I’m giving away a custom Ultimate Rob Discraft Ultrastar. All you have to do to enter is comment on this post answering the following question:

If you could go any where in the world where would you go and why?

I will randomly choose a winner on May 21. Looking forward to your answers!

1. Set up in 3 lines.
2. 4 sets up for an In-Cut. 2 and 5 watch and prepare to set up their cuts.
3. As 4 cuts in, 2 starts to set up for an In-Cut, 5 can slowly set up but mostly watches.
4. Pass goes up to 4, 2 gets fully set up for a continuation cut In, 5 shifts downfield, ready to make a continuation cut for 2.
5. 2 now cuts In, 4 passes to 2. 5 prepares for a deep strike cut out.
6. 5 reads off of 2 and either cuts deep, or cuts deep and then back In. 2 passes to 5. ** It’s up to these two players to read off one another to decide whether it will be a huck deep or an cut under. **
7. To reset the drill, 1 goes to the first cutting line, 4 goes to the second cutting line, 2 goes to the third, and 5 runs the disc down the sideline, and eventually returns to join the throwers.

1. This is an enlarged display of the drill’s setup. Cones = Red 1-7 and Blue 6-7. The thrower is Blue 1 and the cutter is Blue 2. NOTE: the drill IS NOT run full field. For an average run, I would recommend that cones Red 1-3 be about 5-7 yards apart. This drill can be compacted or expanded depending on the workout you’re looking for.
2. The cutter starts next to the disc and runs to the first center cone.
3. He/She turns and cuts to either of the side cones 4 or 5. As they cut, the thrower puts the disc out into that space so that the runner must react to its placement and move to it.
4. #2 then RUNS the disc back to the thrower and repeats the process on the other front cone.
5. The same process is continued for the following two sets (Red 2:6-7) (Red 3: Blue 6-7). The Cutter MUST run each disc back to the thrower.
6. When sprinted all the way through, this drill can get very tiring, and is a great way to work some simple skills and concepts (catching, throwing to space, etc) while getting a good workout.

The biggest outcome from playing in windy conditions is to learn how to throw in the wind and to be smart with your offensive strategy (huck and pin is a common one).

1. Set up from brick mark
2. First in stack (speedracer) cuts to break side
3. Speedracer cuts long along break side
4. Disc goes up on open side
5. Speedracer cuts across to open side to receive pass
6. We score

SAVAGE, with offices in South Carolina and California, supplies ultimate teams with jerseys, shorts, hats and other apparel all over the world. SAVAGE is poised to expand into the Eastern United States in late 2013 to help provide more coverage to teams in the Boston, New York and Toronto areas. UltimateRob.com is a premier source for Ultimate-related news, reviews, discussion and information with a large, engaged readership base.

“SAVAGE has great products, a fun brand and they have some great plans for the future so I’m hoping to support their efforts and keep up-to-date with the latest trends in ultimate apparel,” said Rob McLeod, a 9-time world record holder in disc sports and the founder of UltimateRob.com. “I feel certain that this partnership will not only allow me to provide high quality apparel to the ultimate community but it will also allow me to design some really custom designs, with the help of some friends who are graphic designers”.  McLeod has more than 10 years of experience organizing and managing coaching clinics for ultimate, and the reach and readership of UltimateRob.com has grown exponentially in the past four years under his direction.

Visit Ultimate Rob’s official store on SAVAGE at http://www.ultimaterobstore.com.

Under the terms of the partnership Ultimate Rob will wear SAVAGE gear in his videos and competitions and in return, SAVAGE will host Ultimate Rob’s official store which will include jerseys, shorts, hats, discs and hoodies, among other gear.

“Offering a partnership deal to Ultimate Rob was a no brainer” Todd Curran, owner of SAVAGE expressed. “Rob is a lover of all disc sports and promotes the healthy growth of ultimate. His training videos instruct all experience levels how to properly handle all aspects of the game. With SAVAGE’s popularity growing across North America and the world, Ultimate Rob will help solidify SAVAGE as a household name in disc sports.”

SAVAGE began in 2009 to offer Ultimate team gear and is now the fastest growing brand in Ultimate. With their PRO uniform options made in the U.S.A. and brand options from t-shirts to jackets, SAVAGE caters to the entire ultimate community.

Rob McLeod is a disc sports competitor living in Alberta, Canada. He competes in ultimate frisbee, disc golf, dog disc and overall flying disc competitions. Rob currently holds 9 World Records (which includes 2 Guinness World Records) and has won 3 World Championships. Rob founded ultimaterob.com in 2009.

