Note: This is now mostly my rehab journal – see Jan 08 onwards for that.
Sprinting has more in common with juggling than you might think. I’m talking numbers juggling here, not the crap most people think of.
You might wonder what a damn juggler is doing here in the first place. Here goes: Firstly I’m a numbers juggler, meaning I’m working on stuff like 6 clubs or 7 balls. At this level, it’s more like a sport than it is anything else. Therefore, since athletes look to other sports for ideas they can apply to their training, I do the same. The things that seem to have the most in common w/ numbers are sprinting, gymnastics, and lifting. I read Speed Trap and immediately realized the importance of 48 hrs btw. max effort days, for example, among other concepts.
I found these forums and was impressed by the depth of knowledge here (David W., James Smith, Charlie) and since there isn’t a numbers juggling forum yet, and since rec.juggling has become overrrun with idiots and besides I already know what the conventional wisdom is in juggling, I read here both for ideas and inspiration. It seemed to me that I could keep a journal for the same reasons anyone else does, except that in this case, no one will benefit from half of it since there ain’t any other numbers jugglers here. My intention was and is to go into some detail about other training elements that may be of some benefit to sprinters. That mostly hasn’t happened due to my training not going so well, but as I improve, you’ll read more about my gym lifts and other variables.
Till then, enjoy the saga of six clubs. FWIW, 6 clubs would allow me to compete for a medal in the IJA numbers championship. Not that that’s a big deal, but the point is, not many of the guys you’ve seen doing chainsaws or whatever could even come close.
Started performing again, yuck. I want to get out of it, at least the way I’ve been doing it, ASAP. Too much energy drain. But it did give me the realization that I can do more work than I usually do in practice, so I’ve been ramping it up. Plus I may finally meet w/ a top guy who can help a lot, probably, so I have to be able to hang with him during practice and not wimp out halfway through.
Equalled my PR w/ five rings, so what. But I did get what is technically a PR with 6 clubs asynch, so there’s some hope even though 3 in one hand was el sucko grande. Assistance work sucked too, and I’m weighing how important it really is and should I more or less bag it in favor of direct work on 6 clubs? Good news was that my recurring biceps ache was absent, which may be due to a better warmup–I’ll keep using the new method and see how it goes. Today is easy day; I really think that alternating hard/easy is best, but I don’t know how much I should do on the “easy” days, since time’s a-wastin between now and meeting w/ my guy, plus the competition is rapidly approaching and I’m nowhere, as in nowhere.
I ordered Awareness through Movement and Slaying the Dragon yesterday, had a gift certificate so I went with those. I need to seriously increase my body awareness/control, as I think that, more than anything else, will be the key to progress. I also am going to continue to experiment w/ what supps I take since there’s definitely a correlation with how fried I get, which of course relates to how ready I am for the next practice.
Got to make sure I sleep better, today was bluuuuh. Got some reps in, five rings was so-so, five clubs sucked real bad, three in one was basically nowhere, but I did okay w/ 7 balls, so there’s some bright light there. I’m trying to let myself do it automatically and not so consciously, it’s tough for me to do but I’m realizing that’s what it will take. Saw that today actually, when the very act of being aware of catching 7 balls made me too slow to keep catching them. Maybe I should find some cues to satisfy my apparent need to think without interfering.
7 balls was very good today, I did it first thing and that will continue. I got just short of my PR 3 times so 5 clubs got back on track too, hopefully I’ve sorted out what was wrong.
Didn’t do rings really since due to some dumb stuff I didn’t have time before the gym closed, so I’ll get on it next time.
I’ve been doing a double warmup, or triple really: once early in the day, then a quick little bit before going to the gym, then my usual at the gym, and it’s made a big difference. I’m much more ready more quickly.
Yesterday was supposed to be hard day, but due to dumb stuff I didn’t have it in me, so today.
7 balls went ok, I’m seeing the pattern but not quick enough to do anything. 4/1 felt ok, I’ll include that from now on. 5 clubs sucked, awkward and slow. Didn’t get anywhere really. 3/1 w/ clubs felt good after awhile righty, lefty was dead, zero. I need more strength work. Rings so-so.
Wow, I can’t believe that my “no one will read this damn thing” line actually encouraged you it’s kind of ironic that i haven’t even taken a look at your journal. What kind of weight are the balls/clubs/rings? You might know now off the top of your head now, but if you get new ones in a year or two and want to look back it’s harder to reference information that really should be “easy access”.
For a while I didn’t post if I had a crappy practice, but then I thought that I need more accountability, like if I forced myself to record what I did, good, bad, or ugly, it would kind of push me to make them better.
OTOH, my rep power has gone down 2 points this week & all I posted was this damn journal! Maybe someone’s sending a message? Whatever.
