Still Alive and hitting the ball!

Nearing the end of the 2017-2018 Racquetball season.
I am incredibly thankful to be able to play this game. 

* End of Summer - Kicking off the season (with a concussion :( )

* Fall Festival

* US Open National Championships - playing with an injury - tough times, disappointment.

* Holiday Classic - Christmas Cheer everywhere 

* Rochester Doubles - Fun times in Open with Dan!

* Hall of Fame

* Lewis Drug 40th Annual Pro-Am - 1st - Men's B Doubles w/ Ron

* National Doubles - 2nd - Mixed C w/ Cindy

Iowa Championships

Minnesota State Singles - Hope springs eternal

Iowa State Doubles

A couple of 1-days and Saturday shootouts

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We can rebuild him

The 2014-15 Racquetball season was not the season I had hoped for in terms of results.  I did have a lot fun playing at the tournaments and with my doubles partner, Ron "Dance, Dance" Denler.  All the tournament play took its toll on this body though.  My right knee which was not in the best condition anyway, finally gave out.  I'm taking into the body shop to have it replaced tomorrow.  There will be more posts after surgery and how I progress towards my goal of returning to competitive racquetball.

We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better, stronger, faster.

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My Racquetball Forehand

One part of my game has plagued me throughout my racquetball playing has been my forehand.  (No it is not because I am left-handed)  The flaws in my forehand show up in two areas of my game. 

1: Power – as compared to other players at my level or higher, my forehand lacks the “snap” that other players have in their forehand shots. 

2: Hitting down the line.  Because of the ‘hitch’ that is in my forehand stroke and timing of hitting, when I attempt a down-the-line shot.  (Note: For a lefty, the forehand side matches up with a right-handers backhand, generally the weaker stroke) my shot hits the side wall, the front wall and then the opposite side wall leaving a set-up for my opponent.  Frustrating to say the least!  This was a primary reason for my loss in the State Finals two years ago.     

One of the keys to the forehand stroke is the hips.  One coach had me wear a long sleeved jacket with my left arm out of the sleeve.  Using just my hip and should rotation (my arm at my side) get the sleeve of the jacket to move forward.  Another area is getting my butt down and not bending at the waist.  Kinda like a goblet squat.   Hip flex mobility is one area I am working on in hopes to fix this problem. 

Undoing 35 years of bad form is not going to be easy though.  Here is Ben Croft and a text-book example of the forehand stroke.

Being left-handed is being in good company. 

Left-handed Racquetball Champions

Kane Waselenchuk – Current #1 ranked player and was undefeated from January 2009 through September 2013 - 4+ years!

Cliff Swain - #1 Ranked Player 1990, 93, 94, 95, 98, 02. Best serve of all time

Mike Ray - #1 Ranked Player in the World 1992. Voted by his fellow pros as having the best forehand ever.

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It's been a month

The good: I have averaged 2 kettlebell workouts a week for July.  I think I am seeing results from the workouts; however I have been struggling with my back cramping up. I started jumping rope before and after morning racquetball.  I could barely make 60 jumps without my legs feeling like they were on fire and breathing like a charging rhinoceros.  Now, I’m at 90 seconds and looking to move to two minutes.  I started a very effective hamstring/hip stretch using stairs. 
 
The bad: No real appreciable weight loss during the month.  I really don’t count weight loss unless its 5lbs down for a week.  I was hoping to be 5 to 7lbs down for the month.  Some good news though.  I am starting a 6 week fitness challenge at G365 Fitness. The challenge is a combination of nutrition and exercise goals. 
 
The ugly: I’m playing morning racquetball and started the Monday night league however I have not dedicated any time to practice specific drills.  I thought I would have 30 minutes in the morning before racquetball, but so far I haven’t made it.  Hopefully I can make some headway here.  Here is one drill I want to start, the Star Drill.  It is designed to help with movement. I did wear my HRM and recorded 674 calories burned for 58 minutes.  

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The Hit List

Over the last two years, I have played in a number of tournaments.  Since the racquetball community is small, you play against the same people at these tournaments.  For this season, I have developed a hit list.  These are the people I believe I should be able to beat.   

The Hit List (MN Rank, age)

Matt (102, 28) – Doesn’t have the body of a racquetball player and wears those annoying headphones  I won the first game, and then he served 7aces in a row in the second. Ouch!