Listen out for a UTalkRaw exclusive scoop in this episode!  We are delighted to have Rob share some news with UTalkRaw before anyone else…

Links mentioned in this show:

• Ultimate Rob
• Melissa, Ultimate Results
• The Future Of Ultimate: UCPC Panel Discussion
• Rise Up Ultimate
• Savage Ultimate Apparel
• Skyd Magazine

PS: Visit http://www.ultimaterobstore.com if you need a clue on Robs announcement!

How and when did you get into ultimate?
- Back in 2000 I was invited out to play some pick-up with a few friends. Later that year I heard of a local Winter league through a friend and the rest is history!

How long have you been playing beach ultimate?
- I’ve been playing in the Parlee Beach Ultimate Tournament since 2001 and began TD’ing it a few years afterwards

Besides Rimini, Italy I’ve had the pleasure of playing on the beaches of Shediac, New Brunswick; Gaspé, Quebec; Souris, Prince Edward Island; and Figueira da Foz, Portugal at the World Beach Championships.

Do you prefer playing men’s or coed ultimate?
- Each division definitely has its own perks. I have an ongoing love/hate with the intensity of men’s as well as its collective acceptance of a more physical, cocky and aggressive game. With that said I’ve had some of my most memorable moments playing men’s. Who Wants To Party vs Phoenix at Winnipeg CUC anyone?

I love that mixed naturally puts an emphasis on gender equality and respect. You simply don’t have a choice when you’re like me (not a naturally gifted player). I have to give it my all whether I’m being marked by a guy or a girl.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?
- Hands down there was absolutely nothing more rewarding than going to CUC 2010 with Spawn. We were flying under the radar in the mixed division and I was personally in the best physical and mental shape of my life. We were having the time of our lives that week. Partying every night and going undefeated in pool play. We put up an amazing fight against Montreal, narrowly missing the big dance.

We kept our morale high and ultimately walked away with the bronze medal. It was unbelievable and a first for any Ultimate team from our region. Plus we had WWE theme music pumping when we received our medals on Sunday.

What is your favourite tournament?
- I always look forward to Parlee and Clambake…can you tell what type of player I am?

What got you hooked on ultimate?
- Parlee and Clambake…

What do you like most about playing ultimate?
- Parlee and …. KIDDING! I love the camaraderie, genuineness and overall honesty of the people who play. Where else can lawyers, teachers, politicians, jocks and hippies beat up on each other on the field all day and then party together all night like high school kids? Not to mention they all return the following weekend to do it all over again at another tournament!

What was it like playing in the finals at Paganello?
- It was exciting, terrifying, electrifying and nauseating all at the same time. But man was it all worth it! I personally had the worst game of my life, but to quote a meme that one of our friends generated during the finals, “Thank the old gods for John Snow”!

What do you think the next few years will look like?
- I haven’t a sweet clue (and I don’t think anyone else knows either)!

Between the pro leagues, ESPN highlights, world games, observers and social media (like Ultimate Rob) there is one thing for certain… We all are living and playing Ultimate during a very exciting time!

All I can personally continue to do is to stay focused on keeping Fredericton the greatest unknown place to play Ultimate in the world. Just ask anyone who’s moved away. Right, Bertrob (editor’s note: Bertrob is a nickname given to me from the Fredericton ultimate community)?

If you lived closer to Toronto or Boston, would you play pro ultimate?
- I guess it would depend if the Rush were willing to have someone nicknamed Jerk Dink on their roster. Pending that decision I guarantee I’d be the best sideline they ever had and have no problem starting the shirts-off-shindig at the party…they party in the pro leagues, right?

Anything else you’d like to add?
- Mark TeKamp for Prime Minster!

The play breaks down as follows:

1. Middle handler throws to open side handler
2. Break side handler (1) sprints to opposite sideline to catch throw
3. Middle handler (2) runs to break side sideline and is thrown to by (1)
4. 7 clears deep while 5 and six make cuts; 5 going in 6 going out
5. 6 and 7 cut back in and 5 cuts deep then handler throws OI huck to 5

To summarize my review in a word, I would call Friction Gloves HONEST.

Now, onto the review:

Friction Gloves don’t pretend they’re something they’re not, unlike that random creepy friend who has lots of tattoos and spiked hair but still listens to Miley Cyrus. Unlike your creepy friend, Friction Gloves fit just right and they deliver exactly on what they promise to – getting better grip in less than ideal situations.

The gloves are not thick or insulated, which would make them warmer, but that’s what I like about them. Thick gloves compromise on grip, catching and overall touch (which affects grip and catching).There are many reviews online for gloves but I think they all miss the main point. Why would I choose to wear gloves rather than just go barehanded? If your hands are cold, blow on them, stick them inside your shirt or wear thick ski gloves on the sideline to warm them up. The type of gloves you want when it’s cold or wet out is a glove that will fit like, well, like a glove, give you better grip when both your hands and the disc are cold and improve your catching by offering enough of  a layer between your hands and the disc while at the same time not lessening your feeling that much.

