What is your practice routine?

Question

I have talked with local kubb players about their practice routines and am curious if others have a specific "routine" they use while practicing.

Answer 1

Fields:
I start with 3 field kubbs and throw them.  Then, I attack them with my batons.  If I knock them all over, I add a fourth field and do it again, adding a field every time I knock them all over.  If any remain standing, I gather all the fields (standing or felled) and rethrow them.  Penalty kubbs are placed at penalty range, usually towards the far baseline and removed when they are felled (bringing my field kubb total back down).  This helps me work on drilling and throwing at fields.

Baselines:
I picked up a cheap kubb set from Menards that has smaller than normal kubbs.  The height is the same, but the faces are smaller.  I put those on the baseline to work on my accuracy.

King toss:
Statistically, the opening king toss to decide who throws first is a big indicator of the outcome of the game.  Because of that, I try to practice getting as close to the king as possible without making it fall.  I'll throw 25-30 batons (one at a time so there is no debris) to work on that.

Comments

I like to practice drilling and attacking using 6 field kubb's and 3 batons.I throw the kubbs stack them and then try to get them all down with 3 or less throws.Then I go back the other way. I have noticed that my short game has gotten sharper. On the flip side last night I play a full game and struggled on my 8 meter shots.

Answer 2

First, Pre-practice yoga:
Downward facing king
Kubb standing bends
Helicopter stretch
Kubb warrior pose

Then,

Throw 10 kubbs in the upfield then knock them down with 5 batons. Do this 5 times.

Stand 10 kubbs on a baseline and throw 12 batons. Do this 10 times.

120 king shots for picking to throw first.

1 hr daily at least twice a day. Do this inebriated at least once a week to work on situational conditioning.

Team practice:

You and partner play a "ghost" team. You can both revel in your victory, and suffer in your loss. Great for determining "team roles"

You and partner practice 8m shots. 3 batons each, taking turns knocking kubbs down. First one to nail all 5 wins.

Lastly, practice handshake. You want this to be smooth, genuine, and personal. Shaking hands with the opponent over a toppled king is the most important part of the game.

Comments

Man I love the Downward Facing King, it really stretches out the hamstrings like nothing else. :-)

Answer 3

I'm planning on picking up a strong spring and mounting a "kubb target" on it so I can repeatedly throw from 8m and practice a solid hit without having to go and set it up each time.

Drilling practice is totally separate and I think pretty easy to do. Stack up all your Kubbs and throw from 4m and weave the basket.

http://wiki.planetkubb.com/wiki/Weaving_the_basket

Comments

One of our guys (Dobbie) talked about making a "house" that is in the corner where you throw fields.  The house would be a square 2 batons in length in that corner.  Then, you throw the fields and can track how many are "in the house".  You still stand them up like normal (spreading them out), but any kubb that touches the house is considered in.

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Mmmmm....curling slang....ahhhhhhh!

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The spring-loaded kubb is a good idea, but if I were you I'd still make a throw, then hit or miss take a step away and reset your feet for the next throw. It will more closely simulate the game situation.

Also, don't get in the habit of keeping the target in the same spot and throwing from the same area. Mix it up - every pitch is a little different, and the players that can quickly adapt (because they practice adapting) will have the edge.

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Good point, Chris, about being able to quickly adapt to a certian pitch.  I have noticed that certain drills work on different pitch types and have been writing notes to myself so that I can adapt quicker in competition.  Also, a little bit of elevation difference makes a big difference when throwing at baselines.  I try to get a feel for any elevation before a match so that I know where to adjust.  Because of the changing nature of the pitch, it is imparitive to be able to quickly familiarize yourself with the pitch dynamics (that term may need to be added to the wiki  haha) in order to be competitive.