UTalkRaw: Ultimate Frisbee Conversations

This episode we are delighted to introduce the wonderful Hannah Pendlebury as our first guest host for UTalkRaw! Hannah took her interviewer hat and microphone to the first London Indoor Winter League event where she spoke to TD Luke. Luke runs tournaments mainly in the South East under the banner of Team TG, often with an array of tournament 'extras' such as free physios, sponsor prizes and hand made trophies. London Indoor Winter League is a series of tournaments being held at the SportHouse, a superb quality Olympic legacy venue which boasts up to four 40m x 20m sprung floor pitches. The upcoming dates are Sat 1st February (Open, Women's & Developer) and Sat 1st March (Mixed) and the SportHouse will also be hosting UKU Club Open and Women's Nationals on the 22/23rd February.  Hannah then recorded quick interviews with wome of the Ultimate players at the event; meet Andy with the St Albans team, Hannah from Crown Jewels and Simon & Richard playing with Brixton.   Links for this show: Team TG You can record you question here to on the show or email me.   Sadly, we have no music to end this episode. Please send us you music requests!

Benji Heywood is back on the show answering a great question about coaching from a listener. Benji shared his story of building a career as a professional coach back in Episode 1 and since then he has started the excellent UnderstandingUltimate blog. In this episode we start with a listener question about how to diagnose & fix mistakes when coaching Ultimate players. We really deep dive into the discussion to try and answer the question in as much detail as possible. ----more---- Links for this show: Understanding Ultimate UTalkRaw Episode 1: Benji Heywood on being a professional coach Rise Up Pulled Disc UKU Coaching courses This episode was a lot of fun and we would love to do it again. So send me your questions! You can record your question here and get on the show or you could email me. This podcast ends with the song Kung Fu by Bored With Four, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

In this episode I talk to Brady Meisenhelder from pulleddisc.com about coaching and improving your and your player's skills. I came across Brady's excellent coaching videos on pulleddisc.com via the wonderful Melissa Witmer - so huge thanks to Melissa! (you can hear Melissa on Episode 20 of UTalkRaw).   The discussion with Brady about his background as a player and a coach and his approach to Ultimate coaching is really fascinating. I believe it will be valuable to anyone leading, coaching or captaining an Ultimate Frisbee team.  ----more----  Links for this show: PulledDisc PulledDisc on Twitter PulledDisc on Facebook This podcast ends with the music written and performed by Captains of Industry featuring some of our very own UK Ultimate players, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

This week I am joined by Steve Giguere; famous from both BlockStack TV (the best sofa based Ultimate TV show) and LookFly (UK's Ultimate clothing & gear suppliers).  In this episode we talk about both!  Steve describes the energy and passion (and learning!) that went into creating BlockStack TV; "the hottest sofa based Ultimate Frisbee internet TV show ever to rock your digital world".  We then talk about the amazing story of LookFly, which was started over 10 years ago and remains the UK's only Ultimate clothing manufacturer & supplier. Along the way Steve describes the importance that environmental ethics & local suppliers has for LookFly and the challenges and opportunists this provides.   Links for this show: Blockstack TV Lookfly on Twitter LookFly on Facebook LookFly This podcast ends with the song Don't Gotta Work It Out (Live @ KEXP) by Fitz & The Tantrums, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

I am very excited to have Tim Morrill on the show this week. We talk about "speed and agility development".  Tim is amazingly passionate and knowledgeable about training for Ultimate. He is also incredibly prolific online; make sure you check out the links below after listening to the show!  In this episode he talks with energy and enthusiasm about speed and agility training for Ultimate athletes. If you are serious about being the best you can be you have to listen!  Links for this show: Foundation Explosive Ultimate Morrill Performance on Twitter Morrill Performance on Facebook Morrill Performance Blog E-mail Time Explosive Ultimate on Facebook Explosive Ultimate on Twitter Speed and Agility Playlist Feat. Jab Step Progression and Crossover Progressions IFP and OFP Explained   This podcast ends with the song Smart Accessories by The Cute Lepers, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

