Wednesday - Friday

Wednesday I played Summer League. Was against a bad team, but I got Ds, didn't get scored on and broke the mark to practice playing properly.
Thursday I went to Yoga. Had a lot of shoulder and core focussed positions.
Friday did a shortened gym session as was pretty busy at work. Meant I went a bit harder on some exercises, though. Also, as I found out at Windmill, my squat technique is nothing to brag about so my squats were very focussed on correct technique.

Warm up:

1 * 15 Internal Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
1 * 15 External Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
2 * 15 Single leg raised Glute Bridge - per leg
1 * 12 Press up holds (3 seconds)
1 * 12 Body weight squats
Foam rolling

Main routine:

{4 * Max  Pull ups (hands forward/wide grip) (9, 8, 7, 6)
3 * 8 Standing Dumbell Push Press (2 x 15 kg)}

3 * 5 Dead lifts (58kg *increase*)

{3 * 8 Seated row (68kg)
3 * 8 Lateral Step ups (15kg) - per leg}

1 * 8 Back Squats (50 kg)
2 * 8 Back Squats (70 kg)

Warm down:

Hip abductor stretching
Hamstring stretching
Hip flexors stretching
Foam rolling

Ka-Pow! training tomorrow!

Tuesday Gym

Two weeks off from the gym and a bruised nose left me a little unwilling to go back today. But I put those thoughts to one side and headed to the basement and I'm glad I did. It wasn't as hard to get back into it as I thought it may be and I felt good afterwards.

Warm up:

1 * 15 Internal Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
1 * 15 External Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
2 * 15 Single leg raised Glute Bridge - per leg
1 * 12 Press up holds (3 seconds)
1 * 12 Body weight squats
Foam rolling

Main routine:

{4 * Max  Pull ups (hands forward/wide grip) (8, 8, 6, 6)
3 * 8 Standing Dumbell Push Press (2 x 15 kg)
3 * 8 Lateral Step ups (15kg) - per leg}

3 * 5 Dead lifts (48kg)

3 * 8 Seated row (68kg)

{4 * 10 weighted press ups (15kg)
4 * 30s Dynamic Plank
3 * 8 Single Leg Swiss Ball Hamstring curls (55cm swiss ball)}

Warm down:

Hip abductor stretching
Hamstring stretching
Hip flexors stretching
Foam rolling

Unfortunately, every time I went to use the squat rack it was already in use, so today I was unable to do any squats. Will add them in when I hit the gym on Friday.

UKUTour 2 Wrapup

Saturday:

Game 1: Loss vs Clapham (10-15)

Our best performance of the weekend came against eventual winners (and in doing so the clinched Tour Champions) Clapham. We managed to double the score of eventual runners up Chevron Action Flash against Clapham and we played with confidence.

Game 2: Loss vs Ranelagh (8-9)

We went up early and then the heavens opened. Jonny Clark left the game early on with a blow to the face which caused his nose to swell, and then a couple of points later in the match it happened to me as well. I've never see two nose bleeds in the same game before. Jonny and I were both unable to return in this game and we let Ranelagh back in with mistakes and heads dropping. A real shame because this is a game we definitely should have won.

Game 3: Loss vs GB Under 23 Open (??)

This game is a blur to me. I don't really remember anything about it except that my first 8 touches looked something like this:
Throw away, throw away, throw away, almost throw away, Assist, completed pass, throw away, score
Sufficed to say I was pretty out of it and probably should have sat out this game as well. After this game I went to see the First Aider who confirmed that I had a slight concussion and I shouldn't drive for the rest of the weekend (he didn't mention playing).
So a day where we lost every game meant that we couldn't come higher than 5th and would have a crossover against Fire 2 the next morning.

Sunday:

Game 4: Loss vs Fire 2 (13-10 I think)

Unfortunately, to start this game we gave up a break and heads dropped. We managed to break them back later in the game and at points were leading, but we were never able to pull away by more than one and eventually Fire 2 added more breaks to increase their lead. I felt I played pretty well in this game and wasn't affected at all by the concussion from the day before, getting a few assists, scores and a lot of deep Ds, which I was pretty happy with. This is the second time this season when Fire 2 has taken a win against us that was within our ability to take and this time it meant we dropped out of the top 8.

Game 5: Win vs DED (??)

