Training

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[Genie]

I need to get into frisbee shape in a month and a half.

Any training programs anyone can recommend to get into PERFECT frisbee shape, even if it might take a little bit longer.

[Tenk283]

Plyometrics are a must.
Core work.
Sprints.

[wally]

PERFECT

Since nobody knows how to get into perfect shape for any sport, and less research has gone into frisbee than many sports, I doubt anyone here could tell you.  Also, if there are any personal trainer types here, they probably need to know things like your current shape and realistic goals.

Assuming you are reasonably fit and not totally spherical, and want to play a two day tournament in about 6 weeks, you could do something like interval sprints two or three times a week, increasing the length or intensity of the sessions each week.  There are a lot of HIIT tips out there on the interweb.  You may want to add something more endurance as well.

If there is a resource out there with in depth discussion of ultimate fitness by people who know what they're talking could someone post a link?  A lot of elite teams probably know all about this, but I've not seen anything published.

[Torre]

the "snertz" workout is worth looking at. It should give you a good ass kicking.
download it here: https://uascentral.uas.alaska.edu/onlinelib/_portfolios/ULTIMATE/JNCJB_4945/SNERTZ.pdf

[Tenk283]

Well, we can look at it another way.

What needs to be improved to play ultimate at that next level?

Endurance.
Hops.
Speed.
Body Strength (helps with throws and also keeping yourself uninjured).

Anything i've missed?

[Frank]

Since nobody knows how to get into perfect shape for any sport, and less research has gone into frisbee than many sports, I doubt anyone here could tell you. 

I think this is true. Sports science is very fuzzy imo. I am very distrustful of people who try and ape other sports when trying to develop a training plan.

I think the best way is to try different things and see what works best for you.
Personally I think plyos and core strengthening are largely a waste of time, particularly if you only have six weeks. They may give you an extra 1 or 2 per cent, but you can make far greater gains elsewhere.

I am a very lazy trainer, so I have next to no authority on this topic, but far and away the most effective thing I have ever done that helped me noticeably when playing, was smashing myself on the track, doing 400m sprints. Also doing intervals, like walk the turns and sprint the straights. About 90 minutes of track work, twice a week, and you'll be flying. Forget everything else (imo).

[ash_5]

ideally you try and start training as early as possible, early on focus on your cardio and endurance. i like to focus on plyos and agility because they use your body weight as resistance.

but training 6 weeks before is a bit hard, because in that time theres not alot youll be able to do for your endurance, but to increase your Hops, lower body weights (Quads, Hammys n Calves) as well as technique. get used to the correct technique and you should see an improvement in your vertical.

[kryptonick]

Bear in mind you wont get any physiological changes due to training for normally around 6 weeks. Neurotransmitters will be better trained (for example being able to better relax an antagonist when contracting an agonist) and you'll probably have pyschological changes too, just don't expect much in the way of physiological changes.

[Mackey]

Kryptonick,

Since when do changes in neuronal firing efficiency not constitute a "physiological change?"  Curious Neuroscience major here.  I'm guessing you're talking in terms of muscle composition, but increases in neuronal efficiency alone can make a TREMENDOUS difference in your athleticism.  (insert cliche' "not what you got but how you use it" line here)


Genie,

You might be interested in a general lifting program Dartmouth Ultimate followed a few years back--it's a general strength program, designed not to be too technical (good for a college ultimate team when some people have no lifting experience), and incorporating some plyos and single-leg work to help prep for ultimate play.

The program is designed to be done in six weeks scaling up the weight as you scale down the reps, with three days a week (likely MWF, though TThS would probably work too) and about an hour-hour and a half to commit to working out, depending on how quickly you work.  It also tapers down so that you should be at a relative peak by the end of the program (you can cycle back to the start if you want to).

For the record, we always spread the program over 9 weeks (with practice it was too much to lift three days a week), which fit our pre-season winter training leading up to spring break very nicely.  The first year we started this program the A team had no significant injuries in the spring season (which was a big difference from prior years, but sample size skepticism should apply here).

My own impression, having followed the program for at least two seasons and maybe another off-season as well; it's a solid all-around program that will help get you in game shape.  It's not going to make you into a stud by itself, and it's not going to kill you either (unless you try to do so to yourself very hard).

I've uploaded the .xls (excel) file here for download:

http://drop.io/ultimateprogram

Some exercise descriptions are on the second page (book) of the file.

I'd recommend throwing in some sprinting/conditioning work to go with as others have suggested here (I would recommend against straight "cardio" in favor of good old-fashioned intense interval work in the range of 100-200m, perhaps starting with 400s if you have the willpower and really feel like your endurance is lacking).  I don't buy not being able to do a lot for endurance in 6 weeks--people have gotten "in shape" in less time with enough hard work.  (Which is, incidentally, the Most Important Thing with training.  Do you want it enough?) 

Incidentally, I subscribe to the theory that it's less "endurance" and more "recovery" that gives you staying power in ultimate--there's all sorts of breaks on-field, between stoppages from class to your man just chilling in the stack, and you get to rest between points too--train to go hard when you're on, and recover quickly when you're not.

Good luck!
-Mackey

[kryptonick]

Sorry,

English never was my strong point, yes when I said "physiological" I probably should have said "visual changes to your body". And yes, the greatest strength increases come in the early stages of training purely to the neural and psychological changes.

Nick