This week I am honoured to have Dan 'Stork' Roddick on the show. Dan is one of the great pioneers of all disc sports.  After discovering the original "flying saucer" at age 5 he later was the MVP of the first college Ultimate game in 72; on that famous parking lot in New Jersey. Between '75 and '92 Dan was "Director of Sports Promotion" at Wham-O, where he had a huge impact on the growth of Ultimate and all disc sports. He is credited with framing the "Spirit of the Game"; still a fundamental aspect of our sport.  Dan, very deservedly, has a place in USA Ultimate's Hall of Fame - though he has also had a been instrumental outside the US - for example he helped to found the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF). I could spend forever listing Dan's achievements and impact on our sport over the last 40 plus years, basically he is an absolute Frisbee legend and it is a great honour to have him on UTalkRaw.   Links for this show: USA Ultimate Hall of Fame "ULTIMATE--The First Four Decades" (book sold out) Dan's story This podcast ends with the song Expressway by The Monitors, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

This week I talk to the legend that is Simon Hill, CEO of UK Ultimate. We chat about UK Ultimate's strategic plan and the future of Ultimate in the UK. UK Ultimate is the national governing for our sport in the UK and Si is the driving force behind it. Si is also chair of the WFDF Ultimate committee as well as on the Rules, Spirit and championships for WFDF! Oh, and he plays too. In this episode though we talk about UK Ultimate. Why the organisation exists, what it does and the existing goals laid out in the new UK Ultimate strategic plan. Listen to hear Si explain the full details and find out how to get involved! Links for this show: UK Ultimate UK Ultimate's Strategic plan ----more---- This podcast ends with the song Believe by Taigerbery, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

Today I'm welcoming Liam Kelly from UK Ultimate back on the show to talk about an exciting new part of the "Matalan Sporting Promise", supported by Sport England, called "Community Clubs". The "Matalan Sporting Promise" provides a frame work for non–traditional sports, such as Ultimate, to be introduced into schools to create opportunities for young people to take part and become a part of something new or different. Ultimate has been part of this program in England since it started 3 years ago; during that time over a thousand schools have been exposed to Ultimate in some way! The "Community Clubs" is a pilot for a new scheme to augment the schools program by building local community sporting clubs. Listen to hear Liam explain more plus how you can follow along and get involved! ----more---- Links for this show: "Matalan Sporting Promise" on UK Ultimate Matalan Sporting Promise This podcast ends with the song Scent Of Love by Wax Idols, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

This year there are 15 GB teams representing UK Ultimate in 4 major international tournaments - including the "WFDF World U23s Championships". All this means there is a huge amount of training, time and money being put in by a large number of the best UK players - and a lot of stories to hear! This episode is the next in a series where we are talking to representatives from as many of these GB teams as possible. So lets meet John Maddox & Hannah Brew from GB U23 Mixed; they will be travelling to Toronto in July for the "WFDF World U23s Championships". We chat about the selection process, team training and the build up to Toronto. Links for this show: WFDF World U23s Championships GB U23 Mixed on Twitter UK Ultimate GB Teams ----more---- A small disclaimer: as well as hosting this show (UTalkRaw) I also hold volunteer posts helping out the GB U23 program and on the UK Ultimate oversight committee. However, UTalkRaw is completely separate from the GB program and UK Ultimate - nothing said here is official in any way. This is an unedited, off the cuff conversation, so do be kind to us :) This podcast ends with the song Poor St. John by Joe Marson & The Satisfied Mind, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

My guest this week is Patrick van der Valk, President of BULA (Beach Ultimate Lovers Association) and one of the main guys behind the European Championships of Beach Ultimate happening this June in sunny Spain. He started playing Ultimate in 1979 and is an absolute legend of the game - especially on the beach. Patrick is also a WFDF board member and believes passionately in Spirit of the Game, so much so that he is chair of WFDF's spirit committee. Patrick talks about his journey through Ultimate over the years, his special love of Beach Ultimate and the story behind the huge European Championships of Beach Ultimate on 27-30 June 2013 in Calafell, Spain; where there are over 70 teams competing! He also describes the plans for an amazing live, online experience of the tournament for those of us that can't be there. Links mentioned in this show: European Championships of Beach Ultimate 2013 ECBU 'Live' #ECBU2013 BULA The Showgame If you enjoy the show please don't be shy about sharing on Twitter or Facebook! ----more---- This podcast ends with the song Escape by Break The Bans, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

