Contact: 
Coaches
We collaborate with a network of global coaches, dedicating their expertise as Coach Mentors. Interested in introducing or improving a spread-flow offense or a teamwork-focused defence to your team? Why not consult directly with an experienced coach! By joining Hive at the Swarm tier – a level above the ‘Training’ tier on Patreon – we’re happy to set up a chat with one of these experts.
Felix Shardlow
Coach since 2002, based in Brighton UK
Developer of Hex / Flex since 2012, creator of Hive Ultimate
Read Felix’s full bio.
Noah Brinkworth
Coach, based in Brighton UK
Creator of the Spectrum of Defence and Offensive Mistakes series
Ultimate Experience: UCL Silverbacks, Team Xtreme, BN1
Education: Statistical Science at UCL
“This destroys the stack, but is that really a good thing?”
Lu Burgess
Coach since 2013, based in London UK
Creator of “How to Dribble”
Editor of Hive Ultimate
Speaks Spanish, Chinese
Ultimate Experience: Playing in the UK since 2010
Coached: York University, Curve Ultimate, UCL
Professional Expertise: Software development
“If you don’t know what you’re team is doing on offense then the defense definitely doesn’t know what you’re doing!”
John Sandahl
Coach, based in Minneapolis
Learned Hex in 1 season, went on to win a World Championship with Surly GM. Introduced the offence successfully to a range of teams.
WGMUCC 2022 winner (Surly)
Levke Walczak
Coach since 2016, based in Germany, specialises in clinics
Germany World Games 2022 coach / player
WUCC 2022 Champion with Revolution
Valerio Iani
Coach of East Block, Belgium U24 2023
Based in Italy but can travel
Creator of Game Intelligence Clinics
Read his 50 LinkedIn recommendations
Travis Norsen
Youth coach, based in Massachusetts
Author of ‘The Ultimate Resource: An Alternative Approach to Playing, Training, and Coaching Ultimate’ and ‘Play with your Brain‘: A Guide to Smarter Soccer
Florian & Marie Gailliegue
Coaches, based in France
Authors of ‘Ultimate in Motion: Balance & Dynamism’
Sjoerd Druiven
Coach and captain of Netherlands Masters
WMBUC 2017
Kim Gietzen
Coach of Goldfingers, the longest-running hex team
Based in Potsdam, Germany
Jason Thompson
Editor
Professional Expertise: Child care, Coach of 16 years, Ultimate coach of 12 years.
Ultimate Experience: Played – The ill fated New Jersey Hammerheads, 5 years of club mixed, 5 years of club open, 2 years at University of Rhode Island, 1 knee surgery.
Coached: U17 YCC 2014, U17 YCC 2015, Westfield HS 2009-2016, Westfield MS 2010-2020, Stevens Tech 2012-present, Bandits 2019-present.
“We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it”
Hive Ultimate Philosophy &
Mission Statement
Hive Ultimate connects ultimate frisbee players & teams around the world with resources & coaches.
We aim to grow the sport of ultimate frisbee in a sustainable and inclusive way. We believe the sport can be fun for beginners, challenging for elite athletes, and engaging for spectators. The sport is in its adolescent years in terms of strategy – conventional tactics are outdated, and fresh ideas will help everyone have more fun and win. We anticipate (and have begun to see) strategic evolution in ultimate – specifically moving towards free flow on offence, dynamic teamwork on defence, and away from stacks, isolations, set plays, and strict matchups.
We aim to facilitate the training, performance, and enjoyment of teams and individuals who are on board with this philosophy, offering online materials, technical analysis, and the opportunity to chat with experienced coaches – remotely, or in-person. The hive mind is growing quickly, with many opportunities for coaches and content creators to get involved by sharing their ideas and experiences. Join the Hive as a patron, a team, a creator, a coach, or a producer.
Hive Internal Structure & Flow
Management Team – nurse bees, tending to the brood and the maintaining the hive.
Sorting out the structural, personal, and financial aspects of the hive. Coordination and cohesion between creators, producers, teams and patrons.
Felix Shardlow, Noah Brinkworth, Jason Thompson and Luke Burgess-Yeo.
Steering Group – queen bees, centre of the colony, deciding when and where to swarm.
Determining the longer term direction of the hive, including options for expansion and development.
Sjoerd Druiven, Kim Gietzen, Florian Gailliegue, Jason Thompson, Noah Brinkworth, Mike Palmer, Luke Burgess-Yeo, Felix Shardlow.
Content Creators – scout bees, foraging for new perspectives & reporting back.
Creating original content congruent with the Hive Ultimate philosophy, and bringing it to the hive for publication. We encourage new content creators to contact us with your ideas and plans – from memes to multi-part video series. You can write scripts and record audio, coordinating with our Production team to create, illustrate, and animate.
Florian Gailliegue, Jason Thompson, Noah Brinkworth, Travis Myburgh, Keira, Luke Burgess-Yeo, Felix Shardlow, Travis Norsen, and more.
Production Team – worker bees, putting in hours behind the scenes.
Turning ideas into reality, ensuring the quality of content, and reaching a wide audience. Technical skills include video editing, animation, graphic design, and publication. Coordinate with creators to bring their ideas to life and help make their vision a reality.
Hive Mind – collective knowledge and experience, greater than the sum of its parts.
The top minds experienced with coaching and discussing the hive philosophy, brought together to look deeper into footage and systems. We provide high-level feedback to paying teams / players / captains & coaches.
Teams – training & competing in the wild, creating a buzz on the fields.
Paying a premium to work together with the Hive Mind towards ideal training and performance. We are currently working with a number of teams from around the world.
Patrons – field bees collecting pollen and nectar, and communicating within the hive.
Players, captains, coaches, and benefactors that financially support the hive, populating it and facilitating its organic growth, and benefiting from the materials & resources it generates. Over 100 individuals are already pledging monthly or annually, with more material and resources at higher tiers. Chat on Discord.
Join Hive Ultimate
Easiest way to get involved is to become a Patron, and chat on Discord if you’re interested in doing something more. We’re always keen to connect with content creators and coaches who have something to share!
Patrons can take part in the #beehive chat, with more advanced discussion rooms and access to creator and production channels for contributors and higher tier patrons.