This year has encompassed huge disappointment, major frustration, and life altering awesomeness.

First…

Disappointment and Frustration

If I had known that I would be cut from the team I was trying out for, there is no way I would have started this blog last November.  The whole point of the blog was to document the training of an elite club [read more...]]]> Better late than never right?
I want take a few minutes to update you all on my life, review the past year, and inform you about what’s to come as we enter into the next club season.

This year has encompassed huge disappointment, major frustration, and life altering awesomeness.

First…

Disappointment and Frustration

If I had known that I would be cut from the team I was trying out for, there is no way I would have started this blog last November.  The whole point of the blog was to document the training of an elite club player.  While I consider myself worthy of that label, at the beginning of last year I was expecting to have a spot on a roster to back up this claim.

In the span of a few weeks of spring I went from thinking I had an assured spot on a team in contention to go to nationals, to having to try out for a team that was quite a bit better, to suddenly having no team at all.  I remember waking up the morning of Scandal tryouts, looking up at the ceiling, and wishing I were faster.  Though more speed always helps, it was really my mental game that prevented me from succeeding.  All season I had to live with the knowledge that I had sabotaged myself by my lack of confidence when it really counted.

Being a practice player for a team you think you should be on is difficult.  Watching them go to tournaments without me would produce feelings of jealous rage.  It was not fun realizing I was capable of having these feeling months after tryouts.  Still, I successfully soldiered on despite these occasional feelings.  I was a dedicated practice player who genuinely loved everyone on the team and want them to do well.  Though I was frustrated and even a bit embarrassed about not making Scandal, I was able to deal with the situation like a grown up in a way that I would not have been able to in my twenties.  I found a different type of mental toughness through this experience that I didn’t know I had.

The remainder of the season was spent trying to make the best of it.  I kept up with my training fairly well.  I forgave myself for an understandable lack of focus on some days.  I found the heart to train with my best efforts in the three weeks leading up to regionals despite having to work around an injury.  I finished out the season having a good run with the coed team, Renegade.  We lost in the game to go to the game to go on universe point.

Thankfully there was also…

The Awesomeness

As often happens in life, much of the awesomeness would not be possible without the frustration.

Not going to nationals as a player meant I WAS able to go with Skyd Magazine.  I did my best to be an impartial commentator, but the highlight of the long weekend was being able to watch Scandal rally in an epic come from behind victories against Molly Brown on day one and their attempt at repeating this strategy against Phoenix in the quarters.

Despite a bought with food poisoning during the weekend, hanging out with the Skyd crew was a blast.  They were my team for the weekend.  It was really eye opening to be a part of what happens off the field at the USAU Club Championships.  Vendors, observers, USAU representatives, sponsors, commentators, organizers, and so many groups of people all have a part in making the USAU championships a premier sporting event.  Assuming I’ll get to nationals as a player again, I’ll have a much greater appreciation for the craziness that occurs behind the scenes to allow players to focus on playing and to give spectators as much ultimate coverage as they can absorb.

We were pleased to have a brief visit from Kevin Minderhout and the NexGen crew at the Skyd house.  Talking with other entrepreneurs who are taking risks, finding ways to serve the ultimate community, and satisfying their passions is always invigorating.  Kevin and his plans especially come off as equal parts madness and genius.  This is likely why what he’s doing is working so well.  This conversation, though brief, was good for me as in September I had begun several projects, the outcome of which were far from certain.

Reflecting on the year and what I had accomplished with Ultimate Results, I realized that I had produced a ridiculous amount of online content.  I felt I was being successful in shifting the conversation about how players could train more effectively for the game we love.  However, I had not produced anything organized or with permanence in mind.  Players needed a better framework to understand the concepts I’d been writing about.  I needed, quite frankly, to follow through on the promises of my business.  Ultimate Results was conceived in order to provide players and coaches with products and services to enable them to elevate their game.  And I had not truly produced anything or led any clinics in quite some time.

So in September I decided on three goals:

1. Finish the e-book that I’d been thinking about/working on
2. Test the viability of a membership site for ultimate training
3. Get off the Internet to work with more athletes in person

The first one wasn’t easy but at least I understood how to do it.  Writing, no problem.

