Surprising moment at the Australian Open last night during the match between Nadal and Federer.
Two days ago, I played my best tennis ever, and my team won both sets over very tough competitors…the same duo who had beaten us two out of three sets last time. I know that watching top players on TV at the Australian Open helped a lot. But more importantly was being taught the proper way to hit a squash backhand at a clinic I went to on the 8th of this month. I applied the same principles to tennis, and it worked beautifully. My net game was sensational, my serving improved, and I was able to lob well over and over. Funny but most of the time I play as the weakest player, my stronger partners always choose the forehand side of the court. This leaves me having to be the backhand guy, and it is my poorest stroke…as it is for most of the people in my club. Tuesday it was working great. Thanks to squash lessons.
And just for the record, I have now done some exercise at home 75 days in a row. This is in addition to all the tennis, squash, skiing, etc. I am proud of this major achievement in my life, because I am a guy who can’t do anything regularly. I have been undisciplined about exercise my entire life…except for these last 10+ weeks. I also set a new record for push ups: 177. Of course this is just 45 non-stop and then 20 sets of 6-8 with no more than 10 breaths in between each set. At least I am doing something, rather than months of nothing.
More typical is that I joined a gym again and haven’t gone at all in the three months or so since I paid. Fortunately they have a plan that only charges me for each time I go. I bought eight visits. Let’s see how many I use up in a year.
Also happy to report that another friend told me today he looks on this site for inspiration to keep himself exercising and living healthfully by reading the stories of others. Do you have a story to add? Let me hear about it…
Trinity fans tense up as their team heads toward defeat
Well it’s probably my fault that while I was away skiing in Sun Valley, Idaho, I was not at Yale cheering as usual at a tough squash contest between the Yale Bulldogs and my favorite team, the Trinity Bantams. So Trinity lost! As you may recall, I have been a groupie for the team for 4-5 years now, ever since my daughter played squash in high school, and her coach told me to watch the best college team in the country in Hartford, only an hour away. My wife and I have been going to many of the away games as well, supporting the team members, whom we met and liked, and yelling as loudly as anybody possibly could. I have written about some of these victories in the past. Amazingly the match once again came down to the ninth and last contest and the fifth and last game. Agonizing. In spite of the pain of defeat, I wish I had been there for the excitement and tension.
Trinity's Johan Detter hears advice prior to the final match
Yale fans rejoice...as they should for such an historic win
A friend told me about Trinity’s loss after our tennis match. He was very considerate to wait until after the tennis game to give me the bad news…and he was an opponent! Of course I was stunned. I was out of it too, given all the travel and attempts to survive the dangers of skiing after a year-long absence from the slopes.
I feel badly for the team and coach, whom I have known for years as well. Coach Paul Assiante has a great book about his success you might want to read, called Run to the Roar: Coaching to Overcome Fear. It’s a very exciting insight into the team, a close national match at Princeton, and how to motivate people to perform at their best.
Now here is the Hartford Courant’s story by Jeff Nowak about the inevitable day that Paul always said would come. Photos are by Bettina Hansen. If you want more detail about this historic match and its aftermath, here is a lengthy New York Times article.
Trinity's coach (rt) gives congratulatory hugs to Yale's coach Dave Talbott as Yale team members celebrate their victory
All things must end, or at least that’s the adage John Roberts and the Yale Bulldogs squash team announced to the world Wednesday night, January 18th, as they put to bed the longest winning streak in varsity intercollegiate sports history.
Trinity had won 252 consecutive matches, including 13 national championships, until Roberts’ dominant victory over Johan Detter in the fifth set of the final match of the day gave the bulldogs the 5-4 win at Brady Squash Center at Yale.
“Going into today I knew I was going to be on last, so I was hoping I was going to have a chance to win it for us,” said Roberts. “In the fifth you realized it was just a grind. Luckily, I got a good start and I was able to close it out.”
Trinity head coach Paul Assaiante said his team is still getting better, and having the streak over isn’t as much of a relief as he expected it to be. “Losing sucks, not a relief,” said Assaiante. “This isn’t fun, I hate losing, but this is only going to make us stronger.” Read the rest of this entry »
Visit To Super-Athlete Land
Jan 24
Sun Valley snow view
I have just returned from Sun Valley, Idaho, where some friends urged us to visit them for a week and enjoy the outdoors. Though New York City dwellers most of the year, these urbanites thrive on physical activity out west, spending 5-6 weeks in the winter and a couple of months each summer. And they have found a community of compatriots who are also the most passionate athletes. Some of these SV friends are working people from cities on both coasts who come out on weekends and holidays. Others are retirees who live for sports and outdoor motion.
Four to six days a winter week, they are skiing in the morning for a couple of hours. Followed by a hot tub soak, stretches and weights in the gym, and then a hike, snowshoe or cross country ski in the afternoon. One dinner guest I met goes downhill skiing, then skate skiing, then biking—all in the same day! And he is not unusual. The summers and falls are filled with days of hiking, fishing, golfing, biking, motorcycling, hunting and of course time in the gym…NOT to build muscles, but “because I love it. It feels so good.”
Ira having fun in snow storm
How I admire their enthusiasm for so much activity. I can almost understand it, cannot relate to it, and certainly can’t keep up with it…although I did push myself to ski four times in five days, and also hit squash balls with friends two days, once after skiing. But I am not a life-long athlete. Only these last few years do more moderate daily doses of sports activity seem desirable.
