Was in Brisbane for the BCI at the end of February.
HoS was quite understrength, but it was still a worthwhile tournament.
Lessons learnt:
Eye Contact
I can't over state how important it is for a thrower and a receiver to make eye contact. ESPECIALLY when coming in from a check. Playing against Colonies Japanese style zone, one look at Timill and then a nod towards the endzone, was all it took to set up an easy completed huck. The one main advantage the offence has over defense, is that they get to choose when and where they go. When you communicate in stealth this information to the thrower, it makes your job 10 times easier.
Self refereed gives right result
A lot of times people tell stories about how self refereeing allowed a playing to make a bad call that cost the game. We don't often hear about stories from the other perspective, but a perfect example happened at BCI.It was double game point v NZ, they have the disc and a dump pass went into their end zone. It looks like NZ guy has reached up and grabbed the disc just as Piers yanks it away and takes a Callahan goal. I was standing quite close and was certain it was a strip - the NZ guy had control of the disc and Piers ripped it out. Had I been a referee I would have blown a whistle and made that call. I stood there waiting for the strip call, but none came. Apparently Piers had somehow managed to tip the disc over the NZ guy's hand and then take the catch. But it sure didn't look like that. Luckily we were playing a self refereed sport, so the correct result ensued - goal, set, match to HoS.
Speak UP!
I took a big catch over a NZ defender, and there was some contact between our arms. He called a foul. He claimed I had pushed him out of the way. I claimed that my arm was there and that he jumped into it. All my teammates supported my call, so I asked a NZ player nearby if he had a perspective on the play. He didn't want to answer and merely said - it's up to him. I tried to convince him that he could provide information to help his teammate make a call, but he declined: it's up to him. It was pretty clear to me that he didn't think it was a foul either, but he didn't want to say so. That's not what self refereeing is about:
1.5.1.
1.10. | informing a team-mate if they have made a wrong or unnecessary call or caused a foul or violation
Rules should be interpreted by the players directly involved in the play, or by players who had the best perspective on the play |
It can be hard to tell a teammate they are wrong, but it doesn't have to be like that. Sometimes it's good to be able to say " from my perspective....". This way, the teammate can still disagree, because from their perspective something else happened, but at least they get more information to be able to make the right call.
It's a self refereed sport - we are ALL referees.
Static Offence
I seem to be harking on a bit about NZ, but it provided some good lessons. It was amazing how static their offence was. When they caught the disc downfield, they turned, faced the endzone and waited for about 5 seconds for a good cut. If it didn't come, they looked for the dump. They did that ALL THE TIME! Most Aussie teams employ some sort of give go to get quick movement, establish power positions, change the angles etc. But NZ were having none of it!
Cramp
I suffered my first serious case of cramp on the weekend. I cramped in both my calves and my groins, at the same time. It was most unpleasant. I don't think I drink enough water - I should drink more!! I was feeling in quite a bad state Saturday night and was seriously considering throwing in the towel and making 2010 my last serious year of Ultimate. Thankfully Sunday came along and changed my mind.
Raining Goals
I caught or threw a lot of goals on Sunday. It started off with a miffed D by Johnno Holmes that let me catch an easy goal and just kept on rolling. I was involved in a majority of Goals v NZ and pitched in for a few more against Colony. I was really pleased that I remembered some of my previous learnings - keep cutting - you don't have to score off the first pass!
Layout D
Sunday was also special because I got my first real come from behind D on an in cut. I din't think about it, I just saw a clear line around my man and leaped. I don't think I even touched the disc, but the view of my man standing there with open arms was priceless. I think the difference in getting this d and when I have failed is footwork. With big strides, it is really hard to time the launch at the right time, but quick little step before the launch, means the timing can be more 'refined'.
