Category Archives: Clinic

Youth ultimate summertime opportunities near Seattle

There are LOTS of summer playing opportunities in and near Seattle in 2016!  In addition to the normal summer camps and clinics, we are seeing a blossoming of new youth ultimate opportunities this summer.  It’s complicated to sort out all the dates, times, age-levels, and program details, and some are just opening this week for registration, so we’ve compiled a Google spreadsheet of seasonal youth ultimate playing opportunities to help you sort out your options.

Note that in addition to the start and end dates, there are columns that list the format, age range, grade range, etc., as well as links to more information and/or registration pages.  Feel free to sort the columns (e.g. chronologically by start date, or by the school group columns (ES=Elementary, MS=Middle school, HS=high school).  We’ll add playing opportunities for other seasons, including any that you suggest in the comments, to both the Google spreadsheet and this Google calendar (though the latter is a work in progress — and help is welcome).

 

Elementary school options

Here is a synopsis of the options for current 3rd-4th graders —

6/12/2016 6/12/2016 Riot summer clinic
6/20/2016 6/24/2016 DiscNW summer camp – June
6/24/2016 7/29/2016 TUC summer league
6/27/2016 7/1/2016 DiscNW summer camp – July
7/11/2016 7/15/2016 Nike option (Vancouver, Canada?)
8/8/2016 8/12/2016 TUC U12 camp
8/15/2016 8/19/2016 DiscNW summer camp – August

 

— and in addition to the above listings, here are extra options for current fifth graders (many middle school summer programs incorporate incoming 6th graders) —

6/4/2016 6/4/2016 UpDawg MS Tournament
7/5/2016 7/8/2016 TUC summer camp – Jane Addams
7/18/2016 7/22/2016 TUC summer camp – Eckstein

 

There are also other TUC camps in the spreadsheet aimed at kids heading to other middle schools around the city…

Middle and high school options

There are really too many middle and high school options to summarize! Take a look at the spreadsheet and sort accordingly… but here are two quick cut/pasted lists of middle school and high school ops.

Middle school:
6/3/2016 6/3/2016 Seattle Jam
6/4/2016 6/4/2016 UpDawg MS Tournament
6/12/2016 6/12/2016 Riot summer clinic
6/20/2016 8/1/2016 DiscNW U19/U16 Hat League
6/20/2016 8/1/2016 DiscNW U19/U16 Performance League
6/20/2016 6/24/2016 DiscNW summer camp – June
6/27/2016 7/1/2016 DiscNW summer camp – July
7/5/2016 7/8/2016 TUC summer camp – Jane Addams
7/11/2016 7/15/2016 Nike option (Vancouver, Canada?)
7/11/2016 7/15/2016 TUC summer camp – Hamilton
7/11/2016 7/15/2016 Rise Up leadership camps
7/18/2016 7/22/2016 TUC summer camp – Eckstein
8/1/2016 8/5/2016 TUC summer camp – Washington MS
8/1/2016 8/5/2016 TUC summer camp – Salmon Bay, Whitman, & Broadview
8/8/2016 8/12/2016 TUC summer camp – Southwest Seattle Camp
8/15/2016 8/19/2016 DiscNW summer camp – August
High school:
6/12/2016 6/12/2016 Riot summer clinic
6/20/2016 8/1/2016 DiscNW U19/U16 Hat League
6/20/2016 8/1/2016 DiscNW U19/U16 Performance League
6/20/2016 6/24/2016 DiscNW summer camp – June
6/27/2016 7/1/2016 DiscNW summer camp – July
7/11/2016 7/15/2016 Nike option (Vancouver, Canada?)
7/30/2016 8/4/2016 VC leadership camp – session 1
8/6/2016 8/11/2016 VC leadership camp – session 2
8/15/2016 8/19/2016 DiscNW summer camp – August

 

Again — please comment if you have other suggestions, or just request to edit the Google spreadsheet directly.  Any help is mapping out the increasingly, wonderfully complex ultimate landscape of the Pacific Northwest is welcome!

2016 USA Ultimate CDP workshop in Seattle

On Sunday February 21, 2016, the USA Ultimate Coach Development Program (CDP) offered a Level 1 Certification workshop in Seattle, WA.  Taught by UW Men’s coach Alex Wells, the workshop was co-hosted by John Leahy and Scott Veirs and took place at Green Lake Elementary School from 8:30-5.

It was a cold, crisp morning (even in the classroom).
It was a cold, crisp morning (even in the classroom).

 

John welcomed us to his awesome teaching space.
John welcomed us to his awesome teaching space.

