Firearms Friday: Grips

When practicing my pistol grip the other day I started thinking about all the other sports when I found myself in this routine. It really is interesting when you think about the commonalities that can be found across three completely different sports… golf, baseball, and shooting. Of course there are drastic difference between the three as well but for the sake of this post I will focus my thoughts, as I did the other day, on the grips.

Like most kids growing up I played baseball every year and over time I picked up more and more techniques and learned the proper way to do things including many of the basics including how to properly hold a baseball and, as it pertains to this stream of consciousness, how to grip a bat. While most see a bat and simple grab it there is actually a method to the grip to maximize bat speed. Basically, you start the bat at the tips of your fingers and roll the bat toward the palm. For some the knob is part of the grip to capitalize on the leverage gained by the additional circumference. By gripping the bat this way you completely free up your wrists allowing for full extension during your swing.

Gripping a golf club is completely different from holding a baseball bat but it also brings us a little closer to a handgun grip. While you want your wrists to be as free as possible when swinging a bat, your wrists should be locked when holding a golf club. This is why you place the club in your palm and you’re your fingers around it with both your thumbs in line pointing at the ball. Strength is also not your friend when it comes to golf as you should have a firm grip on the club but only enough to keep it in your hand. Any more and you risk tilting the head and sending your shot right or left. You can see this at the range all the time.

That last part sound familiar, doesn’t it? When working on my pistol grip there is actually more commonalities with a golf club grip than that of a baseball bat. I do my best to get a high purchase, line up my thumb just below the slide, bring my support hand with my fingers at a 45 degree angle along the front pulling toward my body and down, and line up my thumb just under the other. The part I am really working on is that support hand angle as this is what is really locking in my wrists, forcing the recoil into my shoulders, and allowing me to be firm but not flex with my other hand. This allows for relaxed initial engagements, quick follow up shots, and little in the way of pushing or pulling the trigger. Again, you can see this at the range all the time.

Understandably this is a very basic overview but it was an interesting chain of thoughts that I wanted to share. I am sure I am not the only one that has had this slinky moving through their mind and it just goes to show how closely muscle memory and actual memory are tied together. If we can tap into that it might be a little easier to retrain yourself at the range… you never know. It might work.

Learning How To Get Back Up

I was never a particularly tough child. I remember complaining and crying when I got hurt and not wanting to push through minor injuries when participating in sports or playing with friends. While not as bad as some that I can remember, I was by no means a tough child. I learned how and enjoyed pushing through injuries later in my youth but it took some time and a bit of determination to overcome the weaknesses I had when I was smaller (I can’t say that I was ever actually ‘small’).

Over the years however, I have built up a tolerance for pain that is a bit baffling to some and considered stupid by others. From broken bones and dislocated joints to kidney stones and fighting Fibromyalgia, I have experienced all kinds of pain and only stopped when it was preventing me from living. I’ve set bones, popped joints back into place, put duct tape over large cuts, and simply walked things off when they really started to hurt. Up to that point I would keep pushing and pushing until finally I had no other choice than to give in and let myself heal. Of course, for the truly minor things like bad ankle sprains, dislocations, cold/flu, and migraines it was better to keep going and work my way through them.

This is the kind of thing that I want to instill in my son. Not to the extent that I have taken it but I don’t want him to let the small things stop him. Bumps and bruises are a part of living life especially when you are young and I want our son to enjoy every moment of growing up while he can. With that said, we have to do our part to let him fall and let him scrape his knees so that he can learn that it really isn’t that bad. Of course, we will always be there when he needs us but some things he is going to have to learn just by doing and experiencing.

All that we can really do is guide him and try to set him up for the long life ahead of him. Bumps (and bruises) are just minor things that happen along the way but you can just stop everything that you are doing when they happen. Life is still going on around you and if you take a break, there are potential memories that you will be missing. I guess you could say that I want to make sure that we instill in our son adversity as it has served us both incredibly well in our own lives. Hopefully we can get that message through to him early on… the same lesson that my parents tried teaching me which didn’t take hold until much later in my life.

