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The Huddle

You Are What You Train To Be

by Chris Frost

Athletically speaking, ultimate is a speed-endurance pentathlon. There are 5 specific athletic attributes that encompass a true all-around elite level player. Much in the same way as baseball with its 5 tools, ultimate has its own unique athletic skillset. The attributes that make up the athletic skillset of an ultimate player are (in no specific order):

A point of ultimate requires all of these abilities from every player on the field. Combine this athletic skillset with tournament-style play and an ultimate player also needs an extremely large work capacity base, as well as the ability to maintain anaerobic explosive/ballistic movement when fatigued.

The most effective way to obtain and perfect these athletic attributes is with a comprehensive, intelligently planned, consistent program that equally addresses the concepts of:

An effective program will address these concepts in a continually progressive manner by volume, rate, intensity, and/or a combination of all three. Effective training will also be done in a proprioceptively engaging environment, be performed as close to game speed as possible, and involve a disc as much as possible. Fortunately, with some creativity and innovation it is easy to create training sessions that encompass all these concepts every single time you train as you progress into more and more complex movements.

The purpose of this article will be to address some broad concepts of efficient athletic movement, provide a framework of different types of training sessions, and also answer some specific questions about training.

Efficient Athletic Movement & Strength Training

The two main concepts of efficient athletic movement are:

1. An active, but stable, core.
2. Arms and legs that move independently and explosively.

Strength training is the first step to incorporating these principles into your movement ability. Strength training is about training movement patterns versus just pushing or pulling weight. The two main focuses of strength training are:

1. The development and improvement of "pillar" strength and postural control.
2. Identifying and correcting weaknesses and imbalances throughout your entire muscular system.

Pillar strength consists of hip, core, and shoulder stability. It is just as it sounds: the ability to “grip” your body with equal stability through your appendages and remain strong as a pillar. It is most effectively developed with full-body functional (multi-joint & multi-plain) exercises using a variety of manipulatives including, but not limited to: barbells, dumbbells, medicine balls, kettlebells, mini-bands, cables, and sandbags. The body is trained as a single unit because everything is connected. We train multi-joint and multi-plane movements because that is exactly how we move out on the field. Form and postural control are strictly adhered to at all times.

The progression of fundamental movement skills follows as such:

Strength training is an introspective experience where you are constantly analyzing and re-analyzing your imbalances and weaknesses for the purpose of correcting them. This is where you do the most thinking about your body and it's movements.

For every single ultimate player, the number one focus of pillar strength should be on hip stability and mobility. Runners have to be able to effectively balance on one leg while moving from the hips. The inability to do this is the biggest energy leak and leads to inefficient movement.

Strength training sessions are done 2-3 times a week depending on your tournament/practice schedule. Train the full-body every time you train.

Sample Training Session

This is a sample framework of a training session for a healthy injury-free athlete that has already learned to move correctly from the core and primary movers. The exercise examples are as simple as it gets, just a starting point to get you thinking. When you're ready, progress beyond these, testing the limits of your athleticism every step along the way. You'll notice almost all of the training is done on your feet and away from machines. Machines inhibit movement. We want freedom of movement and to train on our feet as much as possible challenging your balance and stability at all times. Again, our focus is on training movement patterns.

Movement Prep
10 minutes of bodyweight exercises combined with 5 minutes of fast-twitch activated movement for increasing core temperature and activation of the nervous system and proprioceptive musculature.

Examples: bodyweight squats, split-squats, inchworms, step-ups, and side lunges, combined with dynamic stretching (hip circles, butt-kickers, shuffles), jump-rope, or 5 minutes on an elliptical.

Medicine Ball
10-15 minutes of various medicine ball throws and catches focusing on using the entire kinetic chain. This can also be a good time to include some lateral movement for a nice juxtaposition.

Examples: standing chest passes, overhead passes, side twists, squat-to-chest pass, split-squat-to-chest pass, and chest passes on 1 leg (for hip stability). There is no limit to the movements you can create with a medicine ball.

Lateral movement examples: shuffles and shuffles wearing mini-bands.

