Left Ankle

IS INJURED YAUS

CAPS LOCK

PS -- I left before half and we probably got our first loss of the season. Oh well. There like isn't a difference between 1 and 2 and 3rd place going into today was 3-5 (to our 7-0) and was -13 to our +35. We're fine.

Everytime someone writes "Blog" I think they are spelling "Blag" wrong.

I don't think my last post was explained well enough.

Every person has strengths and weaknesses to their game. Enlightening, I know. There is no problem in recognizing what you're good at and what you're bad at, and in fact it is essential. The problem occurs when you become complacent (still funny) with what your strengths and weaknesses are.

I was having a problem trying to figure out why I was so bad in the past few weeks. I would walk off the field and be dumbfounded; I thought I had done everything correct and still played poorly. What I was failing to realize was that things I considered to be my strengths were not strong enough. I would analyze the point I had just played and say to myself "My throws were good, he just dropped it." I knew it was my fault but I couldn't figure out why.

I had dismissed my strengths as possible things I could be doing wrong. I'm clearing out wrong even though theory is one of my strongpoints. I could have gotten an assist if I could throw forehands into the wind, even though I have a good forehand. Just because you are good at something does not mean you are good enough.

Don't just say "Alright, I added fifteen yards to my backhand, time to learn something else." There is always room for improvement. The only time where there is no room for improvement is when you are perfect.

Similarly, you understand what you are bad at. I know I am bad a backhands and that I am slow. I ended up letting my playstyle be defined by what I cannot do. I just don't throw backhands. Because I never attempted a backhand, I didn't make a mistake. It didn't get to show up on my game report because it never happened. When I think over a point or a game and don't realize that my backhand is bad, I don't practice it. It becomes something "I just don't do." I simply focused on my forehand.

The only perfect goal is perfection. Everything else is subjective. "I want to be the best" is a trap of a goal. By definition being the best is just being better than everyone else, and we all know people's skill levels vary. Because of that you do not have a concrete goal. You can do a pro/con list and figure out why you are "better" than someone else or you already have a "good" backhand. Perfection is a definite. You can't argue with perfection. Either you are or you aren't. You can't make excuses against perfect.

If your goal is to be perfect, you will be motivated until you are perfect.

I'm gonna eat goldfish and read starcity now.

PS - E.Herbst thread needs some work.

Someone puked on my floor last night

I lost two discs to the trees today practicing backhand hucks.

Draw your own conclusions.

"With the perfection mindset, you remain thankful for any material rewards that come from winning. You are also thankful, win or lose, for the enjoyment of playing and for the opportunity to increase your skills. This is automatic and doesn't require you to psyche yourself up when you lose, in order to feel good. You don't have to trick yourself. You don't have to tell yourself that you don't care."

-Patrick Chapin, Next Level Magic

7-0

7-0, but it's probably been two weeks since I've played at a passable level. I'm not sure I've been this bad since early Freshman year. I dropped another pass today.

I have found only one possible solution.

Sideburns.

Blech again

Turned it over probably ten times, threw bladey forehands into the wind, played far too aggressively(especially into the wind), closed my eyes while laying out and therefore didn't cathc any, and dropped a disc.

This needs to stop.

Blech

I played poorly. Was slow, clogged lanes, and got beat deep (jk he dropped it).

But we're 6-0.

Another title.

"As obvious as this might sound, people spend so much time and emotional effort trying to prove to themselves that they are already 'good enough.' The proper question is, 'How can we become better?' The ultimate question is, 'How can we become perfect?'"

"People who make excuses in attempts to tell themselves that they are already good enough will never have the results of someone who humbly accepts that there is always more to learn."

-Patrick Chapin, Next Level Magic

Tryouts/practice/funtime

Got there at 955 with David. We were the first people there.

Ended up with 8, then 9, and finished with ten.