The second and third goals I wasn’t as sure about.  Did the ultimate community really want a an online training community?  How would I build it?  Could I write programs that really make sense for ultimate and were easy enough to follow without in person coaching?

In an attempt to get out of teaching Chemistry and start working with more athletes, I applied for a job with Power Train Sports Institute.  Having trained with them two years prior, I knew they respected me as an athlete despite playing a sport they’d never heard of.  Their support of my ultimate endeavors continues as they are now partnering with me in writing the programs for The Ultimate Athlete Project.  Instead of hiring me as just another performance coach, I am now their director of brand outreach where part of my responsibilities include blogging about our athletes and training principles on our Power Train Sports Institute blog.

As an added bonus, I’m now free to travel and teach more ultimate players.  I’ve scheduled my first international clinic in Ireland and will be staying for the Siege of Limerick.  The two day clinic will enable me to have an in-depth experience with the coaches attending.  Those attending will not only learn many of the basic principles of strength and conditioning, but also they will be able to pass the knowledge on and use it with their teams.

I could not be more happy about how The Ultimate Athlete Project, my e-book, and my first international clinic are coming together.  If you want more details, I discussed all of these things with Skyd Magazine in a SkydCast just a few weeks ago.

What’s Next?

I now find myself in an environment of great coaches and amazing athletes.  Despite my depth of knowledge in the field of strength and conditioning,  there is always more to learn.  At Power Train, I’m able to see how all of the concepts I’ve been writing about and practicing on myself and others translate in application to elite level athletes on a daily basis.  I’m looking forward to continuing to learn how the Power Train system works.  I’ll be training athletes while also continuing to write about strength and conditioning concepts and our athletes on the Power Train Sports Institute blog.  For me, there could not be a more ideal mix of responsibilities.

I’ll likely be making cameo appearances on the blog talking about my own training.  I am thrilled to be able to have this platform to expose so many athletes and coaches to our sport.  (btw, you can do myself and ultimate a favor by subscribing to the blog and liking the new Power Train page on Facebook!)

I’m happy that I successfully complete my goal of documenting my training experience for the past year here on Melissa’s Ultimate Fitness.  Blogging has enabled me to meet many amazing people and has opened up all of the great opportunities I’ve had over the past year.  I will continue to update you on my training and progress this year.  However, my contributions will be less frequent.  As I have found over this past year, there are only so many words I can produce in a day.

I am honored when you spend your valuable time reading what I have to say.  I will continue to make sure that everything I produce here is substantive, applicable, or at the very least somewhat entertaining.

I will also maintain my commitment to honestly sharing my struggles and victories on and off the field.  An athlete is a whole person, not simply a collection of muscle fibers and neurons.  The frustration, plateaus, exhilaration, tears, and breakthroughs are all part of the athletic experience that needs to be examined and understood to take control of one’s full athletic potential.

These past few months have been surreal.  I’m thrilled about how all of my projects have come together.  But having these three big projects done, doesn’t mean that I’m finished!  More exciting plans are already in the works.  Stay tuned…

Before I go into the obligatory New Year review I want to make sure you don’t miss out on the New Year’s early bird access and discount to The Ultimate Athlete Project that I’m giving to my most loyal followers.  You’ve been reading my blog and hopefully implementing some of the training principles I’ve talked about.  This membership site is going take all of us to the next level by providing you with monthly programs so you know exactly what to do.

So sorry to leave you all for so long after the close of the season.  I took some time off to rejuvenate but my lack of words does not reflect a lack of activity.  Since my last blog post I went to nationals with Skyd Magazine, started creating a new training website, and got a new job!

But more about all that later.  What’s got me so excited that I HAD to come online and share it with you all is this:

Injiji socks

Yup, a new pair of awesome[read more...]]]> Hey all!

So sorry to leave you all for so long after the close of the season.  I took some time off to rejuvenate but my lack of words does not reflect a lack of activity.  Since my last blog post I went to nationals with Skyd Magazine, started creating a new training website, and got a new job!

