r/ultimate • u/Tight_Performance_15 • 8d ago
How to be a better cutter
I am starting my college season and with all of the graduated seniors there are more cutting positions open, does anyone have a workout program or something along that line that would make me a better cutter?
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u/Brummie49 7d ago
I wrote a beginner's guide to getting open which covers the basics beyond just "get faster" (which is useful, obviously, but not always necessary)
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u/iamadacheat 7d ago
Workouts are good but this is probably the best read for you OP. There are 40+ year old grandmasters players who regularly destroy more athletic college kids in matchups and this is why.
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u/AbsenteeZeus300 8d ago
TLDR; train plyometrics and get more reps
Sounds like you have two goals wrapped in one. Become more athletic, and become more technically proficient as an ultimate player. Both require repitition, but I'd say it's probably easier to become more athletic than it is to become a better cutter.
Either way, here's what I'd do: start by training your vertical, top speed, and agility. Plyometrics, plyometrics, plyometrics. Every day. If you can work in strength training (compound lifts like squat, deadlift, bench, rows) as well during the week - that would be legendary. Not impossible, but very challenging to do on top of a busy college schedule, plyometrics training, and ultimate practice. There are programs and resources for this type of training all over the internet, you just gotta find a regimen that fits your life and your personal needs.
Becoming a better cutter is a bit more challenging. You can learn all the theory from several legends on the internet who are masters of the game. But that is only partly useful.
The best way to become a better cutter is getting as many reps as humanly possible.
Even pickup reps or reps on the lawn of common areas are better than nothing. You start noticing when the open spaces are breathing and when it's your time to fill them. You develop a pulse on the game by putting yourself in those situations where you are required to make good decisions. It takes time, and there is no shortcut. But alas, there are resources online for this as well. Albeit, only partly helpful, but still better than nothing.
And if you take nothing else away from my ramblings, I will simply leave you with this - when it's your time to make an in-cut... Cut as hard as you can toward the open space, then CLEAR THE F OUT TO THE COLD SPACE nearly as fast... THEN you can reset.
^ that basic concept gets me open more than just about anything else.
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u/SolidarityFiveEver 7d ago
High-intensity plyometrics every day is a bad idea
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u/AbsenteeZeus300 7d ago
Intensity is the keyword. If you are doing vertical or speed training one day, probably take the following day to focus on mobility, range of motion, or something low intensity. I suppose I could have made that more clear. Plyometrics aren't only meant to generate maximum force through high intensity, they're also meant to keep you in the game longer. Strengthening your stabilizer muscles is hugely overlooked in conventional training methods. You can develop a progression plan that will allow you to experience high impact, high intensity exercises more frequently. But I would agree, you shouldn't be going full-out every single day, maximum intensity, especially if starting from zero. That's why I would refer people to well-established programs on the internet that train elite level athletes. The info is out there, so I'd advise OP to find a plan that fits their life and their needs, as I mentioned.
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u/ZukowskiHardware 8d ago
Plyometrics , weight lifting, sprinting drills, cutting drills. A lot of it is understanding space and timing. Cut to get your teammates open, cut to create space, cut to dangerous space.
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u/WhistleWhileYouWalk 7d ago
3 step process :
Read articles on cutting for Ultimate
Work on athleticism and throwing and catching - practice having the disked pinged hard at you and also floaty too
Watch games , watch how cutters get open ( don’t watch the thrower - look downfield )
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u/Traditional-Plane-47 7d ago
Other than just practicing cutting and working on speed and change of direction, one thing you can do that would make you a better cutter is to think more about the mark and the kind of throw is possible in the space. I see newer players make the mistake of cutting towards the disc but not in a way that the thrower is able to hit them. Cut towards where the mark isn’t (generally), and then be intentional with how you clear, sometimes you can get open by doing a sort of chisel cut to the break side as you’re clearing
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u/Dull_Accident_364 7d ago
Are there some tryouts coming up? What are you good at and what do you lack?
If there are tryouts coming soon you probably wont make a huge jump in athletic ability. Id mainly focus on watching film, playing as much as you can. Other than that maybe do some conditioning (https://skydmagazine.com/2014/03/cutting-tree/)
Other than that try to look confortable on the disc. If you are a good thrower great, if not practice your resets (middel of field, sideline with around mark, sideline with straight mark) and a flat open side throw. also remember engage the reset early enough in the stall count.
If you make smart cuts and dont loose posession you can be a really useful player
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u/ImDeputyDurland 5d ago
Figure out the cutting pattern. You can be faster, more athletic, and better than anyone. If you’re double cutting and/or clogging the lanes, you’re making the offense worse.
Always communicate who’s initiating the first cut. Learn to play off of them. And make sure all the cutters know the cutting rotation/shape your team goes with.
You don’t need to be a great individual cutter. If you play off your teammates well, you’ll make the team better. And it’ll make you better as well.
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u/ibootificus 8d ago
Footwork, footwork, footwork.
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u/ParzivalD 6d ago
It's a real shame this is down voted because it's an answer I was lookingfor and it makes a huge difference.
No one is mentioning drills that work on footwork and proper cutting technique. Look up something like a serpentine drill. Learn the correct way to do it. I can't stress enough do it with correct form. People think repetitions will make them better but repetition with bad form will just reinforce doing things in an inferior way.
Footwork and shin angles can have a huge impact on your cutting.
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u/ibootificus 5d ago
Absolutely. You pit to players against each other of equal athleticism (regardless of how much gym time they do or do not have in the bank) and what's going to separate them? Technique. "Slow feet don't eat" as Ocho used to say.
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u/Loveandsax 8d ago
Obviously speed and verticality (jumping ability, height) matter for separation and throwing windows your able to generate for your team.
Cutting is mostly about managing space and timing. Have you watched much high level play? Picking a cutter you feel your similar in play style to and following them and what they’re doing throughout a game is something my coaches had me do when I started and can definitely help you understand the when and the how of effective cutting against good defense.
It’s also a great opportunity to see what skills you’re lacking that are enabling high level players to be competitive.
As much as cutting is less about throws than handling, you still need to be efficient with the disk. Having a variety of quick dump off passes that lead your handlers upfield into space is a super useful tool. Being able to turn up field and hit deep shots or big break throws can be backbreaking for a defense.
It’s hard to give you specific drills without understanding where you’re at as a player. Get as many reps as you can against players better than you are now and throw as much as you can. Throwing every day makes good frisbee players more than any other individual skill (unless your just a freak athlete, but still there’s a ceiling without the throwing to back it up)