One Percenters

As I prepare for the Selection Camp for WUGC 08 at the AIS next weekend I got thinking about the small things that make a big difference on the ultimate field.

In AFL they call these things "One Percenters", like smothers and tackles etc.

In Ultimate we have key core skills: running, catching, throwing, reading the disc, jumping, laying out. To be an elite player you have to be good at all those things. The one perecenters are things outside these core skills that don't take a lot of skill, just an awareness that they need to be done. They are also the things that separate good players from great players.

The things I think come under the"One Percenter" banner (even though I think they are worth more than one perecent) are :

Faking with Purpose
A lot of intermediate players seem to fake just for the sake of faking. But good players sometimes just stand still with the disc until they actually know where they want to throw it, then they fake to move the marker to get the disc where they want it.

Holding the Force
This is obviously crucial, both when marking and guarding. Knowing the force is a key component of this as is NOT going for point blocks on the open side.

Talking
This is both on and off the fields. Calls such as: Up, Strike, Switch, No break

Catching D's
So many times people get undone by this, but they keep macking those D's - CATCH THEM!

Clearing Hard
If you make a cut and don't get the disc, cut just as hard back to the stack

Backing Up
When the disc goes deep and you are not nearby, either on O or D, you need to sprint hard to help out.

Engaging the Dump
At whatever count the team rule is you need to look at the dump and then not look anywhere else.

Transitioning Quickly
When there is a change from either D to O or vice versa, you need to change to the new state as quickly as possible - sometimes even before the turnover has actually happened.

Attacking the Disc
Never wait for the disc to come to you - ATTACK IT!

These all sound like such simple things, but if you could ensure you remembered to do all of them every game, I think your effectiveness would increase dramatically. As well as being useful to remember when playing at an elite level, these things are also useful to remember when teaching beginners/intermediate players - they are simple tips to pass on that can dramatically increase the effectiveness of every player, regardless of their 'core skills'.