The indoor season is upon us. This is where we work. This is where we put in the effort. This is where it sucks, but the reward is worth it all.
The armory consists of 2800 square feet of the most unforgiving flooring this world has known. The dry air seeps into your lungs and sits there, revolting against your body’s process to bring oxygen to your tired muscles. The still air gives rookies that illusion of good looking forehands. It is in this harshness that we push ourselves to become great players.
Running form is key. Everyone on the team can get better. The goal of each drill is to increase efficiency by exaggerating the correct movement. The guys at the front of each line know what they’re doing. Watch them. Strive to imitate their exact movements. If you aren’t sure about a movement or if you think you aren’t doing it right, ask Jman, Phenom, or Rip to watch you. They’ll tell you the exact way you can maximize the drill for your benefit.
I cannot stress this next point enough. Give 100% in each drill. Do not save anything for the rest of practice. The only way to get better in the armory is to push yourself. Your endurance and strength will improve quickly if you suck it up and push through the pain. The sooner you do that, the sooner the pain goes away. Take it from a vet, you want that pain to go away as soon as possible.
The crossfits are all about personal bests. Do not be discouraged if you cannot do a pullup. Work at it. Set goals for yourself. This doesn’t mean that you should take it easy, but killing yourself doesn’t do the team a whole lot of good. Make sure your always working past the edge of your ability. It really helps to pair up with someone of equal or slightly greater crossfitability (yeah, I made that word up). Push each other. Make it a competition. Because by winning against him, you’re winning against yourself.
Throwing in the armory is almost a waste of time. If you struggle with a particular throw, it may help to get the basic mechanics down in a controlled situation. However, there is no substitute for throwing outside. Just because the throw looks good in the Armory, doesn’t mean that it is game ready.
We will doing a lot of drills that focus on making smart cuts and getting into the right position. This is the chance to develop ultimate smarts. Pay close attention. Soon the fundamentals of flow and timing will become second nature. Also, work on playing defense. This is the key to rising fast and getting playing time. Really focus on learning to read your guy. Keep your hips square to him until he commits. Unless you know you can get your hips turned around in half the time it takes him to (since he’ll have a head start), then keeping your hips square is absolutely essential. By the way, not even Jman can get his hips turned in half the time of anyone on the team.
My final bit of advice, don’t get discouraged. The winter is long, and the crossfits are brutal. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Spring breaks forth with
No comments:
Post a Comment