Ultimate is rarely played in perfectly calm conditions. Let's stop pretending it will be and learn how to appropriately prepare and strategize for the elements.
Our latest feature is an instructional series on playing ultimate in the wind, from two of the most successful strategists in the game over the past two decades, Ben Wiggins and Skip Sewell. Broken out into five installments that will be released throughout the week, this article provides a comprehensive, in-depth education on how to prepare for and adapt to windy conditions better than your opponent.
Ben Wiggins was a handler for Oregon Ego and Seattle Sockeye before retiring in 2010. While he prides himself on his defensive field vision, it was high-pressure hucking and small-space footwork that most marked his playing style. He has coached at every level of the game and with teams and players around the world with a focus on individual player and coach development. He is best known for informing his players that there were only two great throwers in the game and that he was both of them.
Matthew 'Skip' Sewell is one of the most productive defenders of his generation. A multiple champion in Club, he has contributed to the current state of the game extensively off the field as a coach, entrepreneur, and organizer. He has a knack for reading offensive tendencies in any scheme and destroying the best laid plans of opponents (though more and more in Goaltimate lately). He in fact does not visibly age, which helps.