I also like that they have a velcro strap on the wrist. I find this makes it easier to get the gloves on and off and lets you adjust how tight they fit. Plus, if you have a nervous habit like biting your nails, you can instead play with the velcro strap enclosure. Sounds weird? You know you love the sound of velcro attaching and detaching!

For me, Friction Gloves did exactly what their name alludes to – Friction meaning to create resistance – which is what you want when it’s cold or wet out. They’re not called Friction Warm Gloves so if you buy these expecting to warm your hands up, you will be disappointed. But, as I said earlier, that’s not what they are for.

Oh and the dude who runs Friction Gloves is nicknamed Hanky. How cool is that?

I don’t like giving ratings out of 10 so I’ll give Friction Gloves a rating of 743. If it sounds high, that’s because it is. These gloves are good.

Pick up a pair of Friction Gloves off their website for $24.99 - http://frictiongloves.com.

Or you can try and win 1 of 3 pairs in the Ultimate Rob and Friction Gloves Spring Giveaway, which runs until April 19 on my Facebook page here: http://woobox.com/2co4d4

There is no reason to be anything beyond outstandingly mediocre. There are 6 other mediocre  players on the line who can put in the hard work. Why should it be you?

Here are a whole bunch of ways to be outstandingly mediocre:

1. Don’t be flat-out awful. The way that, well, a lot of players are.
2. Don’t read the rules. One of the first steps to becoming a mediocre player is to think that you know the rules. Reading them will just kill your creativity. You’ll struggle to come up with your own on universe point. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you!
3. Throw rarely. Your in-game throws will force your team mates to learn to layout. They may not show it but they will secretly be grateful.
4. Spend time thinking about the sport. If you don’t invest your time day dreaming  about inventing the next fancy throw, who will?
5. Only focus on what you are good at. Stay within your comfort zone. Its good to be in control at all times.
6. So you can throw a 40 yard lefty no look scoober but struggle with a 15 yard flick? Brilliant! Keep working on that scoober. Not many players ever get to that level during their careers.
7. Look forward to ‘practice sessions’ once a month or so. They are fun. Some pranks on team mates, giggles, feed off their energy, heckle them and guzzle beer afterwards.
8. Don’t waste your energy trying to communicate on-field. Good team mates are supposed to have a good understanding. I don’t know about you but I sure as hell have lots of fun faking out my handler – I fake an in-cut, bust deep, beat my man by a few yards, and just as the handler winds up the huck, I turn hard and come back in to watch the huck beautifully sail over and hang.
9. Be the first one to yell. This is your biggest take away from this blog post. In Ultimate, the unwritten rule is that the first one to yell is always right. For eg: refer #8 above. Yell at your handler to be patient.
10. Don’t be coachable. You want to be self taught and self made. Not a puppet!
11. Energy / Intensity / consistency – Words to be recalled at the beer drinking session after practice.
12. Don’t play defense. If you are playing on the O line and your team turns it over, feign injury. Beasts like you and me shouldn’t be playing D. We might kill someone.
13. Learn to use the word Spirit whenever you run out of excuses . If you don’t understand, refer #14 below
14. When you get to being the mark, catch your breath. You never know when the guy you are marking is going to take off again. I’ve had opponents thank me for not stall counting when marking them (only I know I was struggling to breathe). I might be mediocre but I am a Spirited player.
15. Heard of the Sports Center fallacy? “Stuff that appears on highlight reels is not necessarily the stuff that makes for winning”. Jim Parinella said that. He wrote a book about Ultimate in 2004. So what? He isn’t as familiar with mediocrity as me. Listen to me. The Sports Center fallacy doesn’t exist.
16. Focus on making it to the highlight reel. The rest will take care of itself. No one cares if you made 90 safe passes in a match but they want to see you bid when you are within 12m of the disc. These aficionados also want to be sure they are the ones that see you complete that 50 yard hammer especially if your completion rate is <8%. Help them win bragging rights.
17. Your Facebook profile picture must be of you playing Ultimate. Else, you don’t stand a chance. Bonus points for having random Ultimate players (whom you have never met) on your friends list. Double bonus if your Facebook surname is Frisbee.
18. Catch with one hand instead of two. 33% greater probability of making it to highlight reel.
19. Have a big huck? Team mate running deep? He has no separation, matched step for step by defender + out of position? Send it first, ask questions later. Just try not to watch hopefully until its caught.
20. Don’t bring a water bottle. Just be Spirited enough to steal from multiple bottles so a bro may not find his bottle empty.
21. Spot a new player at his first session of Ultimate? Talk to him about laying out and teach him the skill. He may forget who taught him to throw a backhand but he won’t forget you. After all, you will be the reason he is going to dislocate his shoulder.
22. Teach pick up players every weekend regardless of whether they want it or are genuinely struggling. If you don’t step in and show them that you are Mr.KnowItAll then someone else is going to.
23. Wear grey.
24. Learn the push pass. There is no cooler way to dump.
25. Your team mates are bound to be envious. Sometimes, all you can do is shirk hard work, be lazy, live the life of an outstanding example in mediocrity and just pray that players take after you.

