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Play A Different Position
by Ted Munter
I would argue that field vision, like speed or height, is pretty hard to teach and learn. The best athletes don't see what's happening so much as take a picture of the field and respond. A few brains can do that kind of thing, but most can't. Bill Rodriguez would counsel deeps in a zone to move up if they saw seven opposing players in front of them. Super, if, like Bill, you can see them all at once and count them at the same time. But of course something comes with seeing patterns. A player who comes to Ultimate late, after playing years of soccer, will probably have a better feel for the game than a cross-country runner. One of the best first year players I ever saw had been a quarterback. With no one trying to kill him every three seconds, ten seconds seemed like plenty of time to survey and throw.
Three suggestions to getting better:
1) Play a different position. Seems obvious, but do it. In that zone or on offense, find a different spot. You will see the game differently and that helps. Famously, Bill Russell ran every Celtics play from every position, not just his own.
2) Play some scrimmages with different parameters: A shorter or narrower field, a shorter stall, six on seven.
3) Find a way of trying things you know are never gonna work. "After he throws a swing I am going to stand in the lane and watch as I count "one, two" and look around. Yeah, my guy may go score, but I am seeing what happens. If your team allows for such scrimmages (and for more sensible versions of what I am suggesting) you may be able to develop a better sense of "go now" or "don't wait," which is really all we are talking about.
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Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 |
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