But more about all that later.  What’s got me so excited that I HAD to come online and share it with you all is this:

Injiji socks

Yup, a new pair of awesome injiji socks!  Yes, they look strange but they are surprisingly comfortable.  They fit uh… like a glove!  It’s hard to wear them around the house without smiling every time I look down.   I also wore them for several hours of a pickup game and they performed very well.  Stayed put, comfortable, not smelly.  I really liked being able to wiggle my toes with no grossness in between after taking my cleats off.  Highly recommended!

One of my students found out about my fancy sock obsession after finding my blog and so I did, in fact, end up getting socks on my birthday.  Awesome!  Big thanks to Richie for the injiji suggestion in the comments.  Plenty of other suggestions in the comments for you to try out as well.  Powersox and Smartwool may make the top of my Christmas list this year.

And speaking of gift lists, it’s soon going to be time for a repeat performance of last year’s Nine Non-obvious Gift Ideas for the Ultimate Player in Your Life.  What should go on the list???  I’m not feeling quite as original as last year so please help a girl out!  Post your ideas in the comments below!

More updates on my life and training coming soon.  Thanks for reading!

So it is officially post-season for me but I am still a practice player for Scandal.  This coming weekend will be my last practice with them [read more...]]]>  Quick post-season update

Sorry that I left you all hanging after my latest post.  The short story is that, no my team Renegade did not make it to nationals.  We lost on universe in the game to go to the game to go.  Disappointing, of course.  In our region there were about six well matched teams vying for two spots.  Both spots went to Philly teams:  AMP and Termite’s Entourage.

So it is officially post-season for me but I am still a practice player for Scandal.  This coming weekend will be my last practice with them before they go to the big show.  Scandal is a great group of women.  I have learned a ton and laughed a lot with them this season.  I am very much looking forward to following their progress at Nationals.

Learning from the Best

An excellent drill for working on your low release breakmark throws.  Explained here by captain Allison Maddux with some help from Opi:

;

How to Support and Follow DC Scandal:

1.  You can become a fan on Facebook

2.  I strongly recommend following their highly entertaining Twitter feed @ScandalUltimate courtesy of  Opi

3.  You can buy our sweet jerseys and practice pinnies modeled so well by Allison and Opi in the video above.

Thanks!

Very excited about playing tomorrow.  I’ve got everything I need ready– including the uniform matching wristbands and several pairs of perfect socks.

One thing I’ve realized as a veteran player is that you can’t underestimate the importance of good, comfortable socks.

I have experimented with a lot of fancy socks:

lots of socks

So far these three pairs are my favorite:

favorite socks

I was not always a sock connoisseur.  I grew up on cotton socks that came in packs of 10 from K-Mart and [read more...]]]> Packing my stuff up for Regionals.

Very excited about playing tomorrow.  I’ve got everything I need ready– including the uniform matching wristbands and several pairs of perfect socks.

One thing I’ve realized as a veteran player is that you can’t underestimate the importance of good, comfortable socks.

I have experimented with a lot of fancy socks:

lots of socks

So far these three pairs are my favorite:

favorite socks

I was not always a sock connoisseur.  I grew up on cotton socks that came in packs of 10 from K-Mart and I was happy with that through my whole college career.  My boyfriend at the time tried to convince change my ways (perhaps he was tired of my clammy, smelly feet). “Once you go synthetic, you’ll never go back!” I agreed with him. I had no desire to get myself hooked on $8 socks so I stayed away from them.

I don’t know when I bought my first pair of fancy socks.  But in this one instance my boyfriend was right. Fancy socks are the shit.  I will never go back to cotton.

How to buy fancy socks

I am so well renowned for my fancy sock buying skills that I once had a friend call me from the isle of Dick’s Sporting Goods asking for advice.  Overwhelmed with all of the choices, she just wanted to buy socks for a friend for his birthday.  What a great idea!  I know very few guys who don’t love birthday socks.

