Game Day

It's Saturday morning which means it's game time! The best--but only if I push myself constantly--and riskiest workout of the week. Actually, it's the only workout where I feel that there's a chance of an injury, although I suppose I could tweak something in any of my other workouts, or climbing out of bed in the morning, for that matter.

It's also the most fun of any of my workouts. And although I should've grown out of this long ago, I have to confess it's more fun to win than to lose.

I Use This

That's right: a gymboss. It's a programmable timer that beeps to begin and end workout intervals. It can be really mean and tough and can make a minute last a long time. But it's very effective.

Important Rules

Senior Basketball games are 3-on-3 halfcourt, an adaptation that is appropriate and just. Also, in pick-up games, we don't go "skins", for reasons which would be obvious if we did. The protocol is to bring both a light colored shirt and a dark colored shirt to the game, so you can go both ways, in a sense, even if you only go to your right, or left.

Another very important rule is that senior players (geezers) are asked to purge their closets of all of their 70s era short shorts. This rule is also obvious, just glance at the unfortunate photo shown here--from the 90s--for proof.

Lederhosen

No, I'm not suggesting that strapping on leather panties will somehow help your game resemble Dirk Nowitski's. But when in New York City (as I was this weekend) a stop at Lederhosen for the Schnitzel and the seasonal beer (Octoberfest in my case) will upgrade your mental frame of mind in such a way that you will perform better the next time you step on the court. In addition, the combination of carbs and protein makes for the perfect recovery meal.

I also found the Lagunitas IPA poured at Wilfie & Nell to be appropriate sustenance. The game at the West 4th Street "Cage" was a little disappointing, though. Not the inspiration I was looking for.

Unfortunate Timing

Although I've found the perfect recovery beverage it remains important to continue to source alternate recovery drinks, given the potential for shortages and drought and what-not. Be that as it may, I will miss a tremendous opportunity to scout geezer hoop fuel because I'll be out of town this weekend and therefore unable to attend the Maine Brewer's Fest.

The good news is that I'll be in New York City, where they are reputed to have ample amounts of the fuel that makes geezers go. So I'll scout there, and report back in with the results.

Some Explanations Necessary

Ok, some explanations are in order. The Mary Katherine is an explosive lunge named for the SNL charachter.

The Sumo Squat Leap is a leg exercise.

I trick out the Mary Katherines and the Sumo Squat by holding a basketball in my hands, although I'm not sure that does anything.

The Mikan Drill is terrific, and actually challenging cardiovascularly. I do 3 variations. The first is straight on (a conventional lay-up), then the reverse mikan, from underneath the basket, then one that introduces a baby hook shot. I should make every one of these shots, but I don't. George Mikan was the first great big man in the NBA, he played for the Lakers when they were in Minneapolis, and therefore when their name made sense.

The Catch-and-Shoot drill I use is similar to the link here, except that my shots are in and around the paint, and they don't go in as often.

Practice!

That's right, I'm talking about practice.

Fitness improvement means playing at a higher level, and it's injury preventative medicine. Practice means basketball skill improvement, which facilitates playing at a higher level. I've developed a practice routine that I can do by myself that incorporates both skill development and fitness improvement. This is it:

1:00 Mikan drill/:30 push-ups
1:00 Reverse Mikan drill/:30 plank
1:00 Mikan baby hook drill/:30 Sumo Squat Jump
1:00 Catch-and-shoot/:30 Mary Katherines
1:00 Catch-and-shoot/:30 jump rope
2:30 10 free throw attemps

That's Round One. I do 3 rounds. I try to minimize the rest time between rounds. The last time I did this, I averaged 52 baskets made (excluding the free throws). I made 20 of my 30 free throws, and completed the 3 rounds in 34:37. My heart rate bangs into anaerobic threshold range and averages mid-aerobic range throughout the workout, despite falling during the free throw sessions.

My hope is that, over time, I'll be a better player with help from this workout