(We all thank John for helping us access the school where he’s a teacher.  Prior to his help, Scott was really struggling to find a space that met the USAU facility requirements and budget!)

8:30 Introductions

Alex led the group in a quick name-game.  We went to the cafeteria and threw a soft cone in two circles of ~10 participants.  You had to thank the person who through to you (e.g. “Thanks, Alex”), say your name, say the name of a person who had not yet been thrown while making eye contact with them, and then throw the “disc” to them.

Getting to know name-game
Getting to know name-game

The two groups competed to see who could cycle through everyone in the circle and back to the original thrower.  The groups were different sizes, so it wasn’t fair, but it was fun to add complexity to the game — first by speeding up the cycle; then by adding a second “disc” that was started after the first disc had reached the third or fourth person.  We headed back to Leahy Land with a new game that could help a team of unfamiliar players learn each others names efficiently.

IMG_6250 IMG_6237Back in the classroom, Alex had us go around the room introducing ourselves.  This was the beginning of one of the best aspects of the in-person workshop: getting to know other local coaches and sharing ideas with them.  Here are a few topics that folks said they were hoping to learn about during the day:

  • How to manage middle schoolers!
  • Nuts and bolts of running a practice
  • How to get more young girls involved
  • How to teach the rules
  • How to get equal improvement in a group with varied experience or different learning styles (e.g. not leaving passive kids behind)
  • How to “seed” elementary and middle school teams in ways that support the development of high school teams
  • Best practices for coaching elementary school

9:00 Why do people play ultimate

This was a great group discussion.  We came up with lots of ways to “hook” new players on the sport, as well as some shortcomings of the game as it’s currently played by younger youth (mostly grades 3-8).  I’ve listed some highlights (ideas that were new to me), but there were many more that Alex noted and discussed.

IMG_6232Why people play ultimate:

  • The beauty of the disc flying (play Dog on the first practice!)
  • Spirit of the Game (try playing look-up/down to choose throwing partners)
  • More equitable and confidence-building play:
    • Don’t say sorry rituals
    • The “special” (has to be thrown to before team can score)
    • All-touch points
    • Keep away (practice low-emotion mistakes)
    • 2v2 scrimmages (lots of touches for everyone)
    • try mixed and single-gender practices/drills/scrimmages
    • rotate who leads a middle school team each practice
      • girl-girl leadership pair
      • boy-girl leadership pair
      • boy-boy leadership pair
    • Try 4 girl, 3 boy scrimmages
    • Hire more female middle school coaches!
  • Attracting more girls and retaining them through middle school
    • understand other sport calendars and trends
    • market to groups of girls/women
      • classrooms, especially social groups of girls
      • siblings
      • teams from other sports that are burning out
    • Verbal face-to-face recruitment of girls by coaches (helps make them feel valued!)
  • Riot’s 3 tenets: ETL = Excellence. Trust. Love.
  • Team work and athletic development: be purposeful with a charter?
    • Seattle Public Schools has a process to follow for creating a charter (Charlie mentioned it, but I missed its name)
    • A charter should describe how do you want to feel (as players; as a team)
    • Then plan: What do you do to achieve the charter?
    • Camp Orkila has a process for creating a constitution/charter with new campers…
  • Engagement
    • As a coach: watch 1 player for about 2 minutes and ask “Are they engaged in this drill/lecture/game?”
    • TED = Throw every day
    • Experienced parent’s role: teach ultimate culture to other parents

IMG_6236Things that detract from ultimate:

  • “Disc-organization”
    • soccer gets calendars out 6 months in advance!
    • USAU web site is messy (trick is to google your search term and append “site:usaultimate.org”)
  • General turn-offs
    • Lack of good practice fields
    • Canceled games (because many youth games are played on grass fields which SPS closes when super-wet)

10:30 Ethics

Handout: 25-page booklet — “Coaching Ethics Workshop” including sections on: intro; the sport; Spirit of the Game; Liability and Insurance; Safety; & Emergency procedures; plus 2 appendices on: child abuse reporting agencies; references/readings.

We read  through the USAU ethics pamphlet, discussing each point (many of which originated with the U.S. Olympic Committee).

Key concepts for coaches of youngest youth:

  1. Teach and practice the foul/conflict resolution process (Rules; how to call fouls; how to contest; how to resolve; best perspective)
  2. In game, coach is a resource not a judge
    1. “Do you have a question about the rules?”
    2. “Can I help you with the process of calling and resolving a foul?”
  3. Spirit circles
    1. Use them mostly for compliments and positive coaching
    2. If both teams mis-understood a rule in the game, coach can use as a teachable moment and clarify for all
  4. Pet peeves (of various participants)
    1. Don’t teach middle schoolers to call travels!
    2. Don’t allow kids to kick rolling discs!
  5. Common issues
    1. Playing time: try to keep it balanced by using a sub-sheet
    2. Player is unspirited (cheating): start with a question, like “How did you feel about that last play?”  Then educate about a relevant rule or process.