Trade Deadline

Based on a few previous posts and the other daily blog that I have, it should be no surprise that I am a baseball fan. I always have been and always will be even when things aren’t looking so good for the Phillies. This season has been a perfect example of the latter. It has been a means for me to bond with my dad, mom, and grandmother throughout the years and was one of the primary means of forming friendships during my childhood.

It is a game that I understand the ins and outs where, at least until recently, there have been few rules changes and alterations to the game. For the most part it has remained a game unchanged and while there have been alterations recently, the general strategy and gam play involved remains intact. Every pitch is thrown purposefully with every player, at least the great ones, knowing how to consider the numerous factors at play with every ball thrown from the mount, thwack of the bat, and kicking up of dirt from the base runner. Of course, that might just be from my time on the mount and behind the plate.

One of the more interesting days during the season is going on right now… the major league trade deadline. It is a time when measurable and intangibles are at play in deciding what players will be changing uniforms. It is a time to push for a ring, cut losses, or plan for the future. With the Phillies completely out of the race, I have been anticipating a flurry of moves today but, like much of this season, I am heading into this evening disappointed.

Like most seasons, there have been plenty of moves made throughout the sport but none of the trades had anything to do with the Phillies beyond eliminating trade partners. While it is one thing to watch a team falter on the field for over half a season, during those years of less than spectacular play, the young talent brought up and the new faces brought in have, in many instances, offered some hope for the spring. The Phillies front office remained stagnant leaving the quality of play to fester on the field and the horizon that is spring to become covered with the storm clouds of another tumultuous season ahead.

So, disappointedly I wait for the next game to begin hoping that the waiver wire is soon filled with players that I had such high hopes for at the beginning of the year. Maybe, just maybe, the spring clouds will clear and next season will be filled with anticipation of the performances of prospects and newly acquired talent. Of course, we are talking about Ruben Amaro so I’m still going to bring an umbrella with me to Spring Training.

Attempting To Find Space…

Not much space left.

Usually as some point during any given day there is a time when I just need a little space. Not just physical space but separation from the noises of the world. Definitely something harder to do than to simple ponder about. Sometimes I can even go all day and have to setting for those meager moments of slumber to escape the world and get some alone time. When I say this, many people see this as a bad thing, like I am trying to get away from people or some people get offended like I am trying to get away from them. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Everything requires some space in one form or another. When there is no space things can tend to run together and just seem to blur into a solid brick, much like this post. Sometimesthesimplespacebetweenwordscanmakeallthediffernceintheworldwhentryingtocomprehendwhatisrightinfrontofyou. Even the commute back and forth to work is filled with a lack of space from the cars on the road crowding the lanes to the constant connection maintained with my cell phone. Space is more than just a physical proximity. Space is that single moment of nothing that we all need in our day. That moment when everything around us stops, the phone is silent, and the computer hibernates. It is those times when you step out of the office for a minute, forgetting your cell phone, and feeling glad that you don’t have it flipped out in your palm as you scan the screen or pick up a call. Space, in many respects, is the most precious and healthiest part of the day when you are as even keeled as you can possibly be. But, with work, home, lodge, and all the other activities that fill my calendar, the necessity of space has quickly become a luxury. I guess it is just harder for some of us than others especially those of us that have a mind that doesn’t seem to want to stop. The damn thing just keeps on working jumping from one thought to another without taking that moment to enjoy the microscopic space between the neurons. Sometimes the best time in my day is when I am trying to think of something, finally recall the information, and stop caring about it as soon as the information is retrieved. It is a split second of mental silence after that moment of forgetfulness that can be the most peaceful time in the day. It is a moment of relief that is rarely experienced and one that I can’t seem to find often enough. It is this time of completely blocking out the rest of the world when the mind and body simultaneously relax. It is for this same reason that many of us enjoy one sport or another in our free time. It is the repetition and focus needed that blocks out the rest of the world. You are in your own space focused on the singular experience. That is the time when we have all the space we need. I need to find more moments like that during my everyday life when I can enjoy life. I just have to find the space.

Today From The WTF Files: “Silent Cheer Day”

Don't snore! It could be too loud and you might offend someone.

