Everything I Know About Throwing

"It takes 1 million reps before you have mastered a throw." - Ron

"Throwing, the one area of the game that has no ceiling, no limit."  -808

How do you build a great thrower?  How do the Sevilles, Nethercutts, Matzukas, Lius, Kubalanzas, Wiggins's, Snyders, Tunnels, Markettes, etc. of the world develop?

I don't think there's a secret sauce.  If there is, I'm not aware of it.  So while I don't know how to take an 8/10 thrower and make them a 10/10, I do know a few things about getting to 5/10.  So here are a bunch of thoughts, anecdotes, and links.  

One of my thoughts is that throwing is an art, and somewhere within discipline, effort, and desire lies mastery.

Another thought is that you can always grow as a thrower.  In fact, if throwing ability was truly fixed, my fates would have been sealed from day 1.

Here is a rough personal timeline:

Birth - 2005:  Occasionally threw backhands for fun

2005-2007: Threw backhands in pickup ultimate games.  Occasionally attempted flicks, which immediately bladed into the ground and rolled away.

Fall 07: (Start of college) Threw only backhands, flick still totally useless.

Spring Break 08:  Threw flicks every day for a week.  Threw first flat flick.

Summer 08: Threw 1-2x per week, about 100 throws per session.  Threw at a baseball backstop and worked on different shapes (oi/io/flat).

Fall 08: "You should try being a handler."  Tried being a handler, went terribly, back to cutting.

"When are you gonna straighten out that arm?"  -Coach R, after seeing me throw a backhand

Winter 08:  Still can't throw to in-cuts consistently.  Somehow the stars align and I bomb a flick huck in a practice.  This blows Sketch's mind.  I was not able to repeat this throw, sadly.

Spring 09: Around now I decide I'm pretty good at throwing.  (I am totally wrong)

Summer 09: I throw maybe 3 times the entire summer.  I went to Evanston pickup a few times.

Fall 09:  I read Zs and Crazy Frank's blogs.  I'm not yet aware that Crazy Frank is crazy.  I read Idris's "throwers don't pivot" post.  Then I interpret it too literally:

"When you hold the disc, you're like a stone.  Try being a little more active." -Z

Summer 10: Throw once a week with NUT people who are hanging around for the summer.  Hucks get a little better.

2010-2011 academic year:  Do no extra work on throws -> get no better at throwing 

Summer 11:  Go abroad, bring no discs.  No throwing for some months.

Fall 11:  Discover KFT, do it weekly for 12 weeks.  Play and throw almost every day while studying abroad.

Winter 11:  Return to NUT from abroad, now a handler for nut.  Play and throw almost every day, but very little throwing on my own.

Spring 12:  Practice pulling twice a week.

(end of college)

2012:  Played club for Haymaker, was a cutter/benchwarmer.  No consistent throwing practice -> throws got much worse.  After the season, I decided my throws needed to improve, so I started throwing in a field by myself during my lunch hour.  I averaged 2-3 times per week during the week, sessions of 20-30 min.  I threw 5,000 total throws between Oct '12 and Feb '13.  Each day I worked on a single type of throw (shape, release time, footwork, etc) that I felt needed work.  During this period I tinkered with grip and body position.  Got a pair of gloves for throwing outside when it's winter.

2013:  Showed up at Wildfire tryouts with much better throws, made the team (as a cutter).  Almost certainly had the worst throws on the team.  Played as an oline cutter for Chicago Club with a passable backhand and a trash flick.  I threw about 4,000 focused throws outside of practice between Feb and September.  I stumbled across and read 808s blog.

2014:  Decided I needed to be a much better thrower if I wanted to play high level ultimate seriously.  I decided I needed to get serious about throwing if I wanted to handle on my return to ultimate,  Started talking to Walden regularly about mechanics.  Took video of myself and worked on specific flaws in my form (flick: forearm position, wrist snap, upper arm position, managing the mark, release angle, invert, how to add power, footwork, etc.)  This calendar year I barely played as I was recovering from my ACL injury.  I threw 43,305 focused throws (just throwing, no ultimate), throwing 6-7 days per week.