10:50 Took a 15 minute break for snacks!

Sign-in and snack tables
Sign-in and snack tables

11:15 Parents

11:20 Spirit of the Game

We broke up into small groups to define and discuss SotG.  Then came back together to share and look for commonalities.

  • Try having a spirit “captain” (esp on high or club school teams)
  • Coaches role is as a model of good spirit (calm communication; fairness
  • Incorporate SotG into drills: e.g. high 5s when you enter a line; offering encouragement and compliments to teammates.

IMG_6239 IMG_6243 IMG_6242 IMG_6245

12:05 Liability

5 duties to avoid exposure

  1. Proper instruction for risky activities (e.g. lay outs)
  2. Provide safety equipment (safe field; don’t mix cleats and bare feet!)
  3. ?
  4. Supervise
  5. Provide care (upon injury)

12:10 Insurance

12:15 Concussions

12:20 Lunch

We made sandwiches, ate chips, drank juice, and chatted at our desks.

12:55 Fundamentals

Handout: 76-page booklet “Coaching Performance Workshop” covering: intro; communicating with your school; parents; logistics; growth/promotion; equipment; conditioning; & tips; plus 12 appendices on rules; affiliates; state associations; sample season schedule; sample parent letter; sample med form; intro clinic schedule; 12-week fitness program; injury prevention; nutrition/hydration; injuries; and references/readings.)

We discussed the fundamental skills and knowledge we need to teach in ultimate, then prioritized them into an optimal sequence for new players.

In what order would you teach these fundamentals?
In what order would you teach these fundamentals?

5 steps to learning:

  1. explain
  2. demonstrate
  3. imitate
  4. critique
  5. repeat

Brevity ends with a “Why?”

  • TALK LESS (2 minutes is too long)
  • Why (explain)
  • Use 2 or 3 cues, e.g. for backhand “keep disc level” (see hard-copy handout “Skill Specific Cues” for lots more)
  • Try mnemonics

13:15 Transition to gym

The active portion of the workshop included: coming up with a drill (in groups of ~4 participants) to teach fundamentals; demonstrating how to run those drills to the rest of the group; and Alex demonstrating typical parts of a practice (warm-up/plyos, throw foci; drill iterations).

13:15-14:30 — Coming up with a drill to teach each fundamental

Groups formed up, took 10-15 minutes to prep a drill, and then demonstrated it (for a few minutes).  [I have video of some of these if folks want to see themselves in action!]

IMG_6252 IMG_6254 IMG_6253 IMG_6257 IMG_6255Cues and notes on each demo:

  1. Backhand
    1. level the release by thinking of serving a glass of water on it
    2. Step out
    3. Snap your wrist (like snapping a towel?)
    4. “pull through” (not uncurl, that’s the “BBQ throw”)
    5. hinge from the shoulder
    6. “buckle the seatbelt
  2. Forehand
    1. booger flick
    2. outside edge down
    3. finish with palm up
  3. Mark
    1. hips low, shoulders up
    2. arms active and low
    3. “low hands”
    4. high energy
  4. Pivot
    1. “land” then throw
    2. be clear with language
      1. “pivot on foot opposite your throwing hand?”
      2. “move foot on same side as your throwing hand?”
  5. Force — emphasize it is a form of team work
  6. Cutting
    1. Sharp change in direction
    2. Clap near end of cut?
    3. Chop stop (NOT 1 big stop and step)
    4. Go/fake away from target area, then cut back
    5. “Cut to a cone” (e.g. any corner of the endzone)
  7. Defense
    1. 3D: defend, deny, deflect?
    2. dictate (instead of chase)?
    3. But be careful with language and younger players!
    4. “head up”
    5. backing, fronting
    6. stop the under; stay between receiver and disc
    7. shadow movement; dance
    8. “be the mirror (image)”

14:30-15:00 — Demonstration practice (by Alex)

