Put Them In A Position To Succeed

by Lindsey Hack

Lindsey HACK
Player: UNC-Chapel Hill & Michigan State
Coach: UNC-Chapel Hill

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

The best way to get new players involved on a college team is to find a skill that they particularly excel at and put them in a position to succeed at that skill for the good of the team. A new player is not that much different from a seasoned veteran. In both cases, if you can consistently put them in situations where they can use their skills to contribute to a team's victory, they will feel positive about their role on the team. With a seasoned veteran, it is easier to put them in situations where they can contribute as you have more skills to choose from, the real trick is finding the scenario that a rookie/beginner can succeed in.

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

During the fall, it is very important that the drills foster confidence in beginners. Most younger players are very concerned about their throws, so we do not want to put them in situations where if their throws are not consistent they will fail. Therefore, we tend to play a lot of 3v3 or 4v4 where there can be lots of touches by everyone and shorter throws are encouraged. We also tend to break down simple game situations (like throwing a dump) so a rookie can become aware of what is necessary to succeed in that situation in a drill format and then succeed on the field.

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

At UNC-CH, we have a glorious B-team. If we have a new recruit that is on the fence about committing, we generally encourage them to join the B team. The B team, although very serious and full of hard workers, generally requires significantly less time commitment, which tends to be the issue with the fence-sitting recruit. Then, that individual can still play ultimate, possibly getting hooked on the sport, and tryout for the A team the following year.

We do have a few players who have been new recruits who have been hesitant to play on the A-team because of finances. The coaches try to intervene as little as possible, but if it becomes an issue of playing or not playing, we try to sit down and discuss with the player strategies to make the season affordable (saving, jobs, fundraising, etc).

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

Throwing has always been the brick wall for most women trying out the sport for the first time. Typically, when I approach an athlete about playing ultimate, they will respond with "but, I can't throw." I try to make it very, very clear that not knowing how to throw should not stop you from attempting to tryout for the team. Throwing is a skill that requires a lot of muscle memory, and unless you played high school ultimate, chances are; it is not going to be a natural skill for your forearm. I try to explain to them that every ultimate player, at some point in their career, could not throw.

Overall, to make the A-team at UNC-CH we look for athleticism: something that can not be taught or coached into a player. Can they jump? Can they catch (I think this is mostly a natural skill, and not one that can be learned easily)? Do they have field sense? Are they fast? Do they have potential to develop into a player with a skill set we can use this year? Also,we tend to look at personality traits that could be useful on a team that, for the most part, can not be taught. What do they do with feedback? Do they work hard? Do they take initiative to get better at their weak points? Are they coachable?