A big part of sports is the cheering, booing, and everything in between. This aspect of athletics only becomes more prominent as we get older and we can’t be the ones in the competition. Just go to any baseball, football, hockey, or basketball game and you know exactly what I am talking about. For those outside the U.S. think rugby or soccer.

When I was younger I can remember my parents on the cold uncomfortable metal bleachers just beyond the dugout cheering on the rare occasion when I actually showed some semblance of athletic ability. Albeit a rare occurrence I had a few moments. Most people know that feeling of those moments (some more some less) when they can hear the cheers of their team mates and family ringing in their ears. It is a part of growing up and it motivates you to try and get better.

On the flip side, we all know that feeling when we let our team down. I remember many long hits given up when I could see hear the cheers against me and see the faces of my team mates as they did whatever they could to minimize the damage. Even those moments can prove to be formative ones as you bear down, move on, and focus on turning things around. Learning how to deal with a little adversity is a great thing growing up. In many respects it is a better learning tool than the moments of glory.

In both of these instances the roar of the crowd for or against is the fuel that is needed to succeed the next time around. But what if there weren’t any cheers? What if parents were penalized for cheering? I know, that is just crazy talk and things would never become so screwy that something like that would ever happen. Right?

Think again. The notion of “Silent Cheer Day” has been around for probably 20 years in one incarnation or another and every once in a while a story pops up to remind us all of the quality ideas coming out of California. I know, it sounds like something from the stoner Olympics (Denver 2018). This year, Idaho is in the news for implementing this mellow means of ‘you’re all special’ kind of athletics. Funny, I was certain it would have been Colorado this year. From The Coeur d' Alene Press:

“Silent Cheer Day” focused on sportsmanship and encouragement without spectators yelling negative or even positive remarks at the players or referees.

“Coaches said the kids played a little better because there was less noise,” said Post Falls recreation coordinator Justin Brown.

Brown got the notion for the silent cheer at a seminar he recently attended at the National Alliance for Youth Sports in San Diego. The goal is for parents and spectators to find less distracting ways to communicate their support for their kids, such as applause and signage, and eliminate some of the negativity that can come out during a game. If they were loud during Saturday’s games, they were given a red penalty card and sent to the penalty area for one minute.

I repeat, hearing cheers either for or against you are a means of motivation (especially when they use your name or position). Incurring such penalties, even for a day, is a ridiculous waste of time and energy. And what is it really teaching these kids? It’s not your fault if you don’t succeed, the crowd was too noisy. Give me a freaking break.

Oh, wait, I forgot. It’s a California idea. That means we can’t hold people accountable for their own actions. We can only blame those around them or some other circumstance that was out of their control. We might as well start them off early and teach them while they are young that there is always something or someone else you can blame for anything that goes wrong.

I just wish that they would start silent bitching day. Instead of forcing the rest of us to participate in this crap, how about you miss and moan silently to yourself and leave the rest of us out of it. That is a day that I will be happy to stand behind.

Back To Normal

The baseball season is winding down and things seemed to have returned to normal. Like in my formative years, the Phillies are near the bottom of the division and the Braves are playoff bound. Another year and another losing season.

However, given the recent success of the organization, this season has a certain sting to it. I am not one of those people who can just flick the switch and start watching football like the summer never happened. Baseball has always been and will always be my favorite sport so a bad season doesn’t sit well with me and will continue to fester until spring.

While baseball may have always been my sport of choice it doesn’t mean that I was any good at it. I did not have the athletic gene passed down to me. But it is a game that I have studied my whole life, mostly when I was younger, and I have a deeper understanding of the details of the game than most. Basically, I can tell you more than just a player stinks; I can explain why a player stinks.

With that said my passion for the game has wavered some over the last decade. While most fans were enthralled with the homerun records and the strikeout pitchers I was watching as the game I treasured was changing before my eyes and not for the better. The grittiness of the game was beginning to disappear, the strategy became more black and white, and the norms of the game began to morph into a sport focused on entertainment rather than athleticism.

