Sometimes it is good to start something new. Being the newbie, or “the dead weight”, is good for your soul. It teaches humility and patience.

I played in the Kalamazoo Ultimate Frisbee league , or KUDL league this summer at the insistence of Darrough West. I was hesitant at first remembering my many years on team sports playing soccer. (20+ years). I’ve probably spent more time chasing a soccer ball than most people have spent sleeping. This is a good thing because to me this drove me towards the individual sports I enjoy so much. But I went to a few pick up games early in the summer and started chasing the disc. It’s in the blood somewhere. Ever watch a labrador chase a frisbee. They can’t help themselves.

For the uninitiated, Ultimate is a hybrid between American football, (I prefer to think Rugby) basketball and soccer. The objective is to throw the disc to a player into the endzone. The player with the disc may not move, so players without the disc must move into open space to catch a throw from the “handler”. The handler only has 10 seconds to throw the disc before having to turn it over to the other team. Any time a pass is not completed it is turned over to the other team. There is obviously a lot of strategy and skill associated with both the handler and the players looking to catch the disc.

The key skills are throwing and catching. Backhand throwing is the skill most people are comfortable with. Forehand is an essential skill. When you’re being marked, a backhand throw takes more space to execute. A forehand is quicker and more fluid while under pressure. However it is not a natural motion so it must be practiced. I worked all summer to develop a forehand throw. I would throw out in the back yard with whomever would play catch with me. Gabriel actually developed a pretty good forehand too. In the end I was able to execute many good forehand throws before summer was out.