Back when I was first learning racquetball and taking lessons from Bill Serafin, he told me about this drill called suicides. You can see it on a much larger scale on a basketball court. Back then I was being lazy and didn't do them. Fast forward at least ten years and I did them for the first time last night. Hell I did two sets of five. What can I say, I was alone on the court and bored.
So here's what I did. From the back wall I ran to the service zone (dashed line) and back. Then to the short line and back. Then to the foot fault line and back. Then from the backwall to the front wall and back. That's one rep. It helped me to go 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D to keep track of where I was on the court and what rep I was doing. By the third one I was already breathing very heavy and had to walk the rest.
Then I did some forehand and backhand drills. My shots were so sloppy being fatigued like that, but I eventually managed to get it done.
I did another set of five Suicides after that and managed to shave like eleven seconds and change off my time (03:02.22). My heart rate was around 147. Sheesh.
Cardio has always been my weakness and even though I stand at work (standing desk) I just don't do enough cardio to make any improvements in my weight loss or in my stamina. I might have to setup something in my basement where I can do something at home, since I can't always get to the gym and doing this once a week is not enough.
I played with my good racquetball bud, Rob, last week and I noticed I was like one or two steps behind my shots. I was also getting run ragged. I pushed myself and went after a lot of shots, but there was a disconnect with what I wanted to do and what my body was capable of doing.
I'm also, most likely, going to start Kempo Karate with my wife tomorrow. So hopefully I can survive this weekend of higher than normal physical activity.
Happy Star Wars Day! I'm personally glad the franchise has new movies and I'm pretty excited to see Disney's new Star Wars related parks. I think it would be good for my boys to see as they grow up.
Haven't played much racquetball. I think the last time, I played it took me some time with basic drills to hit the ball with some consistency again. Yeah I know, I should have my racquetball license revoked. Also a guy who doesn't play racquetball, should probably not be writing for a racquetball website.
I might have a small window to play on Friday. I should also find a way to play on the weekend, I've heard there's quite a few people who play on the weekend. ;-) The only times I played on the weekend were for tournaments and maybe other events. It's just never been a habit of mine. Weekends are usually busy with something. If you look hard enough, there's always something, always an excuse.
Been clock-watching at work. I wrote this small program that shows the time left in the work day in 30 minute chunks (pomodoros) and it's probably the worst thing I've written. Keep thinking about the hundreds of things I would rather be doing and that I'm not. Been working while I work, it helps the time go by faster and there's serious work to be done. I just lament about the opportunity cost.
I've been thinking about karate and learning some stuff instead of my mastery of Joe-know-sh*t, but those negative thoughts come up. I can barely play racquetball. How the hell am I going to learn and practice karate? That's more of a pipe dream than going to play racquetball once a week. Not to mention the expense. So been sitting in the back court on that one too.
Letting the points mount up is not going to get me to the serving box and winning the game. Got to work, got to get fired up, and put in more effort where I want go.
The last time I worked on these pages was around 1/12/12. I think, I did some work on a framework, but with my other racquetball page and other things going on in my life at the time. A lot of things dropped off. I also didn't have this grind mentality that I have now. Feels good to erase everything, except the logo, and start fresh.
Things are always jockeying for position too. I had another site, Site-Rx.com, that I just eliminated. I had even less time to help customers with their website problems. I started that site for all the wrong reasons. I was in a really bad job and I thought multiple times I was going to be let go. After sixteen years, you see a lot of people come and go and the wrong people didn't go. Thankfully that part of my life has been over for a year already.
I'm not too sure about racquetball. I can't dedicate the time I used to it. BC (Before Kids), I would play a couple of nights per week, run leagues, and my wife was working most nights, so it was great. But with homework, spending time with them, getting them to karate, getting them to CCD. The hours just evaporate, unless I am deliberate with your time.
That's why during the work week, I wake up at 4:45 AM. No one wants to bother me with anything at that time. The kids don't want me to play or the wife asking me to do something. I call it my grind time and I focus like one or two pomodoros (25 minute time blocks) on a project, seven days a week. I took a vacation a few weeks ago and that was probably the only "break" I took in like two hundred days.
I wish, I had found Eric Thomas' videos and stuff sooner like TGIM (Thank God Its Monday) because grinding day in and day out has been a positive in my life. I usually have a lot of plates in the air and a lot of things calling my attention. So to say I'm going to hit this and nothing else for a week is liberating.
That's a nice bit of 80's wisdom. When I used to go to New York City a lot, I would go to the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art) and there was this one sculpture that I would love to see. The Angel of Death and the Sculptor from the Milmore Memorial. In it the sculptor is working on a piece and is suddenly interrupted by the Angel of Death. I see the look of sadness and surprise on his face. It is better to meet her working than dreaming! Imagine the look on his face if he never started?
The first Eric Thomas video I watched didn't really sink in. I thought, yep that's me. I want my business as bad as I want to breathe. I'm doing this, that, and the other thing. I'm great. I was sincerely out of my mind with my current situation. I was for lack of a better word, asleep at the wheel and dreaming.
ET mentioned something about games in one of his videos. You either win the game or you lose. "You can't fake it like you won." Unfortunately can fake it with just about everything else.
Sometimes I watch motivational videos and get really pumped up, but it didn't change much.
It is easy to think I was grinding at the start or already realizing my dreams are at the start. When I was younger, I wasted a great deal of time thinking I was making progress. I have a tendency to day dream and get wrapped up in it sometimes. It helps walk through possible problems and think of solutions beforehand, but it doesn't move the ball forward. Too much of it and it blocks me, suddenly I get afraid of the giant (mostly imagined) problems in front of me.
A little bit of progress seems so monumental at first. Well I guess it is, it takes a good deal of effort to stop, turn, and break apart the tress, branches, and vines in your way. Can cut down some and maybe squeeze your way through onto the new path, but we often put new stuff in our way, or we're dragging crap from our past with us.
I have listened and relistened to Eric Thomas' TGIM (Thank God Its Monday). I even have some of the remixes. Monday I grind, Tuesday I grind...every day I grind. Slowly it starts to sink in. Slowly I see the importance. I also look back and see the results.
Grinding every day even for half an hour has been one of my best habits in my life. Thanks ET.
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Updated 05/20/17.