In this episode we have our first Aussie guest on the show! Dan joins us to talk about the journey from idea to successful Ultimate video company that has covered a number of tournaments in several different countries; including World Clubs 2012 in Japan! Dan describes their adventures learning how to create great Ultimate Frisbee coverage on a shoestring budget and travelling to different tournaments. He also talks about how they "dream big, think of the most crazy stuff; and then try and make it happen". That is an awesome approach and I hope you are as inspired by their story as I am. Ulti.TV links: Ulti.tv Ulti.tv on Twitter Ulti.tv on Facebook Ulti.tv on YouTube ----more---- Other links mentioned in this show: Savage Ultimate PushPass NextGen If you enjoy the show please don't be shy about sharing on Twitter or Facebook! This podcast ends with the song Dont Call Me When Youre Ill by White Wires, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

This week the amazing Melissa Witmer joins us! Melissa's mission is "to improve the sport of ultimate by giving players the tools they need to train like the serious athletes they are". To achieve this inspiring goal she founded "Ultimate Results" in 2010, and is incredibly prolific online. You need to check out her blog and her numerous sites (links below).  She is also the author of "The Ultimate Athlete Handbook". In this episode we focus on planning an Ultimate training program and the important things you, as an Ultimate player, need to consider when planning a progressive training and conditioning program in the build up to and during the season. Links mentioned in this episode: Ultimate Results Melissa's Ultimate Fitness 25 Ultimate Tips The Ultimate Athlete Project The Ultimate Athlete Handbook 12 Weeks to Game Time If you enjoy the show please don't be shy about sharing on Twitter or Facebook! ----more---- This podcast ends with the song Pogo Til I Puke by White Wires, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

The Ultimate physios are back! It is awesome to have Angela and Laura back on the show; they are part of the outstanding medical team that supports GB Ultimate and the UK domestic tournaments. Check out episode 7 to hear more about them and the some great advice for Ultimate players of all levels from these two very experienced sports physios. In this show we talk through a typical weekend tournament and the best things to be doing to maximise your performance, reduce injury risk and generally keep yourself going. Starting a few days before the tournament and then go through every stage of a typical tournament (including the journey, arriving, sleeping, first game and between games) and then finish up a day or say after you get home. At each stage we discuss the best strategies and things to think about to enusre you are at your best when you need to be. ----more---- This podcast ends with the song These Times (Live @ KEXP) by Stag, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

This episode is the second in the GB Team series. 2013 sees 15 GB teams representing UK Ultimate in 4 major international tournaments - including, the "World Games" the "European Youth Ultimate Championships", the "WFDF World U23s Championships" AND the "European Beach Ultimate Championships" All this means there is a huge amount of training, time and money being put in by a large number of the best UK players - and a lot of stories to hear! This episode I have the great pleasure of speaking to David Pryce and Lauren Bryant from the GB Mixed team travelling to Spain in June for the "European Beach Ultimate Championships". Links for this show: European Championships of Beach Ultimate 2013 @GBMixedBeach on Twitter GB Mixed Beach on Facebook UK Ultimate GB Teams ----more---- A small disclaimer: as well as hosting this show (UTalkRaw) I also hold volunteer posts helping out the GB U23 program and on the UK Ultimate oversight committee. However, UTalkRaw is completely separate from the GB program and UK Ultimate - nothing said here is official in any way. This is an unedited, off the cuff conversation, so do be kind to us :) This podcast ends with the song Magic by White Wires, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

This year there are 15 GB teams representing UK Ultimate in 4 major international tournaments - including the "WFDF World U23s Championships". All this means there is a huge amount of training, time and money being put in by a large number of the best UK players - and a lot of stories to hear! This episode is the start of a series where we'll talk to representatives from as many of these GB teams as possible. The first GB team we get to hear from are the U23 Women, travelling to Toronto in July for the "WFDF World U23s Championships": meet Carla, Jen, Kim and Grace! Links for this show: WFDF World U23s Championships GB U23 Women on Twitter UK Ultimate GB Teams ----more---- A small disclaimer: as well as hosting this show (UTalkRaw) I also hold volunteer posts helping out the GB U23 program and on the UK Ultimate oversight committee. However, UTalkRaw is completely separate from the GB program and UK Ultimate - nothing said here is official in any way. This is an unedited, off the cuff conversation, so do be kind to us :) This podcast ends with the song Work at It by Liam Stewart, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