Al “the Rabbit” (72, 40s) – Very hard hitter, motor always on high.  I need to use strategy against him.  He can run down every shot.  His weak spot, mid to high to his backhand.  Of course I learned that after.

Jon (75, 40s) – This quote sums up playing Jon. “So what now, Jack Sparrow? Are we to be two immortals locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day and trumpets sound?” Every match Jon plays goes to the tie-breaker (Like 11-10).  I refereed his 2013 US Open match.  2 hours! 14-15, 15-14, 11-10.  I Lost to him in a tie-breaker in a summer tournament. 

Ron (151, 47) – Claims the secret to his game is Dance, Dance Revolution.  We are at the Strandemo camp together. Beatable, but I gotta learn not to skip all my backhand shots.   

Pat (116, 40s) – I lost to Pat in 2013 State Singles final after a grueling day of matches.  Big hitter, but not much of a kill shot, weak backhand.  I feel I should have beaten him.  I want a rematch!

I also have a Wish List too.  These are guys that if I beat them it would be a good notch in the belt.

Little Jimmy (113, 40s) – He hates it when I call him that. 2012 U.S. Open Men’s 35+ C Champ, 2014 Minnesota State Singles Men’s B Champ. It would be like beating Joe Pesci in Goodfellas. I have beaten him in casual play, but we have not played each other in a tournament.  Solid forehand pinch, loves to dive and complain.

Max (103, 50s) – A lefty too!  Does not make mistakes.  I buy my racquets from him.  Lost to him in the 2013 U.S. Open secondround 45+ C. 

Adam (125, 30s) – I was a little better in the beginning and then he just took off.  Helps to have an uncle as the racquetball coordinator!  …and be younger.  Lost to him in the 2013 U.S. Open C

Grant (76, 40s) – You need a bulldozer to get him out of the center.  Gotta utilize ceiling shots more. 

T.J. (77, 40s) – Solid player.  Doesn’t make many mistakes, capitalizes on yours.  I need to play well throughout the match to win.  I have lost to him twice.

Ron “Booger” (120, 50s) – An absolute character.  A complete master of the garbage shot.  I played him in my first tournament in 2012, (Men’s 50+ A) I don’t believe he ever hit a shot over 50 MPH!  I was taken apart like a watch and wondering how does a guy who looks like a walrus kick my ass like that.  However, injuries have taken their toll on him.  He is also ½ of the 2012 U.S Open Men’s C doubles champion team with Little Jimmy.

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Such Promise...

From Scoundrel’s post, the 2012-2013 Racquetball season ended on a high note.  A 1^st in MN State singles Men’s 45+C and a 2nd in Men’s C.  A disappointing second I might add.  Still very good for my second year of returning to competitive racquetball.   I was looking forward to the 2013-2014 season and was expecting to be good results.  I took lessons from SteveStrandemo, a big time player in the early 80’s. At the 2013 US Open,  I lost out in the second round of Men’s C and 45+C, however, I made to the semi-finals in Men’s C doubles.  There was the win at the Turkey shoot in Mixed B with Sheri and a Consolation win with Alan.  Then came the winter of 2014 and I lost just about every match.  I was mostly playing Men’s B.  Was it my playing or was the competition much better? I finished the 2013-14 season on a down note losing out of both Men’s B divisions, B and 45+ B.   Nagging injuries crept in also, my wrist in February and plantar fasciitis in late April.   

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Racquetball Wednesdays

Woke up, got outta bed… Forgot to set the alarm… While it was Pete and Clark that restarted my racquetball passion 7+ years ago, it was the accidental discovery of the morning racquetball players that has kept me playing each Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 6AM. Because I overslept today, I didn’t get my pre-racquetball exercise and warm-ups in. (Stretching, jump rope, specific drills). Jumped right in and continued to skip shots. I Finished with 90 seconds of jump rope. 90 seconds of jump rope may not sound like much, but boy do my legs get pumped! I’m also breathing like a race horse.

 On Wednesday’s we have the regulars, plus the once a weekers. Today we had regulars, Al, (Nancy out with kayak injuries), Arlan the Quick, Steve the Greyhound, and Steve the Whippet. Additionally, we had Big Dick, Little Dick and Rex. I played about 90 minutes. Some singles, some doubles. Worked up a good sweat. 