2015:  Made Wildfire again, this time as a handler.  Handled for BMU on the oline over the summer.  Continued to take video and work on mechanics issues.  Worked on developing better quick releases and throwing in different winds with different marks.  I threw 30,849 focused throws (just throwing, no practices/drills/games), throwing 5-6 days per week.  I believe this number went down due to playing a season of club and an increased number of throws in games and practices.

2016:  The goal for 2016 is 45,000 focused throws, with specific goals associated with my many weaknesses as a thrower.

I feel like I have improved the most as a thrower within the last 3 years.  It pains me to look back on this and see how obviously related my improvement level has been to just challenging myself to do so.  Why did I wait until after college to invest in my throws?  This haunts me.  Could I have made a far bigger impact in my college ultimate career if I had applied myself to learning how to throw?  Without a hint of a doubt.

The more I learn, the more I realize I do not know.  But rather than despair at the length of the path, I'm enjoying the journey.

Reading articles and trying stuff out has been a huge way that I have learned more about throwing.

Here are just a few articles:

http://skydmagazine.com/2015/03/throwing-101-teaching-the-growth-mindset/

http://skydmagazine.com/2012/02/kung-fu-throwing/

http://skydmagazine.com/2011/11/wiggins-zen-throwing-routine/

http://skydmagazine.com/2015/12/great-throwers-dont-pivot/

http://www.ultimaterob.com/2013/11/14/forehand-mechanics-that-arent-taught/

http://ultiworld.com/2015/05/12/the-forehand-part-i/

http://ultiworld.com/2015/06/09/the-forehand-part-two/

http://ultiworld.com/2015/06/23/the-forehand-part-3/

http://ultiworld.com/2015/07/09/the-forehand-part-four-best-practices/

http://tilymi.com/the-black-box-of-throwing/

http://f1215833808.blogspot.com/2007/09/throw.html

https://vimeo.com/44359390

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

-William Ernest Henley

-----

Some light reading on coaching, motivation, and life, via Adam:
http://www.si.com/vault/2012/02/13/106159205/man-in-full

Shield and Spear Paradox

"What's your greatest strength?"

"I'm too stubborn to quit."

"What's your greatest weakness?"

"A complete lack of talent."

Brett on Grips

Brett reviewed some new gloves on skyd.  Buried in that review, he hints that he will often vary his throwing grip for different kinds of throws.  In the comments, a keen-eyed reader asks Brett about it.  I'm putting it here for later reference and so it doesn't get buried/lost.

Reference:
http://skydmagazine.com/2016/03/product-review-layout-ultimate-gloves/

-----

Mohammed Waseem • 11 days ago

Hey Brett. Great review. Sorry to veer off topic, but the line "utilizing slightly different grips
(split finger, power grip, hybrid, etc) for the same throw depending on distance, power, and
weighting" caught my eye. I don't do that, never thought of using it to my advantage either.
Have you explained this in detail before, in an article/video? If not, could you please elaborate on it? Thanks!

-----

Brett  Mohammed Waseem • 11 days ago

Hey Mohammed,
I have not talked about it much via the internet, but have discussed it in person with
teammates/friends/frisbee folk. This idea comes from my prior sports experience as a
semi-pro tennis player. Tennis players can have a wide range of grips to generate
different shots. From an eastern grip to a western grip, and everything in between:
https://www.google.com/search?...

The idea is that when you are battling baseline to baseline with hard hitting ground strokes,
you want to hit it as hard as possible to put your opposition on defense, while having enough
 top spin to keep the ball in the court. Closing the racket face (more western), generates more
 topspin but usually cuts down power. When you decide to go for a winner, you might want to
 flatten your shot out which would cut down on top spin, but generate more pace.
 Obviously the room for error shrinks, but leads to a more aggressive shot (more eastern grip).
 When you come to the net to volley, you will switch to a continental grip to maximize the racket
 face area. Other factors will come into play such as position on the court, where your opponent
 is positioned and so forth. The closer to the net, the higher the clearance, so you would need
 more top spin. In general, tennis players don't use one grip the entire match, not even the
 entire point, but will shift their grip for each tailored shot.