The last time I was in Sun Valley in 2006, my school-age kids were with me and glued to beds the first day. I went skiing in a snow storm, struggling as a Florida-raised boy should. Exhausted by the effort, the snow, the limited visibility, the lack of being fit, I trudged back proud that I hadn’t injured myself. Refreshed by 12+ hours of sleep, my kids urged me to play squash with them (instead of collapsing and not moving forever), and I complied for family harmony and bonding. Unfortunately I tore my shoulder in three places, and that interrupted my physical life for about eight months.
This time I was more cautious, but also in much, much better shape. I could pace myself wisely and recognize signs of fatigue and strain. After two days of skiing painlessly with friends, I rested the third day and only played squash. The trails had been groomed with artificial snow up till then. I did feel wimpy that my friends were indifferent to the below zero to 5 degree temperatures. In spite of decades up north (I grew up in Miami Beach), that’s still pretty cold to me.
ski instructor Hans
The fourth day was the first big snow in two months. Two feet of monster flakes began dropping nonstop, and it was beautiful but challenging. Going out alone was too dangerous, I was told—I’d get lost, take the wrong trail, die alone in the cold. Ridiculous…but to placate the worriers, I hired a ski instructor and heard that I was doing it all wrong—the problem with not learning the sport until my 20′s. Two and a half hours later, I could turn a lot better, and my coach took me on a black diamond run with moguls. Finally I was finished, exhausted, and somehow made it back to the house with jelly-legs that would barely support me. No squash that night.
The fifth day I went out alone in spite of the falling snow. My quads were aching on the first run, and I took it real slow. Thank goodness no one was with me I had to keep up with. Two-plus hours later I was wiped and went home.
As usual, I was relieved to have survived without injury. Maybe if I’d grown up in the snow, I’d be more comfortable with the speed. I’d be eager to enjoy the cold, the slopes, a few jumps. But skiing is always a bit confronting for me, like running a gauntlet that I force myself through to prove I can do it. The truth is I will never be like the others who enjoy it so much that they buy second homes in Sun Valley and go six days a week in freezing temperatures and wind. Now when it comes to tennis…
By age 16, I had delivered newspapers on a bicycle that I also rode one mile to school. Here is a girl who at the same age just sailed solo around the world. And she had to fight the Dutch authorities in the courts to do it. Ah me. We all lead such varied lives…Here first is the AP story:
Laura Dekker, 16, sailed into St. Maarten harbor on Saturday, January 21st, completing a 27,000 mile round-the-world voyage in a 38-foot yacht called “Guppy”. The Dutch teen broke an unofficial record set in 2010 by Australian teenager Jessica Watson. Dekker turned 16 during the trip, but she won’t garner any recognition for her groundbreaking voyage from The Guinness World Records, which doesn’t acknowledge records for “youngest” sailors. Dekker, who claims she was born on a boat and started dreaming about circumnavigating the globe when she was ten, caused a controversy amongst the Dutch government several years ago when she announced plans for her journey. Dutch officials tried to interfere, claiming she was too young, while educational authorities complained she should be in school.
Laura Dekker is just a kid...with a passion
I wrote about the start of Laura’s Voyage a year ago. Now here is the current, more detailed Guardian story by Emine Saner:
What do you do when you fulfill your life’s ambition at the age of 16? Laura Dekker, the youngest sailor to circumnavigate the globe single-handedly, arrived at the Caribbean island of St Maarten on Saturday to a rapturous welcome and a relieved family. While we wait to hear what does next, we celebrate her life so far.
She was born to sail
Her Dutch parents were living on a yacht in a port in New Zealand when Dekker was born and she was six when she first sailed solo. At eight, she decided her dream was to sail around the world, and, aged just 13, Dekker sailed solo from the Netherlands to England and back—a trip her father had hoped would “cure her wanderlust”, according to her website. Her mother has said “she sails like a devil”, while her grandfather says “she’s a stoic. She will keep a cool head in the most extreme of situations.”
She is good with cockroaches
She took on six-metre-high waves and extreme weather—on one occasion, heading in to the Cape of Good Hope, her storm jib (a sail used in storms) got jammed and she finally managed to take it down in the early hours of the morning. Another of her sails ripped completely during the voyage. She slept on a damp bed and lived on rice and pasta, with cookies and pancakes as an occasional treat. She dodged near-collisions with cargo ships, and worried about pirates. Not in the least squeamish, she had to rescue live flying fish that had flung themselves into her cabin, and scrub the stinking remains of decomposing squid from the deck. She survived weeks at sea with no company—except for the ants and cockroaches that had stowed away in her cabin. On top of all that, she had to do schoolwork.
She is determined
All of the above was nothing compared to the battle she faced against the Dutch authorities before she set off. Read the rest of this entry »
the Marathon des Sables is a 151 mile run in Southern Morocco
Heading off tomorrow to ski in Idaho’s cold and snow (-9 F degrees at night this week), so I want to warm up by focusing on the MdS, an ultramarathon in the Sahara Desert. What kinds of people do these things?
