Pod Practice

We're on the road again in Madison and Minnesota this weekend, but Matty, Kins, and Mike recap last week's Oakland/Salt Lake City road trip. It's a gauntlet of a trip. The Spiders and Shred are two of the most physical teams in the league. The team had some ups and downs, bonded, and came home with a win. We talk about the challenges of a double header weekend in the UFA, and the impact we can have on our team negatively and positively with our body language and eye contact. Having fun is often a choice, but not always an easy one. Thomas Edmonds also joins us to talk National Team, learning new systems, and share stories. We recorded his segment about 10 days ago. As we release this episode, he and Quinn are competing with USA Men's National Team at Windmill Windup. Edmonds is a dual Canadian and American citizen and chose to play with the American team. He has been a well known player for many years for Pittsburgh Temper. In 2023 he joined DC Truckstop and DC Breeze and had an enormous impact for both teams. We're also launching our recurring segment with BE Ultimate a little more officially this week. Thomas goes over a few pull plays that DC Breeze runs, and gives us some insight on what he looks for. Kikko Socks: https://kikkosocks.com/ Use discount code: POD15 for 15% off your next order. More from Pod Practice: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podpractice_pod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podpractice_pod Email: show@podpracticepod.com

Another Nationals in the books. After a rocky start with the weather, teams made the most out of the situation. Mike was out there with Mamabird. Quinn and Kins were back home following along. Should USAU have a better plan for weather? Would Brown's style work at higher levels? Did Dawn have the best college career of all time? Should teams ever have to play 4 Nationals level games in one day? How do teams prepare mentally for big games? Kikko Socks: https://kikkosocks.com/ Use discount code: POD15 for 15% off your next order. More from Pod Practice: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podpractice_pod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podpractice_pod Email: show@podpracticepod.com

In Part 2 of watching Callahan videos with Callahan winners, Abby Hecko joins us! Abby grew up playing in Seattle and has been dominating at every single level of the game from youth to college to club. After winning the Callahan with Washington Element in 2023, Abby moved cross country to New York where she now stars for New York BENT. This fall she will be representing the US while playing for the National Team at WUC. Abby is no stranger to international play, having played for the U24 and U20 National Teams as well. Kikko Socks: https://kikkosocks.com/ Use discount code: POD15 for 15% off your next order. More from Pod Practice: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podpractice_pod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podpractice_pod Email: show@podpracticepod.com

Emory alum and 2023 Callahan winner, Justin Burnett, joins us to talk shop and watch a few Callahan videos requested by all of you! Justin is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the game today. Recently he played a big role in ending New York Empire's 30+ game win streak while notching blocks against Ben Jagt and Jack Williams for the Atlanta Hustle. Kikko Socks: https://kikkosocks.com/ Use discount code: POD15 for 15% off your next order. More from Pod Practice: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podpractice_pod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podpractice_pod Email: show@podpracticepod.com

A fellow 88, Connor has played for Clapham Ultimate for nearly a decade and will be lacing up his boots with Team GB at WUC in 2024. In 2023 Ultiworld named him the second best men's player in Europe. He recently competed with Chicago Machine in 2023 where he was also runner up to the eventual champions, DC Truckstop. Connor also founded Advanced Ultimate Coaching. You can follow him on Instagram and YouTube. AU offers 1:1 and team consulting and many free resources through socials. He taught us a lot about the structure of European ultimate, some of the differences in Europe and the US, and gave us some insight on what it's going to take for GB to take home a medal at this upcoming WUC. More from Advanced Ultimate: https://www.youtube.com/ @advancedultimatecoaching  https://www.instagram.com/advancedultimatecoaching/ Kikko Socks: https://kikkosocks.com/ Use discount code: POD15 for 15% off your next order. More from Pod Practice: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podpractice_pod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podpractice_pod Email: show@podpracticepod.com