Started with 3-man weave twice, then 4-man weave (Designated Dump and Swing, downfield cutters alternate in-cuts and deep cuts, with only in-cuts being thrown to and only thrown by the "swing"). Ate some water, and then did Big Dick drill with everyone doing an in-cut and then everyone doing a deep cut. Played some 3v3 winners stay on, and then some 5v5.

Lastly, and the bestly as well, was two cone suicides. One about 10 yards out, and the next one about an additional 10 yards out. You make a cut at the first cone and come back under and catch the disc. You make two cuts per cone (To Cone1, back, Cone1,Back,cone2,back, etc.) and after you make your second cut on the last cone you book it deep and they hit you with a lead pass. That is my new favorite end-of-practice-conditioning-thing. It was recommended that you split it up into teams and its a race and the winner gets to come off. That is some conditioning.

I played alright, but my lack of stamina showed. I doubt they are taking me to jazzfest, but I don't think they mind if I show up to the practice once a week. I definitely don't have the throws to handle for the team, but I feel that I am dangerous out of the power position, especially if I get a cut to my flick side.

Also, the Canadian (and I think a captain for the team) gave me some tips on reducing the number of unintentional airbounces I have on my backhands. I think the advice would be useful for many of the players on the team. I can't quite articulate it that well, but involves moving your thumb closer to the rim of the disc, pivoting out before you turn your body, and keeping your core straight.

I also found out that every one of my bad flicks are when I tilt my core. Form is key.

This needed a title.

"The best cure for ego is ambition"

-Oliver Ruel

And I just can't hide it.

Ben got whiteboards.

I'm so excited.

Rain

Game in the rain in 40 minutes. Just ate some oatmeal.

Edit: You're lucky I'm not trying to unnecessarily bolster my post count.

Games started almost on time, but we had to play savage and they had 1 sub. Went down a quick 4-2 and decided to start playing defense and made it 6-4. At that point some bro had to pick up his wife, and then the other team had to play 5-2. Since we only had one girl, we had to play mandown 5-1. We then took half 8-4. We got to play 7's again after half, and we ended up winning 15-10. Unfortunately, their captain (who plays on Mamabird) got a disc or a hand or a something to the face and his teeth went through his lip. Thats pretty hardxcore. The one girl on our team played savage, had 3 layout D's and probably 6 points. She is good.

Speed TD's really don't care if it was raining. I broke my defender's ankles several times.

David heard about someone starting a club team around Albany with only 8 guys and volunteered himself. And then he vouched for me. So I have to wake up at some ungodly hour for tryouts/practice/funtime on Sunday AKA day after my birthday AKA when I should be hungover. Such is life.

uhhhhhthatsitfornowIthink.

PS: Lightning Bolt is in the next coreset.

editpps: 5-0

PPS

Sore from yesterday. Can't wait for tomorrow.

Mediocre

Full extention layout catch, full-field forehand huck, solid D, 13-15 loss.

PS: Shoulder jerk is misleading -- it's all in the hips.

IMO

4-0

4-0. Monday is for first place against Orange. I hope I'm not too hungover.

Caught a point. It was when Zac Hilton had to cover me deep in a zone. And on a 3 v 1.

Two posts in one day. Can't get much better than that.

PS -- 50/50's are paying off.

Blag

The captain for my Albany team is a powerful blagger. I hope to one day blag as proficiently as he does.

Hill

"But I resolved to myself right before match number one, sitting outside the waterfall-sculpture that flanked the Convention Hall, that whatever happened in this tournament I would not make excuses. That I would evaluate everything honestly. And the truth, in this instance, was that it was me, not the universe, who was creating this narrative, and it was me who insisted upon making it true at all costs." *

Also, I think when I catch. I figured that out when I was throwing a water bottle around with Tom and David last night. I was dropping the easiest two handed ones until I started actually looking at the bottle and how it was moving. I'm guessing the same thing applies to Ultimate. The mantra "eyes on the disc" doesn't just mean to simply look at the disc, it means to know exactly what it's doing. Knowing exactly how much that hammer is going to rotate and how exactly to place your hand on it. You might not necessarily need to think about that exact moment, but you have to be concentrating on the game. Concentrating on how you're gripping the disc, how you're setting up your next cut, everything. "Get your head in the game" may be cliche, but it's also true.