Running a marathon is a nice achievement and all, but if you really want to challenge yourself, you should run six of them over six consecutive days in the Marathon des Sables. The MdS is in southern Morocco in April, when the temperature tends to be around 50C (122 F). Forget about paved roads; it’s rocks and sand dunes. You have to run while carrying on your back your sleeping bag, all your food for the race and other supplies. Runners must prepare their own meals. Water and tents are provided by the organizers.
The Marathon of the Sands, or Sahara Marathon is 243 km (151 miles), and the longest single stage (2009) is 91 km (57 mi) long. It is held every year and considered the toughest footrace on Earth. The first event of the Marathon started in 1986.
There are between 700-800 intrepid, insane people in each race. The record completion time is 19.5 hours. There is prize money, but most contestants are just interested in finishing the race. Because, you know, running across a desert for six straight days is good, leisurely fun.
Some humans are amazing, aren’t they?
Here is a blog link from adventurer Alastair Humphreys, who ran the MdS in 2008. I love two of his astonishing sentences: “I broke my foot on Day 5, which added to the challenge for the last couple of days…The next day we only had to run a marathon. That I say ‘only’ is a great indication of how the MdS allows people to expand their parameters and their perception of their own boundaries.”
This reminds me of a book I was given for Christmas called Born To Run, which is about a remote North American Indian tribe that for centuries has practiced techniques allowing them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner.
Canadian runner Robert Kent described the potential dangers of the MdS as follows: “Things that are pretty evident like, scorpions, snakes, camel spiders, unbelievable heat, total exhaustion, crappy food, crappy sleep, filth, crippling blisters and other injuries, and those nasty stomach issues.”
The official site is hysterical. Here are some excerpts:
Most people do this lunatic event just to finish it…be crazy once in your life. I can assure you that you will suffer like hell…You will often think of giving up but sheer determination will keep you going…you will be considered crazy before you go. BUT you will be the envy of all those people when you get home…you won’t [be able to stay clean]. You will probably wear the same clothes throughout the race, there are no showers and the loos are not worth using – you will find a dune or a palm tree to hide behind. Women should rearrange their cycle…
Many people go into a kind of depression after the race. Not because they didn’t win but when they get home, everything seems dull and boring by comparison with what they have just spent a week doing. They miss the friends they made, the evening chats in the tents, the awesome desert, the stars at night, the elation of crossing the finishing line and the sheer excitement of watching and taking part in “The Toughest Footrace on Earth”. You may be difficult to live with for a few days and it is hard to share the experience with someone who has not been there. Just ask some of those who have done it.
Let us know when you are ready to try it.
I’m thinking too much on the court. And it’s hurting my game. I remember studying Bushido, The Way of the Samurai Warrior, in feudal Japan. He had to learn the sword moves over and over, until the weapon was like an extension of his arm. And he had to know so thoroughly what to do that there was no thought. Of course there wasn’t time for thought. A wasted split second could mean dismemberment and death. The moves had to become an automatic reaction.
Years ago I listened to a famous photographer advise wannabees how he takes great, museum-worthy photographs. For the first 30 minutes, he discussed a 9th century Japanese monk. After the break he said, “I walk along with my 8 by 10 camera until I see the picture. Then I put the tripod down and snap the shutter.” The audience was understandably frustrated. Some of us were amused
I am now doing exactly the opposite of that in sports. I am thinking almost ALL THE TIME. And it’s killing my game and causing me to lose. My misses are bringing down the energy of my partners. My teams have won just one out of seven sets in the last two days. Granted that I am the weakest player in all these matches. True that the other guys are all outstanding and could be classed as 4.0 to 4.5+ amateurs. (Maybe I am a 3.5 now.) But I am determined to improve and play closer to their level. I also don’t care that they are 5-25+ years younger and have played for many decades…as one young man said, “since I was four.”
I showed my coach a few months ago how my serve had improved. I told him I had this little mantra I recited silently before each toss to remind me what to do: “high, bend, brand…perp, whip snap.” It is shorthand for toss the ball high, bend your knees to form a bow that gives you more torque and power, look for the brand name on the ball, turn your shoulder—rather than your stomach—perpendicular to the net, whip your racket down to your back and up, snap your wrist. I imagined that Nadal was thinking something like this in the long pause before he tosses to serve.
The coach’s eyeballs rolled with amazement and hopelessness. “Just forget all that: toss the ball and hit it. Your body knows what to do. No one can remember all that stuff,” he responded. “Or try focusing on just one of those points.”
During play I am attempting to remember to turn my body to the left for a backhand, turn my body to the right for an overhead, follow through for a forehand, rush forward if my partner lobs, send a lob if the opponents charge the net, have the racket butt point toward the net, start to poach during the opponent’s swing, move forward after the receiver contacts the ball, etc, etc, etc. The list is pages long, now fleshed out by strategies that I am hearing from other players I meet, read about in books and see in videos. So much information to process. It’s wearing me out. My game is far far far from effortless. Except at the net. That just seems to flow automatically.
I asked one tennis friend how he knows when to move forward to poach. He says he just does. He never thinks about it. He has mastered this art over years of play. Another friend says it takes 10 years to become a good player, after practicing hours each day a few days a week.