The morning crowd is thinning out some now. We’ve lost Marvelous Mark to rheumatoid arthritis, Dale aged out and Kern’s shoulder can’t take any more repairs. Roger’s legs and age have caught up to him. Super Dave moved to the greener pastures of Milwaukee, and Ray never returned after the meltdown. However we did get a new slogan out of it, “don’t go all Ray now.” Ralph’s hip got the best of him. Jimmy the Mouse stopped after being hit one too many times (with the ball and racquet!) Jeff switched to LA Fitness. Recently, we lost Terrific Tom for 8 months with a torn rotator cuff and repair. Little Mike is just returning from knee replacement, retirement and moving up north. Steve the Whippet’s missing ACL is becoming a problem.

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Week One

The first week started out slowly.  About two weeks ago I increased my kettlebell classes to 3 a week (Tue/Thu/Sat) except for last week (only 2) because of the 4th of July.  The kettlebell sessions are about 45-50 minutes, burning about 500 calories with an 80% average HR.  On Saturday I played some pick-up racquetball with some of the regulars.  Let's just say I've got some work to do.  Skipping the ball has become a big problem.  I broke out the jump rope.  Initially aiming for 1 minute of jumping for warm-up and another 1 minute after I'm done playing, by the count of 35, my calves are burning and thighs are screaming.  On the weight front, I'm up 10lbs from 2 months ago.  I did not get any dedicated racquetball practice in.  

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What do I want out of this?

There are several aspects I want to accomplish with this training.
1. Improve my physical condition
    - Increase stamina
    - Get stronger
    - Become more flexible
    - Work on past injuries
2. Better court movement
    - Reaction time
    - Quickness
    - Movement
3. Develop racquetball skills
    - Serving, particularly my drive serve
    - Forehand
    - Shot selection 
4. Lose weight
    - Lose 20lbs

I will expand on each of these areas in further posts. 

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In for an overhaul

This past year saw a lot of racquetball.  By late March, this body was just plane worn out.  Late winter, I was diagnosed with arthritis in my left wrist and being left handed, it was a problem.  However, it was developing plantar fasciitis in my left food that put me out of action for 6 weeks.  This is just one of a long list of of injuries this aging body has piled up.  Way back in 9th grade football, I suffered a separated shoulder and partial tear of my rotator cuff.  In my early days of racquetball, I slipped on a wet spot and did the splits and I am occasionally bothered by my right groin/right hip.  My hamstrings have endured several pulls and tears.  Most recently in 2011 when I started to play competitive racquetball.  I had meniscus repair in my right knee in 2010 and in 2012 I was diagnosed with a ruptured disc in my neck (C5/C6) which sometimes affecst my right shoulder and arm.  Finally, I have a nagging arthritic big toe on my left foot I got when I stepped wrong on the court and bent my toe backwards.  This was sometime around 2008.  During the course my training for the US Open, I'm going to address these injuries with specific exercises.    

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Let the Training Begin...

Man... It's sure dusty in here.  This place needs some cleaning up!
For the 2014 US Open Racquetball Championships this October, I'm going to train for it.  This will be my third year competing at the US Open. 

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Way to go Champ!

Swami won a few racquetball games this weekend.  Good job Mike!!

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It's racquetball time again!

It was great to get back on the racquetball court again with all my 6AM Lifetime Fitness racquetball pals, Marvelous Mark, Super Dave, Steve the Greyhound, Arlan the Swift, Jimmy the Mouse, Ralph the Rabbit, Kern the Master, Tom Terrific, Steve the Whippet, Fancy Nancy and Al, Big Dick and Little Dick, Mighty Mike, Big John and all the rest.  It's been since mid-July when my knee wouldn't let me play until the meniscus tear was repaired at the end of August.  Now I just need to find out where I left my racquetball game...

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Racquetball Wednesday

Racquetball today: A sweep! Won 3 cut-thoats and a doubles! Could it have been the kettle bells?? Or was it the new strap? The cut-throat games were with Big D and Mr. D. I came from behind 13-7 to win 15-13-4. The second game I was stuck at 12 while the other 2 were in the low single digits. Big D made a run and it was 13-12. Then I won 15-13-7. The third game I wasn't so merciful and won 15-6-3. I played doubles with Mr D and Mr T and Super D was my partner. We won 15-10, but it wasn't easy.