This game reminded me of the game against DED at UKUNationals 2012 in that we had dropped out of the top 8 and were only playing for position. Our lines were relaxed and we went up early. Unfortunately, we lulled after taking the half 8-4 and allowed them to get back into the game. We were never behind in this game and closed it out eventually, but again it's a bit disappointing to have not been able to control this game from start to finish.

Game 6: Loss vs Fire 1 (??)

In a strange turnaround, Fire 1 were dumped out of the top 8 but with Fire 2's victory against Ka-Pow they found themselves promoted to the top 8. This meant that our final game was the 9 v 10 against Fire 1. They were obviously as disappointed as us not to be playing in the top 8 and like us will be looking to rise up the rankings at Tour 3. They played very well against our zone defences and were able to make some big plays in the wind. We put in a good game against a tough team but were unable to take through the confidence from our win in Game 5.


So Tour 2 was pretty frustrating with our results from our successful Tour 1 being reversed (5 Ws - 1 L at UKUT1 to 1 W - 5 Ls at UKUT2). However, we should take heart with our performances, especially in the game against Clapham. It's been tough this year as we've been struggling to maintain a positive atmosphere, which is even more difficult in tough conditions, but at times our offense looked effortless and our defense was stifling. If it's a consistency issue then I can only hope that despite the results, the outcomes of the weekend will be positive in terms of more players getting more game time and practice and that we can learn from this weekend. I am still very optimistic about this season and I'm looking forward to Tour 3!

UKUTour2 Preview

Ka-Pow! Preview:

Our first game of the weekend will be against Clapham! It's hard to know whether being thrown in at the deep end will be good for us. The last time we played Clapham was in a friendly game the week before Nationals last year and we won. However, the first time we played Clapham last year we came out super slow and really intimidated at the Fog Lane Cup in 2012 and ended up losing with relatively no challenge to them. We also played them at Regionals in the Semis and traded out to 11-11 (I think) before they pulled away. If we can get a fast start against Clapham I think we can hang with them, but their performance at Tour 1 was absolutely dominating with their O-Line taking first and their D-Line taking 3rd. They will come together to form one team for this tour and will be a force to be reckoned with. They are heading to a tournament in the US over the summer in prep for Euros this year where they will attempt to defend their title and Worlds next year.
The other teams in our group are GB Under 23 Open and Ranelagh. We didn't get to play Ranelagh at all last year and we didn't get to play the Under 23s at Fog Lane this year or Tour 1, but both will be tough opponents.
Our goal for this year is to make worlds. Getting to Semis would be such a great step on the way to that goal, and to achieve that we need to come in the top 2 of our group. There will be no quarters so if we don't finish top 2 of the group, and the highest we would be able to finish would be 5th.

Our group certainly looks tough but this is what we've trained for. If it goes to seed we would be playing for 5th so our aim should be to unseat GB U23 and not give away the upset against Ranelagh and play Clapham as close as possible with it not being beyond the realms of possibility that we cause a big upset in game 1.

Preparation will be key and if we can prepare properly, and go into Game 1 with our heads set straight and with no nerves that could be huge for our weekend.

A-Tour Preview:
- The teams coming up this tour (Glasgow, Manchester and LeedsLeedsLeeds) look set to keep moving up and I can see a couple of upsets in their pools being caused.
- The top 8 looks stronger than it has for a good while, with: EMO1 looking to take games based on a combination of youth with experience and noise with patience; GB Under 23s looking strong in their buildup to Toronto; long time challenger and last year's nationals silver medallists Fire 1 starting 5th (the lowest they have for a while) out for revenge; Ka-Pow! trying to build momentum like we did through last season and challenge for a top spot; Ranelagh coming from a strong 2012 season and to consolidate winning Ireland's only bid to their EUC Region and Brighton bringing new talent through their HUGE club scene. Topped off by perennial powerhouses Clapham and Chevron looking to build towards their (what most would see as inevitable) runs towards the European Gold Medals and Worlds next year.

Whatever anyone says, I think this Tour will be really exciting. One thing that is threatening to dampen spirits is the weather which is scheduled to be windy and rainy. It will provide a very different challenge to Tour 1 and could shake up some teams who maybe don't have the optimal strategies or aren't able to adjust as well.