We're excited to host our first Watch Party for the UFA Super Series on 4/27. The first matchup between DC and Salt Lake. We'll have some gear to give away so make sure to tune in, follow on IG, and sub on YouTube to be in the running. Jonny is one of the best handlers in the game today. DC sets him up well by taking advantage of his ability to receive bumps in flow for power position. DC as a unit is incredibly skilled at hitting field switching lateral windows that open up opportunities to take a shot. No Boxley is a big question mark for DC. The Shred have been one of the most athletic, fit teams in the UFA for the past 2 seasons. Their growth from 2022 to 2023 showcased their ability to adapt from a high flying run n' gun team to an incredibly athletic, possession based team. The Shred have the benefit of continuity and getting Joe Merrill back + the addition of Ben Field. Also, the Shred Heads will do their best to be a factor. 00:00 - Intro 03:33 - Shred/Breeze Roster Notables 08:25 - Constrasting styles 11:50 - Super Series vs Game of the Week 13:00 - Keys to watching film 16:15 - Jonny (Darth) Malks & DC Breeze Film 26:40 - Salt Lake Shred Film 34:35 - Watch Party Giveaways 34:40 - Predictions for the Game 39:12 - Shred Heads 41:20 - Thank you, UFA & Adam Ruffner Kikko Socks: https://kikkosocks.com/Use discount code: POD15 for 15% off your next order. More from Pod Practice: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podpractice_pod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podpractice_pod Email: show@podpracticepod.com

Teams love set plays. We love set plays. It's important to distinguish the difference between a set play and organized actions. Set plays are less useful than the response that they trigger. At lower levels we do see set plays or pull plays result in quick goals. At higher levels, plays are more likely going to help your start motion, maybe put certain pieces in predicable spots, but more rarely turn out the way you draw it up. It's often what happens afterwards that is much more important. In "The Barcelona Way" you read about Action Triggers. In "The Power of Habit", a habit is defined as a cue, routine, reward. "Atomic Habits" defines the habit loop as cue, craving, response, reward. Certain actions on the field should trigger or cue a specific response/routine. The reward? Beautifully coordinated flow, more efficient goals, more wins, and more fun. The foundation of coordinating an offense is to have principles to fall back on and giving individuals options to adapt to in a moment. Ultimately, you have to let the players on the field do what they think is best. Kikko Socks: https://kikkosocks.com/Use discount code: POD15 for 15% off your next order.More from Pod Practice:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podpractice_podYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podpractice_podEmail: show@podpracticepod.com

We respond to a couple listener emails that outline the challenges faced by mid-level players in making the leap to an elite level and the lack of resources and opportunities for adult players. The main themes include the need for committed and knowledgeable coaches, the lack of meaningful playing opportunities, and rising club teams losing their top talent. We also touch on the current tournament structure and the potential for collaboration between USA Ultimate and the UFA. Possible solutions mentioned include creating a more structured academy system, increasing cooperation between teams, and reevaluating the tournament format. The second message from Abi Krishnan discussed the need for activities that require group participation and trial and error to develop skills. We debate the effectiveness of 1v0 practice, the importance of intent in training, and the role of mental models in skill development. Kikko Socks: https://kikkosocks.com/ Use discount code: POD15 for 15% off your next order. More from Pod Practice: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podpractice_pod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podpractice_pod Email: show@podpracticepod.com

After spending a couple hours with Matty it's immensely clear why he's beloved by so many players in ultimate. All of use left the conversation wanting to make him proud. Over the last two decades, Matty has been the embodiment of winning and building team culture. A middle school teacher, husband, and father by day, Matty is best known for coaching San Francisco Fury and the World Games team, but he doesn't just contribute to the highest level of the sport. He also coaches middle school, and has been huge advocate for representation at all levels. Some of his accomplishments: 1 WUCC Gold 2 WUGC Golds 3 World Games Golds 10, count 'em, 10 USAU Golds (Including 7 in a row from 2006-2012) If you want to see what a decorated Ultimate-Reference page looks like, check out Matty Tsang's: https://ultimate-reference.com/players/49d14bb0-c137-11ee-b1c6-0800273120f7 Kikko Socks Use discount code: POD15 for 15% off your next order. More from Pod Practice: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube

Today we talk about methods to string looks together by playing with pace to change the angle of attack, defensive repositioning, team bonding, and consuming the UFA API for data analysis. We also talk about resources Rowan and Jack put together and kick around the idea of putting out more materials… again. https://github.com/yukikongju/audl Kikko Socks Use discount code: POD15 for 15% off your next order. More from Pod Practice: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube 00:00 - Intro 01:10 - Cold Open 09:35 - Chalk Talk: Playing with Pace 34:40 - Individual Strengths - Processing Speed 41:40 - Building Bonds, Role of Captains 55:15 - UFA API, Quinn/Kins Huck Efficiency 01:02:12 - Pod Advice... Pod Premium?