So what is next? My daughter says she had drills at the summer tennis camps she went to for seven years. That is how she developed her beautiful strokes. Joe Marshall says I should hit backhands against a wall, like a million times. Practice, practice, practice. Like the samurai. I said it is cold outside now. Joe said he used to play in 10 degrees. Bundle up until you start sweating…soon you will be taking off layers until you are in a tee-shirt and not feeling the cold.
Along with the practice, I have to become a Zen monk again on the court. Unfortunately I can see how learning basic techniques and strategies really helps my game. Unfortunately I can see how thinking too much and worrying about where to go and stand is hurting my game. “Something wrong.” “Keep eye on ball.” Do you think those two maxims are enough to improve when I play the big boys? Stay tuned…
after 150 push ups—1/11/12
Time for an update photo, so here I am after doing 150 push ups. Now don’t be too impressed…there were 49 in the first continuous set, and then another 18 sets (yes, 18) of 5-7 each. Still quite exhausting. Having given up on any regular gym visits of 45 minutes to an hour, and unable to make it more than 2-3 times a week, when I was going, I stopped basic exercising for months. Occasionally I’d do a few ab crunches or bent over rows or push ups.
But then I challenged myself to do something—anything—every day. And I have done just that for 61 straight days (and 63/64 days). Today’s push ups took 12 minutes. The two previous days I spent 8-10 minutes doing crunches. At least I look toned. Although whatever I am doing is only resulting in a 2-pack or a 3-pack (depending on the light).
These daily mini-workouts are in addition to sports activities. For example starting January 1st, I have played squash three times (three different days for 2 3/4 hours) and tennis six times (five days and a total of 14 1/4 hours).
I am very proud of my sticking to the exercises. This was impossible in my entire previous life. Who am I now? A guy who is packing it in, while I am still able. Happily, my tennis level is much higher as well.
Joe Shares Secrets Too
Jan 11
In response to my post two days ago about keeping secrets secret, Joe Marshall had a similar story:
Good tale. I beat X the first time I played him in singles, then told him how he could have beaten me. It was about five years before I beat him again. I used to own Y. I could even blow him off the court by serve and volley….then I told him to mix in lobs……he beat me 10 times in a row (I finally got him this year)…..But I figure in some ways, it’s good that they know your weaknesses, forces you to work on them…..Don’t tell anyone in a tournament, though.
Today my partner and I lost 1-6 in the first set. Painful. Especially when I was trying out my new poaching method learned from the Bryan brothers video. Then I took lots of Joe’s advice for the rematch, like switching sides with my same partner (keep them if you win), running to the opposite side base line when I was lobbed (so my partner doesn’t have to keep running from one side of the base line to the other), taking up the two-in-the-back defense, rather than the weaker one-forward-one-back arrangement, and many other tricks. We were ahead amazingly 5-1, and finished the set 6-4. The rubber match was pretty even. We traded games up to 4-4, broke ahead at 5-4, and I served the winning game to take the set 6-4. Very satisfying, especially for my female partner who relished beating her husband on the other side.
It was a very exciting and challenging day of tennis. I am looking forward to the next games, when I can practice poaching, lobs and my weak back hand. What a thrill to improve so dramatically and come back from behind by using strategy, rather than needing just fantastic serves and strokes.
Watch these two, #3 and #4, after viewing the first two that I posted on January 9th. If you only have time for two, watch the earlier two first. I applied some of the Video #2 techniques yesterday, and was very happy with the results. A shame I have been poaching at the wrong time all these years. But no one ever taught me the precise way to do it, which is to start moving toward the ball during the opponent’s swing…not after the ball is hit, and you see that it is a cross court shot. Duhhhhhh. No wonder I missed so many of my attempted poaches in the past, and some players are there all the time, as if they know where the ball is going and can anticipate where to move in advance. What a great feeling. And after you make this commitment, if your opponent drives it past you down the alley…don’t sweat it. It’s a low percentage shot.
This is too funny. I am often grateful when others share tips and techniques with me from all their years playing a sport, like tennis. Yesterday at a squash clinic, I was urged to turn my shoulder more to gain power. I thought I would do it today during four hours of tennis, and it really helped.
Yesterday I also watched the Bryan brothers videos and learned the complete way to poach. So when I arrived this morning at the courts, I was anxious to try this technique too. Arriving early, I saw a tennis friend on another court and told her how excited I was to poach with my new knowledge. Then when she asked what I meant, I described it to her. However the three men for my game never showed up. The organizer had made a mistake, and I was not going to play at all…until one man (on the court there) said he was too tired and would be happy if I filled in for his doubles game. I did eagerly and quickly realized that my opponent was going to be the woman I had just told about my new poaching technique.
You guessed it: she did everything she needed to to prevent me from applying my newly acquired info. I think I was able to poach against her side just 3-4 times in the two sets I faced her. Next time I might keep my mouth shut…at least until after we play. But of course it’s all fun. Good thing I am not a desperate killer on the court.
By the way, this was the second time in a week that I have played four-plus hours of tennis in a day. And yesterday was continuously…no break for lunch or rest. I was definitely tired, almost punchy the last set of seven yesterday. And the last four sets were singles. But I can’t seem to get enough of this activity. I love it. And I am extremely fortunate that I have the time and physical ability to do it.