This year I began to see things revert to some of the old ways which got me to pay a little more attention even though the Phillies looked like they should be playing in Williamsport rather than South Philadelphia (I even started posting blogs during the second half of the season). While pitchers still can pitch inside without being tossed, they seemed to be relying on pitching rather than striking batters out. And not just pitching, pitching to the situations and not being afraid to put a ball just beyond the black.

We are still a long way from what the game used to be just a couple decades ago but that will hopefully change in the near future. Maybe the league will realize that pitching inside is part of the game. Maybe the strike zone will once again be larger than a thimble. Maybe coaches will abandon the absurdity of the pitch count. Maybe we can go back to reality.

Some things have changed in the batter’s box too. Homeruns seem to be a natural occurrence again. Hitters seem to realize that there are two sides to the field not just the pull side. And players seem to be taking pride in base running again.

These players also have a lot to work on. It used to be a shameful feat to strikeout more than 100 times in a season yet not countless players pass that mark without flinching. Running out a routine ground ball should be a given not a surprise as it is today. These are pervasive on the field and I don’t know if these will change.

So, just a weekend series to go before I start thinking about spring training. I don’t know if I will be able to root for anyone in the playoffs but I will certainly be paying attention to what happens. Do I think the Phillies will return to the winning ways of the last decade? I doubt it but I can still hope (remember 1993?). But even if they lose, and lose badly, it will always remind me of my childhood and something that can do that for you can’t be all that bad.   

Teaching Zen On The Tennis Court

For most of us, no matter how much we enjoy our job we look forward to leaving our work at the office and forgetting about all the ins and outs of our weekly tasks as soon as we get home (or as soon as you walk into the next room for those of you who work at home). Of course, there are some people who are lucky enough to have found a job that really isn’t work. They are driven people who enjoy every day and live their passion.

This is the life of Carlos Girola who developed his passion growing up in Argentina and now serves as the Tennis Director at the Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pennsylvania. Carlos doesn’t work; he lives his passion and gets paid for it. At yesterday’s Rotary meeting we had the pleasure of hearing him speak with such admiration, respect, and passion for how he makes a living that I couldn’t help but be impressed with his lifelong pursuit of the sport and desire to impart the love of the game in others.

According to Carlos, some of his greatest and most satisfying professional accomplishments include earning his USPTA Pro 1 certification, teaching wheelchair tennis for three years, building a tennis center in South Africa in1991, and introducing tennis as recreational therapy for mentally ill patients. He started teaching tennis in 1981 at age 17 when his coach offered him a position at a club in Argentina. “I became a teaching pro because I love tennis and I make people of all ages happy by teaching and promoting the game,” he says.

Carlos enjoys every day on the court with his students. No matter what the age, ability, background, or build he believes that everyone can experience the almost transcendental state that all tennis players experience whether they are professionals, amateurs, or novices. All it takes is some basic abilities and techniques, all of which can be taught, in order for someone to experience the Zen of a long rally.

It is this perspective and appreciation of the sport and how it applies to everyone, not just the enthusiasts, which differentiates Carlos from many other teachers that I have come across in various sports. Not everyone has the talent, drive, and unwillingness to lose that the greats of the game have (he mentioned Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, and Pete Sampras as prime examples of this) and you don’t need them. All it takes is an interest and a basic understanding of the game in order to develop a lifelong enthusiasm for the court.

Unlike many athletic endeavors, tennis is one that is adaptable to the time in someone’s life. Whether age, injury, or simply a lack of time, these can all be taken into account so that the sport remains ever present in life. Carlos is able to break down the basics of the game and the needs of the player (contrary to the wants that we all have) in order to maintain a level that will satisfy the need to play and keep the enthusiasm for the sport in their heart.

Professionals like Carlos are the reason why the US Open is the highest drawing annual sporting event in the country. As is the case with many sports there are many knowledgeable professional with which you can speak and learn about the game. However, there aren’t nearly as many great teachers who can impart that knowledge and enthusiasm in others in a way that can be applied to the court. It is teachers like Carlos Girola who are truly advancing the sport and serving as the catalyst for the passion that tennis needs to thrive in this county.