Plyometric Movement
Explosive fast-twitch movements focusing on both jumping and landing mechanics. Landing mechanics is about landing properly for re-initiation of explosive movement.

Examples: box jumps, tuck jumps, and split-squat jumps. Pick a different 2-3 each time and have fun exploring the all the different movements and landings.

Functional Exercises
These are full-body multi-joint and multi-plane movements. The focus is on absolutely proper form and moving from the glutes and hips.

Examples: squat, front-squat, deadlift, split-squat, push-press, snatch, overhead squat, step-up, and hang clean.

I usually pick two functional exercises and mix them in with bodyweight exercises to create a further metabolic effect. If my focus for that day is lifting heavy then I perform the exercises by themselves.

1A: Front Squat
1B: T-pushups

2A: Split-squats
2B: Pull-ups with knee tuck

Core Work
Train the core to be the center of action. The two most effective ways to train the core is with isometric (locking) exercise and rotational exercise. Think plank and core twists. Mix different types in a circuit to finish focusing on postural control and working with the entire core, not just the abs.

Circuit Example
1. Plank
2. Side twists with weight
3. Side plank
4. Decline sit-ups with twist at top

Recovery
Foam rolling, static stretching, and proper hydration/fuel replenishment are all parts of a complete recovery program to be done following every training session.

Variations
Continually strive for variations in your training by altering the volume, rate, reps, and intensity with different exercises to make new and different workouts each time you train (I haven't done the same workout in almost 2 years). This keeps the body from becoming adaptable and will also fight boredom of training. Routine is the enemy. Continually strive for progress in a measurable form. Always train as close to game speed as possible. Always push a new physical threshold each time you train.

Q. How should workouts change throughout the season?

A. Once you've developed a proper and equal strength base start working towards progressing on your elastic/reactive system by lifting a low weight as fast as possible for a set time (30 seconds, for example) with proper form. Workouts should never stop during the season, as you can continue to make strength and power gains all the way up until Nationals. You can also cut back on time spent training if necessary based on your athletic schedule, but never the intensity.

Q. What do you think is the main benefit you can get from workouts on the track?

A. Running on the track is phenomenal way to improve your ability to run on a track, but little else. We prefer to do our training on a field 2-3 times a week (depending on practice and game schedule) in cleats re-creating the exact movements we make during a game. Since 70-90% of the game is spent in under 30 yards (depending on position, not counting zone points) 70-90% of our training is also done in 30 yards or under. This is where we refine our speed transition, agility, stride mechanics, lateral movement, acceleration and deceleration, and change of direction ability. We train as fast as game speed as possible and incorporate a disc as much as possible to practice throwing while fatigued. We focus on glute-initiated movement. We create drills that simulate the chaotic visual environment a game has, forcing ourselves to constantly assess and adjust at game speed or faster.

An extremely basic example of this would to set up a drill with teammates where you start by explosively chest-passing a medicine ball into a sprint, catching a disc at full speed, pivot and throw-and-go back into another sprint, then catching another disc at full speed, pivoting and throw-and-go into another short-yardage sprint. Using that drill as a starting point, where could you go from there? No limit on your movement options. We also incorporate beach and hill sprints intermittently for speed resistance training. For energy system development (work capacity) we perform sprint intervals on an elliptical machine with only our feet touching the machine moving free in a sprint stride. We work until we can maintain 30 minutes at a 1:1 (minutes) sprint to rest ratio, then progress up to a 2:1 sprint to rest ratio.

Q. How should teams warm up before games?

A. Physically speaking, it only takes about 5 minutes of dynamic movement to increase the core temperature and activate the proprioceptive musculature, nervous system, and fast-twitch muscle fibers. But since warming up before games is as much, if not more, about getting your head right for the game, take as much time and do whatever you need to do to mentally and physically check-in before a game.

Q. How should I know when to rest?

A. Simple. Listen to your body. It'll tell you when you it's time to take a day off and recover. With that said, recognize that your mind is 10x's weaker than your body and will undoubtedly break first.

Chris Frost is a tenacious defender on a team known for defensive intensity. As a returning member of the Santa Barbara Condors, Frosty is a proponent of creative workouts and the results show in his ability to guard many different types of players.