This week (+ Wednesday Gym)

The week so far:

Monday: Rest and bought protein powder and a protein shake bottle, isotonic tablets and energy tablets for the weekend.
Tuesday: 5 Miles cycling
Wednesday: 5 Miles cycling, Gym (below) and play book study

Warm up:
1 * 15 Internal Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
1 * 15 External Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
2 * 15 Single leg raised Glute Bridge - per leg
1 * 12 Press up holds (2 seconds)
1 * 12 Body weight squats
Foam rolling

Main routine:

{4 * 5  Pull ups (hands forward/wide grip)
3 * 8 Standing Dumbell Push Press (2 x 5 kg)
3 * 8 Lateral Step ups (12kg) - per leg}

3 * 8 body weight Squats on a wobble board

{3 * 8 Seated row (64kg)
3 * 8 Bulgarian Split squats (2 * 10 kg) - per leg}

{4 * 20 press ups
4 * 30s Plank
3 * 8 Single Leg Swiss Ball Hamstring curls (55cm swiss ball)}

Warm down:

Hip abductor stretching
Hamstring stretching
Hip flexors stretching

Foam rolling

A reduced session today for the week before the first big open tournament this year

The rest of the week:

Thursday: 6 Miles cycling, Yoga and playbook study

Friday: 6 Miles cycling, food shopping for the weekend and playbook study

Ka-Pow! weekend!

Saturday

Saturday was used to run through our multiple zone looks. We looked in depth at each one before practicing them at a reduced pace. This was really useful, with us regularly getting called to stop with Pichler repositioning us and reshaping the groups of players which made up the elements of the zones. I think one of the great things about our defense last year was just how many different defensive looks we could show an opponent, with man and all the inherent changes you can make to the marking and forcing, as well as multiple zones with changeable elements.

Sunday

On Sunday, the focus switched to the Offense. We were concentrating on fundementals of resetting the disc, and hucking in flow as well as putting a lot of effort into our cutter isolation strategy and one of our alternate offensive looks.
Sunday's session was slightly better attended, but both days were really worthwhile with lots of players eager  to fine tune the details of our game.

With it being one week before the Open tour season, I really liked the focussed approach. Some teams will use the last pre-tour session to get psyched, but I've often felt like a session where everyone is shouting and hyped will have lost it's effect by the end of a week working a full time job. I really like getting psyched before a tournament using a psych up playlist of songs which helps with that and watching lots of ultimate (and NFL) highlight videos, but I think a focussed and detail oriented approach means people can take in important information and have it sink in over the week.

Mixed Tour 3 wrapup

Last weekend saw the end of the Mixed season for me. From now on it's Open all the way.

I have always enjoyed the company of my teammates on the Herd, but it's no secret that at times I have been frustrated with on pitch performance and this was exemplified at Mixed Tour 3.

Saturday:

Game 1: Loss to Royal Goaltimate Society (15-10)

Royal Goaltimate Society went on to win Mixed Tour overall and have strong guys and girls, but like I said in my Mixed Tour 3 preview this game was eminently winnable for the Herd. Poor decisions and drops that shouldn't have happened were the difference with RGS managing to make up for their poor decisions by making big plays and not dropping and we didn't. Like our game against them at Tour 2, if RGS had turned it on against us and we had kept playing like we did, the score wouldn't have been close, but also if we hadn't made mistakes it could have been closer or even gone the other way.

Game 2: Loss to Black Eagles (15-4)

After the loss to RGS we were on straight away on a field a short walk away. Figuratively we didn't turn up. The score could have just as easily been 15-0 with the way we were playing and the score was pretty reflective of the game we played.

Game 3: Loss to Magic Toast (15-12???)

Our first good game of the day started with a slow first half. We managed to at least start playing well in the second half but by then it was too late. Taking positives from the second half we were hoping to go into Sunday with a little momentum and avoid dropping out of the top 8.

Sunday

Game 4: Loss to Bristol (Can't remember the score)

We came out trading, but before long Bristol started pulling away. We kept in touch throughout, but Bristol were in control. Bryan made a massive play catching a full extension layout Calaghan which I hoped would spark us into life and start our comeback, but when Bristol scored the point straight after they showed their mental strength and closed out the game.

Game 5: Loss to DED (15-14)

Herd won the first half 8-4 (I think) but we started to allow DED back in during the second half. When we were 13-14 down we still had hope and we brought it to sudden death. But we couldn't get the break and DED won. In some ways this game was even more frustrating than the loss to Black Eagles, because whereas against Black Eagles we didn't play well at all, in this game we just let what should have been a comfortable victory slip through our fingers.

