Off- Season Plans

[Alan H]

OK, the Games season is winding down. What are your plans vis-a-vis the Games for the off season?

Me?

My lower back really gave me issues the last month of this season, so I'm taking a solid month off to recover....no throwing, no lifting.

I'll start up again in mid-November. I have a stones and hammers workshop with Rusty Price (top A level stones thrower out here) around November. I'll start lifting again, focusing on upper body and gut strength right around then.

No more squats or leg lifts....it stinks, but that's what hurts my back more than anything else. I'm going to make a small plywood sled I can load my 50 lb sandbag on, and haul around the field for a legs workout.

My throwing this winter is going to focus on just a few things:

stones technique...I stink at Stones, it's time to ramp up.

hammer speed. I had thought about trying to transition to using spikes, but I watched Mike Pockoski throw well over 110 feet without spikes at Ventura, and I'm pretty sure I can crack 90 feet without spikes if I work on speed, speed, speed, especially around the back.

WFD technique with lots of drills, especially focused at hitting the power positions and staying LOW instead of going through the turns standing up. I want to see 45 feet next season in the LWFD.

I figure I'll throw three times in two weeks, and my back will deal with that OK. I'll get in another workout or two a week with weights and the sled.

What's your plan?

[Cynthia]

Form form form form form and form, I'm sure

I hope this group keeps practicing all year 'round. I've grown to not only enjoy the workout, but seeing them in the mornings on the weekends is something I look forward to as well.

I'm definitely going to start lifting more. I want to work on not just upper body strength (I've actually started forcing myself to do push-ups, and if you knew how much I hated those, you'd understand how determined I am ), but I also want to improve my leg strength. My legs have always been the strongest part of my body, but I want to improve them even more. Might as well make use of them and my height

There are two more Games in Texas this year, I think (I'm not sure if there are any others), and I would love to do one of them but I'm not sure if we'll get to. I have also heard there might be a clinic sometime in January, but again, I'm not sure. I would love to attend some of those as well if we can.

Working on form and technique for everything are the #1 things for me though. I figure, if the guys I train with who've been doing this for a while are focusing on that pretty heavily, I'm on the right track too The more I learn (I still haven't tried every event yet), the more I see what I need to work on and ways to come up with different ways to practice or get in shape (whether it's strenuous or very relaxed and gentle). Variety will be great, I think.

Good luck, everyone!

[Yaish]

I'm losing weight over the next several months, with the goal being to lose 60 lbs. I'll be practicing pretty much every weekend too, doing a full games clinic with all nine events.

I'm planning on competing in A's next year, so I need to keep working on form and technique. Hopefully the lighter weight and better fitness will translate to more explosive power too, so that may help quite a bit.

[Arlen]

I'm pretty much planning to build my strength back up and only then start properly working on technique.
Before my surgery I was benching just over 200lbs. Now I am doing 56lbs. Aeee.
I got a new weight set after my wages FINALLY cleared and I could afford one from Craigslist. Between that and the great advice from this board I will get there in time and I am confident I will do well.

Alan, I really hope your back heals up well. Good luck that!

[CaberDave]

Off season plans are to work on spin tech. for WFD. Going to work on Legs and core so I can stay low during spin, as well as help in the pull duting caber and WOB. Met a few guys @ Stone Mountain and we are looking to train off and on during the winter months.

[jgorley]

Off season, no such thing. This is just a long time til the next games. My next games is in June. During this long "training session" I will be focusing on the caber/WOB and Hammers. I lump the WOB and caber together because they use very much the same motion. I will be in the gym alot, due to the lovely Washington weather. I need to work on my explosive acceleration to get the lift in WOB, as well as the caber. My hammer is another story. I have a problem with getting my weight on the wrong foot. This puts me off balance for the big pull on the end. This is my acchilles heel. In the overall scoring my hammer drops my average, as it is effectively two events. I have a ton of work to do!!

James

[Yaish]

If you guys aren't putting your scores in the NASGA database I strongly suggest you do. Not only does it give you a nice record, but it helps to compare yourself to others in your class.

What I find actually the most useful aspect of it, is checking how my scores stand up to the World Records.
Basically, each event is scored as a percentage of the WR. For example, if WR in Open Stone is 50 ft, then a 25 ft throw would be 500 points. Each event is scored this way.

When looking at my numbers I can see that in most cases I fall in the 550-650 range. However, when it comes to my HWFD and LWFD I see that I am in the 490-550 range, thus telling me that Weights are my "worst" event. If I want to bring up my overall score, I need to focus a lot more on my weights than perhaps my stones, which are already in the 600 zone.

[kiltedinUSMC]

Right now I am lifting and putting on a little weight Not too much. And Trying to find time to practice again.

[Yaish]

Ryan, if you haven't been told we moved practice to Saturday's. Jeff made a new website, still very much a work in progress but it has the schedule up.

www.scottishthrowing.com

[BoldHighlander]

Alan, I really hope your back heals up well. Good luck that!

As one who still suffers from two previous lower back injuries (for more than 2 yrs now) I'd echo Arlen here & wish you a speedy healing Alan. Take care of that back!