Utilizing this idea, why would a power grip be more advantageous for a short touch throw over
 a split finger? Much like the tennis analogy, I find small changes and alterations in grip
 provide distinct advantages in different situations. For examples, split finger grip (index finger
 sticking out perpendicular to the rim; e.g. index finger extended directly to the center of the disc)
 provides more stability and control over the release, but creates less power. Given an inside
break throw, based upon size of window, position of defender, awareness of offensive cutter,
 and a few other factors, I will alter where my index finger sits on the disc from a power grip
(index finger on the rim with middle finger, pressing hard to create more snap) if the window
 is tight, defender close, and the disc needs to arrive quickly, to a split finger grip if the
 defender is loose, window larger, or maybe a face mark where more touch will be advantageous
 to the cutter.

Another example is when throwing a high release flick. Given human physiology, I have a few
levers/cantilevers to control release angle/pitch, these being my wrist, my elbow, my shoulder,
 and my hips, primarily (could argue more, but simplicity is easier to understand and the
 reader can extrapolate). For example, if I hold the disc with a power grip forehand, I can keep
 my hips parallel to the ground, my arm parallel to the ground, and wrist parallel to the ground,
 and upon release, the disc should theoretically be released flat (everything is parallel to the
 ground). Now, holding all components the same, but bending my elbow up 90 degrees, if I
 release the disc (it now being straight up and down), it will be thrown as a blade.
(replace dumbell with disc)
https://www.google.com/search?...

Now, assuming I want to release the disc as theoretically high as possible, my shoulder will move
 my arm perpendicular to the ground (replace dumbell with disc):
https://www.google.com/search?...

Holding everything constant, again the disc will be released as a blade. So I must make
 adjustments to get a flat throw off. I can't utilize my elbow as bending that alters my throw
 from a flick to a hammer (bending my elbow moves my release more and more over my
 head). Altering my hips will only cause it to be less high release, which is against our stated
 purpose. So the only cantilever I can use is my wrist and subsequently, grip. If I bend my
 wrist away from my body 90 degrees, the disc will be parallel to the ground, however, my
 wrist will not be able to maintain that position throughout my throw due to my throwing
 mechanics. My wrist naturally will roll up on the snap due to angle and physiology (combination
 of flexion/extension, radial deviation, and pronation/supination). So again, I will change my
 grip. To manage a flat release, I will switch to a power grip which allows the disc face to point
 away from my body and creates a negative pitch (if the disc being parallel to the ground is
 0 degrees, then allowing the face of the disc angle away from my body would be -x degrees).
 Along with this, I will also move my thumb from off the top of the disc to the side of the rim
 (this will further allow more negative pitch).

Normal forehand grip on top:
https://www.google.com/search?...

I would take the thumb, which is on top and pointing towards the center of the disc, and move
 it as close to the rim as possible. This will counter the effects of flexion/extension, radial
 deviation, and pronation/supination that will occur due to the current position of the disc
 leading to a flat throw.

There are plenty of other examples, including with the backhand. Some people reference that
 I throw a more 'air-bounce' backhand, but I can throw with no bounce to extreme bounce
 just by altering the position of my thumb on the top of the disc. If my receiver is shallow and
 plants to cut deep while my mark is loose, I might throw a deep backhand with some
 touch/air-bounce/weight so that the receiver has plenty of time to run onto it (moving thumb
 away from rim towards middle of disc, on top). If I wait so he gets farther down the field such
 that I can rip a hard backhand, my mark might have time to get tight and prohibit this throw.
 So throwing earlier with touch is better. If my receiver is halfway down the field already, I need
 to expedite the flight so will need to rip it as previously described (move thumb closer to the
 rim on top).

My point with regards to the gloves was that these nuances were harder to feel and execute
 due to the sticky nature of the grip. For most people, this is highly advantageous, but given
 I will use a number of frenetic movements, I found the gloves made some of these habits more
 challenging and requiring more time to get acquainted.

I apologize that I couldn't take better pictures (google is what I have at my disposal currently)
 and delve into this with more detail, but I am at work and wanted to respond. I hope this
 provides at least a solid starting point to explaining what I meant. If you want to know more,
 feel free to post and I will keep responding. If others are interested, maybe I can throw a article
 together with video/pics.