Did I just say how easy it is to do these daily exercises? Ha! Drove to Brooklyn early yesterday to celebrate my grandson’s first birthday, partied for hours and came home. Ate and crashed in front of the TV, until I fell asleep. Woke up at 12:30 am and headed for bed…until I remembered that I hadn’t done my daily mini-workout. Was too tired to do anything UNTIL 1:30 am, at which time I strained to do bicycle crunches…just 130 or so real ones, and then another 120 (250) total, where I can’t reach my elbow to the opposite knee, but at least squeeze the abs a tad.
Only the desire to keep this continuous-days-in-a-row record going (57 as of yesterday the 8th) enabled me to do the exercise. Plus my writing about it on this site. Much easier later—today—was playing squash at a local clinic for 1 1/2 hours. And I learned some terrific techniques for powering my backhand: face the left wall—not the front wall—and turn your shoulder even more to unleash the corkscrew with torque. Wow did that work well. Only executing it in play is the challenge. Easy to understand it.
The assistant coach, Trevor, had some very impressive advice, when I told him I had trouble in squash and tennis watching the ball. He said he looks for the two yellow dots on the squash ball! Can you imagine how difficult that is? They are about this large: o Well, maybe a tiny bit bigger. I have been attempting to look for the brand name on the tennis balls, having had no success watching the ball or finding the seams. I CAN do it sometimes, when I serve. Just have to keep practicing and build up the muscle memory is what Trevor promised.
By the way, earlier in the week I did 135 push ups total, although it took 16 sets of 5-10 after a measly 40 first set. That’s a long way from my result a few days ago of 50 at first and then just 12 sets of 6-8 to reach 129. Keep practicing. Now for today’s workout at a reasonable hour, 6:30 pm…new record: 51 + 15 sets of 5-9 to total 140 push ups.
These are great strategy guidelines for doubles tennis enthusiasts. I know these guys are pros (75 world tour wins), not “ordinary” athletes, but I wanted to pass on the advice for those visitors who love the game like I do. It’s so amazing how easy some of these techniques are. You don’t have to be such a good hitter as much as a smart player who knows where to stand and move during the point. I can’t believe how much of what I have been doing is a mistake, according to these Bryan brothers’ ideas. I can’t wait to try out their strategies on the court.
Be patient with the dialogue and repetition, the slow delivery of the key information. Otherwise you will go crazy wading through these sluggish videos. Just enjoy the insights and the winning tips that are offered. Two more Bryan videos will be posted very soon.
jai alai is almost on its knees as a spectator sport
Having grown up in Miami Beach with friends and parents who frequently went to watch jai alai played in beautiful frontons filled with excited spectators and gamblers betting on their favorite athletes—the only sport with legalized betting on humans—I am shocked to learn that the sport is waning, even dying. Especially now that I have started playing the sport . Although kids in Spain and elsewhere have probably thrown balls against walls for centuries, the first fronton was built in Spain in 1798, and the first fronton in the States was built in Miami in 1924.
In December 1975, 15,502 people came to the largest attended fronton at Miami jai Alai, and 10-12,000 a night was common. Celebrities and high society went regularly to frontons to watch and cheer and bet. The top players were stars. Friends of mine recall dressing up fashionably most Saturday nights and catching a few games after dinner. There were schools on different continents training hopefuls longing to join the 1000 professionals who played in 10 Florida frontons and six others in Connecticut (3), Rhode Island (1) and Nevada (2). There were also two more in Cuba.
Francisco Churruca jumps for the pelota (ball)—he was the Babe Ruth of jai alai
But things change. With so few venues, the fronton owners exploited the players, paying them poorly and making them live and work in terrible circumstances. If the players complained, they were fired and sent back to Spain, because their visas were only valid if they were employed. Finally fed up, the top players went on a strike that lasted three years (1988-1991). Many were forced to return home to Spain, and those who filled in were second-rate.
Forced to watch lesser talent, the fans rebelled too, and attendance dropped off precipitously. Between 1992 and 2003, most of the frontons closed down. Today in the States, there are only six left in Florida, and sometimes fewer than 100 fans are watching the games. I can’t believe it. There may be just 500 professionals playing jai alai now throughout the world.
When I ask people who know the history, they tell me that there are two other reasons for the decline. One is that people prefer to bet in other venues, like casinos, where the action is continuous…no long pauses for the impatient between games, when the gamblers have to decide who to choose and go to betting windows. Another is the rise of other sports that grabbed the fans’ attention during the strike and never let go. Incidentally I learned that interest in dog racing and horse racing is also declining. Read the rest of this entry »
Played two tough doubles matches today, filling in for absent players. A total of 4 1/4 hours. I was pretty tired, even spacey, by the sixth set. My team faced very strong players in the first (morning) match: we lost all three sets by major margins (2-6, 3-6, 0-6). The second (afternoon) contest with equally powerful players was much closer: my side lost 5-7, won 7-6 in a tiebreaker (8-6), and then lost 3-6. Many many close points and games. In fact we were behind in the tiebreaker 0-4.
My afternoon partner, Joe Marshall (who writes doubles tennis strategy for this site), was pretty frustrated with me, because I couldn’t read what our opponents were up to. After the match, he showed me how to watch the other side’s swing and tell in a fraction of a second whether the return shot to me was going to be a lob or a ground stroke. Wow!! I had no idea an amateur like me was capable of that. I remember a while ago hearing that someone at my club could predict where the serve was going by the angle of the server’s racket. I am still struggling to return the ball at all with enough oomph to not have a winner come back at me. But noticing a racket angle? Or the beginning of a swing? That seems way out of my league. Hell, I still have trouble just watching the ball when I am about to hit it, much less just before my opponent moves his/her racket.