For this show I've finally managed to corner the ever busy Mark Earley. Mark is the dynamic force behind ultimateinterviews.com and has been an integral part of the Irish Ultimate scene for many years. This is a fascinating episode, Mark reveals the huge amount of energy and time that he puts into making Ultimate Interviews the amazing site that it is. He also mentions some of the interviews that have had the most impact for him personally. We then discuss some of his many other Ultimate related commitments; including as a player and coach! Links for this show: Ultimate Interviews Get Horizontal Furious Ultimate The Show Game ----more---- This podcast ends with the song Frozen Egg by Lame Drivers, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

This episode I have the huge pleasure of welcoming "Ultimate Rob" on to the show. I'm really excited about this interview and I hope you find it interesting too. 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! ----more---- This podcast ends with the song Tomorrow Sets You Free by Driftback, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

This episode is a little different. I have invited Felix Shardlow back on the show and we discuss 8 simple things that will make you a better Ultimate coach. For our purposes a "coach" is anyone who organises or runs training sessions for an Ultimate team or club of any level; you could be the captain, training coordinator, team coach or just the guy or gal who gets landed with the job of running training. Now many of you will (or indeed should) be familiar with advice such as plan-do-review or attended coaching courses so we will not be discussing much of that; we have assumed you are already planning your training sessions, writing things down and so on. Instead we have tried to identify some of those little tips and tricks which are easy to implement and could have a huge impact on your coaching! I hope that if you are a coach that you will find it fun and interesting. Please do get in touch if you think we have missed something vital or if you disagree with anything we say! PS If you haven't yet listened to episode 9 where Felix explains how he combines coaching, videos, events and playing to live the Ultimate life - then you need to check that out! ----more---- This podcast ends with the song In You I'm Lost by Plastic Flowers, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

This weeks show is based on a question from Peter who, after hearing episode 10 on Strength and Conditioning with Jools Murray, emailed to ask the following question: "Jools talked about how training should be functional in terms of how it applies to the sport situation. I'm interested in how this applies to laying out ... At my Uni team we've had a problem in the past with freshers seeing experienced players laying out, and suddenly being very keen to emulate that, sometimes with injurious results. There can also be a lot of pressure from experienced players to lay-out in important games (I'm sure most people have heard shouts of "Lay it!" from the sideline). So ... my question is, how best can we prepare our bodies for laying out? How best can we teach beginners (and experienced players...) to lay out safely?" Thanks Peter, that is a very true observation and a truly excellent question. So to help answer it I have dragged the lovely Jools back on the show! ----more---- Links mentioned in this show: Jools on YouTube This is a slightly longer episode than normal, hopefully the amazing information Jools is providing makes it worthwhile. Please do get in touch with feedback or other questions you would like to hear discussed on UTalkRaw. One of great things that is cheering up the long winter evenings here in Edinburgh is hearing from listeners to this podcast. So please do continue to get in touch via Twitter or by emailing host@utalkraw.com. This podcast ends with the song Don't Let Me Fall by The Relatives, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

This episode was recorded on Mothers day in the UK and international Womens day has just happened. I mention this because in this episode we are talking about Womens Ultimate; and specifically about recruiting and keeping female players. I have the great pleasure of welcoming Saz and Jen from Nice Bristols - one of the largest and most consistently successful womens clubs in the UK. Links mentioned in this show: Nice Bristols Website Nice Bristols on Twitter ----more---- More and more people are listening to the podcast which is totally amazing - huge thanks for listening and special thanks for those that have been in touch with ideas for future podcast topics with questions or any feedback. If you haven't been in touch yet - don't be shy - I do want to hear from you - especially if there is something that would improve the show! I'm at @utalkraw in twitter land or you can email host@utalkraw.com. Also, if you are enjoying the podcats on itunes - why not leave a 5 star review? It would be very cool to get more itunes luving. This podcast ends with the song "Empty Eyes" by Plastic Flowers, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.