Have a great day, God Bless,
Brett

Goal Setting

Tryout Feedback:

"You were trying out for a defensive handler spot.  Your role would have been to facilitate the offense on a turn to help us convert breaks.  You didn't make it because we didn't think you were quick enough compared to the other tryouts.  We also had some concerns about your throws.  We see you as a streaky thrower.  When you're on you can break the mark and put the disc anywhere, but when you're off you turn the disc over too much.  These were the main reasons we cut you."

There's a lot to unpack here.  The main themes are 1. "you aren't quick enough", and 2. "your throws aren't consistent enough".  It is also implied that defense (specifically handler defense) isn't good enough.  These things are big and difficult to turn into actionable, process-related targets.

As a coach, it is a pet peeve of mine to play someone who is bad at defense on a d-line, simply for their offensive ability.  As a player, I am also acutely aware of how good you have to be to play on a high level o-line.  As a coach and a player, I feel strongly that players who can't play good D shouldn't be on the field at all, because ultimate, like basketball, requires skills at both for players to be truly successful.

So defense must improve.  While true, this is way too broad to actually help me improve.  I need to break this down and set some smaller, more digestible component goals.

-----

http://ultiworld.com/2016/02/29/surviving-the-plateau/

So I am going to use Kyle Weisbrod's method to address these challenges and set some goals.  

Quick hits from Kyle's article:

What not to do:

- Avoid/Hide Weaknesses

- Focus on Mistakes

- Measure yourself against expectations

- Blame the team or the sport

What to do:

- Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Acheivable, Relatable, Time-constrained)

- Envision challenges to those goals and how to respond

- Keep a growth mindset

- Play a lot

- Practice non-judgemental awareness

- Get comfortable being uncomfortable

- Focus on relationships

------

So the big tasks at hand are setting SMART goals and envisioning challenges to these goals.

Topic 1: Quickness

In-game quickness subcomponents:

1. Physical Quickness, e.g. how fast can you run a 5-10-5 drill
• How fast can you accelerate forward?  e.g. run a 10 yard dash.
• How much force can you put into the ground?  e.g. how powerful are you?
• What is your acceleration turnover rate?
• How good are your acceleration mechanics?
• How well can you change direction?  e.g. turn hips and accelerate laterally/to the back
• How well can you turn your hips?
• How balanced are you when running?
• What is your strength to weight ratio?
• How well can you decelerate/absorb force?
• How well can you shuffle and stay balanced?
• Do you have a good athletic shuffling position?
• Can you move your feet quickly enough?
2. Mental quickness, e.g. game awareness and anticipation
• Do you have good hip position?  e.g. ready to react in an appropriate way
• Are you looking at the right things? e.g. triangulating well
• Can you see your man at all times?
• Can you see the movement of the disc most of the time without losing your man?
• Can you play help defense over the top?
• Do you understand strategic priorities?
• Can you quickly determine defensive priorities?
• Can you recognize when your defender is out of position?

So this is a massive number of different potential focuses.  Committing to focusing on all of them at once is not a productive way to improve, so I should pick a few priorities.  I am going to narrow it down to 4 things that are particular weaknesses or have big carryover to everything else.

Priorities:

• How much force can you put into the ground?  e.g. how powerful are you?
• How well can you turn your hips?
• Do you have a good athletic shuffling position?
• Can you see the disc most of the time without losing your man?

- How much force can you put into the ground?  e.g. how powerful are you?

Process: Develop power with a focused weight training program (3x per week).

S:  Improve force production by developing leg strength with a combination of 1 and 2 leg lifts.  Work on expressing strength as power with 1 and 2 leg plyometrics and other power focused drills.

M: Add 20 lbs to my 3-rep max Front Squat (225 to 245).  Add 20 lbs to my 5-rep RFESS (65 lb db to 75 lb db).  Add 3" to my hurdle jump/box jump.  Add stability to single leg hop and stick within sets of 5.

A:  These goals are difficult but achievable by following a focused, 3 day per week lifting program.  Sub-components of this goal are recovery related: eat well, sleep well, complete sufficient prehab volume.

