Another week of hard training under our belts, taking us another step closer to the light at the end of the tunnel!
From a team player's perspective, as a returning player, I'm very excited to see such a talented, keen and enthusiastic bunch of guys turning up each week for training.
I think back a couple of years ago when Johnny Mac approached me with the idea of starting a new, fresh team for Brisbane men's Ultimate, with visions of being a reckoning force in a couple of years time. Well I think you should be very proud John, to see your vision taking form! A couple of years ago when Firestorm took shape, it was exciting to be part of the team from its conception, and after 6-12 mths away from high-level Ultimate it's even more exciting to be back as part of the team with what's shaping up to be a very promising season.
From a personal perspective, as a returning player, I've found the start of this season quite tough. After World Club Championships (November, 2006), and a year of increased family and work commitments, my lax eating discipline, and lack of exercise really shone through during the first training session at Oakman Park . I remember the first time we kicked off the training with the 3 laps, and in the third lap feeling like I was running under water with concrete shoes on! That was my wake-up call and personal catalyst needed to fire me up and carry me through the rest of the training session.
I wasn't able to make the first Thursday night session, and to be honest at the time I was secretly a little glad I had an excuse of a family dinner as I was feeling quite anxious about what I'd heard was going to be a killer of a fitness routine. Then week 2 came around and indeed it was a killer session, however the feeling afterwards of a sense of achievement was amazing, and knowing that the benefits were going to far out weigh the pain. Not to mention the feeling of camaraderie after sharing the experience with the rest of the guys. So leading up to week 3 and I was actually (a little sadistically perhaps) looking forward to the Thursday night killer fitness session. I must admit though when I heard that not only were we going to do the usual 2x rounds of exercises, but then some games also, I was a little dubious.
But something happened to me Thursday night after the usual fitness routine, which reminded me that the body has much more resilience than the mind would like you to believe. We'd just finished the routine, I was feeling absolutely exhausted, managed to throw a disc for a few minutes with my wife Suze, but really didn't know how I was going to stand up during the game that we were about to play, let alone cut or sprint! Then, as we were walking to the far end zone, ready for the first point, I felt 'tingles' going up through my whole body, which I can only put down to the adrenaline kicking in, but it was an awesome feeling! And low and behold I found myself faking hard, cutting harder, and playing some of the best points I'd played in weeks! That was it for me, the realisation that the body will handle whatever you throw at it (excluding injuries obviously) and that really these training sessions are all a battle of the mind and spirit.
There are too many awesome things going on at training to mention, so just one quick thing that I think we can all work on: during the drills which require a long cut to finish off, really concentrate on running back to the pack as hard and fast as you can, to ensure that the initial throwers stack remains populated at all times and avoids delays in the drill. I know it's hard, after making a long cut downfield and feeling pretty knackered, to then have to sprint back to the start ready to throw again, but it's a perfect example of how in a game, you can't afford to rest unless you're back in the ideal stack position, i.e. never stop to rest when you're in the cutting zone!
In summary, as a returning player, I'm very excited about the road ahead with Firestorm. Let's all keep up the good work, and get fired up ready for week 4 !!!
Coops
(Andy)
And now over to Damian (we don't have a photo of him handy ...):
Being out from competitive Frisbee for the last two years, I was a little apprehensive in joining the trainings for Firestorm. 3 weeks into it and I asked "What have I been doing (for Frisbee) for the past two years?!"
Trainings have been awesome and the two key things that really impress me are the levels of intensity and encouragement. Everyone was so pumped (even during the circuit training, believe it or not), laying-out, cutting for the disc, running long etc. What is more important is the encouragement that comes from everyone - circuit training would have been really HELL if not for the constant bombardment of positives. Thanks guys!!!!!
The drills were extremely helpful especially working on the timings and getting to know each other better in terms of speed, quickness, type of throws etc. I believe these drills will certainly build up our understanding of teamwork and chemistry.
Circuit training was really good last Thursday at Annerley especially with the incentive of some ultimate after the session (tho my legs were dying from the lunge jumps!). Games were competitive and made me aware that there are still many aspects of the game which I need to work on to get to the next level. So, would certainly appreciate any advice to get better - positioning, throws, defence etc or even a shout on the field if I'm going after my man on defence!
Bring on the next training! Firestorm rocks.
Damian
No comments:
Post a Comment