yesterday was practice and I am sure as myself most of the guys at practice are a train wreck today. Alot of pulling done after watching some bowl games. Auburn looked like they been laying off too much at least to me. I been refinishing a set of chester drawers so using my hands enough but latley alot of arthritis pain although I noted other than being muscle sore the practice seems to have lessened the arthritis pain.
I dont know if any of you have ever heard of round robin or king of the hill at practice but if you havent this is how it goes. There are several variations of the rules but its basically single match line winner holds the table . You can make a rule that if you hold the table through a full round of pullers that you step down to the one who came closest to beating you or you can even make it if you go two rounds. We just go until someone gets beat down enough to drop a match. It just happened to be at the end of the second rotation so it didnt really matter. This is a good way to really get your pull on and study over and over the contrast of your pullers and what their attributes are . It shows clearly what they need to work on and in fact you can orchestrate it easier to get someone that you have that always pulls a hook to maybe use their toproll or visa versa. We only had 6 people at practice which is an ok number and we pulled on each other relentlessly even using the straps. Once again the one thing it cleared up about what my teammates needed to learn was that in a tourney the hook only guy will rarely come out the victor in the end. The big example is you get a guy that can hammer curl say close to 200 pounds over and over again and he likes the toproll. Ok you have another fella that if he can turn into a tricep press he can push about the same strength in a driving pin. Question: How strong is the tricep guys hand and wrist? Answer: Not nearly strong enough. The backpressure guy just keeps popping the outside move but the good thing is that it builds both skills putting these guys together and in a practice environment where you dont have the rulers out seeing whos is longer , it helps because you can get the guy with the big hook to try some toprolling and actually see just what he is capable of and what he/she "excuse me" needs to work on. Consequently you can get that big toproller to work his/her hook as well. It just makes for an all round improvment of skills. Everyone else in the pecking order will also get more out of the session that they needed. Besides myself I have one heavy guy that is a mean toproll and needs hook time. He weighs about 300. I also have a guy that as Neil Pickup puts it is the wizards *** in the shoulder roll . He is weighing about 215. I had another weighing in around 200 that just needs to get back on track and one that weighs about 180 and one in around 130 pounds. My wife pulls too so she gets plenty on the table. I guess what I am telling you guys is it isnt just a pull session. You have to look at everyone and work them in the areas that they need it. Ok here is where I brag a little. My heavy guy is Carey Nick and he has this ongoing rival with Chuck Westberry from Jacksonville. Before we went to Florida state I put Carey in the Straps and just held a defensive position on him and made him stay in the straps for about 5 pulls maybe a few more. I wouldnt take them off even though they kept getting tighter. I would just make him work and work at different angles to give him ideas about what to do if he was in tournament with someone and needed to drag out something to get by with. In that tournament he wound up in that scenario and even though he drove into a shoulder roll for the win in the straps , Chuck was totally suprised and Carey had the gas to peddle through it from our encounters. This is an great example of how you become better. The lifting and cardio is all great and you need it but you must get all aspects of that table and practice . It is very important you do it all. I hope this rant has been helpful. Until next week
I generally have 8 or more at practice but one just had a baby boy >congrats Kelly Wintz and the other I expect we will see next week. There is never any telling . I have had as many as 15 or so show up for a practice but it takes them time away sometimes to decide what they are really going to put into it and what they expect out of it. It is something that the individual has to decide but as I always say. It is indignation that will drive them there. I will come up with some more things we do maybe after next week. Remember this though > You only get out of it what you put into it. defining that item is not that hard to see however it is alot harder to do.