Bling Bling ...

Its a good thing that the High Tech High kids don't need to travel via air, because they would have a hard time getting all their medals through security! This weekends Grizzly Invite brought home 2 more personal bests for the HTH Bruins. Its an ironic occurrence when these kids step in the ring, the training volume is going down and their bodies are starting to react a bit quicker and as a result the are having a hard time "keeping their wheels on the ground". Lots of power in their throws (compared to when they 1st started) but they are having a hard time putting it into the right direction. It would be nice to get to a meet where they are allowed to actually have 6 throws rather than 3...but we do the best with what we got. There are no more "invitationals" this season, as the California CIF finals are approaching in a few weeks. So for the HTH Bruins, its a taper and tightening the screws...

On a side note, in case there are any potential coaches who just happen to be reading this...a word of advice...no matter how bad you feel you may be able to help out another teams athletes by pitching in your 2 cents, DON'T DO IT! There is nothing worse than investing hours and hours into a project (your kids) only to have an egotistical coach come over and throw his 2 cents in and screw everything up. I heard my kids say, "coach Mike, that guy said to do this, but now Im all confused?" uuuggh... wooooh - saaaaaahhh .... ;( So, lesson to be learned by me and others, if Im at a meet and feel like I can help out another jav thrower, you can bet your butt I'm not saying anything, out of respect for their coach, and his time and efforts, no matter how bad they might be!

No big news in my training, other than setting a few lifetime bests in back over head shot throws, hang cleans, standing long jump, hurdle hops...just to name a few ;) If the shoulder holds up (after the cortisone injection last Wednesday) then maybe....just maybe...we will see something cool this summer. If not this summer, next summer should be an eye opener....here's a few pics and videos from this weekend...till next time,
M++

Psychological Warfare

Psychological Warfare (PSYWAR) "Various techniques are used, by any set of groups, and aimed to influence a target audience's value systems, belief systems, emotions, motives, reasoning, or behavior. It is used to induce confessions or reinforce attitudes and behaviors favorable to the originator's objectives, and are sometimes combined with black operations or false flag tactics."

well.....maybe warfare is a over-exaggeration, maybe mind games is a more accurate term:

This is usually the time of year when most people are putting the finishing touches on their spring preparations and getting ready for the season...this would include most people...except me. Still working on my shoulder, my throwing is still way behind schedule and my main goal is USA Champs the end of June. If that means that I cant throw until that time, so be it. The hard part is not committing to meets even though I need the money and points...never mind the 4 day trip to the Caribbean that I just had to turn down...uuugh! I will admit that there are times that I want to try to rush back and get into the mix as soon as possible (hence the Psychological Warfare intro) and there are plenty of people who want to know when and where i will be back. Its a non stop battle between what I know I should do and what I want to do. Going back to the investment I made in my shoulder back in November of 09, I knew that this year could be used as a re-building year and many others have done the same. Most recently, a friend of mine, Yelena Isenbayeva (World and Olympic Record Holder, Womens Pole Vault) has just announced that she will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from competition.
http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=56414.html

So, Im guessing, I will continue my leave of absence until I am sure that I am ready to get back in the mix with all I got. To be continued...

My High Tech High Bruins just had their 3rd meet of the season this weekend. There was mixed results with a few personal bests and a few would be personal bests if they could have saved the sector fouls. I'm still getting used to the kids having to rush over to competitions from taking their ACT's. Its not quite what I'm used to but I'm amazed at the sportsmanship at their level. Its sometimes a character trait that gets lost in the professional ranks and it is refreshing to be around. Until next time,
M++

heres a few pics and videos from the meet!