endzone Offense- not the number one priority on the list, but important. We just can't seem to get everything together to score. Isolation plays have never really come together as much as we've liked, and everything just seems to fall apart.
3. Foul Calling- Read the rules, it is really simple. You won't be a tool if you call a foul when a dude hacks you or tackles you.
Neither Good Nor Bad:
Man Defense and Intensity: The other team was tired by the end of that game- which is great- but so were we, and I'd say we got burned on the whole a bit more often than them. We need to have the legs to ensure we don't get beat, especially to the force side! Playing more intense ultimate should help.
OK that's it. Hopefully we can work on this stuff in practice, and hopefully next time we meet No Contest we can show them what we've learned.
Things We Did Well:
1. Transition Defense and Huck Defense- compared to the last few games we played this looked phenomenally better, and as experience grows, so will these areas.
2. Offensive Flow- There were some real moments when we just cruised down the field without any problems.
Things We Didn't Do So Well:
1. Execution- We had several bad throws and a few drops. Obviously this stuff is going to happen occasionally, but the key is to cut down on it as much as possible. This was the main trouble for us last year. During the No Contest game, we would flow really well and then we'd make one mistake and they would punish us for it. We would also have the occasional stall on our offense (whether because of bad handler motion or lack of cutting). We really just need to practice and drill this stuff so that it becomes natural and easy.
2. Endzone Offense- not the number one priority on the list, but important. We just can't seem to get everything together to score. Isolation plays have never really come together as much as we've liked, and everything just seems to fall apart.
3. Foul Calling- Read the rules, it is really simple. You won't be a tool if you call a foul when a dude hacks you or tackles you.
Neither Good Nor Bad:
Man Defense and Intensity: The other team was tired by the end of that game- which is great- but so were we, and I'd say we got burned on the whole a bit more often than them. We need to have the legs to ensure we don't get beat, especially to the force side! Playing more intense ultimate should help.
OK that's it. Hopefully we can work on this stuff in practice, and hopefully next time we meet No Contest we can show them what we've learned.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Good Stuff
OK guys... so far so good.
I wanted a recap of what's been happening so I decided to finally write something. Hopefully our captain KC will start writing some stuff up so I'm not the only one posting blogs.
We are 3-0 and in first place in the Naperville League, and I feel good about our team. We looked really solid these last two games, shutting down teams that were weak, showing them that we are indeed a lot better this summer. There has been a huge amount of individual improvement across the board and we have to be pretty proud of ourselves.
But there is still a lot of work to do.
Our next game is critical. We are playing No Contest at home on Saturday. This team showed some of us in the pre season scrimmage that, despite being new to the league, they could play very solidly. If we can win this next game we can defiantly move forward toward a good seeding in the final tournament, something that is critical (we don't want a repeat of last year).
So far, I think our greatest strength has been that we have continued to improve over every practice and every game. We need to keep doing that now. Practices have still been a little non-chalant thus far and that needs to change. Our improvement is directly related to our experience and so we should play every chance we get. (Remember practices are ALWAYS on Monday at 5PM, Friday at 4PM, with Wednesday league at 6:45).
If we keep getting better as a team, we should be a serious force to be reckoned with by the season's end.
Let's work hard.
P.S. I REALLY want to beat No Contest. I have to room with their captain next year and I could use some fuel for trash talk
I wanted a recap of what's been happening so I decided to finally write something. Hopefully our captain KC will start writing some stuff up so I'm not the only one posting blogs.
We are 3-0 and in first place in the Naperville League, and I feel good about our team. We looked really solid these last two games, shutting down teams that were weak, showing them that we are indeed a lot better this summer. There has been a huge amount of individual improvement across the board and we have to be pretty proud of ourselves.
But there is still a lot of work to do.
Our next game is critical. We are playing No Contest at home on Saturday. This team showed some of us in the pre season scrimmage that, despite being new to the league, they could play very solidly. If we can win this next game we can defiantly move forward toward a good seeding in the final tournament, something that is critical (we don't want a repeat of last year).
So far, I think our greatest strength has been that we have continued to improve over every practice and every game. We need to keep doing that now. Practices have still been a little non-chalant thus far and that needs to change. Our improvement is directly related to our experience and so we should play every chance we get. (Remember practices are ALWAYS on Monday at 5PM, Friday at 4PM, with Wednesday league at 6:45).
If we keep getting better as a team, we should be a serious force to be reckoned with by the season's end.
Let's work hard.
P.S. I REALLY want to beat No Contest. I have to room with their captain next year and I could use some fuel for trash talk
Friday, May 29, 2009
There is a reason why we have pre season scrimmages...
Since our captain is gone over the weekend I figured I'd post something
OK so for those of you that did not hear, the scrimmage on Thursday night against No Contest did not go well. We had 7 NBA players (plus John Davis), and we lost our first game 15-3, then second game 7-3, then third game 4-2. It was not good.
A lot of things contributed to these results. First off, we didn't have that many people which always sucks. Also I don't think any of us particularly played the greatest individually and as a team we had very little flow. No Contest is a good team, as I have been saying, and they will be a challenger all year long, but we lost that game because of our own mistakes.
But hey, now it's time to fix those problems. It began that night as we improved drastically as the games went on and it should continue through practices. And really I think the greatest thing that everyone can do is simply reaffirm your dedication. Keep the discipline up to show up to all the regular practices (Mondays at 5PM and Fridays at 4PM). Have the determination to avidly learn all you can about the game, making sure you know all aspects of important team strategy. Focus during our times together as a team so we can put the time in to get the experience and flow down. And work hard every day, pushing yourself with intensity and fire so that we will always play competitively and athletically.
We have a lot of work to do, but if truly commit ourselves to this dedication we can have fun, improve, and do well this summer.
OK so for those of you that did not hear, the scrimmage on Thursday night against No Contest did not go well. We had 7 NBA players (plus John Davis), and we lost our first game 15-3, then second game 7-3, then third game 4-2. It was not good.
A lot of things contributed to these results. First off, we didn't have that many people which always sucks. Also I don't think any of us particularly played the greatest individually and as a team we had very little flow. No Contest is a good team, as I have been saying, and they will be a challenger all year long, but we lost that game because of our own mistakes.
But hey, now it's time to fix those problems. It began that night as we improved drastically as the games went on and it should continue through practices. And really I think the greatest thing that everyone can do is simply reaffirm your dedication. Keep the discipline up to show up to all the regular practices (Mondays at 5PM and Fridays at 4PM). Have the determination to avidly learn all you can about the game, making sure you know all aspects of important team strategy. Focus during our times together as a team so we can put the time in to get the experience and flow down. And work hard every day, pushing yourself with intensity and fire so that we will always play competitively and athletically.
We have a lot of work to do, but if truly commit ourselves to this dedication we can have fun, improve, and do well this summer.
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