A round up of articles to help you prepare for your next big tournament!
December 14, 2021 by Victoria Davis in Opinion with 0 comments
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As the 2021 College Championships approach, we thought it would be good to pull together some Tuesday Tips from the archives to help you and your team prepare for various elements of the tournament! This information applies to any big tournament, not just Nationals. Below are some previous articles to help answer some questions you may have, provide some insights from experienced players, and make sure you feel ready for your big upcoming weekend.
Before the Tournament
Scouting Tips (Alex Rummelhart)
Knowing who you are playing is a very useful part of a winning strategy. But there’s more to preparing for a specific opponent than simply looking down a roster or casually watching a game or two. Longtime Tuesday Tips contributor Alex Rummelhart shares his thoughts on where to focus your attention as you watch footage of upcoming opponents so you can glean actionable information from your scouting efforts.
Pregame Mental Toughness (Guylaine Girard)
Often at a big tournament, you play teams you have never played before or a team that you have played (and maybe lost to) a lot. Preparing yourself mentally for those moments is an important skill that requires practice. A coach with more than 25 years of experience, Guylaine Girard lays out a mental routine to practice ahead of competition to maximize performance.
Tournament Schedule Tips (Matt Graves)
It is crazy to think that this year, for some players, college nationals might be one of their first tournaments. Even for some of the “veterans,” they may not have too many reps preparing for competitive tournament days. But even when we’re not returning from a long ultimate frisbee hiatus, knowing what to do once you see the schedule before a big tournament is important! Matt Graves walks through what he looks and plans for once a schedule is released so an entire team can be on the same page about how to approach the weekend.
At the Tournament
A Beginner’s Guide to Playing With Observers (Alex Rummelhart)
Many players — even those playing at a high level — have never played a game of ultimate with observers. While nothing about the rules of the game change when observers are present, there are some nuances and rules to be more aware of when you are playing an observed game. Alex Rummelhart goes over some basics about what observers are responsible for and what to expect in games where they are monitoring play.
Advanced Advice for Observed Games (Alex Rummelhart)
On the other hand, there are teams and players that have plenty of experience playing in quite a few observed games. In part 2 of Rummelhart’s series on playing with observers, he outlines some of the ways experienced players use these third-party officials to uphold Spirit of the Game while moving the game along efficiently and fairly — or sometimes even to gain small advantages.
Limiting Your Opponent’s Superstar (Alex Rummelhart)
Top-tier teams have top-tier players. Having a strategy for how to approach a game against a team with a superstar (or two or three or more) is vital. As always, Alex Rummelhart has you covered as he provides a blueprint on strategies to counter various types of dominant opponents.
Live Tweeting (Mags Colvett)
Friends, fans, and family want to know how you and your team is doing at the tournament. Thankfully, modern technology has given us the tools required to provide in-the-moment updates for people following along from afar. But live-tweeting is not always as easy as some may think. Ultiworld Editor Mags Colvett presents some best practices to help optimize your team’s social media self-reporting.
Managing Your Emotions (Guylaine Girard)
Your emotions play a huge role in how you perform as an athlete. Being able to manage and recognize your emotions is an important skill for every ultimate player. Mental strength expert Girard maps out three ways to help you cope with uncomfortable emotions that arise in crucial moments.
Losing Gracefully (Peter Bonanno)
As much as we hate it to admit it, only one team can finish first. Losing is a big part of sports. Guest author Peter Bonanno does a masterful job preparing you for how to approach a season-ending loss and chart a positive reaction in the aftermath that respects your opponents and helps you bounce back for your next challenge.