  1. Started with a cheer: e.g. “1, 2, Learn!”
  2. Do a lap while tossing with a partner (take note: 40 throws/lap x 10 practices = 400 extra throws per season!)
  3. Warm-ups
    1. We’re teaching movement (to protect bodies over a lifetime)
    2. The goal is to talk about and practice movement (e.g. running form)
    3. Think of plyos (dynamic warm-up) as movement puzzles
    4. Have a base warm-up; make small changes; add new challenges
    5. Practice names of muscles and parts of bodies
    6. Go from small, low intensity to big, high-intensity movements
    7. Practice names of muscles and parts of bodies
    8. Science shows: static stretching is good for flexibility after exercise (not before when a dynamic warm-up is better)
    9. Sequence of plyos (from toes to head) [we did these as a big group lined up across the gym]:
      1. Toes out; heels back
      2. High knees; lunges
      3. Airplane; picking dandelions
      4. Close the gate; open the gate
      5. Torso twists
      6. Arm circles (forward, backward)
      7. Fast feet out; high knees back
      8. Butt kickers out; Door busters back (toe pointing to sky; hit door with sole not toe)
      9. Leg swings (with partner or fence)
      10. Side shuffle
      11. Kareoka (or Kareoke)
      12. Run @67% out; 42% back
      13. Skips (emphasize height, or distance, or both)
      14. Jump and land (prevent ACL tears [7x more prevalent in girls than boys!]: quiet; soft; knees over toes, NOT knocked-knees)
      15. Proplyoception => challenges (do it backwards; close eyes); try airplanes w/eyes closed; fast knees backwards (and eyes closed?!)
      16. Retro-runs (forward, backward)

IMG_6259 IMG_6266 IMG_6267 IMG_6272

15:00 Drilling

  • Choose high repetition
  • Prioritize familiar drills; then build on them
  • Lots of iterations w/small changes and limited focus (2-3 cues max)
  • Examples of coach challenges and nuanced skills:
    • How to counter blacksmith leg (from always pivoting on leg opposite dominant throwing hand)?
    • Catch with dominant/throwing hand under in the alligator (so grip is ready to throw)!
    • Step back to throw hammer.
  • Variants on paired throwing drill (we tried these with a partner)
    • 3 forehands; 3 backhands
    • vary release points (regular, high, low, wide)
    • vary release angles (inside/out; outside/in;…)
    • Goofy foot compass throws

15:20 Overhead throws

Normally discouraged with youth, but Alex likes them for fun and to help handlers practice decision making.

15:30 Practical aspects of drills

  • Clear wide; yell “Safety” to prevent collisions
  • Alex led a “Go to” drill (2 sets of participants) as an example of how to iterate w/distinct cues
    • chop feet; go to disc; ready; eye contact
    • alternate sides to give drops a chance to clear
    • different focus point each day
      • 5 full steps = deep cut
      • chop feet; get low; rotate hips; explosive first 3 steps; drive knees.
      • challenges: pancake every disc; non-dominant hand catch
      • add a mark (open side; break mark)
      • different cuts (out/in; handler cut = fake to open side, cut to break mark side)
      • competitions; games

IMG_6282

15:45 Return to classroom to discuss practice planning and structure

15:50 Practices

  • Set expectations with players and parents
  • Pre-season “goal setting” (+ a mid-season check-in)
    • will this work for elementary?
    • best practices for goal-setting are still developing
    • SMART = specific; measurable; A?; realistic; time-bound
  • Map out general plan
    • How many practices before first game?
    • How many practices in the season?
  • Plan season (to some extent)
    • Next 2 weeks?
    • Next month?
    • Make list of 5-10 skills to work on next
    • Plan specific practices to tick off skills; select specific drills
    • Planning process should help clarify goals…
    • For each practice, don’t forget:
      • Talk about Spirit of the Game
      • Specific over-arching concepts: e.g. throwing skills, or a particular defensive strategy

Every good practice looks like — group brainstorm:

IMG_6285

16:30 End with evaluation forms, handing out coach bags, discs, FiveUltimate coach benefits (CDP Odyssey 1/4 zip, other gear if your team orders gear thru them), etc.

Resources to share

Good ideas?  (Some voiced; some just in Scott’s head)

  • What about a dual-model for coach development by USAU (and/or local organizations)?
    • Youth only (grades K-8): FREE workshop (maybe requires a coach membership, but fee is subsidized) for volunteer coaches of elementary/middle players, camp counselors, etc.
    • Level 1 (high school, college, club, pro): ethics and performance workshop for new coaches (typically paid, not volunteer?) of teams that may have some players who are new to the game
    • Level 2 (high school, college, club, pro): strategy workshop for advanced coaches of more competitive teams
  • Ways to boost girl recruitment and retention
  • We should have a community brainstorm or survey on these topics
    • 10 most commonly confused rules in youth ultimate
    • 10 favorite ways to promote spirit of the game
      • games (and how to play them safely)
      • spirit circles (real examples that work)
      • cheers & songs
      • sideline roles