R:  These goals are related to my overall goal of improving quickness to improve both defense and offense.

T:  The deadline for this goal is 5/7/2016 (6 weeks from today), at which point I will assess progress and set new goals.

- How well can you turn your hips?

Process:  Drill hip turns in field workouts and complete assistance hip strengthening exercises (1x per week).

S:  Develop stronger hips and practice hip turn movement patterns.  Develop supporting musculature and address any weaknesses.  Practice some common game-like hip movements.

M:  Take video of field workouts and assess hip turn positions, efficiency, and quickness.  Track metrics including: 5-10-5 time, goose cones time.  Goal is to improve metrics by 5% and clean up hip movements via video.

A:  I do not know if these goals are achievable since I have never set goals like this before.  But they seem reasonable based on my estimations.

R:  These goals are related to my overall goal of improving on-field quickness to improve defense.

T:  The deadline for this goal is 7/8/2016 (15 weeks from today), at which point I will assess progress and set new goals.

- Do you have a good athletic shuffling position?

Process:  Practice good shuffling position in static and dynamic situations.  Emphasize good motor control, keeping weight down and staying balanced on the balls of your feet (1x per week).

S:  Work on shuffling in many different scenarios.  Strengthen posterior chain and core to build shuffling endurance so that a good position can be kept longer.  Some scenarios include: marking, lateral shuffling, jockying.

M:   Take video of field workouts and assess shuffling positions and quickness.  Track metrics of two TBD shuffling drills.  Goal is to improve metrics by 10%.

A:  I do not know if these goals are achievable since I have never set goals like this before.  This target seems difficult but reachable.

R:  This goal is related to my overall goal of improving on-field quickness to improve defense.  It also has carryover to marking.

T:  The deadline for this goal is 7/8/2015 (15 weeks from today), at which point I will assess progress and set new goals.

- Can you see the disc most of the time without losing your man?

Process: In practices and drills, challenge yourself to see the disc as often as possible without giving your man an advantage.  In particular, make assessments of when it is safe to play help defense and when it is not.  Practice playing defense in "high" position downfield, when appropriate.

S:  Practice triangulating well in pickup, scrimmages, and drills.  This means seeing your man at all times and seeing the disc whenever possible.  Avoid turning your back to your man unless you are making a play on the disc (playing help defense).  You will know you are doing this well if you are able to reposition as the disc moves and don't get caught off guard by continuation passes from an unexpected area.

M:  I will measure this goal by the number of times I have practiced this concept outside of scrimmages.  I will design a drill or series of drills to practice this and will execute it on my own.  If I have practiced variations this concept 1x per week for 15 weeks, I have met my goal.

R:  This goal is related to my overall goal of improving on-field mental quickness to improve defense.

T:  The deadline for this goal is 7/8/2015 (15 weeks from today), at which point I will assess progress and set new goals.

-----

Topic 2: Throws

Throw consistency is a difficult thing to capture.  I think developing consistency requires both frequent general throwing work and specific, focused effort on throwing weaknesses.  Building up weaknesses can increase the number of options available as a thrower and can result in an overall more consistent in-game performance.

I think there are multiple ways to break this down, but I'm going to break it down by throw.  I think this approach makes sense and lends itself to actionable process goals.

In-game throwing subcomponents:

1. Throwing Ability
• Can you throw a Backhand?
• Can you control how quickly you can release it?
• Can you throw it in a variety of winds?
• Can you control how hard you throw it?
• Soft
• Hard
• Can you control where you release it from?
• Low
• Wide
• High
• Can you control its shape?
• Outside-In
• Inside-Out
• Can you throw a Flick?
• (same as above for backhand)
• Can you throw a Hammer or Scoober?
• (same as above for backhand)
• Can you pull?
2. Mental Ability
• Can you make good decisions?
• Do you know what an open person looks like?
• Do you know the offensive priorities?
• Do you have a throwing checkdown that meshes well with your skills set?
• Can you make good situational judgements?
• Do you operate well under pressure?
• Can you scale your decisions based on environmental circumstances?
• Do you rebound from mistakes well?