Game 6: Win vs Brighton (15-11???)

Whilst it was nice to finish with a win, both teams were mentally drained after 5 straight losses. In the end, Brighton wanted the game less than we did.



Unfortunately, last weekend reminded me of Mixed Tour 3 from last year. Last year we won 1 game all weekend, but because we won the right game we improved seed from 6th to 4th, this year we dropped from 5th to 11th.
However, we still came away from both weekend with only 1 win to show for ourselves, and I HATE losing.

It's tough to stay mentally up over a weekend and season that's filled with ups and downs, but I maintain that even during the lulls I was playing hard.

I am pretty glad the Mixed season is over and despite having good times with the Herd, I am glad I can fully concentrate on Ka-Pow from now on which was always going to be my focus this season.

Thursday yoga

Another good yoga session. Plenty of challenging poses and lots of plank variants.
Felt tough after a week of feeling drained, but afterwards felt good.
Looking to be at full speed this weekend.

I'm still here...

Mixed Tour 3 left me drained. Losing 5 of 6 games, most of which were frustrating losses for one reason or another is disappointing. Further to this, having played well in most of those games, by the end of the weekend I was feeling apathetic. Monday morning was tough. I haven't felt that tired in a long time.
This was not how I wanted to be feeling for the build up to the Open Tour season.
Last week at work was tough, but I managed to get my regular exercise routine done.
This week, on top of feeling drained, I have had to work through lunch and stay late on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Luckily, today is a great combination of being the first day that I will have a lunch break and also the first day this week that I haven't felt physically drained.

It's not like I was idle Monday to Wednesday, I still cycled 6 miles each day. Today I will use my lunch break to go to Yoga as it's not high intensity but will still be beneficial.

I want to be able to put my all in this weekend at Ka-Pow's last training weekend before the Open Tour season so I will not be going to the gym on Friday.
Next week, I will have bank holiday Monday off, and I will be going to the gym on Wednesday, going to Yoga on Thursday and resting on Friday.

It's almost Open Season!

Mixed Tour 3 Preview

Want to get back into the blog. Been busy with catching up at work (working late and through lunch) and been updating the Ka-Pow! website and creating and releasing the Ka-Pow! roster photos on the facebook group (and yes that's the reason I've re-tweeted and shared them all). So that's been happening in the evenings. Anyway, I've always enjoyed the blog so I'm not about to stop any time soon.

Mixed Tour 3: Herd 1

Herd 1 start in a group with Royal Goaltimate society, Magic Toast and Black Eagles. Our aim is too make the final against the GB World games squad. I think it will be a tough road through the group and playoffs to get there.

Saturday:

Game 1: vs Magic Toast

Magic Toast's squad at MT2 was much better than their squad at MT1. I didn't see who was on either squad in any real depth, but to go from finishing 13th at MT1 to 4th at MT2 is no small step. I don't really want to predict this game, however depending on their squad at this tour, the game should be tough and winnable. We would need to put together a complete game of two halves to stand a chance though, something which we've struggled with this season.

Game 2: vs Black Eagles

Our second game is against the lowest seeded team in our group. Contrarily, Black Eagles were the best non-GB team at MT1. This season has seen plenty of games not going to seed and two very different top 8's. Nonetheless, Black Eagles are a team always looking for a battle and will be eager to climb the rankings again.

Game 3: vs RGS

In our game against RGS at MT2 we came out flat and allowed them to take their foot off the gas towards the end. We will need to keep the score close early to have a shot in this game. They showed at MT2 that they were capable of playing dominating offense in a relaxed style, and stifling defense. They played the GB squad close at the MT2 final.

Looking at this group, I see three games that could go either way, depending on how we play. Essentially these games are all in our control, but could all go either way. Winning 2 or 3 out of 3 would be fantastic, but in reality I can see us only winning 1 or even 0 and having a crossover, so I won't be providing any further predictions around Herd 1.

Finals Contenders

I don't see any reason why the GB world games squad won't take the MT3 crown.
Let's break down the contenders:

RGS - If they continue to play as they did at MT2 and stay at the 2 seed after the pool stages I see them with a great chance to be in the final again.
Bear Cavalry - Bears will be keen to build some momentum to finish the Mixed Tours which they can take going into Mixed Nationals and Europeans. A couple more players at this Tour could make all the difference. Regardless of their Tour finish, as one of the only Mixed Only clubs in the UK I see them winning Mixed Nationals again and going to Euros.
Cambridge - Quietly having a strong season, Cambridge have fielded strong players who play together a lot.
Magic Toast - If Magic Toast take a strong squad again, they can continue to cause some upsets and make the final.
Herd 1 - This is the team's aim. I think it's not impossible, but will be a struggle if we don't finish top 2 in our pool.
DED - Have been unable to take the final steps this season, falling after strong starts to finish outside the top 4 at MT1 and MT2. Apparently short on guys...
Black Eagles - "Won" MT1 behind the two GB teams. Could go either way.
Brighton Breezy - The second highest finishing non-GB team at MT1 and did enough at MT2 to stay top 8. Will be without Sion and Elias.