Had a crappy one today due to dumb stuff I’ll work to prevent in future. I managed to do what is currently okay for me w/ 4/1 rings, but then I realized that I have to be doing a lot more than that damn soon. My left arm still SUCKS, I’ll just have to ramp up strength so I can output power even though I don’t have the $$ for ART, which is what I think it needs. I’ve given it some self massage with some results, am still looking for options, basically it’s eroding due to not training it since it hurts -bothering me right now just typing - but my lefthanded 3/1 and 4/1 suck real real bad so I have to DO SOMETHING.
One small bright spot, 4 club trips went really well, which ironically means I shouldn’t work on it anymore :rolleyes:
Got my copy of Awareness Though Movement, have started back in on it. That book rules! Now I have to get the brain bone connected to the ass bone.
Rings and balls were both nowhere, I’m going to start doing stuff that it a little harder than what I can do, to bridge the gap to what I’m working on. Clubs went so-so, but I did something I can build on. The new warmup works well, the prewarmups definitely help(as does the energy drink ). Just got back, so I’m gonna shower and eat as I collapse in front of Farscape.
I wish I could quit now and never juggle again. I know I should, but if I do, all these practices beating my brains out will have been totally wasted. I just want to have some success, so that if I run into some jugglers 5 years from now I don’t have to be ashamed of myself. I want to have some little success, 7 balls and 6 clubs, and win a medal in the numbers comp. at IJA, and then I at least don’t have to be ashamed of having juggled. As it stands now, I’m so full of self hate for A) sucking so pathetically, and B) continuing to try when I should stop. I’m so torn – I HATEHATEHATEHATEHATE juggling and myself for doing it because I SUCKSUCKSUCKSUCK and it’s looking like I never will be able to do anything. But if I quit now, my status as pathetic jerkoff is forever engraved in stone, whereas if I by some miracle do get 6 clubs I can look anyone in the eye and say I did 6 clubs, which isn’t nothing. But it’s looking like I will never ever succeed, and WTF am I making myself miserable for?
Obviously, today’s practice SUCKED. I did nothing, as in nothing, and was all over the place. Could not do anything. I was too amped from the energy drink, which I’ll forgo next time, but I shouldn’t be that sucky anyway. I was able to do nothing except a new PR w/ 4 trips, so what. 5 c. was a complete bust, 3/1 sucked, rings had me seriously rethinking whether I should ever pick up rings again, and balls . . .also nowhere, just unreal I was so spazzy and droppy.
I long ago realized I’ll never be great, or even good maybe, but I just want this little bit of success so that I won’t have wasted all this time and not be a total joke. Problem is, I have no improvement, none, and I see no progress in the future. I just don’t know.
I haven’t posted since the last since all my practices have sucked
However, today between shows I beat my PR for 4 clubs triples and a few minutes later set a much better one. Also talked to a WR holder who emphasized again the notion of not thinking. I guess I just don’t exactly get how to do that. But I can’t argue with results, certainly not his, nor mine today(yesterday now).
That brings to mind an interesting point: it’s always yesterday. Hmm.
But anyway, I was wiped, both from no sleep and from juggling all day, and the only way I could do it was autopilot. I told Chris that, and he said that’s the way to do it all the time. I’ll try it. How do I get in the aware but not conscious zone?
I’ve been working on doing it hindbrain and the results are good so far. I’ll keep at it.
Finally got my copy of Slaying the Dragon, and MJ says he didn’t miss a training day in 10 years. Maybe I should stop whining about (insert current whinge here) and get dedicated like that
Contrast showers and good warmup are both helping my biceps, hopefully I can get back to 3/1 clubs, which I haven’t been doing lefthanded at all.
I’ve pretty much decided to bag rings for a while, mostly for energy envelope reasons. But:
I decided to do sticks again, in quest for the WR 9 sticks. I can do it. <Repeat 10,000 times>
It’s clear that I was too forebrain. My new approach is clearly better, speedwise and psyche-wise, namely I don’t seem to get as torqued. The warmup protocol I metioned earlier is working well too. Contrast showers are helping my biceps but it still bothers me.
The last few were kind of blah so I didn’t write them down, today was better. I have some issue with five clubs, timing maybe, as I usually don’t get past ten throws. Hmmm . . .
Why do I psyche myself out
I was thisclose to a new PR w/ 4 trips and then realized it and dropped :mad:
I have shelved rings for right now since they aren’t really as important and I want to put all the available energy into 5 & 6 clubs. Juuuust the right amount of energy drink preworkout helps a lot, I just have to monitor it closely and not do too much like last week :eek:
5 clubs got back on track too, hopefully I’ve sorted out what was wrong.
it’s kind of ironic that i haven’t even taken a look at your journal. What kind of weight are the balls/clubs/rings? You might know now off the top of your head now, but if you get new ones in a year or two and want to look back it’s harder to reference information that really should be “easy access”.
). Just got back, so I’m gonna shower and eat as I collapse in front of Farscape.