There is also a ton to unpack here as well.  I think the best way to approach setting throwing goals is to identify weak areas for improvement and identify strong areas for development into superpowers.  The good news is a lot of these subcomponents will have carryover to others.  So I will pick 4 priorities from this list to focus on.

Priorities:

• Flick: Wide Release
• Flick: Huck in the wind
• Backhand:  Pull
• Can you make good situational judgements?

- Flick: Wide Release, Huck in the wind, Backhand: Pull

Note: I am lumping these three together because the approach for each is similar in format.

Process:  Specific throwing workouts and video of each of these throws 1x per week.  Throwing workouts to include practicing building blocks of the throw (mechanics) as well as the full throw (coordination/power).

S:  Flick: Wide Release:  Develop a better wide release around flick break.  In particular this means working on developing a release point farther from my body, getting to that release point quickly and with balance, and delivering a crisp, strong throw.  

Flick: Huck in the wind:  Develop better power and release angle for upwind and crosswind throws at 45+ yards.  In particular work on a consistent torso, wrist position, and footwork for these throws.  Focus on developing power at the core and transferring it better through the forearm.  

Backhand: Pull:  Develop better coordination/motor control for torso and hip rotation to add power and distance to pulls.  Focus on getting better torque and driving the disc farther with use of a strong crossover step and t-spine rotation.

M:  Measurement of improvement for each of these throws will be via video analysis.  I will take video of each of these throws during the workouts and assess week to week improvements and tweaks to make.  If I have worked on each one of these throws once per week for 15 weeks, then I have met my measurement target.  A metric goal for pulls is to be able to consistently hit the endzone in crosswind and downwind situations.  Consistency goal is 8/10 pulls in the end zone.

A:  I do not know if these goals are achievable, but I think they are.  I think they will be difficult, but I am confident growth can occur.

R:  These goals are related to my overall goal of improving my throwing abilities and becoming more consistent.

T:  The deadline for this goal is 7/8/2016 (15 weeks from today).  After this I will assess and create new goals.

- Can you make good situational judgements?

Note:  This is very subjective and will require help from an outside viewer to properly assess and track improvement.

Process:  The goal is to identify through video analysis of my game play situations in which I make an incorrect decision, then think critically about why I made that decision and how to fix it for next time.  This analysis can be completed on 2015 club game film.

The Abyss

The Abyss

Walden: So in-season we would lift 2x per week, and everyone had to do the conditioning, footwork, and frisbee drills (also 2x per week).  Plus hard practices or a tournament on Sat/Sun.
Sent at 1:33 PM

Me: So the 3v3 was just on top of that.

Walden: yep
Sent at 1:41 PM

Me:  Nice.  I feel like a lot of people don't really understand how much work you guys put in on a weekly basis.  As in, people don't really realize how much work it would be if they made it.

Walden:  Haha I mean, how would they know?  That was part of why we wanted to align with Chicago Club.

Me:  That's not exactly what I mean.  I mean that the workload expectation isn't consistent with the goals.

Walden:  Right, but that's a hard thing to gauge accurately.
Sent at 2:07 PM

Me:  Yeah.  It has always been a pet peeve of mine with how Chicago Club went.  It felt like people were uninterested in really making the jump and working hard.  Maybe it was an issue of understanding what working hard means, or maybe it was a misalignment of the workload expectation and goals setting.

Walden:  Haha yeah.  It's possible people thought that that's what they wanted, and then the abyss was too scary.

Me: "The Abyss".  I think it's more like a skydive.  Like you have a parachute but you still have to gather your nerve and make the jump.
Sent at 2:26 PM

Walden:  Nah, a skydive is too easy.

Me:  What about a skydive, but you think you don't have a parachute, although you do.

Walden:  Still too easy.  Because after you jump, you know you have the parachute.

The Abyss though, you have no sense of direction, you have no idea what's there, no idea how long you have to keep going, and going back would be easier but you have to somehow find the strength and conviction to keep going forward.
Sent at 2:31 PM

Me:  So it's like a cave and you don't have any equipment or lights of any kind.

It seems you have to have a reason for entering The Abyss though.  Like you want to be great, or you're doing it for yourself/your team.
Sent at 2:33 PM

Walden:  I mean of course, you're not going to enter The Abyss for no reason.