Maybe I am not giving myself enough credit. When I first learned how to print photography books, a production expert could see color differences and misalignment problems on an early-printed page that I couldn’t see at all. Eventually I COULD see what was on the page and detect the differences myself. But it took hours and years. I hope I don’t have to wait years to perceive and react to these tennis nuances. I can’t wait to start looking the next time I play…
Now, somehow, at 10:30 pm, I have to do some exercise—even 5 minutes—before I crash for the night. Whose idea was this daily mini-workout anyway? This week it’s proving harder than ever, even though I am up to 54 straight days once I accomplish tonight’s challenge. Two days ago I did 129 push ups, 50 before a break, and the rest in 12 sets. I also strained my back and have been ignoring it during more than 6 hours of tennis these last two days. High class problem. I am fortunate to be able to play, especially when I went to a funeral yesterday for a man who was younger than I am.
I know this site is mainly about athletic achievements and challenges. But without good health and fitness, you can’t perform at top level. If you’re overweight, you may not even function at bottom level. You may not be able to do anything. So I include weight and diet discussions on the site. Especially when two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese! I know someone who can’t stand being around fat people. She thinks they are disgusting to be near, that they are slobs for not caring about their appearance, and that they should just be better disciplined and stop eating so much.
As someone who has never had to lose significant weight to stay fit, it’s hard for me to appreciate the strain and frustration of people who must constantly watch what they eat to stay slim or not-fat. On the other hand, when friends and family brought food for the holiday celebrations, I felt that I shouldn’t be eating the delicious cheeses, salamis, cakes, pies, cream dishes, meats, quiches, etc, and was not comfortable drinking all the wines offered as pathways to relaxedness and joviality. Jeez. There was almost nothing I could eat (without feeling a tad guilty) as everyone told me that I should not be so strict during the holidays). But I ate their offerings anyway…to enjoy the tastes and put my guests at ease. I am now happily back to my normal, healthier diet and routine.
The NY Times columnist of an article about fat people who either can’t lose weight or gain back the weight they lost had an interesting follow up interview today.
Tara Parker-Pope wrote that “Of all the issues I have written about during my past 12 years as a health writer, I think the topic of weight consistently generates the most interest among readers.
“I think most of the time we talk about weight, the focus is on what the individual is eating or not eating. I think the more important discussion is about how biology and heredity influence why people get fat in the first place, the widespread variation in how individuals respond to food and why pretty much EVERY DIET PLAN HAS VIRTUALLY THE SAME FAILURE RATE (my caps). People who have been unsuccessful at permanent weight loss are very hard on themselves, and I think it’s important to tell people that while it’s certainly possible to lose weight, a number of biological factors that have nothing to do with character or willpower can make it extraordinarily difficult.
“I get so tired of people who say, ‘‘It’s simple, just eat less and move more.” It may be technically true, but it’s not simple, and the point is that some people need to eat a lot less and move a lot more than most people just to maintain a normal weight.”
50 Straight Days Of Exercise
Dec 31
I am still doing some kind of exercise every day. I finished out the year with 125 push ups in eight minutes of straining: 47 non stop and then multiple sets of 5-8 at a time to add up to 125. Being this disciplined isn’t proving so difficult. Just inconvenient some nights as I delay eating dinner or going out. I generally alternate with bicycle crunches and am up to 300 non stop, although I am touching my elbow to my opposite knee no more than 199 times (196 yesterday).
This week I arm-wrestled a 23-year old who claims he can do 50 push ups upside down with legs against the wall. This means he is pushing up his entire body weight each time. He has very strong wrists, and I was NOT victorious, although I did make him work hard one time for his inevitable win. I also played tennis and did a two-minute plank after bent over rows.
The funny thing is that I met a man who is in the gym 3-4 times a week. A friend informed me tonight that he is exercising 45 minutes a day five days a week. I know there are people who exercise every single day of the year. I will never grasp how these people do it, fit it in, make it happen. But at least I am making my own kind of progress. You have to stop comparing all the time and just do the best you can with whatever skills, talents and abilities you have.
Let’s hope 2012 brings a happier world to people everywhere. These are terrible times, and the best of times. Some are fighting for freedom and opportunity. Some are protesting injustice and exploitation. Many are frustrated with their situation, finances, politicians. At the same time, I am doing a few push ups and crunches, because they feel good, help me look better, fitter, better toned. In a couple of weeks I may be skiing in Idaho, so I have to really get in shape for that. All so meaningless…inconsequential…and the ball will drop in Times Square in 12 minutes, and the wheel will start it’s annual turn once again. Happy New Year everyone…
Janice Bridge before losing 165 pounds. Husband Adam lost 110 pounds—2001
Ahh the joys of the holiday season: food, fun, drinking, friends, family…and lots of stuffing and desserts and cookies and Christmas candy. Sometimes I eat three or four different slices of cake and pies at a time—very thin slices, of course. And with all the company in the house and tennis buddies taking off for warm climes or out-of-state relatives, my tennis games—and all that calorie-burning cardio—evaporate. So I gain my usual 3-5 pounds in a week.
