Offhanded Scoober

I realized that my life revolves around ultimate. It's clear and simple. I coached the Fukuoka University open team on Thursday. It made me realize how much I enjoyed coaching and teaching. I take a lot of pride in my playing, but at this point right now, I think I am taking a lot more pride in the Fukudai team. My mind is filled with things that they can do to improve. Drills that will help them understand. Strategies that can help them win. For the most part, the kids are the team have responded well to my feedback, and some even show excitement. But I think I outshine every single one of them in excitement.

I wish I had known all the things I know now. Obviously, the strategies, drills, and the lot are important, but also the things I've learned other than ultimate, such as effective feedback, team building, and how to lead. I can't help but to look back and reflect on how much better WM could have been: I still think, and perhaps I think even more now, that we had the personnel to do quite well in the college series. The talent was there. What wasn't, was the training. The strategy. Talents individuals, yes. Team, no. There is no way to know if I could have lead the team any better than the people who did; granted every single one had very large obstacles to face every year. I don't know if the way I would conduct practices now really would have an impact on the results. Moreover, it doesn't matter, because I didn't get my chance to prove it, so I have no results. But looking at the Fukuoka team now really makes me wonder, "What would it have been like?"

I see much potential in the Fukudai team; they have a number of individuals who are definite threats. Namely: Yuusuke, a quick handler with beautiful throws (especially his backhand). Shun, a smart player with height (amazing field sense). Kishin, a super intense defensive player able to lay out for anything on both O and D. Kani, a lanky handler with quick and intense cuts. Yuuji, a lanky cutter with speed and good timing. But the first three stand out by far. They are what the Japanese would call "keyman". Each holds an important role on their team as the guys who can reel in the win.

Yuusuke, by far, has the best throws, and his handling abilities would be equal to my own, if he were able to get some more knowledge under his belt. His throws, field sense, and awareness are all top notch; the only thing he needs to being a dominant handler is believing that he is, and acting like it.

Shun is the key offensive cutter; his height makes Japanese defenders scared of him taking off deep (especially if Yuusuke could learn how to better utilize him with floaty throws), and his throws are good enough to make him a threat with the disc. More than anything, his superb field sense and instinct to sniff out the most devastating move makes him an important asset as a game changer.

Kishin's intensity is key to pumping up a team. He is unwilling to give up and is aware that he can be the one to bring back the momentum with one big layout D. He is single-minded about improving, both himself and the team. Only being a junior, he is the future of the Fukudai team, and I expect him to step up quickly, and get large.

It is vital that these three further step up and grow into their potential. Their team depends on it.

Honestly, this past weekend has been the best weekend I've had in a while. I had the honor of playing with Kuru, and I did my part to play up to every expectation. As a testament to this, every inch of my body is sore and even my soul hurts. Why? Cuz I played my heart out, duhhh.

For the past year or so since I had graduated, I was afraid of slowly stagnating and perhaps even get worse: This weekend has proved otherwise: I played the best ultimate I have ever played, by far. Sure it was windy, and sure I had to bomb is deep all the time to give our team the best chance we had, but I played extremely well. I wish you kids coulda seen me. :) With some of the strongest winds I've played in (other than that one tournament junior year when we were broken something like 7 times in a row after clinching game point on a callahan) I still was breaking people left and right. I was superbly honored to have so many players come up to me and remark about my great puts. As one Jeju player put it, (to paraphrase) "my buddy was almost in tears because he was playing his best defense on you and still couldn't stop you." I really felt unstoppable. I never got point blocked, and I never felt like any mark stopped something I wanted to throw. I was great to get that feeling back. I ran like a maniac, barely sitting out any points. More importantly than my offense, this was the first time that I felt my defense really was turned up a notch. While I wasn't laying out left and right, I was playing a great players and I felt I was holding my own. Anyway, enough about me...

Yet, I have to give it up to my teammates, who were catering to me. It's not always the most fun to have a dominant handler and to not even really get a good look up field. Hell, I know I wouldn't enjoy that role. But they trusted me, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for everything they have done this past weekend. Some of you have even gone so far to say that we could not have done it without me, but let's be real: I couldn't have done it without any of you guys.

There's Wilson, who was playing like a champ all weekend and so few turnovers. You were a solid reset handler who was always there for me.

There's Shag, with awesome defense all day, everyday. Your speed is incredible, and you used it. Your run-thru D in the last game against Jeju was ridiculous, and you even sacrificed your body to get it. I can't wait until you click even more and start laying out, because you will be even more of a D-machine.

Andre, geezUS, you've come a long way. You were my go-to deep look all day. I can't think of a single time that you were not open deep when I was looking for you. Keep on improving; I'm so excited to see the player you will become.

Hitomi, you were open all the time! I know the wind was tough for you to handle, but once you get that down, you will be deadly on the field.

June, you were always making the right cuts, at the right times and your presence on the field made our offense click.

Rob, there are many great things I can say about your playing, but the culmination of all of that is that sick. fucking. grab. JEEZ. That was huge. Hell, we even TOLD the other team exactly what we were going to do. Amazing.

Ellie, you were the quiet force behind our team, always holding it down whether on man, zone, or offense. I can't remember you ever getting beat deep, nor do I ever remember you having trouble getting open. I remember when we first met several years ago, when you were still figuring how to throw a flick. Now you stepped up to running as the third handler if needed be without a second thought. Improvement much?

Yuhki, it was an absolute pleasure running with you this weekend. I am so glad to hear you are playing with Vege, and it shows. I feel like we think about ultimate in very similar ways, and it really showed on the field. We just kept clicking better and better as each point went on, and the one play I was excited about was when I made in the Jeju game, where you were already throwing it (backhand, upwind) before I turned the page to go strike. That connection is what I strive for, always.

Jen, though it was our first time playing together, I think we got a lot of connections in between us. I loved that you trusted me to throw it to you darkside, and you were just beasting everyone left and right. Run through D's, skying dudes, and you brushed it all off as if it were nothing. Beast mode.

Adam, you were the rock in our offense. You were there every single time I needed you to be there. You were my first, second, third, and last option. Everything we talked about before the tournament came to use and I can't wait to run people into the ground with you again. We already talked a ton about everything, I don't feel the need to retype it all here. What it boils down to? A true bro, for life. Makin' mos, mos def.

And last but not least, Doug. You are the whole reason all of this happened. You were a superb captain this past weekend. You held it down on and off the field. You've come a looooooong way since I first met you. In fact, I can't believe its been almost 4 years since I first met you when we went bowling... That summer with Eric and throwing in Yoyogi at dusk. Back when we were relative newcomers and fringe characters to Iku ultimate. A world of things have happened since then, but I can say one thing: I am glad to have met you. I can't wait for the adventures we will have next.

So what do I do? I could sit around and mope about it, then be frustrated when I suck on the field, but that's not fun and does no one any good. What I have to do is pick a focus. Lately, I've just been so happy to be on the field, that I've let myself slip into a nonchalant way of playing. It's mostly more like organized pick up (and mixed, not to knock on mixed but) and I've found it really hard to focus on my game. I let myself get sort of swept into this lull, because the people around me aren't as focused on improvement (so much as just playing). I never want to play ultimate just because "that's what I do". Don't get me wrong, its not just situations like these that you can get into this mode; You can totally be in a rigorous program, say elite college or club, and still let this happen. My point is that humans are creatures of habit, and its easy to get sucked into a habit. Just don't let yourself think that you are trying to improve, when improving yourself just become a part of your routine. Or to sound more articulate, don't let improving become the status quo.