Off late, I have been watching a good number of Ultimate games on Youtube. So I thought I could draft a guide on - ‘how to watch an Ultimate game and benefit from it’. More than a guide, these are notes based on how I prefer to watch Ultimate games.
There are plenty of amazing games available on Youtube. You can find some good ones below, to start with.
Mixed format : Seattle Mixtape and Philly AMP - link
Opens : Chicago Machine vs Seattle Sockeye - link
Womens : Boston Brute Squad vs San Francisco Fury - link
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Have favorite players you wish to look out for in the game. Every team has a few great contributors. For example, in the first link above, I would like to watch Khalif El Salaam (Mixtape), or Anna Thompson (AMP). Similarly, PoNY has Jimmy Mickle, Grant Lindsley - two players I love watching in a game.
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If you dont have such player(s) for any game, you would find one as you watch a few points of the game. Doing this gives you some motivation to watch the full game and see what those players do to get free, get break passes or get D’s etc. Of course, this does not mean the other players go unnoticed. But having Cristiano Ronaldo in their squad made me watch all of the ManUtd games of the 08-09 season.
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I watch every pull. As I have been wanting to improve my pulls, I look at each and every pull, to see their run-up, and release. I can then work on my form and correct it. For you, it might be cutting, defense, hucks whatever. Watching each one of them, with attention to detail, will certainly help.
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Notice the defensive strategy. It’s a good practice (especially in a zone D) to pause the video in order to understand where each player is looking at, what spaces they are guarding, how they are positioned and how they react to any movement from the offensive players. In simple terms, what they are ok to give and what they strive hard to take away. Teams have different strategies on different points, and it is super interesting to see how they adapt and transition.
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Notice the offensive flow. I try to not keep my eyes fixed on the disc or the person with the disc while watching a game. For a pass to be made, there should be a successful cut. So once a handler reset happens (or is about to happen), I look at the downfield to see how the cutters move/fake in order to come and receive the disc. Also, notice the effort the offense has to put (the cuts and fakes) to progress/reset the disc. Pause the video to read the offensive strategy, timing of cut etc. [Grant Lindsley is a good example for a cutter with great technique. Jimmy Mickle and Anna Thompson have amazing handler reset fakes for their cuts]
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Pause> rewind > watch again. The layout D’s, assists and verticals make it to the highlights after a point, but not the handler fakes, commitment cuts or tight shut-down defensive plays. So it is a good practice to pause and watch such plays again. It makes you appreciate each and every contributing factor in a point.
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Listen to the commentary. Sometimes the commentators give good insight about the strategy used, the strength of individual players, how certain plays(or practices) affect/aid the mindset of the whole team etc.
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Admire! Because that will make you watch more Ultimate and want to try things on the field. Admire the small and big things, from break side passes, amazing layout D’s to quick clearing, pump fakes etc.
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Visualize yourself doing things just like the plays in the video. Tell yourself to replicate what the player did if you ever came across such a situation on the field.
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Share the video with teammates if you notice any good plays that you’d want them to watch. I like to share good plays from a game to anyone who would watch and enjoy it. It could possibly help them improve their game as well.
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Dont binge-watch Ultimate games. To avoid getting bored of watching Ultimate, I recommend watching not more than 1 (or 2) full game of Ultimate at once. Giving some time after watching a game allows you to think about the plays you noticed and keep them in your mind. I tend to watch 1 game of Ultimate in parts, but never 2 games one after the other.
If you have anything to add to the above points, let me know. If there is something you disagree with, please feel free to bring that up.
Cheers! Birdie