Throws aren't at a person, they're at a window. A lot of times the best window is right at their chest, but one has to recognize that even though the pretty play is to squeeze a disc in right in front of them, the percentage play is often a throw to the side of the receiver.

This flows nicely into knowing your teammates, because knowing exactly how fast David strides down the field is pretty important when you have to hit the 1 square foot window of his hands. This game, even at its lowest level, is a game of inches. Whether those inches come on 80 yard hucks or 5 yard barbecue backhands is largely irrelevant. Layout D's come on throws that are inches too close to their defender.

Just because you have the ability to make a throw doesn't mean you need to make it. Just because you are a better thrower than the other handlers doesn't mean you have to throw it. Just because you are the tallest person on the team doesn't mean you have to be the only deep. There is a lot of merit to running an offense (or defense) as a system rather than a bunch of players running an offense. Know what the object of your offense is and execute. Sure, you've got a 50 yard hammer, but is that what your offense is trying to do? If your offense is trying to Iso you so you can unleash it, perfect. Just because you complete an ill-advised throw does not mean it was the correct play. You need to know what your offense is trying to accomplish and then make a play based on that. This holds true on defense -- biting on a certain cut because you are in a man-defense mindset or poaching a lane because you're in a zone mindset can be crippling. Know how your defense is trying to force a turn and then play for that.

"I allowed it to stop being about me, and start being about the game, how I could play it, what I could do. I focused on what I was doing right now. I allowed myself to win. I refused to be afraid of the vulnerability that success implies. I allowed myself to be hurt, to be crushed even, by the possibility of impending loss. Only then could the competing possibility be realized."

Read it. Especially the 90% of you that both read this and play Magic. Zac Hill helps my Ultimate game more than he helps my Magic game. Both of the quotes are from this one.

http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/misc/17595_Chatter_of_the_Squirrel_Honolulu_and_a_Hole_in_the_World.html

PS -- This one is probably better. Definitely better if you don't play Magic.

http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/misc/2005_Stuck_In_The_Middle_With_Bruce.html

I think that's it..

Nothing

Slept through all of my frisbee obligations today.

FML

(Untitled)

That's actually a title.

3-0. Obv.

This just in -- I actually enjoy playing defense.

Who woulda thunk.

What up.

"I was impressed with the guys I did not know coming in, Matt, Dubes, and Caitlin. Solid play, I remember one instance where Caitlin skied her girl but smacked the disc right into her chest, as well as a lay out D attempt by Dubes that was inches away from getting the jam on his cutter."

http://ectocoolwhip.wordpress.com/-- Sonny's Blag

Thats my second one. I'm gonna get it on Monday. I'm literally only going to play D points from now on, offense is boring as fuck. Helps avoid the whole elbow problem, too.

You guys best be working hard to avoid being shat on by me next semester, btw.

Eh

Won 15-11 (I think) against yellow team, but Red beat them 15-5 on Monday. David's team (Baby Blue obv) beat red today (16-14) though. Looks to be a pretty even regular season until Green(me) pulls away at the end.

Played pretty poorly today, mostly too slow to move. I could blame it on a lot of things, but I was just slow. My backhands look pretty, though.

I'm excited to go to a doctor so I can really throw again.

Thats it, I think.

Update

I'm trying to set a world record for blag posts in a month. Have fun.

Social league team (Purple obv.) won 15-12. 

I might have a backhand now. Might.

New house is pimp.

Ben and 2x4 are living with Trent next year.

I now wear a trucker hat backwards instread of my doober-rag.

That is all.

Albany Debut

Should have had a layout D if I led with the correct hand. Snertz is making me have actual ups. We have a kid on our team that would put Zephyer to shame. We might win the Summerleagueionship. Won first game 15-13 after playing savage for the first 7 and having our girl play savage the whole time, and without our captain.

About it.