Training for ultimate requires work on both sides of the training spectrum, which runs from skills and drills to performance training. We have to train for and develop the skills involved in the sport—throwing, catching, offense, defense, flow, etc— but we must also develop our abilities in our functional strength, power and symmetry.
For skills and drills resources, check out RISE UP, Pulled Disc, and Ultirob, and for performance training, see my Morrill Performance stuff, Ren Fitness, and Ulty Results.
There are certain conversations we should continuously be having with our training partners and those also devoted to their growth as an athlete and player. The conversations will never end, but they’ll deepen as we get smarter and gain experience.
In this month’s blog, I pose 8 different conversation topics along with individual questions that should be commonplace in our sport. Many of us are just starting out in performance training, so our questions and answers may be simpler. Me for example, I found out about foam rolling in 2010; the dialogs I was having about foam rolling then are much different than the dialogs I am having now. But the category—in this case, SMR—remains the same. These 8 conversations topics will not change. They are here to stay, and this is the beginning. We can either push forward and grow as a sport, or we can fail to recognize the importance of performance training and get left behind.
Grab your coffee and a seat by the fire place. Its time to chat!
1. Self Myofascial Release
Do you have a practice in SMR?
What does your SMR toolbox look like?
What are the gnarly bits of tissue that you have to consistently work on?
What sort of advanced SMR strategies are you implementing? Tack and stretch? Direct pressure? Rolling?
When do you usually roll? Before games and training sessions? After?
Do you have a full rolling routine in place?
2. Static Stretching
Do you do yoga?
Do you do 4-way hip vinyassas?
Can you get your hip into full extension on wall quad stretch?
When do you static stretch? Before games and lifting sessions? After?
What 4-way hip stretches do you pair with your kettlebell swings?
Do you use contract/relax stretching?
3. Glutivation & Mobility & Corrective Exercise
What mobility and corrective exercises do you do prior to playing and workouts?
How is your ankle mobility? How many inches can you get from the wall?
What exercises are in your pregame stationary circuits?
Have you figured out how to make your hamstring turn off and your glute turn on in extension?
Do you collapse into valgus when you land, or do you have great knee stability?
Bonus Q: Do you know what Ironside player invented the word glutivation?
4. Cone to Cone Warm Up
What does your cone to cone sequence look like?
Can you do the full Inside Foot Push/Outside Foot Push Skip series?
Can you do the full warm up in under 10 minutes?
Can you do all four shakeout skips including the sailor skip?
Can your team do the full warm up in unison?
Do you understand how to mobilize internal rotation during your warm ups?
5. Linear Speed
Have you grooved out the jackhammers and cycle kick patterns?
How quick can you get your cycle kick to flip over?
Can you get your hip into full flexion while the back hip is in full extension?
How quick can you pop off your bounds?
How has 4-way hip been helping your stride length?
What is your 40 yard dash time?
Do you use band-resisted sprinting or competitive speed drills?
6. Agility
What is your serpentine time?
Can you do a toe drag on all of your crossovers in a Goose Cone Drill?
Do you know what to look for when I coach IFP & OFP movements like jab steps, shuffles & crossovers?
Can you do low shuffle push with full abduction?
How steep are your figure 8s?
Can you do all 6 ickys?
What are you better at, IFP or OFP?
7. Strength & Power Development
What is your time on the KB snatch test?
How crispy are your cleans?
What is your clean personal record?
What is your 5 rep personal record for rear-foot elevated split squat?
Can you do 12 reps of skater squats each leg from a deficit?
8. Conditioning
What does your conditioning program look like?
Do you use High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)?
What is your 150 shuttle time?
What is your 300 shuttle time?
How laquijful are your 70 yard strides?
What sort of cool Kettle bell conditioning complexes are you doing?
These are just some of the basic questions we should be asking ourselves and our training partners. As we grow the dialogs will deepen. If there is anything on the list that you have not heard of or may need resources for please e-mail me at morrillperformance@gmail.com!
Also, in order to push our community to grow and do my part to promote competition in ultimate, I will be releasing my new product, Morrill Functional Performance Training, on August 20th. I’d like to extend my gratitude to Skyd readers by giving you 10% off with the discount code SkydTrainingBlog. Although we have not yet officially launched, the product is live and ready to be studied. Here we go ultimate!
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