But this year I had already put on five pounds to not look too thin and gaunt and old. So when the scale started to approach 180 pounds, up from 170 a few months ago, I freaked out. That’s just over the top for me. As soon as the visitors let up, I stopped eating those desserts and all the carbohydrates. And the pounds are starting to melt away. I am down to 175-176 again. A real relief.
Then I read this long article in the New York Times by Tara Parker-Pope that describes really fat people who might lose weight, but then regain it all back over time. It suggests from a very limited study of just 34 obese people that their bodies just want to be fat, and almost nothing can prevent it. It’s in their genes. So they have a great and rational excuse…if they want to use it.
But a few have been able to keep off the shed pounds…through intense calorie-counting, hours of daily exercise 5-6 days a week, and defying their body’s constant craving for, and focus on, food. Here are some excerpts.
Anyone who has ever dieted knows that lost pounds often return, and most of us assume the reason is a lack of discipline or a failure of willpower.
The Bridges after weight loss—12/2011
For years, the advice to the overweight and obese has been that we simply need to eat less and exercise more. While there is truth to this guidance, it fails to take into account that the human body continues to fight against weight loss long after dieting has stopped. This translates into a sobering reality: once we become fat, most of us, despite our best efforts, will probably stay fat.
The National Weight Control Registry tracks 10,000 people who have lost weight and have kept it off…Anyone who has lost 30 pounds and kept it off for at least a year is eligible to join the study, though the average member has lost 70 pounds and remained at that weight for six years.
Wing says that she agrees that physiological changes probably do occur that make permanent weight loss difficult, but she says the larger problem is environmental, and that people struggle to keep weight off because they are surrounded by food, inundated with food messages and constantly presented with opportunities to eat. “We live in an environment with food cues all the time,” Wing says. “We’ve taught ourselves over the years that one of the ways to reward yourself is with food. It’s hard to change the environment and the behavior.”
There is no consistent pattern to how people in the registry lost weight — some did it on Weight Watchers, others with Jenny Craig, some by cutting carbs on the Atkins diet and a very small number lost weight through surgery. But their eating and exercise habits appear to reflect what researchers find in the lab: to lose weight and keep it off, a person must eat fewer calories and exercise far more than a person who maintains the same weight naturally. Read the rest of this entry »
Herschel Walker does 1500 push ups a day
It’s now 42 days in a row (and 44/45) that I have done some exercise, whether bent over rows, push ups or bicycle crunches. A great achievement for me. It’s in addition to the sports I am doing. Especially on a day like today, when I played 3 3/4 hours of tennis continuously, am tired and still made myself do push ups before dinner. I am now up to 93, but this is comprised of many sets, so I did 40, then 9, then 7 then 6 sets of 6. I have to laugh, and you will too, when I tell you that the athlete pictured does quite a bit more each day: 1500. How does a human do so many??? My goal, which I have never achieved, is to equal my age in push ups without stopping. I couldn’t do it when I was 57, although I eventually reached that record number, and now I have to reach 70. This week my high was 50. A long way to go…
Here are some facts about Herschel Walker’s obsession: You can’t argue that 49-year-old Walker looks better then most men half his age. Unfortunately, it takes a very special kind of person to live Walker’s ultra-motivated, super dedicated, mega-healthy life.
Walker is a strict vegetarian and wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and does approximately 1,500 push-ups and 2,000 sit-ups, and has even used ballet training as strength training.
He is a former American college and professional football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia, was a three-time All-American, and won the 1982 Heisman Trophy. Walker began his professional football career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL), before joining the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). In the NFL, he also played for the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
Since retiring from professional football, Walker has also been known as a mixed martial artist.
Last March I went snowmobiling for the first time. In spite of many wipe outs and fearful moments, I survived, and so did my friends, as you can see in the photo below. Today I received the video above of a major snowmobile crash that is pretty thrilling to watch as the sled and its rider hurtle down the mountain. Amazing what we all do just for the fun of it.
surviving snowmobilers—3/11
Somehow, unbelievably, magically for the first time in my whole life, I am exercising every day. For 33 continuous days (and 35/36), I have done either push ups or bicycle crunches. It’s for three minutes or less. Not a big deal in time. But huge in terms of discipline. At least I am doing something. Even on the 16 days of the 33, when I spent as many as four hours on the tennis courts, in the woods hunting or hiking, and ice skating.
One day I played 2 1/4 of doubles tennis with one group, then another two hours with a second group. Next I drove 1 1/2 hours to America’s only jai alai fronton outside of Florida, practiced jai alai to near exhaustion for 45 minutes, watched a tournament, then drove home for another hour. It was close to 12 am when I dropped down to do 75 push ups (45 non-stop and then five sets of six each). That’s when I heard that I was obsessive.
Sometimes I didn’t even remember to do them until midnight or 1 am. But no matter how tired I was, I did them. This is an unprecedented accomplishment for me, and I am both proud and astonished to have achieved this challenge.
It all began when I wrote that I “could” do exercise every day if I had to. But I was too lazy. I guess it was so easy to say that I could do something that I had never done. But then I had to see if I was all talk and no action. So I began this routine. IT IS VERY HARD SOME DAYS. Especially when I am tired from other activity, forget about it, fall asleep watching TV and then wake up and remember that I HAVE to keep the record going.
