Back to the Basics

Recently, I was doing some research for my Ironside (Boston Ultimate) article and I did an interview with Jim Parinella. Given my suspect history with Boston, I really wanted to get it right this time, so I pulled out all the stops. However, in discussing a variety of topics with Jim, something really stuck out for me and I wanted to discuss it here.

I asked Jim about changes that have occurred in ultimate during his playing tenure and two things that he seemed to notice were that 1) there is a much larger prevalence of the "athletic big guy" in the sense that the bigger, more jock like athlete has become more popular on ultimate teams and 2) teams seem to rely on this kind of play more, in the sense that raw athletic power, speed, and strength are more useful now, potentially more so than overall mental ability. Jim spoke fondly of DoG days where the team was very smart and understood spacing and movement over pure speed and I wonder if those days are long gone?

This got me thinking a fair amount because I was one of those guys that didn't have the varsity athletic set that a lot of players have nowadays, but that doesn't necessarily mean that people like myself cannot compete at the highest level. What separates the elite from the novice in ultimate (and most sports) is not a 40 time, or a vertical, but your understanding of the game and your ability to integrate your mental acuity and your physical execution. A good cut is a good cut whether it comes from a Beau like athlete or a heavy set old timer. Conversely, no amount of athleticism in the world can compensate for a clumsy cut and despite the fact that we all might like emphasizing track workouts and lifting, fundamentals and mechanics cannot be stressed enough.

In addition to this tangent associated with Boston Ultimate, I was also invited to visit the National Ultimate Training Camp (NUTC), held in Northfield, MA by the director, Tiina Booth. I had been curious about this organization for some time and considering that I had just spoken with one of the game's best regarding the average intelligence of players, I thought now would be a good time to check out the Rolls Royce of Ultimate training environments. Yesterday (Sunday), I made the trip up to NUTC and I wanted to share some of my thoughts regarding the development of fundamentals and the camp experience overall.

Camp Experience

NUTC may be an ultimate camp, but it is still a camp. Tiina, George Cooke and the counselor crew have really done a fantastic job of not only educating these youngsters regarding ultimate, but they have also provided a safe and secure camp experience. I did the camp thing a ton when I was growing up and have had every experience from the very popular kid all the way to the excluded fat kid with no friends. Avoiding the later is something that every camp should do, but many people slip through the cracks. The fact that this is a sport based camp makes this even more difficult. Naturally, the more athletically gifted participants will draw more attention, will have an easier time developing confidence and will probably enjoy the experience more. However, those that are not as coordinated, experienced or athletic, may have trouble hitting their stride and with a week long overnight camp, this can be an incredibly fearful experience. Considering the age group of these kids (13-17), the far reaching implications of this experience can be very damaging if things go poorly and I know from experience that a bad week at 13 or 15 or whatever can really stick with you the rest of your life.

That being said, Tiina and Company have really done a fantastic job of avoiding these circumstances. First off, they really stress the break up of social cliques. Obviously schools like Amherst and Paidea are going to be represented highly and this can easily set up social islands and what not. In addition, solid ultimate programs throughout the country also have this affect and right off the bat, players can/will gravitate to those that are like them. This is a situation that most camp administrators would like to avoid and NUTC really does a great job.

First off, they really focus on dividing up the kids constantly. There are several rounds of reorganization that involve what floor kids are sleeping on and what team they play for. Two players might have different sleeping arrangements and be on different teams at first but player shuffling occurs often and new teams are picked half way through the week. With this sort of blending, campers are constantly re-directed and poor social infrastructure (ie cliques or bullies) really have a tough time manifesting.

Secondly, a major source of social control comes from the counselors. I don't even need to mention how sterling these folks are but when your camp has instructors like Miranda Roth, Andrew Hollingworth, Sam and Patrick Roberts, Adam Fagin, George Stubbs, etc.. it becomes really easy for campers to respect their leaders. Tiina accentuates this, not only by having a camper/counselor game (where the kids get pwned) but also by having posters describing the ultimate resume that each of these players has, inside the dorm. The reason this is so important, is that campers need to respect their leaders, not only for directional purposes but because they will emulate their behavior. It becomes "cool" to follow appropriate social trends like encouragement and inclusion and each counselor, in addition to being amazingly talented, really emphasizes team spirit, equal opportunity, and camaraderie between players. Things like poor language and verbal abuse are very taboo and this sets up a very comfortable environment for those that need it. I was one of these kids that could have benefited from this and it was really nice to see a camp environment where horror stories that I have in my past, could not develop.

Lastly, it seems like the best way to organize these kids (and this goes for most kids) is to run them into the ground. NUTC may be a young camp but it is a well oiled machine. Every 30 min time slot is filled with drills, scrimmages, and sprints. These kids come for fun but they get a workout in the process. Judging from the age group, I would have expected a fair amount of night time shenanigans, but Tiina and George shrugged, "they are too exhausted to cause trouble". These kids hit the ground running at day break and by 10pm every night they are absolutely comatose and it is easy to see that they are getting their money's worth.

