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How To Get Into The Sky Club
by Kiran Thomas
My first action, after recognizing that I am about to engage in a 50/50 disc tango, is to take the appropriate angle of attack based on where I think the disc is going to go. This is obviously stale information for veterans. But for the beginners out there, you'll always be considered a member of the grounds crew if you keep running directly underneath the disc expecting that it will drop down to you. Being able to understand the disc's angle of descent with ease will put you on the fast track to a Sky Club membership.
The next step for me is to try and visualize the best course of action I need to take to get the disc in my hand. I'll have images running through my head that guide me through the upcoming attack. Do I see myself needing to shield off my defender(s)? Should I accelerate/decelerate to the disc? The goal for me is to be proactive about what I need to do instead of being reactive. During this process, the disc and its trajectory will hopefully position itself in in a way that looks familiar to what I have been preparing for.
I've described this moment to teammates by saying the disc looks fatter to me. I have no logical explanation as to why the disc looks fatter. Maybe it will look like a cheeseburger to you if you try this, I don't know. All I know is I have a visual trigger that tells me it's time to execute.
Personally, the ability to visualize how to attack a floaty disc mid-flight comes from practice. I have practiced pulling down high discs hundreds of times (and counting) against a plethora of leapers in Austin and against my soccer player of a younger brother (always good for confidence building). In a game, I know I can take the time to relax and visualize while the disc is in the air because I am comfortable in this situation. I am confident of when to attack, because I have practiced it many times before.
One last thing I would like to add is that I think a common mistake in the 50/50 situation is to worry about how high your competitors can jump. If you freak yourself out about whom you are up against, you are setting yourself up for failure. Be confident in what you can do and let the other person(s) do the worrying.
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Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 |
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