George's Fitness Journal

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Tomorrow will make two months of no lifting weights. I know I have lost muscle mass as my arms, especially my biceps, are thinner. The scale has been friendlier with a reading of 175 lbs. this morning. I have been getting a daily session of cardio by way of basketball in the morning. Basketball comes close to running intervals, an excellent fat-burning method, because for short periods of time, I am exerting maximum energy. With a pared down diet due to lack of available cash flow, I have been able to reduce the amount of calories taken in during the day. I have been reducing pre-game intake to one peanut-butter and jelly covered waffle and two turkey sausages so that I am well into calorie deficit when I replace the sugars with a PB & J sandwich.

I suffered another attack of chest pain during the weekend of October 21. I played basketball, but the pain kept me out of the weight room. I asked my sister Marilyn what she thought it was. She said she had a co-worker with the same symptoms, so we googled costochondritis. The symptoms and causes listed were exactly what I was experiencing, so I was relieved that I was not going through anything life-threatening. After a full weekend of rest and one dose of naproxin, I stopped having any painful episodes.

Basketball has been providing good cardio, and my pick-up league has gone to five days a week because of the popularity of the AM games. So we've been running full court all this week. But my shooting percentage is still weak. I have some sort of "tennis elbow" in my shooting arm, which causes my shots to come up short. When I overcompensate by putting greater emphasis on the follow-through, the ball tends to go wide. Here is the recommendation of one person who emailed me a tip on improving my shot:

Hey George, I read some of your blogs about basketball. I help coach my daughter's travel team and this year I'm trying to teach them the Buzz Braman shooting technique. Here is the dime store version. The last finger that your ball goes off when you shoot is your index finger. The flight path of the ball will go where your index finger is pointing. Make sure upon your release your index finger is pointing toward the basket. Also profile after you shoot. By this I mean as you release your shot your shooting hand should be flexed down as if your grabbing the rim. Look right over the front rim when you shoot and do not follow the ball with your eyes after you shoot. Your eyes always should be focused on the basket. Happy 3 point shots and hope this maybe of some help.

"Beaver"

So Beaver has some good advice, which I will try to follow. But out of all the guys I play with, "Red" provides me the most positive feedback and constructive criticism. He helps me know when to shoot, pass, or dribble because he's a master at the "triple threat" stance. He points out where I should be when defending the attacker, and he attacks the basket himself with a flourish at the end of the jump that is almost impossible to defend. He tells me that he silently cheers for me when I attempt the lay-up even if he's not on my team because he wants me to be successful. He's a great sportsman and competitor, but more importantly, he's a great coach and friend.

At the end of our games today, he was amazed at a move which fate placed upon me. Another player went up under the basket but missed as his defenders moved him too close to the basket to make a successful hit. The rebound came to me, a player on the same team. Since the shooting player was boxing out any other opponents, albeit unintentionally, I was able to give the ball a light kiss off the glass after making the offensive rebound. The muscle memory was there from numerous drills of bouncing the ball off the glass and into the basket, and I managed my adrenaline rush so that I did not hit the glass too hard. Even though we lost that game, Red talked me up in the locker room, saying the play was a "defining moment."

The muscle memory was there from numerous drills of bouncing the ball off the glass and into the basket, and I managed my adrenaline rush so that I did not hit the glass too hard. Even though we lost that game, Red talked me up in the locker room, saying the play was a "defining moment."

For me, it wasn't so much the shot that was a defining moment, but the amazement demonstrated by my teammates that I was on the ball enough to make the rebound and the lay-up. Other players have confided they see gradual improvements, but I still don't have the consistency to warrant passes from them even when I am open. I still have to be in the right spot to make the play and get the score. Maybe they'll see I can make the play, and in turn, deserve to touch the ball. That might just bring my team a winning shot.

Stay healthy,

George
georgecassutto@hotmail.com

Table of Contents
To Fitness Journal Main Page

2/3/07 Welcome to Basketball Diaries
2/4/07 Super Bowl XLI
2/4/07 Dieting is a Way of Life
2/5/07 Stormy Monday Blues
2/6/07 Tuesdays with Georgie
2/7/07 At Home In the Gym
2/8/07 Order on the Court
2/9/07 Come to the Dark Side
2/12/07 Preview of Experience vs. Youth
2/13/07 Hold Your Own
2/15/07 Time to Heal
2/16/07 It's Not All About Winning
2/20/07 Getting Back into the Game
2/24/07 A Man's Gotta Know His Limitations
3/24/07 Keeping in Shape
6/03/07 Getting Back Into the Game: Part 2
7/06/07 The Mind-Body Connection
7/25/07 It's How Well You Play The Game
7/30/07 Hiking in the Maryland Mountains
8/14/07 Physical and Spiritual Fitness
9/3/07 Working Out on Labor Day
9/18/07 Back from the Abyss
10/31/07 A Defining Moment
11/26/07 Back in the Game