Fundamental Emphasis

The more obvious theme I observed while visiting NUTC was their fundamental emphasis. Everyday begins with a 630am wake up call and by 8, all the kids are cleated up and drilling. I was only a witness to throwing, cutting, marking, and dump/swing drills but these kids also participate in offensive strategy clinics, defensive positioning, and zone O/D discussions. All in all, what most college freshman learn in the Fall (outside throwing because these kids already have flicks) is picked up in about 4 days at NUTC. This is a fairly tall order, but as most know, kids are like sponges at this age and the only thing more prominent than their skill development, is their desire to simply play better.

What I really liked about this camp is that it is on the counselors to put together a training program that can be taught to every camper from the fastest to the slowest. With this in mind, things like pure athletic ability must be weeded out. Basic cutting fundamentals are meticulously practiced and drilled and considering who is doing the educating, these kids are getting the best possible start to their ultimate careers. In addition, elements to the game that involve a more cerebral approach, such as where to set up one's cut or even posture and foot work, are stressed in great detail and this is great to see. With this sort of approach, all campers improve their game and each participant gains confidence throughout the week.

Watching all of this go down really made me think about what Jim was saying about mental ability in this game. With programs like Wisconsin and Florida being so athletically developed, I feel like youngsters that pick up a disc Freshman year of college are really getting the wrong message. I feel like so many people fail to realize that their weaknesses are not their speed or even their jumping ability, but more their fundamentals. I have played in places where my 6 years of experience is at the top and bottom of the average persons and I can say that teaching fundamentals and basics in this game cannot be stressed enough. I feel bad for college kids that hit the track incessantly because they feel it will improve their game, but most of the time, simply focusing that energy on the details of Ultimate would be a better use of time.

What really sucks is that most programs that need this sort of shift in focus are coachless (or poorly coached) and no one is really there to tell them what they are lacking. Most of the time, these programs are short sighted and try and get youngsters to use their legs on defense in the hopes of improving single season performance, but in the end you have 2nd and 3rd year players with atrocious skill sets. To make matters worse, players that are 18 or 19 years old really don't have the patience to focus on the details of their game, and bad habits have a tendency to show up easily. Young players simply want to play and a lot of the time that can lead to issues if good leadership is lacking. Both Tiina and George told me that the main goal of NUTC is to teach good habits and attempt to work out bad ones and their week long program does just that.

My only regret is that I won't be there to see these kids at full speed in the tournament which culminates the whole camp experience. However, Tiina has assured me that it is top notch and I am inclined to believe her. There were definitely some grade A flatballers out there yesterday and I wonder if I witnessed a future Moses Rifikin or Miranda Roth in the making. Only time will tell, but for night now, these kids are just happy to run around with each other

The Future?
I suppose with things like NUTC, the future of ultimate is in good hands. I have played with so many different types of players and I know that a lot of them would have benefited from things like this, hell they could still use it today. I like that Ultimate is moving towards the training camp setting because that is something that most mainstream sports have. Tiina has really done a fantastic job and hopefully, players that come up through these sorts of camps will realize their value and start some of them on their own. Having a widespread fundamental knowledge base in our sport will drastically improve the level of play, especially at the college level. More programs will be able to climb out of their respective cellars and begin to challenge established powerhouses that have stressed fundamentals for decades.

However, the one thing I wonder about, and Tiina and George both agreed with me, is how these camps will be run. NUTC is a utopia in that campers are taken care of very well and given the relatively small number of participants (~90), this is possible. However, if camps were to spring up like this in the future, the attention to detail can potentially diminish. Camps are all different and some are better than others. A hundred NUTCs scattered across the US would be nice, but camps with other objectives in mind (ie money) could fall short. The dynamics of NUTC are very amazing, and despite the fact that they seem intuitive and straightforward, putting together these pieces to give every kid the best experience is no easy task. The amount of work and focus all these directors and counselors put into the camp experience is astronomical and it is not surprising that these poor folks are just as tired as the kids come days end. If the model that Tiina has developed can be put to good use, I can imagine a bright future for ultimate players. However, without the same attention to detail and commitment to excellence, many kids will be discouraged from our sport and we will see an enriching of the jock mentality, something ultimate has fought since it's inception.

Closing Thoughts
The people in Northfield are really what make this camp experience work. Kids like Hollingworth and Stubbs were campers themselves and having them come back just reaffirms the purest intentions that Tiina started out with. Likewise, the brilliance of this camp is that folks outside the New England system routinely come in and share their knowledge. It was a pleasure to finally meet and talk with Miranda Roth and she really did a fantastic job bringing in the Seattle cutting strategy to NUTC. Despite the fact that her box drill lacked a disc for a significant amount of time, the lessons concerning timing and simply valuing the disc were well received by these eager youngsters. Hopefully they have the capacity to spread their newly acquired knowledge in an equally effective manner.

I also wanted to thank the directors once again. Tiina and George are really great people. I really enjoy people with a great deal of depth and Tiina and George are definitely that. Yes Tiina has coached Amherst to greatness and developed a fantastic camp like NUTC, but if you take those things away from her, she still is fun to talk to. Likewise with George. It is always easy to like people for their talents, but in talking with each, it is obvious that they bring a lot to the table and at no point do either of them feel superior. We are all Ultimate junkies and they both did a great job of making me feel comfortable in this experience. I don't need to advertise for NUTC because it's reputation speaks for itself, but I can say that the experience they give their campers, top to bottom, is one that will help them in their ultimate progression, as well as the sport itself, for years to come.

just my thoughts

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