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Running after the ball

I tried something new this morning. Running after the ball. I had made up my mind this morning that I was going to try to run down all the balls today. I had an interesting result. I won! I played Super D and Mr. R in cut-throat for the first game. I came from behind (9-9-13) to win 15-9-13. (A few service aces helped too ;) ) Then played Mr. S and Mr. R. Mr. R came out on top in both cut-throat. But I was in each of the games 9-12-15 & 7-12-15. My shots were letting me down today. Especially when I was serving.

This is the second time in a row I didn't play with my knee supports. Last Wednesday I forgot to put them on before I had my shoes on and didn't feel like taking my shoes off so I played without them. So some reason, I felt quicker. I didn't seem to have any adverse effects so today I didn't use them either. Same thing, I felt quicker and so far no adverse effects. The tops of my knees feel pumped and they are always sore about an hour after playing anyway. I still need to get around to trying those knee exercises. 278lbs today.

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Wednesday Racquetball

Cut-throat and doubles day. Started out playing MR. D and MR. T. Lost 14-15-9 (MR. T on top) Then with MR. R and MR. D. (MR R coming out on top) Then doubles. MR S and MR D continued their dominance over me and MR R. Winning 2 games. We had a sizable lead in the second but the grey hairs came back!

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It's been a year

I've been playing racquetball for a year now. I'm not wheezing, and huffing and puffing anymore. Yesterday I weighed 276lbs. I've lost 9 lbs since re-starting racquetball. My game has improved greatly over the year, but I feel I've stagnated over the last few months. Yesterday I lost to Mr. T 15-14. He is someone I should beat regularly, but Mr. T has beaten me the last several times. I get out to a big lead then let up. In my second game, I beat Super D 15-4. My serve was finally working. Even if it was only for 1 game. Then I played some cut-throat with Marvelous and Mr. R and he crushed us - 15-4-2 and 15-11-2 (the two being my score). Marvelous is going in for carpel-tunnel surgery this week. He says the surgery takes 10 minutes and is done by a robot at the Mayo Clinic. He'll be out for at least 6 weeks. Gotta go now my wife is hounding me, she needs to do some "shopping"!

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Monday Morning Racquetball

It's Monday morning.. Cold and creaky I played some racquetball. While I got my ab work in, I didn't warm-up the way I wanted. (squandered too much time again). Cut-throat with Mr T and Mr RR with Mr RR coming out on top. (got to 11 though). Then it was singles with Mr R. I lost 15-14, and I' m upset I had the chance at the winning shot - wide open, easy setup with Mr R out of place and skipped it! Oh Well I was glad I was competitive. Then it was cut-throat with Mr R and Super D. This time I came out on top 15-13-14 and I didn't miss the winning point! My forehand was working much better. I even got a few aces! Still lacking power though. My knees were complaining too. And the most impressive part - 276lbs!

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Racquetball Update

277 on Monday. I've done 4 cold/hot treatments after raquetball so far. The results are good. Much less knee pain, stiffness, weird feelings. 20 seconds cold /each knee, 20 seconds hot 2 to 3 times. The cold feels really good and I can feel the 'tingling' for awhile afterwards. Played doubles yesterday with Marvelous, Big D and Mr. D. Big and I took 2 out of 3 from Marvelous and Mr. D. Very enjoyable, lots of taunting. It is always fun to beat Marvelous.

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Friday Racquetball

What can I say.... From my no power forehand, to my in the dirt, leave it up backhand, a pathetic serve and just plain not running after the ball, it was not a good day. I got kicked by Mr. T, Mr. S and Marvelous. The warm up cut-throat game was awful too. I'd tell the scores, but it was much worse than the scores show.

I think a lot of the problem has to do with my warm-up on Friday. A few seconds of stretch, taking about a dozen swings just doesn't cut of for me. I need a good 5 minutes of working out the kinks of my forehand and getting the timing down for my backhand. My brain needs warm-up time too. Of course, I could just say that Galan kept me out too late bowling ;). Oh well, there is always Monday!

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