Fancy socks highlight their performacne benefits by using different colors to show different thickness variations and stitching patterns.  Most fancy socks have extra padding on the balls of the foot and the heel for reduced chafe-age.  There is less material at the arch of the foot and sometimes on top for improved breathablity.   Some socks are fairly tight around the arches, supposedly for arch support.  But getting arch support from fabric of any sort seems fairly ridiculous.  However, the tighter the sock, the less chance of having a wrinkle that will lead to blisters.

this must be why my handler cuts are so squirrely

Most of fancy sock buying is about the marketing.  At the Under Armor store they have three types of socks, one kind for stability, one kind for straight ahead speed, one kind for agility. I am not making this up!  Does anyone seriously believe that the pattern of stitching on socks will measurable affect performance?  Last time I was there I laughed at their ridiculousness and then paid $5 for the agility socks.

Buying fancy socks requires a certain suspension of disbelief.

Unintended consequences

1.  I am now hooked on fancy socks. Be forewarned that once you start, you can’t stop.

2.  Losing one fancy sock in the dryer means you lose both. The thing about fancy socks is that most of them now are specifically left or right foot labelled for better fit. Or maybe it’s a conspiracy. When I lose the left foot sock of two pairs, you can’t just put the mismatched socks together for a new pair. When losing socks in the dryer, make sure you alternate losing left/right socks. This is tricky though as I’ve found the dryer seems to have a preference for left footed socks.

Closing Thoughts

I will also never turn down birthday socks.  November 9th.  Just sayin’

This multidirectional movement workout worked great for keeping my edge on fitness and allowed me to move without doing more damage.  Last week I showed you my [read more...]]]> Leading up to sectionals I was having some problems with my hamstring wanting to seize up every time I would sprint more than about 15 yards.  Fortunately, I rarely have to do that on the ultimate field as a handler.  Unfortunately, this made my workouts leading up to sectionals a little more challenging.  My solution was to rest my hamstring by doing only workouts that didn’t cause the cramping feeling.

This multidirectional movement workout worked great for keeping my edge on fitness and allowed me to move without doing more damage.  Last week I showed you my lateral movement workout.  This multidirectional movement workout was done directly after.

Multidirectional Movement Workout

Each movement was done at about 80% intensity for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of jogging.  I repeated this cycle of 5 movement three times for a total of 15 minutes.

I will freely admit that some of this looks goofy, but it is effective.

1.  Backwards Skip

2.  Shuffles

3.  Run and Look for Disc

4.  Backwards Run

5.  Diagonal and Stop

And how does this workout make me feel?

I should warn you that this workout can be very rough on your calves.  If you’re going to try this type of workout, start gradually.  Try one cycle through after  a shorter version of whatever you normally do for conditioning and see how you feel the next day.  If you are playing ultimate 4 days a week, you are already getting plenty of multidirectional movement and your time might be better spent on other things.  I am currently only playing on the weekend and not able to run in a straight line.  This is hopefully different than your current situation!

This workout is really ideal for transitioning between the off season and getting ready for your first tournament. 

Related Posts:

Multidirectional Movement

Lateral Movement Workout

What follows is the exact version of the lateral movement workout I did this week:

I did three exercises in a circuit:

Each exercises was performed for 30 seconds at full intensity followed by 60 seconds of rest.  I went through the circuit three times.

I am showing you the last of the three circuits.  There is enough recovery for my last set to be [read more...]]]> This post is an updated my previous post about my favorite lateral movement workout.  In that video I briefly explained the workout and did a short demo.

What follows is the exact version of the lateral movement workout I did this week:

I did three exercises in a circuit:

1. skater hops
2. shuffles
3. short shuttles

Each exercises was performed for 30 seconds at full intensity followed by 60 seconds of rest.  I went through the circuit three times.

I am showing you the last of the three circuits.  There is enough recovery for my last set to be as explosive as my first.  This is important.  Sloppy form on this kind of stuff could easily lead to a turned ankle or worse.

This is primarily a power endurance workout.  But if you have any doubts about its positive affect on my cardiovascular system, just listen to my breathing as I turn off the camera in video #3.

1.  skater hops

2. shuffles

3.  short shuttles

How to start:

If you want to do this type of workout, start with a lot less.  As I mentioned in my first video, I started with 4 repetitions of skater hops.  30 seconds of work and 90 seconds of rest.  And that was it.

Is that all?

