Kicking It Up

So here we are, at the end of another month, 1/3 of the way through the calendar year and time doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. For me, the end of the month is a time where I evaluate my performance against my goals and then either re-adjust time frames for achieving them or set new ones because the objective has been reached. This is something that one of my favorite coaches had do a long time ago and it stuck. The reason that I bring this concept up is because at one point it was so foreign to me but has yielded great dividends through practice. Here are a few tips to think about:

1. Keep good records/ stats- There is no other way to objectively look at your performance than to do the math, whether you want to believe it or not
2. Write Things Down- There is something about writing things that makes them stick differently. I am not going to get into the science behind that today but it works
3. Don't be too hard on yourself- We are typically our own worst critics, at least those of us that are trying to improve. Derby will beat you up bad enough that you probably don't need to kick yourself.
4. Learn from your mistakes, but keep moving forward- It is very easy to get caught up in analyzing a situation that didn't go your way and forget that you are still living a different situation. Learn enough to not repeat it but don't bother looking back.
5. Do what you Love- Time is by far the most precious commodity that we possess. it is not worth wasting it on something that you are not passionate about. If anything you are doing is not in some way contributing to the passions of your life, cut that shit. You will be happier, trust me.

That said, let's work out!

5 min warm up
Stretch
2x 20 burpee push ups
2x 20 squat to overhead press
2x 20 inverted rows
2x 25 meters of lunges
4x 45 sec planks
2x 20 single leg floor bridges(each leg)
2x 25 jackknifes
5 min cooldown
Stretch

Cheers!

J

Focus

Recently many of my daily conversations have been centered around the difficulty of executing actions that would be beneficial to my clients based on their inability to mentally stick with it. Lets face it, it is easy to lose your head from time to time. The trouble is that a head is much more difficult to find once it is lost than it is to lose in the first place. This phenomenon poses a very real problem for many people, including myself. The first word that comes to mind as a primary combatant against this problem is focus. How can we reduce such a complex problem as cranial chaos down to a single word answer? As is true more often than not, our best answers are the simplest. By definition, focus is a condition in which something can be clearly apprehended or perceived. What this suggests to me is that focus is a state of mind or being and does not allow chaos to coexist simultaneously. Now let's cut the cute bullshit of wordy language and break this down. I was speaking with a derby girl the other day who is having some very specific problems with her game and in the process has begun to question all of her other abilities. In our discussion it became clear that her focus was on what was not going well rather than where she was excelling and this was causing chaos like quicksand, rendering all of her best honed skills useless as well. Her lack of focus on what mattered; her strengths in skating, pack awareness, and overall concept of the game, were paralyzing her and causing her to make mistakes that she knew were wrong and would not normally make. The only solution that I could offer was to change her focus back to what she was capable of rather than the few, and for that matter sleight, weaknesses in her game. I recommended that she remember why she played in the first place, what drove her to want to excel, and then focus on those things and only on those things.

This may seem a little counter intuitive, focusing only on strengths and ignoring weaknesses, but it is my philosophy on performance when it comes to team sports. I believe that in assembling a team you want each member to focus on what they are the best at. It is then the coach or captains job to bring all of these incredible skills together in a way that all of the weaknesses are covered by overlapping skill sets without taking away from promoting individual strengths. This also allows for a very positive environment and a tightness of camaraderie amongst players. I digress... To put a point on it, if you are losing your head find your focus and put it on taking positive action towards what you want. It really is that simple*.
Now lets get to work!


Enjoy!

J

*simple and easy are not the same thing whatsoever.

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 12 alternating db chest press
3x 12 alternating front raises
3x 20 meters of lunges
2x 10 straight arm twists
2x 25 bicycle crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Hydrate

The weather is warming up and derby is in full swing. With practice schedules and games coming about it is important to remember to stay hydrated. Daily recommendation for adult females is at least 3/4 of a gallon not taking in to consideration exercise or extra stress on your body. As an athlete you need to be taking in more than average, say a gallon at least spread out throughout your day. This will ensure that your body is always ready to handle whatever stress you need to put it under and still thrive. That said, lets get some work done!

Enjoy,

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 12 alternating db chest press/ on stab ball
3x 12 alternating side raises
3x 12 bent rows
3x 20 back squats
2x 10 straight arm twists
2x 25 bicycle crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch