Ultimate frisbee is as much a physical game as it is fun. As such, more and more persons are gaining interest in the game, but it raises the worry of where to begin when it concerns exercising for ultimate. In this article, we focus on the beginner. We would be exploring some essential exercises to get you started as an Ultimate Frisbee Beginner.
Now, the focus of these Ultimate exercises is to get you in shape for the sport by helping your body become more adapted to the process and better balance its use of oxygen. As such, subjecting your body to conditions where you’d spend the most oxygen is a great way to increase your aerobic fitness. However, there is a caveat here – you can only sustain such conditions for just six minutes before fatigue sets in, and it would become practically impossible to go ahead at the same pace because of muscle fatigue. As such, to work around this limitation in beginners, it is recommended to engage in 20 seconds of running at about 80% of your sprint speed. Though it’s not a spring, it definitely would feel like a run. Then, for recovery, 40 seconds of walking, such that there would be a large range of motion in the hips, as opposed to using a slow jog as recovery, which would rather cause very little motion in the hips.
Also, it is imperative that you keep your speed relatively low, enough to make it feel easy for the first 3-4 reps, and over the space of a few weeks, your durability as an Ultimate Frisbee athlete would increase, as well as your speed of recovery between bouts of effort.
Here are some exercises you can incorporate as a beginner in Ultimate Frisbee. And it all starts with a warm-up. Like any other sport, it may very well be the most important aspect, though it’s also the most tempting aspect to skip in your workout routine. So be sure to go through some basic loosening and stretching exercises, preferably with dynamic movements, before you grab your discs.
Lateral Bounds
Lateral bounds may, very well, be the king of all agility exercises and are great option for improving your ability to explosively change direction to an ultimate frisbee player, which is a key physical requirement of the sport. This exercise does a great job targeting and training the muscles.
Box Jumps
Box jumps are a great way to increase your flexibility in executing concentric reps without having to pay so high a price. The box jump achieves this by applying high jumps without the caveat of a hard landing. With box jumps, you get more jumps with less soreness, given that you work out on consecutive days, and the secret is to avoid high jumps. Instead of going for a high jump, rather make it a maximum effort jump, which doesn’t have to push your limits too. It should only be mildly challenging to execute.
Single-Leg Step-Up Jumps
This exercise would help you improve that first explosive step in ultimate that launches you in a sprint, as well as that sprint that you execute on one leg as you reach for a disc. For this exercise to be effective, start off on a small ledge and then steadily increase the height of the ledge until your knee gets to a maximum angle of 90 degrees.
Kettlebell Swings
The kettlebell swing is one of the few exercises that can help you improve your body’s quick-twitch muscles while also getting rid of that bulging stomach as an added bonus. When done correctly, this low-impact wing burns down fat, strengthens the entire back of your body and your core, and improves your overall athletic performance.
To do the kettlebell swing, begin by keeping your spine neutral, bending your legs slightly and keeping them slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, as if you’re going into a squat. Position the bell under you, deadlifting at an inch or two off the ground, then swing it in front of you using only your core and legs. And as you swing, be sure contract your glutes while tensioning your abs at the top of the movement, until it reaches the height of your chest.
Agility Ladder Drills
The agility ladder is a great exercise that would improve your footwork, timing, and coordination. Ladder drills train Ultimate Frisbee players to be able to move fast and effectively from side to side within a small surface area, about the size of a phone booth. Such flexibility and agility are key components to securing a winning catch in Ultimate.
High-Intensity Rows
It is important that Ultimate Frisbee athletes stay in great physical condition throughout the entire game, and one exercise you can incorporate as a beginner at ultimate is to use a high-intensity row. Now, even though rowing is often associated with slow, plodding cardiovascular exercise, it’s not difficult to get a high-intensity workout from a low-impact machine — and you only need a few minutes to improve your all-round performance. By using the rowing machine for short, intense bursts and mixing in some resistance training, you can make use if this exercise type.
Shuttle Runs
Shuttle runs are another great exercise for ultimate frisbee beginners that helps to develop top-speed and acceleration – the types of speed and acceleration that Frisbee players need to get downfield in a hurry. Snappy high-intensity exercises would definitely pay more dividends than the more common aerobic exercises when it comes to fat loss, fitness, and heart health, too.
Set up a shuttle run by positioning two cones at least ten yards apart in a straight line. This is a four-count exercise that requires you to sprint between them and touch the opposite cone with your hand before sprinting back. This to and fro movement makes up one rep, and completing five of such reps is enough to leave your legs and abs begging for mercy.
Barbell Squats
It is fairly common for Ultimate Frisbee players to perform incredible leaping grabs on the field. Heavy barbell squats build the overall strength required by athletes to leap longer, higher, and quicker.
Begin by putting your feet hip-width apart and keeping your spine neutral throughout your entire body. Get under the bar and place it on your scapula’s spine. Begin the movement by tightening your abs and squatting, as if you were sitting back in a chair. Return to the starting posture by contracting your glutes and squatting back in one forceful stroke. To maintain getting stronger, perform at least five sets of five heavy reps and add at least five pounds to the bar each time you go to the gym. You can enhance the benefits of these workouts by combining them with a cutting-edge diet plan to get you closer and faster to your fitness goals.
Ladder Drills
If a player is not agile, he/she is of limited value in ultimate frisbee. By strengthening your footwork and agility, these ladder activities train your body to effortlessly coordinate intricate motions. Now, a great ladder can cost you quite a bit on Amazon, but a tiled floor will suffice.
Pistol Squats
Pistol squats may be the most advanced and difficult exercise in this ultimate frisbee article, even though they are perfect for developing strong legs and flexible ankles. This is due to the added mobility benefit of requiring proper ankle dorsiflexion.
Yoga / Stretching
Yoga towards the end of a workout is a terrific way to treat yourself with some relaxation while keeping your muscles from becoming stiff.
Pro Tips for an Efficient Ultimate Workout
The order you use in your workouts matters. If you prioritize conditioning, for example, you won’t get the much advancements in speed or agility. As such, the general rule is, to begin with, a warm-up, then take on exercises that target the nervous system and metabolic pathway, and then end with conditioning. And this is applied when you are targeting multiple athletic qualities within the same workout. The order should be:
1. Warmup
2. Speed and Agility
3. Strength
4. Conditioning
Tips for effective conditioning
Effective conditioning for ultimate frisbee entails incorporating workout drills that address the movement and metabolic demands of ultimate. To achieve this, here are a few guidelines to follow:
· Begin by going over a couple of stability exercises three times per week.
· Use dynamic workout routines to ease into athletic movement before each session.
· Engage in activities that raise your heart rate at least twice per week and for at least 20 minutes for each session. Such activities could include dancing, brisk walking, short sprints moderate-intensity running and walking. The general idea is to engage in an activity you’re already used to doing to get you in the spirit to exercise for ultimate.
· After 2-3 weeks of workout, add another day of activity.
· After about 4-6 weeks, you’re physically ready to tackle the physical demands that come with pro training for Ultimate Frisbee.
Work with a Long-Term Plan
If you want success at Ultimate Frisbee, then you should consider training beyond the short term. You need to paint a big picture and work towards realizing it. You’re taking steps today that would amount to greater performance, be it in the near or distant future.
As a beginner, it is tempting to want to make improvements about everything all at once. However, for effective training, you should consider focusing on 1-2 complimentary athletic abilities at a time, maybe for about 4-6 weeks before you expect to see returns.
Frisbee Dude 