Saturday's Games to Watch:

Game 1 (09:00): It's tough to pick out any game other than Clapham vs Ka-Pow!
Game 2 (10:40): Again Clapham feature, this time against the GB Under 23 Open team trying to cause the upset
Game 3 (12:20): The first games on the other side of the top 8 will be starting and of the two Chevron vs Fire should be more entertaining.
Game 4 (14:00): In what could the battle for Semis Ka-Pow! take on GB Under 23 Open.
Game 5 (15:40): In what could be the battle for Semis in Group B EMO vs Fire looks like the best matchup, though the rematch of the B-Tour semi final from Tour 1 between Manchester and Glasgow, which last time around went to Sudden Death could be worth a watch too
Game 6 (17:00): If EMO don't beat Fire, they could be trying to give everything they've got against Chevron to force a three way tie or, if Fire beat Chevron, knock them out of semis altogether.

Windmill Windup Wrapup

Haven't posted on my blog in a week and a half.
Last week up to Wednesday was quiet. Didn't want to do anything too strenuous before Windmill Windup so was just cycling.
Then on Wednesday evening I headed to Windmill Windup! Ka-Pow were previewed by SkydMagazine and everyone was excited as no-one had been to Windmill previously!
Most of our team arrived on the Thursday and had an afternoon about town where we chatted about social rules and had a couple of drinks before heading to set up camp, sort out registration and hit the opening night's party!
Friday rolled around and most of Ka-Pow's players awoke bleary eyed from the night before to get some breakfast before our first game.

Game 1: Loss vs Uprising (11-12)
Game 2: Loss vs Rebel Ultimate (14-15)
Game 3: Loss vs Frizzly Bears (14-15)

These three games were pretty similar in that we were leading in all of them but were unable to score the final point in all of them. Some sloppy/hungover offense and tired/hungover defense meant that we handed teams the disc and couldn't get a block back. A really disappointing day. However, we were using the weekend to practice Zone transitions, playing almost exclusively zone defense as our first option and teams were occasionally able to break our zones before we transitioned or were able to be patient and adapt their offenses when we did.
The shakiness of the offense was the real worry here. With a small squad and coming off a big opening night party the offense was never going to be perfect, but mistakes happened all over the field leading to missed chances.
The interesting thing about the day was, with the swiss draw format, the teams we played on this day were all of a similar skill level and in fact Frizzly Bears who we played third had won both their previous games in Sudden death compared with our two sudden death losses and it again came down to sudden death. This is a clear indicator of how good a system mathematically it is in matching up opponents, but of course would not work in all tournaments.

I headed to bed early on Friday night (still hungover from the Thursday night opening party), but I know some of our squad stayed out again.

Saturday:

Game 4: Loss vs Sieben Schwaben (6-14)

So on Saturday, the conditions changed quite dramatically. Whilst Friday had given us a calm sunny day, just after halftime in game 1 on Saturday the wind was blowing a sideways torrential downpour. Having been at 8-6 down at halftime and in a position to keep the game closed, we came out flat against a team with twice as many legs as Ka-Pow (with Will C, Pichler and Timmy all out through injury) and started to lose any sort of control of the game. Tired legs were struggling to get free from their defenders, throwers lost their grip on the wet discs and started turfing throws and our zone transitions had been figured out. In the huddle after the game their captain mentioned how man defense might have played better in our favour and there's a possibility it could have, but it's more of a shame how close it had been up until half playing with a very limited squad and restricted tactics.

Game 5: Loss vs Friselis Versailles (5-12)

This game was really the low point of the weekend. This team wasn't good enough to deserve the score against us, but heads were so down at this point that we made simple mental mistakes in a cross wind that they effectively trapped us in with their not-unbeatable zone. We went down 0-3 with silly mistakes that were punished quickly and effectively by them. We made adjustments late in the game which meant they couldn't run away with it, but we never really challenged in this game.

Game 6: Win vs Flying Steps (15-5)

Make no mistake, Ka-Pow needed this win. Everyone had heads down going into this game we were still looking shaky. Luckily we faced a bad team. We threw our zones and they decided the best way to beat them was to crowd all their players around the disc (hint: it's not). They were very student-y in their play and whilst it was a well needed win, we knew we still weren't at our best.

Game 7: Win vs KFK Copenhagen (12-2)

With confidence now restored, this game started tight going to 2-2 before we truly stepped up and took this game away. At times it wasn't pretty, and strategically it wasn't perfect, but we were able to get away with some stuff thanks to (now confident) receivers making plays and somehow the defense managed to pick up a couple of blocks to rectify the few mistakes that did happen. Finally we were playing at an acceptable level and despite this being the 4th game of the day and the 7th of the weekend, we finally had a performance to take heart from.