Bristol - I still see these guys as an outside shot for the final. They have taken scalps all season but have managed to lose the games that count the most at both tours; 1v8 at MT1 to Black Eagles and top 8 crossover at MT2 to a Magic Toast team on a mission. If it all comes together for them, they could definitely be in the final.

See you there!

Smatt

Wednesday Track, Thursday Yoga + Friday Gym

Hit the track last night. Despite the rain on Tuesday and most of Wednesday, the track was bathed in sunshine on Wednesday night.

Warm up:

400m warmup + full stretching routine

Main:

Sprint pyramid:

50m Sprint + 1 minute rest
2 * 50m Sprint + 2 minutes rest
3 * 50m Sprint + 3 minutes rest
4 * 50m Sprint + 4 minutes rest
5 * 50m Sprint + 5 minutes rest
6 * 50m Sprint + 6 minutes rest
5 * 50m Sprint + 5 minutes rest
4 * 50m Sprint + 4 minutes rest
3 * 50m Sprint + 3 minutes rest
2 * 50m Sprint + 2 minutes rest
50m Sprint + 1 minute rest

Warm down:

400m jog + full stretching routine

Thursday I went to Yoga with a still aching quad from getting knee'd there at the weekend, and also aching triceps for some reason!? After yoga neither ached!
There were quite a lot of challenging poses this week, but I am pretty happy with yoga as part of my weekly routine, and would probably recommend it to others. It probably does the same as a deep stretching routine would do (with some muscle endurance work as well), but as someone who hasn't had the greatest flexibility in some areas in the past, it's been really useful for me.

Friday I hit the gym:


Warm up:

1 * 15 Internal Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
1 * 15 External Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
2 * 15 Single leg raised Glute Bridge - per leg
1 * 12 Press up holds (3 seconds)
1 * 12 Body weight squats
Foam rolling

Main routine:

{4 * Max  Pull ups (hands forward/wide grip) (9, 7, 7, 6)
3 * 8 Standing Dumbell Push Press (2 x 12.5 kg)}


{4 * 20 weighted press ups (10kg)
4 * 30s Dynamic Plank
3 * 8 Single Leg Swiss Ball Hamstring curls (55cm swiss ball)}

{3 * 8 Seated row (68kg *increase*)
3 * 8 Lateral Step ups (12kg) - per leg}

{3 * 8 Squats (90 kg)
3 * 8 Bulgarian Split squats (15 kg) - per leg}

Warm down:

Hip abductor stretching
Hamstring stretching
Hip flexors stretching
Foam rolling


Didn't do the routine in an ideal order but had to make do with what was available in a packed gym.

I think it's obvious I'm not going to get round to a Fog Lane recap... luckily, one was written for the Ka-Pow! website, which I will link later.

I will, however, try to do a Mixed Tour 3 preview this evening.

Tuesday Gym

Still had a bit of a dead leg from Saturday afternoon after getting knee'd in the thigh. I am also catching up on work after being on a course three days last week so today's gym didn't include a few of the normal exercises. I also altered some of the exercises slightly to move to what I want the routine to look like going forward and spent a good amount of time stretching and foam rolling both before and afterwards to address my still slightly aching muscles.

Warm up:

1 * 15 Internal Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
1 * 15 External Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
2 * 15 Single leg raised Glute Bridge - per leg
1 * 12 Press up holds (3 seconds)
1 * 12 Body weight squats
Foam rolling

Main routine:

{4 * Max Pull ups - wide grip (8, 7, 7, 7)
3 * 8 Standing Dumbell Push Press (2 x 10 kg)}

{3 * 8 Seated row (64kg)
3 * 8 Lateral Step ups (12kg) - per leg}

{4 * 30s Dynamic Plank
3 * 8 Single Leg Swiss Ball Hamstring curls (55cm swiss ball)}

Warm down:

Hip abductor stretching
Hamstring stretching
Hip flexors stretching
Foam rolling

Fog lane wrap up still to come (obviously).

