Martin roy training log

[Martin Roy]

As always, it was great to be on the field with you guys at Dixon. Despite the heat, throwing is about the coolest thing to do on a Saturday. Or Sunday, for that matter.

So, results for me were a mixed bag. On the one hand, I had the best six throw sequence ever with the stones. All three B stones were over 20' with a heavy rock; I was hoping to hit 21' but I'm okay with the consistency. I'm sure that 21' is close. The O stone was a pr; I finally broke the 26' barrier with 26'5.5" toss. Now I want 27' and beyond.

One the other hand, wfd was my worst sequence for quite awhile. I can't point to anything in particular; just felt like I had no pop at all. Between now and Ventura I'm going to put some practice time in on this event because I want to finish strong. In fact, last year at Ventura I got pr's in both lwfd and hwfd; the goal is a double repeat performance this year.

Hammer, meh. I felt slow and sludgy. Need more practice winds before Ventura; I've made some good progress this season with the hammers and I'm sort of in a transition mode with speed and balance. When it comes together I throw okay, when it doesn't come together I know it immediately.

Wob has been the absolute bane of my existence for the past three years. However, despite missing 10 (again/f*&#!), I think I'm finally getting a clearer idea of what I need to do from a form standpoint. Recent epiphanies lend hope to what, to this point, has been an exercise in frustration. Watching Kit handle this event so smoothly and effortlessly leaves me admonishing myself: " Watch and just do what he does. How tough can this be?"

With the cabers I had three good pulls, no turns. I simply need to get stronger, work on a better, longer pull, use my legs more effectively, and timing. That's what the off-season is for.

On to Ventura for the big finish.

[Martin Roy]

I'm off probation and I can post without being monitored. This is too much fun.

[Martin Roy]

Waaayyy too much fun...

[Alan H]

LOL....Mods, keep an eye on this guy. You never know when he'll cut loose with profanity and XXX-rated under-kilt pictures.

Your stones looked good. Seriously, you are looking like a shotputter, now. The technique is coming along. Come on down to Shaffer field on Saturdays during the winter and practice with Geoff and the UCSC slugs and Gary John. Also, you can stand-throw some wire hammers, which is the best thing in the world for Scottish hammer.

I had no mojo in hammers either, BTW.... though I'm guess that's from me not having had any lunch - low blood sugar. I had no speed and had to just revert back to *Grunt*....which works OK for me but it's not what I want to do.

[o1d_dude]

I saw of your caber picks and tosses. You did well with that beast. The picks were easy and lacked drama of any sort. The tosses were all you could do under the conditions so no apologies or beating yourself up over them.

For a practice caber I'd recommend one about 15-16' and 60-70 lb-ish so you can work on technique and timing.

On the field at the games, adrenaline will make up for the extra foot of length and 10 lbs of weight.

[Martin Roy]

Did some easy, light weights on Monday to get the blood flowing but I felt tired, especially my shoulders. Took yesterday off to watch my daughter play water polo and, really, I needed the extra day off. I'm feeling much better today but I may give myself another day off in deference to the little voice in my head that says I still need a bit more recovery time. Tomorrow, though, I'll head to Shaffer to throw in prep for the finale at Ventura.

Thanks, Kit, for the caber comments. For practice I've been using a metal stick that's a little short at @ 13-14', but it weighs roughly 85 lbs and it doesn't break. For practicing the pick it's been ideal, but I've realized I need to find a longer stick to get more effective practice in the timing and the pull.

[Alan H]

We gotta get you guys a 15-16 footer down there at Shaffer... You can now pick and control anything that you're likely to see in our class. In fact, that's been the case for a while, now. Now it's time to start turning them!

[Martin Roy]

Gaahhh - I just deleted an extensive post and I don't know what I did to deserve that - I didn't hit any buttons or abuse my keyboard in any nasty way. It just disappeared abruptly.

Short version: Didn't get to throw on Friday as planned; real life intruded. Saturday did some moderate lifting, focusing on rack pulls working up to 3 sets of 5 reps at 225. Sunday afternoon I had a good session with stones, working form and footwork. I can tell it's the end of the season from the signals I'm getting from various body parts. Rest today; tomorrow I want to drill wfd; Wednesday I'll do some hammer. After that it's recovery and gear up for Ventura.

[Martin Roy]

Main focus yesterday was easy, light bench with 95; 10 sets of 5, fast with minimal rest. That successfully removed all kinks and soreness from my shoulders and upper back. Finished with 20+ minutes of cardio, core work, and stretching.

I had planned to work wfd drills this evening, but my daughter informed me this morning the game tonight is Senior Recognition for her water polo team. Off I'll go to the pool...

[Martin Roy]

What does Robbie say about the best laid plans going astray...
I had planned to go to Shaffer Park for a last session with hammer and wfd but Mother Nature decided otherwise. There's a big thunder and lightning storm going on right now, complete with advisories on television to stay indoors, according to my wife who is glued to the set watching the Giants.