Update

It's been a while (7 years) and there's been a lot of life going on around here.  I ended up leaving U24, got a position as the head coach for a WUGC cycle only to have it canceled by COVID (yes, that happened in the interim).  I applied and was turned down for a World Games coaching position.  My tenure with Ozone ended on less than ideal terms.  I stopped coaching High School boys to focus on other elements of life.  Eventually, after some major life changes, I returned to coach JV Girls with my dear friend India.  I've loved that position for the past few years.  With my Worlds coaching career over after getting turned down for WG, I was settling into less ultimate in my life.  Then they opened a U20 Mixed team for USA and I decided to jump back in.  I've done that position for two cycles now.  The first time (2024) we won both gold and the Spirit Award.  This past year, we won gold despite a mountains worth of adversity.

But this blog (that I assume no one reads) is about strategy, so I better talk about strategy.  I've had the benefit of the same coaching staff for the past two cycles.  I've learned a lot from each of them.  KP's vision of how the sport works and football background gets us on the same page quickly.  We've thoroughly enjoyed crafting defenses based on opponent's weaknesses instead of our strengths (overlapping when we are lucky).  Claire's vocabulary focus on offense and precision have forced me to learn how to be less vague when describing principles.  Her vast mixed experience also works exactly the way my brain does (once we get past any language barrier).  Both of them are amazing to work with and, unlike my U24 days, I have greatly appreciated having them for both cycles while each still has their own other teams to coach.  We each go our different ways, learn our different things in our different jobs, then return to mesh our styles together and make another excellent mixed team.

The past two cycles have been interesting in their own way.  The U20 age group is different than U24, and me getting older only moves me further from the players.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't really enjoy this age group.  The logistical hurdle is more because there are more minors, but catching them this early in their ultimate career is different than taking young college stars.  Both are rewarding in their own ways, and each creates their own set of interesting strategy problems.  I'll write more about the following topics, but here are the things that have been occupying my brain recently:

1.) How to stop the small-ball game

2.) What does it mean to be a handler and do we have any left?

3.) The difference between making your team a sharp knife instead of a tool box filled with imperfect tools

4.) Manufacturing your D's when offense (even at this level!) keep getting more efficient

That should keep me busy for a while.  Not that there is anyone out there to listen.  Writing these things down is really helpful for my own processing and getting ideas out of my brain.