Post workshop activities

  • Alex emailed an awesome list of resources to all participants
  • Suggestions for future workshops or subsequent activities
    • General
      • Management strategies (logistics; behavior)
      • Spirit of the Game, & fairness (case studies; examples)
      • More practice design details
      • How to prevent injuries
      • How to teach specific skills
        • more examples for new coaches
        • advanced examples for experienced coaches
      • Develop more tools for coach community, conversation, networking, peer-learning (Inter?National?)
      • Move some of morning activities (liability, insurance, ethics?) to online format; use workshop for more active learning, coach sharing/discussion
    • Elementary school
      • More drills
      • Strategy or not (horizontal, vertical, neither, something?)
      • School relationships
    • Middle school
      • Demo games to keep practice extra fun!
      • Age-appropriate drills?
      • How to teach offensive strategy to beginners
      • Drills that also help teach the rules?
    • High school
      • Fitness progressions
      • HS-College strategies (D, O) and process for developing them
      • More discussion of increasing/nurturing diversity (racial, gender equity)

Rainmakers youth clinic in Seattle this Thanksgiving vacation

The Friday after Thanksgiving (11/28/14) the Rainmakers will offer middle and high school players near Seattle an opportunity for improvement!  Their 2nd youth clinic of the year, this fall clinic will happen from 3-5 pm at Jefferson Park in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle.  It is open to players 12-18 years old of all skill levels and will be led by top players from the Rainmakers team!

Kids can expect:

  • A two-hour training session with Seattle Rainmaker players and coaches, consisting of exercises, drills and scrimmages designed to help players improve their Ultimate skills in a controlled environment.
  • Unfettered access to some of Seattle’s most elite men’s ultimate talent, and the ability to work one-on-one with them over the course of the afternoon.
  • A ticket to the first home game of the 2014-15 Seattle Rainmakers season.
  • Lots of chances to win great swag and rainmakers prizes.

Please encourage any youth you have on your teams to join us.  The cost is only $25 and all participants need to do is show up.  Participants will be required to have a parent/guardian sign a waiver to participate and are encouraged to bring cleats and a water bottle.

For more info please encourage your kids visit us at the Rainmakers Facebook page or TicketLeap or if you have any questions please feel free to contact gabe.fertman@seattlerainmakers.com

Youth Ultimate Clinic

The U16 Girls YCC team is running a clinic THIS MONDAY, August 4th, 2-5pm at Franklin HS.

The clinic is for all ages, no experience necessary, and run by the players from the YCC team.  Here is the flyer with more info! All funds raised at the clinic help players on the team get to the Youth Club Championships in Blaine, MN.

Preregister Today
http://tinyurl.com/youthultimateclinic

Youth Clinic Info

Girls ultimate clinic (all ages, female only) offered by Riot

Here’s a belated Mother’s Day present:

Sign up with your daughter or other female youth player to learn ultimate basics and crazy tricks from members of one of the best women’s teams in the world.  Seattle’s Riot is hosting their 19th annual clinic on Sunday, June 15, 2014.  You can sign up for 1/2 day ($25/player) or full day ($45/player) by registering here —

http://www.discnw.org/events/RiotWomensClinic/

  • When?   9AM-3PM (Check In and Day of Registration begins at 8:30AM)
  • Where?  Magnuson Sport Meadow (big grass fields adjacent to dog park)
  • Who?     YOU! Your Friends! Your Mom’s and Aunt’s! and Seattle Riot hang out and play Ultimate all day! Or for half the day!
  • What?    Returning sessions include: Learn to Layout! Ultimate 101! Reindeer Games! and more!  Want to see a new speciality clinic out there? Let us know in your registration!

More details (copied from the above link):

2014 Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Clinic

The Seattle women’s team, Riot, is once again partnering with DiscNW to offer their 19th annual skills clinic for women and girls of all ages, experience and skill level. We’ll spend a day focusing on skills and strategies appropriate to every level of ultimate play. Whether you are brand spankin’ new or a seasoned vet, we’ve got something for you! Registration includes a free disc and a yummy lunch. So, bring your rain gear (just in case) and cleats and join us for a fun community event!
Seattle Riot formed in 2000 and has won World Club Championship (2002) and UPA Club Championship (2004 & 2005) titles. We play both to be the best ultimate team in the world and to display the highest level of spirit. Riot is dedicated to supporting the Seattle ultimate community and encouraging the participation of girls in ultimate by coaching juniors and college teams and offering clinics. The Women’s Clinic is one of Riot’s primary fundraisers for the year. Proceeds go directly to the high cost of fields and tournaments. Seattle Riot appreciates your support!