If you stumble upon new ways, just drop me a line and I’ll be happy to add it to this list. Let’s spread the love.

Oops..”Broken!”

Your fellow Ultimate player and wallower in mediocrity.

Notes:

If you are confused by this post, you should read this.

#15 – Jim Parinella is one of the most famous names in the sport. He is a four-time World and eight-time US National champion in three divisions. He served for six years on the UPA’s Board of Directors, including two as President. He has co-authored the book ‘Ultimate Techniques and Tactics’. He also happens to be a very nice guy (I had the opportunity to meet him very briefly at WCBU 2011.) I am a big fan. Here’s a video of the final in which he played. I maintain my stance – I know more about mediocrity than him.

#16 – Nick Lance won the USAU Club Championships in 2009 with Chain Lightning and finished 4^th at the WUCC in 2010. Just about any elite team would want him on their D-line. If you ask me, I think cold beer flows in his veins. That throw probably won him the 2012 Open Callahan Award!

#19 – Brodie Smith arguably made this sport more popular in a year than it was in the preceding decade. His first trick shot video alone has 3455064 views! And then he went on to better that. This two time college national champion and 2012 club champion (With Doublewide) recently helped out with clinics in India as well.

• 3 handlers line up horizontally
• 2 cuts up the line, 3 moves in, 1 fakes the pass to 2
• 1 passes to 3, 2 cuts across the field
• 3 passes to 2, 1 slides up the field
• 3 Handlers are back in horizontal
• Repeat the pattern: 3 cuts up the line, 1 moves in, 2 fakes the pass to 3
• 2 passes to 1, 3 cuts across the field
• 1 passes to 3, 2 slides up the field
• 3 Handlers are back in horizontal
• 1 cuts up the line, 2 moves in
• 3 passes to 2, 1 cuts across
• 2 passes to 1, 3 slides up the field
• 3 Handlers are back in horizontal

For more plays like this, or to make your own which you can share with your players, visit http://www.playspedia.com.

I talk about how you can become a better player – by learning to throw all different weights and types of discs – golf discs, ultimate discs and dog discs. You are limiting your throwing potential if you only throw ultimate discs. Some of the best people to teach you how to throw are disc golfers since they understand the physics of flight much better than an ultimate player. To learn how to throw from someone who only throws ultimate discs will hold you back since they don’t have the ability to teach you everything that you need to know to be a good thrower.

There are some great coaches out there – and you probably haven’t heard from them, since they spend their time coaching rather than producing content for online. I don’t have time to coach since I produce content for online instead and to be as effective as possible I try to draw from coaches I respect and who have proven success. I also try to promote coaches who are great at what they do – people like Ben Wiggins.

In order to learn how to throw, it’s important to understand the physics of flight but it’s also important to watch good throwers throw. Learn from their techniques, try it out for yourself and integrate techniques that you find useful into your own throwing. Don’t let someone tell you how to throw a disc – listen to them tell you the mechanics of throwing a disc instead and work on your own technique which will be specific to nobody but yourself.

Finally, ask questions. Be curious. Get out and practice, practice, practice. Make sure you are practicing deliberately – if you make a good throw, throw the same way again. If you make a bad throw, adjust on the next throw. Learn from your practice. In order to master throwing, you will need to spend between 7,000 to 10,000 hours. Be patient. Be passionate. Be consistent. The results will come.

Since I uploaded my first throwing video almost 4 years ago, I have learned an incredible amount. I admit I don’t know everything. I will admit to what I need to work on and what I have to learn. But from what I have learned, from the players I have learned from, from my 9 World Records and 3 World Championships in flying disc, to the numerous throwing clinics I’ve ran, I know a lot about throwing and I will continue to update my videos, I will continue to update my teaching methods and I will continue to help you play ultimate better and throw better.

You heard it here first – SAVAGE ultimate has been announced as my exclusive apparel provider. Check out my online store at http://www.ultimaterobstore.com.

Malissa has played in the finals of the World Championships of Beach Ultimate, the Canadian Ultimate Championships, the USA Ultimate Championships and the World Ultimate and Guts Championships.

She is one of the top female ultimate players in the world and was named Ultimate Canada’s 2011 Female Athlete of the Year.