The Saturday party was a pretty manic affair with plenty of dancing and Nalgene's full of Vodka/Rum/Both and coke. Getting back to the tent at 4 meant that I would be tired the next day, but luckily I avoided the kind of crippling hangover that I had on Friday.

Sunday:

Game 8: Loss vs Mooncatchers (9-11)

This game started out a little chippy with too many fouls being committed by tired Ka-Pow legs. Zone transitions were still being worked on, but the Belgians were very patient against them. We once again gave the disc away too many times and weren't able to pull out the win.


If I'm being honest here, Windmill Windup was the best disappointing tournament I've ever been to. Results wise, Ka-Pow had a bad time with three sudden death losses from being ahead, and some very disappointing games, but the players who were there got a whole lot of field time and plenty of experience with both our offense and defense that will be a massive boost going forward. The tournament itself was fantastic and going there with the team we had was a great deal of fun off the field.
I was fairly happy with my play and was voted MVP of Friday by Ka-Pow, despite my massive hangover and was also voted MVP by KFK Copenhagen in our game against them. I got a layout block in each of the first two games and had some good moments. I also felt I suffered from tired legs and also was playing with a bruised left foot for all of Saturday and Sunday (and also got winded in our first game on Saturday which has manifested itself into what now feels like bruised ribs) and at times made silly mistakes, but generally felt I played pretty well.

I will definitely not be going into Tour 2 dowhearted. Our squad for Windmill had 40% of our full squad of players and were missing a lot of our top end stars. We were playing against some good teams and despite the final record (2 Ws - 6 Ls) we ended up close to the middle of the table 29th out of 48. We practiced Zone transition heavily which was our aim and also got some good practice on our offensive structures, making some slight adjustments as we went.
Tour 2 should allow all the players who were at Windmill to contribute and really improve the team dynamic with a lot more subs.

Tour 2 Preview coming tomorrow!

Friday Gym

Finally back to a week with two visits to the gym. Upped a couple of exercises and may look to change it up again thanks to some advice from Pedro.

Warm up:

1 * 15 Internal Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
1 * 15 External Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
2 * 15 Single leg raised Glute Bridge - per leg
1 * 12 Press up holds (3 seconds)
1 * 12 Body weight squats
Foam rolling

Main routine:

{4 * Max  Pull ups (hands forward/wide grip) (8, 7, 7, 6)
3 * 8 Standing Dumbell Push Press (2 x 10 kg)}

{3 * 8 Back Squats (90 kg)
3 * 8 Bulgarian Split squats (50 kg *increase*) - per leg
3 * 5 Dead lifts (48kg *increase*)}

{3 * 8 Seated row (68kg)
3 * 8 Lateral Step ups (15kg *increase*) - per leg}

{4 * 10 weighted press ups (15kg)
4 * 30s Dynamic Plank
3 * 8 Single Leg Swiss Ball Hamstring curls (55cm swiss ball)}

Warm down:

Hip abductor stretching
Hamstring stretching
Hip flexors stretching
Foam rolling

Good session.

Unfortunately this week I will be missing Ka-Pow! training on Saturday due to viewing some flats.

Next week is WINDMILL WINDUP. If you would like to follow Ka-Pow!'s progress you can find that here.

Wednesday + Thursday

Last night I went over to Hyde Park after work to attend a mid week Ka-Pow! practice. We worked on running the patterns involved in our offense and breaking a mark. We then played some three on three for a while. It was a good session and it was good to see Pichler back on the field (and looking like he's not missed a step in his play).

Today I went to Yoga over lunch which was pretty good and tough work on the shoulders in particular this week. Plenty of deep stretching and like usual it left me feeling a bit less stiff than before I started.

UKUTour 1 Wrapup

Saturday:

Game 1: Loss to Fire 2 (13-11)

Ka-Pow! got off to a shaky start against Fire 2. We had lost to them at the Fog Lane Cup and they came into the tournament with a gameplan aiming to stop our offense with poaching defense. Our defense managed to get blocks and turns and put in some goals, but Fire 2 managed to convert more breaks than us.
This game did shake us into action in our other pool games and made us take a deep look into our strategies and made us really think about our aims for the season.

Game 2: Win over BAF (15-9)

Coming into this game we knew we had to perform better and play with a bit more confidence. We went up early and started to build the kind of momentum we wanted to continue through the weekend. Unfortunately, in what would be a slightly worrying trend for us, we experienced a slight lull in our performance. Luckily the result was never in doubt.

