5%

How important is five percent? Five percent better completion percentage against Slow White and we have 7 extra possessions and they have 7 fewer. Five percent less speed and Adam is just a kid who gets injured a lot and has dashing good looks. I work my ass off all season to improve just five percent. But sometimes I waste energy. I have done workout programs that have had little impact on my game and lose sight of the goal: improving at Ultimate.

Sometimes improving can be as easy as working on one particular throw when you’re already warming up. Sometimes it can be hard like going to the gym and pushing yourself when you lift. Before you embark on a really intense workout schedule, make sure you’re also taking care of the easier five percents.

It’s early in the season. Take stock of your game and try to figure out where you’ll get your next five percent. But balance effort with benefit. It’d be great to add four inches of vertical leap, but is it worth the effort? Maybe you'd get more benefit from working on your throws for half the effort. Are you unhappy with your PT? Maybe you should focus your energies on peak performance instead of sustained performance.

Five Percent Fewer Injuries

Some injuries are unavoidable, but you can work to avoid self-inflicted injury (lead with your LEFT Ryan, your LEFT). Personally, this means shoulders, hammies, and groin. Laying out is hard on the shoulders, so I add 3 sets of standing shoulder butterflys to my workout (not sure what the actual name is). Pivoting is really hard on my hammies and groin so I do leg curls and ab/adductors. I haven’t pulled a hammie or my groin since I’ve been able to leg curl about my body weight and do about 2/3 my weight on an ab/adductor machine.

I hope to do regular five percent posts with techniques that have worked for me and I'd love to hear what has worked for you.

Coming soon: Five percent better chance of scoring on a possession, five percent better completion percentage, getting five percent more out of the workouts you’re already doing, five percent more strength, and my next five percent.