It’s the continuity that I am most proud about. A few push ups or crunches over 2-3 minutes isn’t going to build much muscle. Especially compared to the guys in the gym 3-4 days a week for an hour or two each time. But I am showing myself that I can be disciplined if I want to. And my numbers are going up: I am now at 78 push ups total (after an initial 45 or so non-stop) and 250 bicycle crunches (although only a max of 176 in which both elbows touch both knees). At least I am improving. Pretty terrific.
My friend Marc Sokolik, who wins medals in Senior Olympics each year, sent me this video about the 300,000 seniors who are still active, athletic, and competing enthusiastically. I know some of these shots are of old folks looking old. But when you are 100 and still winning tennis points, or pole vaulting at 86…what the hell. Let’s cut these old timers some slack. As one guy said, “most people my age are six feet under the ground.”
And it is definitely inspiring to me to stay with my sports as long as I am alive. Although I am so in love with tennis and other activities that I don’t really need much inspiration. It all feels too good, especially when I hit sweet spot winners at the net and flummox the 55-year-olds who can’t believe they just lost.
This clip is actually a trailer for the full-length PBS documentary called Age of Champions. One athlete says it’s great to just play and compete at their age. His buddy disagrees and says “winning is everything.” What do you think? Is it enough to just play, even if you lose, when you are in your 80′s or 90′s?
Jai Alai In Connecticut
Dec 10
traditional salute of the cestas prior to each game
I wrote earlier about my first try at jai alai on November 5th. Two days later I posted some videos of pros and one of me that my jai-alai-loving/playing friend Rudy took. To encourage me to play with him the next time I come to Miami, Rudy sent me a professional cesta that he obtained. It’s worth $500-1000. Helluva gift.
So last night I went to the only fronton (jai alai court) in Connecticut—actually the only one anywhere in the U.S. outside of Florida—to practice a second time. Connecticut Amateur Jai Alai is located in a warehouse in Berlin, about 20 minutes south of Hartford and 70 minutes from my house. Anyone can rent the big court (112 feet long), although beginners like me are sent first to the smaller court (60 feet).
I had already played two matches of tennis earlier for over four hours, so I was a tiny bit tired, but I had no problem practicing jai alai for 45 minutes. A real challenge in the beginning just to reach the wall, much less catch and throw with speed. But after a while, one of the regulars joined me and showed me how to bend my wrist. What a difference. That nuance really helps whip the ball with power. It is similar to a wrist snap in tennis to increase the acceleration. Very exciting! After that workout, I was tired.
jai alai offers lots of action
I had pushed to be there last night during the once-a-month tournament that attracted 38 players competing in 15 games. It was thrilling. It was surprising. Beautiful. I had assumed I would be watching amateurs. Turns out many of the players are former professionals—six in one of the games out of 16 players—who used to compete at nearby frontons that have since shut down in Newport, Rhode Island, Hartford, Bridgeport and Milford, CT. Yet the true amateurs kept it all competitive. Many were very talented. The better players were all concentrated in the later games of the evening. The whole event went from 6:30 to around 11 pm. The owner, Matt DiDomizio, couldn’t have been more helpful. He also was a former pro from Hartford.
Al Almada appears happy to be the oldest jai alai player in CT...or maybe the entire country!
Most guys (no women) are in their 40′s and 50′s, the youngest (Matt’s son) is 26, while the oldest is a month shy of 84! This senior, Al Almada, sat next to me (after he’d come in 2nd and 3rd in his two games of the night) and was very informative. He started jai alai when he was 55 (1982) and even co-founded another amateur jai alai fronton after the Hartford space closed in 1995. Although a professional court is around 180 feet long, 50 feet wide and 45 feet high, the space Al helped open was only 21 feet high. It seems to me you had to be pretty accurate to not hit the ceiling in that one. The bigger space (28 feet high) in Berlin last night has only been open since May 2010, so it’s a welcome addition to all the enthusiasts in the region. I also met the second oldest player, Jacques Berberian, age 66, who began jai alai 27 years ago. Both men were very energetic and looked like they were in great shape.
I am looking forward to the next time I go there to practice, though I am a long way from playing a game. In tennis earlier, I did play games…some of the best ever, though my morning team lost two out of three sets…to opponents who included an 84 year old. What a coincidence! I love meeting these elder skilled players who inspire us all to keep playing and competing. We know they are the very rare exceptions, But I will strive to be one of them. The thrill of a successful placement or return is just too exhilarating to not want to keep at it.
Incidentally you can watch live action at the CT amateur facility (go to Live Feed) or even at the professional fronton at Dania Miami (http://www.betdania.com/liveflash.htm). But you have to look up when the games are on. Of course it’s never the same as being in the stands and feeling the crowd energy or seeing up close the disappointing grimaces a player makes when he’s missed a shot. There is also the anxiety of a possible injury, such as when a ball bounced off the floor and hit someone in the cheek last night. It’s definitely a dangerous sport, and sometimes players have died from colliding with a ball, especially before helmets were required. Al told me that in Mexico the pros DON’T wear helmets to show how macho they are. Not me. Maybe even a face mask will be part of my outfit, when I start competing.