Scobel Wiggins Photography

Shane RUBENFELD
Player: Reed (4 years), Oregon (1 year)
Coach: Oregon-B (1 year), Reed (Current)

What are the best ways to get new players involved on a college team?

There are two parts to this question, really: how do you recruit for your team, and how do you make the players you have into a team?

The first part is both too easy, and too hard, so I'll give the sellout answer: it depends on the social culture at your school, and the relationship between the student body and athletics in general. Make posters that speak to this specific relationship, encourage your team to talk to freshmen; have a specific team meeting when you discuss the particular recruiting draws at your school. For instance, Reed College has very few interscholastic athletics, and we're proud that our Ultimate practice involves by far the hardest workout of any team at the school. We use this point of pride to attract kids for whom competitive athletics were an important part of high school, and who are looking for a replacement.

The other side of the same coin is constructing a team identity. An identity resolves itself most importantly as a generally consistent way that the team fits into the players' lives, and a corresponding request for a consistent commitment from each player. This commitment, "buying in" to that identity, results in harder and more focused work from players during and outside of practice.

Every team that has a successful social aspect is going to reinforce identity through inside jokes and shared experiences; as a coach I try to create the same effect at practice and tournaments. Again, points of pride that speak to an overall strategic focus are the biggest way to accomplish this on the field: what are the fundamentals you stress as a team? Are you most proud of your focus, your exhaustive practices, of physical man-D, of never having lost to rival X, of having an intimidating deep game? Place an emphasis on points of pride when you can relate your lesson for the day to them; then you can demand a corresponding effort from your players when it's on the line at a tournament.

What sorts of drills/practice formats have been successful in introducing the sport, as well making it fun?

My general and completely unoriginal theory of running practices revolves around the achievement of a series of small goals that build in a focused manner. Introduce the succinct themes or key lessons to take from practice while stretching, and make sure everyone can relate the following drills to that lesson. Show how drills emulate real game situations and your larger strategy, before or after the drill as appropriate.

As in practice, so at tournaments (especially Fall tourneys): go into each game with three or four small team goals. For instance: 'run these two plays successfully at least once per half'. Ask players that they apply this on a personal level as well. Have them set expectations for themselves that speak to their strengths, their weaknesses, and the team goals: don't drop a single disc; don't let a handler cut upline; complete a break throw every point.

Setting up each practice for success will encourage your players to demand success of themselves. On a day with terrible weather, I might switch the point of my practice to D rather than my original focus of possession O or hucking; that way a very similar practice will end on a note of accomplishment (more Ds!) rather than disappointment (more turnovers.) More often, if a practice degenerates or loses focus, it's worth it to stop the drill and run some conditioning. It's been said before, but practice does not make perfect: perfect practice makes perfect. Most players (apparently I'm a freakish exception) would rather scrimmage than drill, but if your closing scrimmage turns sloppy, turnover-ridden, and with no hint of team strategy, stop it. Do sprints. Throw. Send them home.

What off-field things can you do to make being on the team a priority for a new recruit on the fence about committing?

If this is a problem you're having on your team, the question that you should ask is "What are my players looking to get out of this point in their lives, and how much of that should the team experience provide or facilitate?"

As a coach, I've found it really important to talk seriously to the older players on the team, encouraging them to reach out to the younger guys. It's always pretty easy on a team with good institutional memory to remind current seniors of their freshman year, and the role their particular mentors played then-- or the role they wish had been filled. There's so much baggage that comes with the first year in college-- class, alcohol, boys'n'girls, building a completely new social network and rebranding oneself-- it's such a huge thing when someone you look up to can take a personal moment and let slip, and I can't avoid cliché here, that we've all been through it.

One last point that my co-coach Fish brings up, is that it's so crucial to avoid the encroachment of skill-based, on-field hierarchy into the social setting. Again we're going to enter the realm of the trite-but-true: so what if Joey is slow and wears funny shorts-- he's probably the most hilarious guy you've ever met. If he isn't inspired by social acceptance to commit to the team, you'll never know if he'll turn out to be your best receiver his junior year. If you notice your returners habitually chum around with the more promising recruits, have a word with them. Your team's social life informs the trust, respect, and commitment that will make or break their efforts on-field.

Also, what qualities do you look for in a brand new ultimate player? What skills should they have, and what skills can be developed?

Let's see... can I get four 6'2" soccer players, a few handlers from Seattle and a side order of sprinters? No? Shucks. Here're two abstract qualities that I look for rookies to develop, and that give me hope when they do:

The first is focus. Focus eventually manifests in fewer drops, a dramatically better learning curve, and generally higher production on-field. You can see the focus of a player right off the bat in how they approach throwing around at the beginning of practice: are they working on 'real' throws or just tossing and catching lazily? Who talks about last nights' drinking while waiting for their turn in drills, and who stays involved while their teammates are running hard? Change these lapses into exercises by encouraging your players to actively work on focus when throwing, and especially staying tuned in during the peripheral minutes of practice. There are a lot of other drills that can work on focus, and most coaches have one... but the hardest and best task is to foster a heightened general collective focus.

The second abstraction is respect: for each other, for the game, and most of all for themselves. Practice time and work outside of practice is so much about respect for your teammates, but this point should be preaching to the choir. When I say self-respect, on the other hand, I'm not really talking about just winning matchups. It's the battle with oneself. Challenge your players to never let themselves makes excuses, not to you or teammates but to themselves. Man defense, for instance, is rarely solely about athletic dominance. The real breakdown comes when one player lets himself get away with a little less. Sprints and conditioning are only about getting in shape to a certain extent; where they're truly valuable is in developing willpower. I prefer not telling my players how many sets of whatever we're going to do. Encourage them to be unbending to themselves and do every set believing it's the most important forty yards of the day, week, season.

If my rookies can walk away in a year or in four with a greater appreciation for their ability to effect positive change in their own lives, I'll be a happy man.