Greetings to all,
It has been a while since I posted on this blog. There is some issues that I want to touch on:
1) Competitors
2) Junior Improvement
3) Passion
4) Grads
5) Conclusion
1) Competitors
Having seen the changes in Ultimate community, I would say that there is an increasing number of clubs emerging in recent years. Especially school clubs, be it secondary schools, JCs or Poly. Every club that are newly formed will always be driven by passionate individuals. Their willpower and determination will often push them to improve and to search for more knowledge about Ultimate. Having watched the inter-jc competition on Sat, 26/07/2008, I am glad to know that Ultimate pool has been growing and the quality of players has been too. No longer are the days whereby NYP can dominate IVP or any other competition at will. Every school and clubs are always looking to improve themselves and challenge the top. Sadly to say, there is very few that still observes Ultimate's spirit of the game and respects the opposition.
2) Junior Improvement
If I am not wrong, 29/04/2008 was the very 1st training that the juniors participated in. Till date, there has been 23 trainings and 1 bonding session. For those that have missed 30% or more of trainings, your progress is slow. At this early stage of your Ultimate career, you should be actively playing Ultimate, be it training or casual throw arounds, at least 2 times or more a week. To some players, missing trainings mean less PT done, which everyone loves. However, it is the PT that will strengthen you and improve your physical abilities. Trust me, with a mind set of improving big time, coupled with the mentality of achieving that at all cost, PT WILL BE NOTHING.
On a more important note, missing trainings could mean that you will miss out tactical and technical aspects of your game. Every training, you will clock a number of throws, be it drills or throwing around. Missing a few trainings mean that you will lag behind your team mates. Yes, some of you may be talented but trust me, Ultimate is often more determination than talent. Talent only gives u a headstart but doesn't ensure that you will be a great player.
Attitude will play a part in any player. You may be the most talented player but with a bad attitude towards training, your team mates, your mentors and towards the game, you WILL SUFFER. Attitude means:
i) Hunger to learn
ii) Respecting each other (team mates & mentors)
iii) Determination, never give up on training, on your team mates and the disc
Stick to training, give your 100% during all trainings. Since you have decided to devote that 3 hrs to training, might as well fully make use of it to maximise the effect. Bear this in mind, Ultimate players are trained over years. Even the best players need years to mature and sharpen the different aspects of their game. Hang in there, NEVER STOP LEARNING and you will get there!
3) Passion
It is always amusing when I hear people saying that they have the passion for Ultimate and they ended up giving Ultimate up. Then when being asked, they would often give reasons to cover themselves. Being passionate means that there is this will and love for the game that virtually nothing will stop you from pursuing the thing that you like. Yes, some may state that internal conflicts killed their passion off but think again, if your so called passion is so vulnerable, it should not be said to be passion but a passing fad.
Fad means: "A fashion that is taken up with great enthusiasm for a brief period of time; a craze".
With this definition, I pressume that someone with a passion for Ultimate will always stick to it no matter what happened. For example, if there is an internal conflict within a club, there is always other avenues to pursue your Ultimate dream. That should be what a passionate person should have done.
Different clubs have different cultures. If one do not suit you, there will always be another.
4) Grads
I have always been proud of all grads that I have coached. Till date, there should be close to 20 that had undergone NYP training and moved on to Disc Knights. However, I have realised that most of you have not been improving at all and at the same time, going downhill.
Maybe you think that there is not need to improve.
Maybe you think that you are satisfied with your current level.
Maybe you think that going for a weekly DK training will be enough.
I can tell you that of all the grads that I have coached, I only know of a few that know that they still want to continue improve, that they still want to learn more, that they are hungry for more. Only these very few players have gone on to become good players, with the prospect of being a great one. I understand that those grads may be holding jobs, NS or studying. But when you are free, you should be going back to NYP to hone your skills and the different aspects of your game.
I understand that not everyone are enthusiastic to coach and groom the next batch of NYP players but I will be glad that those that I have coached are always wanting to improve and that they have came back to learn more. You can always come back and tell me: "Ben, today I am back and I want to improve on my hucking." I will gladly exclude you from the juniors' training and advise you on how you should go about doing it. Only very few have came back and done that.
I am not saying that I have given up hope on all grads but I hope to remind all of you that you can contribute back to NYP by helping out. If not, help yourselves to improve. All of us are still young so I hope that you people will not just stop at where you are but push on and improve.
5) Conclusion
I have always devoted my time and effort to NYP Ultimate, with no expectations of any rewards or recognition. All I hope to see is that NYP Ultimate can continue to grow and groom outstanding players like before. Results: winning and losing are not important, as long as everyone had made an effort to improve and to fight as a team. I will not give up on any player as long as you have shown me that you want to improve and with sheer determination, I will guide you thru.
Cheers,
Benjamin Ho
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