Nope.  After I completed this workout, I went straight into a multidirectional movement workout.  I will show you the complete multidirectional movement workout next week.  If you have not yet subscribed to Melissa’s Ultimate Fitness, why not do it now so you don’t miss anything! (It’s the “Posts” link in the upper right of the blog.  go get it!)

Related Posts:

Lateral Movement Workouts: the secret of my success

Lateral Movement and Introductory Plyos

Multidirectional Movement

This will be my tenth post on the blog that mentions plyometrics. Every time I post about plyos, I wonder if it’s the right thing to do. I feel a bit uncomfortable. Are people going to follow my advice or just be encouraged to do plyometrics with reckless abandon? This argument in my head sounds eerily familiar.

Five arguments that apply equally well to a plyometric program and the teenage sex talk

Before doing a plyometric workout, I do a thorough dynamic warmup. Prancing, galloping, pogos are excellent pre-plyo warm up exercises.

I might also do some footwork drills as a transition between the warmup and the workout.

Here is a footwork drill that I like a lot:

Especially with a tall cone, it [read more...]]]> First things first: do NOT blindly copy this workout!  Please read Plyometrics: Three Mistakes that Increase Your Risk of Injury before starting any plyo program.  This workout is presented for informational purposes only.

Before doing a plyometric workout, I do a thorough dynamic warmup. Prancing, galloping, pogos are excellent pre-plyo warm up exercises.

I might also do some footwork drills as a transition between the warmup and the workout.

Here is a footwork drill that I like a lot:

Especially with a tall cone, it is surprisingly more difficult than it looks.

20 seconds per foot- count ground contacts and try to beat it next time.

Good for and hip flexor action and body control.  I can also feel this in my core.  It’s not an exercise I see used commonly.  Not sure why.  Either the rest of the world has decided it’s useless, or it’s a special-secret training method between you and me.

The Workout

1. Single leg tuck jumps

Trying to get the knee up as high as possible, landing with control on the same foot.

3 sets 4 reps each foot

2.  Lateral stadium bound

one of my favorites!

3 sets 5 reps each foot

3.  Single leg bench pushoffs

3 sets 5 reps each foot

4.  Zig-zag Heiden hops

3 sets of 6

5.  Double leg bounds

trying to get up and forward with minimal ground contact time

2 sets 5 reps

Ground contact count:

1. single leg tuck jumps:  3 sets X 4 reps = 12 contacts/foot
2. lateral stadium bounds:  3 sets X 5 reps = 15 contacts/foot
3. single leg bench pushoffs: 3 sets X 5 reps = 15 contacts
4. zig-zag heiden hops: 3 set X 6 reps = 9 contacts/foot
5. double leg bounds: 2 sets X 5 reps = 10 contacts

total = 61 ground contacts for the workout

Related Posts:

Plyometrics:  Three mistakes that increase your risk of injury

Proper Progression in Plyos: box jumps

Proper Progression in Plyos:  stick the landing

Sample Plyometric Workout

Since you guys enjoyed the Top Five Posts from my six month anniversary I figured why wait another six months.  Here are the Top Five posts from the past three months:

Top Five Posts on Melissa’s Ultimate Fitness

June through August according to pageviews

5.  Inspiration is for Amateurs

4.   Proper Progression in Plyos:  Stick the Landing

3.  How to get it all done:  your in-season training plan

2.  [read more...]]]>  

Since you guys enjoyed the Top Five Posts from my six month anniversary I figured why wait another six months.  Here are the Top Five posts from the past three months:

Top Five Posts on Melissa’s Ultimate Fitness

June through August according to pageviews

5.  Inspiration is for Amateurs

4.   Proper Progression in Plyos:  Stick the Landing

3.  How to get it all done:  your in-season training plan

2.  How to maintain and build strength in season in two hours or less

and your favorite…

1.  Plyometrics:  Three mistakes that increase your risk of injury

And in case you missed them…

Two posts I’m quite happy with that were published elsewhere:

1.  Nonlinear Periodization on ultitraining.com

2.  Train Like an Animal on Skyd Magazine

Thanks so much for reading, subscribing and commenting!  It’s been another great three months!  You guys are the reason I do this and I appreciate your support!

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