Wednesday Track

Last week was on a course Wednesday to Friday. Ran track on Wednesday and was cycling every day as well, but didn't get round to updating the blog. So, last Wednesday's track routine was:

Warm up:

400m jog + full stretching routine

Main session:

Pyramid sprints:
50m Sprint + 1 minute rest
2 * 50m Sprint + 2 minutes rest
3 * 50m Sprint + 3 minutes rest
4 * 50m Sprint + 4 minutes rest
5 * 50m Sprint + 5 minutes rest
4 * 50m Sprint + 4 minutes rest
3 * 50m Sprint + 3 minutes rest
2 * 50m Sprint + 2 minutes rest
50m Sprint + 1 minute rest

Warm down:

400m jog + full stretching routine

Felt good doing this. Weather wasn't great, but powered through. This week appears to be the last documented week of the Ka-Pow track regime. I'm hoping I haven't accidentally missed a week, as it will still be two weeks before Open tour 1 after this week...

Ka-Pow! went to the Fog Lane Cup this weekend, so there will be a review of that coming up this evening (probably).

Saturday Ka-Pow! Training and Tuesday Gym

Good session on Saturday focussing on dump play and resets from all positions on the field, as well as some fitness work and cutting technique work. Lower attendance than we would have hoped so we will be repeating the session this Saturday morning before the Fog Lane warm up tournament.

Today's gym session:


Warm up:

1 * 15 Internal Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
1 * 15 External Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
2 * 15 Single leg raised Glute Bridge - per leg
1 * 12 Press up holds (3 seconds)
1 * 12 Body weight squats
Foam rolling

Main routine:

{4 * 5 Pull ups (hands forward/shoulder width)
4 * 5  Pull ups (hands forward/wide grip)
3 * 8 Standing Dumbell Push Press (2 x 12.5 kg)}

{3 * 8 Seated row (64kg)
3 * 8 Lateral Step ups (12.5kg) - per leg}

{3 * 8 Squats (90 kg)
3 * 8 Bulgarian Split squats (15 kg) - per leg}


{4 * 20 weighted press ups (5kg)
4 * 30s Dynamic Plank
3 * 8 Single Leg Swiss Ball Hamstring curls (55cm swiss ball)}

Warm down:

Hip abductor stretching
Hamstring stretching
Hip flexors stretching
Foam rolling

Was feeling a bit ill this morning but tried to power through. Felt tired when it got to the end, which is why I did 4 * 20 weighted pressups instead of 4 * Max.

On a course for work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week so I won't be at Yoga on Thursday or in the Gym on Friday. Will hit the track tomorrow evening and will be cycling Wed-Fri though, so should be a bit rested for Fog Lane.

Thursday Yoga and Friday Gym

Not much to report from Yoga yesterday. Started with Hamstring work again, which again was pretty difficult but beneficial. Couple of new poses as well, most of which I didn't catch the name of, but one of the new one's was Eagle...
Also, did quite a few plank and bridge like poses so felt good in my core afterwards.

Today I hit the gym:

Warm up:

1 * 15 Internal Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
1 * 15 External Shoulder rotations (7kg) - per arm
2 * 15 Single leg raised Glute Bridge - per leg
1 * 12 Press up holds (3 seconds)
1 * 12 Body weight squats
Foam rolling

Main routine:

{4 * 5 Pull ups (hands forward/shoulder width)
4 * 5  Pull ups (hands forward/wide grip)
3 * 8 Standing Dumbell Push Press (2 x 10 kg)
3 * 8 Lateral Step ups (10kg) - per leg}

3 * 8 Seated row (64kg)

{3 * 8 Squats (90 kg)
3 * 8 Bulgarian Split squats (20 kg) - per leg}


{4 * Max weighted press ups (10kg) (30, 25, 22, 25)
4 * 30s Dynamic Plank
3 * 8 Single Leg Swiss Ball Hamstring curls (55cm swiss ball)}

Warm down:

Hip abductor stretching
Hamstring stretching
Hip flexors stretching
Foam rolling

Ka-Pow! training tomorrow morning. Not on 3G any more, but luckily the weather looks like it's going to be ace.

Wednesday Track

Track routine on the last week of 300m sprints this week. This week the headwind was on the first 100m rather than the last 100m like the previous weeks which meant I was finishing faster. I can't tell if this made it easier and meant that I recovered faster because I wasn't working to battle the wind after having already run 200m each time, or whether I'm just used to 300m sprints after three weeks. Either way, next week the Ka-Pow! track routine changes up again.

Warm up:

400m jog and full stretching session

Main session:

5 * 300m sprint with 5 minute rest

Warm down:

400m jog and full stretching

Yoga today, Gym tomorrow and Training saturday, before enjoying a bank holiday weekend!