Me:  When you said "somehow have the strength and conviction to keep going" it kind of makes it seem like having those things would be unusual.  I suppose having those things in the absence of a team would be pretty unusual.

Walden:  I mean, it IS unusual.  A lot of people give up or get discouraged, decide they can't do it, and back out of The Abyss.

Roles and Teams

Note: Joe isn't real.  All similarities to players past or present is purely coincidental.

Meet Joe.

Joe has a lot of experience as a handler.  Joe is a good thrower.  Joe can break the mark, huck, and move the disc with consistency and composure.  Maybe Joe also has a good give and go move and is pretty decent at getting open in 1v1 situations.

When Joe plays pickup, he likes to get the disc every other and run the offense.  He likes it when people catch his throws and dish it back to him while he picks apart a defense.  Joe can consistently break weaker marks and get open most of the time against less experienced players.

Joe is a pretty well-rounded ultimate player.  He doesn't have many glaring weaknesses, or at least his strengths balance out his weaknesses well enough to give him a good ultimate madden rating.

For the sake of discussion, let's rank a few of Joe's skills.

Let's say Joe's skills look something like this, with each skill ranked from 0 to 10:

Joe:

Composure with the disc: 7

Break Throws: 6

Deep Throws: 5

Give Go move: 5

1v1 Handler Cutting: 4

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Joe joins a new club team: "Average Joe's".  On this new team, Joe is not obviously better or worse than the other players on this team.

In fact, let's say that all the other players on Joe's team have the exact same skill ratings and preferences as Joe.  So any given line of 7 players has 7 copies of Joe.

 

How should Joe develop during the season, if the end goal is to create the best team possible?

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A few thoughts:

1.  A line of 7 Joes as they are at the beginning of the season would not accomplish a lot.  They would be pretty good across the roster at throwing, but would struggle mightily at getting open.  They would also struggle because every one of them is used to playing with the disc in their hands.  So maybe they would score on occasion due to their throwing ability, but there would be discord in their on-field play style, their skills would not mesh together well, and they would get frustrated easily.

2.  I think Joe needs to pick a niche.  Joe needs to grow his game in a particular area that the team needs.  This might not be a big change, but it will take specific work, mentally and physically, both in and out of practice.  Consider two scenarios for how Average Joe's season plays out:

Scenario 1:  Joe and all his carbon copies do the same things they have in the past and generally try to improve at everything, with no change in on-field approach.

Scenario 2:  Joe and each of his copies picks a different role (list of skills) to work on individually, in order to mesh into a more cohesive unit.

I feel strongly that scenario 2 would result in the better team.  For the sake of discussion, let's say Average Joe's decides to play a vertical stack offense.  So 4 copies of Joe put in extra work on: initiating cuts out of the stack, timing continuation cuts, throwing strong continue passes, and moving the disc laterally.  Then maybe 1 copy of Joe spends extra effort points on maximizing consistency, composure, and breaking the mark.  Then the remaining 2 copies of Joe max out their focus on 1v1 handler cutting, give go moves, and power position hucks.  (Notice how all of the Joes are getting better in one way or another.  None of them has to "bite the bullet" and "not get better".)

Then, after a season of hard work in practice, you have a team that can play coherent offense, but can still leverage how good they are at throwing.

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I think the key for Joe is to find a niche and get really, really good at it.

When I was starting my ultimate career people would tell me this a lot.  I didn't really get it then.  I think one of the reasons I didn't get it is that I was looking at "niche" too narrowly.  

By "niche" I don't think it means one specific thing, like "a great forehand".  I think it's more about what you can do one the field and how that's valuable to an offense.

For example:  Maybe a "niche" could be being really great at getting open in a 10x10 yard box in the reset space, as well as having good composure with the disc and moving the disc to the break side.  So the niche is about the value you have, and is made up of several skills that work well together.

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Note:  I think that "Moneymakers" and "niches" are not quite the same thing.  The way I'm talking about a "niche" in this post is that it is team-specific.  Also it is actionable within a single season or a single month.  My thought is that Moneymaker would be more like a niche developed over an entire career.