Game 3: Win over Cambridge (15-9)

A similar game to the one against BAF in that we took an early lead and let it slip slightly but closing out the game. Cambridge had just been in a tight 15-13 loss against Fire 2 whereas we had come straight from beating BAF comfortably so we gained momentum early and never looked back.

Sunday:

Game 4: Win over DED (13-7)

DED were our rivals last season after both teams were formed at the same time and we ended up playing them more times than any other team. This offseason again we ended up playing them twice coming away with two wins. A year ago at Tour 1, DED knocked a short rostered Ka-Pow! out of the top bracket and we were out for some revenge. We turned up earlier than they did, had a focussed warmup and went into the game on offense. We decided upon a shortened O-Line and expanded D-Line for the Sunday as the D-Line had been on the field a lot more on Saturday. We started strong again and DED seemed beaten after a short while. They mounted a couple of small runs but Ka-Pow lead from start to finish. Having heard that DED had only lost to Clapham by the same points differential as we had just beaten them by filled us with more confidence in our aim to finish as high as we could.

Game 5: Win over Bear Cavalry (11-9)

We came into this game with a bit of hesitance. We didn't want to be upstaged by a team comprised of players who we all knew well and who, at one time, looked as though they would be playing for Ka-Pow! at some point this season. The game started and was a little chippy with a couple of calls, but sometimes that happens. As the game progressed though, it was apparent both teams really wanted the win. Bears were short on numbers but continued to play their quick offensive style employing plenty of handler movement. We tried to run our offense, but like in the Fire 2 game the Bears had game planned to take it away (knowing and having access to our play book couldn't have hurt). We took the game in an ugly final point but I think we weren't as pleased with the win as we would have been had we played our systems well or had it not contained quite as many calls. We all respect the Bears and their achievement over the weekend is really impressive, and we can't wait to have them back under the Ka-Pow! banner and wish them luck at Mixed Europeans and Worlds.

Game 6: Win over Cota Rica (15-8)

UKUTour 1 is a great tournament as some of the best teams from Europe are usually in attendance to get some strong competition either in the build up to their own national competition or to consolidate their performance at their nationals and build towards Europeans. Cota Rica had notched some big wins over the weekend, but playing with 9 for 2 days and having 1 player leave to catch a flight before our game against them, leaving them with 8 means they weren't as competitive as they could have been against us. Their long game continued to give us easy turnovers and we were able to convert plenty of breaks. When they scored it was through very impressive play and coming out on defense they played a variety of zone and poach sets which was quite stifling to our offense. We had another lull in this game, but again we were never in any real danger of letting the game slip.

Overall we reached our aim of finishing as highly as we could. It's clear that we need to step up our game to run with the big boys but the building blocks are there for the rest of the season.
9th at Tour 1 translates to 5th out of the Tour teams and we finished behind Clapham (O + D), Chevron, Emo and Fire. A finish of 5th at nationals would gain us qualification for Europeans this year, but there is still work to do for us to achieve our aim of Worlds qualification in 2014. It was a great start to the season though!

Tuesday Gym + Ultiworld

I had a second opinion piece uploaded to Ultiworld yesterday! Was a little musing about the news that the International Olympic Committee officially recognised the World Flying Disc Federation last week.
Pretty glad with how it turned out and with the response.

Yesterday I hit the gym.

Warm up:

1 * 15 Internal Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
1 * 15 External Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
2 * 15 Single leg raised Glute Bridge - per leg
1 * 12 Press up holds (3 seconds)
1 * 12 Body weight squats
Foam rolling

Main routine:

{4 * Max  Pull ups (hands forward/wide grip) (7, 7, 7, 6)
3 * 8 Standing Dumbell Push Press (2 x 10 kg)}

{3 * 8 Squats (90 kg)
3 * 8 Bulgarian Split squats (15 kg) - per leg}

3 * 5 Dead lifts (32kg)

{3 * 8 Seated row (64kg)
3 * 8 Lateral Step ups (12kg) - per leg}

{4 * 10 weighted press ups (10kg)
4 * 30s Dynamic Plank
3 * 8 Single Leg Swiss Ball Hamstring curls (55cm swiss ball)}

Warm down:

Hip abductor stretching
Hamstring stretching
Hip flexors stretching
Foam rolling

Was the first time including Deadlifts in the routine. Looked at lots of video on the internet to get the technique and started with a low weight to get the hang of it.

Will try and get a write up of Tour 1 up this afternoon before I head over to the Ka-Pow! midweek session tonight.