UVTV coverage of WUCC
Now that UltiVillage has footage of women's games in addition to the open coverage that previously dominated the site, I felt obligated (and excited) to buy a subscription to UVTV. I also wanted to see if I could catch glimpses of my sister and friends that were playing in Perth at WUCC. In no particular order, here are some of my observations from the 5 days of women's highlights:
- The subscription is worth it, in my opinion. When the finals get posted, there will be footage of 6 days of ultimate. The scarcity of women's video makes every chance to watch skilled women play a valuable learning tool. Being able to picture what good throwing technique looks like is one step towards emulating it...
- The Japanese teams are good. Watching MUD, HUCK, and UNO in particular, I was especially impressed with how quickly the players were able to move the disc. They swung the disc and hit the continue with smooth precision. Any team playing a vertical stack offense should watch some of that footage to see what good timing and disc skills look like. Of course, it helps when you're as fast as some of those women too!
- I wish there were more defensive plays included in the highlights. The most exciting D shown was a fully horizontal poach layout block that Bliss got on Ozone. More please... Great Ds (even if they don't lead directly to a score) are some of the best parts about ultimate. I'm sure at such an elite tournament, there must have been more than the handful that made the footage posted to UVTV. At least I hope so.
- It was hard to tell exactly how windy it was, but a lot of the long throws seemed to be particularly affected. A fair number of deep looks either were caught by someone other than the intended receiver or lead to more difficult catches than would have been necessary without any wind. Or maybe seeing hucks on film makes them look less accurate than in real life. Anyone care to comment on how much the wind was a factor?
- I found it puzzling that even though Rough Riders were competing in the women's division, some of the team's core players were playing in the mixed division on Team Fisher Price. I guess they did get a gold medal out of their decision, but who knows if they could have been the difference for Rough Riders to make it to the semis?
- I know it's been said before, but it is a shame more teams didn't participate. It wasn't just the US teams that were missing. Out of the 18 women's teams in attendance, 6 were from Australia/New Zealand, 6 were from Japan, 3 were from Canada/US and 3 were from Europe. I know that the host region always gets a better turn-out than regions farther away, but to only have a 1/3 of the teams come from outside the Asian Pacific area seems particularly skewed. I would have loved to see Fury and Riot match upagainst MUD and UNO. Sigh...
posted by Gambler at 12:47 AM
6 Comments:
I've been looking for good footage of women's Ultimate for teaching purposes. Does the footage from WUCC follow the usual Ultivillage model (camera at the back of the endzone)? I find that angle less useful than footage shot from the side. Of course, at this point I'll take just about anything showing large chunks of play and not just the goals...
j
The camera angle is in the back of one endzone. This means that for the most part, you don't get to see deep cuts develop. However, most of the teams seemed to be running a vertical stack, so for a number of continue cuts, you are able to get a sense of the timing. This is especially true on the numerous possessions right outside the endzone because more of the condensed action fits on the screen.
Caveat: much of the hightlights footage is primarily goals scored. I am assuming that more in-depth coverage will be shown for the finals. That is what UVTV did for the UPA Club Series, anyway.
So, if you're looking for more of a complete game, you can also check out the women's UPA finals. That's another $10 for the UPA Series subscription, of course...
BTW, if you sift a little, there are a number of places in the footage that show players juking and cutting effectivly. For instance, in the Day 3 coverage of the Bliss-Ozone game, you get to see how almost each player got open for the goal. In the Nov. 16th footage of the MUD-UNO game, there are a number of good examples of fluid flow.
I think the uvtv coverage is such a Huge breakthrough!! Both the fall series and wucc coverage allow you to get a feel of the action without even having to leave your house. the fans are ecstatic!!
you mention the bliss-ozone game twice but i recommend steering clear of that for teaching purposes. bliss has no less than 3 drops in a small amount of coverage. definitely watch the japanese teams for lessons on quick disc movement, break mark throws, catching everything! They seem to have exceptional fundamentals and teamwork. obviously i love the upa footage as well but it was nice to check out a different style of play and see how the japanese teams use their strengths to advantage. (now is everyone going to start wearing full body wear and gloves?)
I agree that the Japanese teams are the best ones to watch for teaching. I ended up watching the Ozone games with particular interest both to see how the sole US team looked matched up against the international competition and because I got to see my little sister score three goals!
It would be really interesting to hear more details from anyone on Ozone how the competition compared from the UPA Championships and WUCC.
The semis are up on UVTV. It's nice to be able to see a little more of each game than in the highlights. I especially like looking for the exact moment when the defense loses their positioning to let their check get open.
The three things I've noticed as the ways defenders get burnt in this footage are:
1. The defender turns her back on her woman to look at the disc. All the offense has to do is change direction and she's wide open--usually on the open side.
2. The defender has position, but doesn't adjust her feet to prevent the offense from cutting to the space she wants to. Instead, the defender will turn and "open the door" to the passing lane, content to trail right behind the offense.
3. The marker often needs to take one more step to cut off the next continue throw. Too often, the marker stopped short and the thrower was able to release the disc around the mark.
Coincidentally, these are three defensive skills that the teams I've played for and coached have focused on the most.
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